Pope Francis says Catholic Church can bless same-sex unions on 'case-by-case basis', amid tussle

Same-sex unions could finally be blessed by the Catholic Church. For the first time, Pope Francis has suggested that gay marriages could be blessed by Catholic priests.

However, as per the supreme pontiff, these blessings, if granted, would be only on a "case-to-case basis".

A case of 'dubia'

Pope Francis made this suggestion in a letter, responding to his 'harshest critics' in the Catholic ranks, reports CNN.

Previously, five conservative cardinals, in a letter, had formally questioned the Pope on a number of topics, including the October meeting of bishops and the impact it may have on the Church's teachings.

Cardinals Walter Brandmuller, Raymond Leo Burke, Juan Sandoval Iniguez, Robert Sarah and Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, had also asked in their 'dubia,' Pope Francis about his intentions to bless same-sex unions and his aspirations regarding the potential ordination of women priests. They initially sent the letter on July 10.

However, unsatisfied with the Pope's initial response, the five cardinals reworded their dubia and, citing "the gravity of the matter" sent it again on August 21.

Dubia is Latin for doubt and is an official request to a sitting pontiff. It seeks a simple "yes" or "no" response on disputed matters of Catholic teaching, practice and the running of the Church.

'Help from God'

"When you ask for a blessing, you are expressing a request for help from God, a prayer to be able to live better, a trust in a father who can help us live better," said the Pope in a letter released by the Vatican.

In the letter dated September 25, he also said that clergy must show "pastoral prudence, must adequately discern if there are forms of blessing requested by one or various people, which do not convey a wrong concept of marriage."

"We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude," he said.

However, he maintained that theChurch still considered same-sex relationships "objectively sinful" and that same-sex marriages wouldn't be recognised.

Pope Francis's recent statement contradicts his statement from March, when he said, "God cannot bless sin."

The Vatican has for long resolutely defined marriage as the indissoluble union between man and woman, and has long opposed gay marriage.

On women's ordination, the letter said the Pontiff will uphold the words of the late Pope John Paul II, who around two decades back said that the Church had "no authority" to ordain women, but that the issue needed to be evaluated in order to educate those who doubt it.

(With inputs from agencies)

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