Pope Francis approved allowing Catholic clergy to bless same-sex couples — issuing a document on Monday detailing the change in the Vatican’s policy — as long as it doesn’t resemble a marriage ceremony.

The 5,000-word document — issued by the Vatican’s Doctrine of the Faith — elaborated on a letter the pontiff sent to cardinals that was published in October. In that letter, Pope Francis had said such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn’t confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.

This new document, issued by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez, repeats those conditions and reaffirms that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman.

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The blessing of “irregular couples,” the document added, must be non-liturgical in nature and cannot be done at the same time as a civil union.

“It is precisely in this context,” Fernandez wrote, “that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”

The document said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis, but that it “should not prevent or prohibit the church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing.”

Potential for schism

The move, however, could further fuel further division, most notably with traditional Catholic prelates throughout the world — particularly in the United States and the Global South — who have had doctrinal debates in the past with this pope.

Ulrich Lehner, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, told Reuters the new guidances “invites misunderstanding” and would “sow confusion.”

“It is — and I hate to say it — an invitation to schism,” he added.

Progressive Catholics, meanwhile, have long viewed Pope Francis as a reformer and someone who’s theology came into stark opposition, regarding some cultural matters, to those of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the decision marked a distinction between sacramental blessings like marriage and a pastoral one.

“The church’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings,” said USCCB spokesman Chieko Noguchi.

‘Who am I to judge?’

In 2013, a remarkably candid Francis struck a conciliatory stance toward LGBTQ Catholics, saying “who am I to judge” when it comes to the sexual orientation of priests.

“We shouldn’t marginalize people for this,” he said at the time. “They must be integrated into society.”

The Vatican, however, had long said it could not bless same-sex couples because it would undermine church teaching that marriage is only between a man and a woman. In 2021, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the church could not do so because “God cannot bless sin.”

The church also teaches that same-sex attraction is not a sin, but that homosexual acts are.

Earlier this month, the Church of England officially sanctioned same-sex blessings — although the church still forbids weddings for gay couples.

The issue has also been a point of contention in Catholicism as well over the past few years — especially in Germany — where some priests regularly offer same-sex blessings despite resistance from the Holy See.

But Fernandez, an Argentinian prelate and ally of Francis who was brought in over the summer, stuck a different tone from his predecessors. acknowledged in the document that broadening of the scope of who receives a blessing amounted to “a real development” and an “innovative contribution.”

The Rev. James Martin, who advocates for greater pastoral care for LGBTQ Catholics, praised the new document as a “huge step forward” and a “dramatic shift.”

“Along with many Catholic priests,” he added, “I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”

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Clemente Lisi is the executive editor at Religion Unplugged. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event” and previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.