ALBAWABA - The bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State Pope Francis has recently allowed the blessing of same-sex marriage causing controversy on multiple social media platforms and people calling the priest out.
The news comes after Pope Francis permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on Monday, Dec. 19, 2023, which marks one of the most significant changes for Christians who happen to be in the LGBTQ community.
Social media users took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their concern and anger with the decision:
"The Catholic church is messed up, in fact, Christianity is messed up. Why would Pope Francis endorse same-sex marriage when it is clearly written as wrong in the Bible?"
"Pope Francis has allowed catholic priests to bless same-sex marriages while the BIBLE disallows same-sex marriage. Why would Pope Francis endorse same-sex marriage when it is clearly written as a wrong in the Bible?"
Pope Francis authorizes the blessing of same-sex couples
According to CNN and a document from the Vatican, the blessings may be carried out but should not be part of ordinary church rituals and not at the same time as a civil union.
The church's doctrine department has been led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez who happens to be an ally of Pope Francis and quite different from his predecessors. Victor added:
“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it."
"The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else.”
Additionally, the new ruling states that "the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex," but the decision is made by “the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers.”
This is not the first time Pope Francis caused controversy this year
(Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Francis and Vatican officials approved a document allowing transgender people to be baptized in the Catholic Church causing an uproar on social media platforms as people were not exactly complacent about the decision.
Pope Francis added that transgender people can serve as godparents and be witnesses at church weddings as claimed by The New York Times. The decision came to exist after the church revealed a Vatican document of him approving the matter on Oct. 31, 2023.
