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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Vatican: same-sex couples ruling is not endorsement of homosexuality

A gay couple take part in a public blessing ceremony in front of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
A gay couple take part in a public blessing ceremony in front of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

The Vatican has stressed that allowing priests to bless same-sex couples is not an endorsement of homosexuality, but neither is it blasphemous, after some Catholic bishops reacted negatively to the measure announced last month.

Pope Francis approved a ruling in December allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples so long as the blessing was performed without any type of ritualisation and did not give the impression of the church’s approval of the relationship.

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