REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
Guwahati, Dec 23: Following the approval of Pope Francis allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, the Shillong Archdiocese of the Catholic Church has permitted priests to bless the same-sex couples, however, ‘without any type of ritual of the Church that resembles marriage rite.’
In a letter, the Archbishop of Shillong, Victor Lyngdoh said, “The Declaration stresses on the pastoral meaning of blessings. This is a spontaneous prayer of a priest with informal words. This is not to be mistaken as the official liturgical and ritual blessings of the Church during marriage.”
“Therefore, the declaration does not change the Catholic Doctrine of Marriage and the blessing does not signify approval of the union,” it added.
It may be mentioned that in a radical shift in policy aiming at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage, Pope Francis on December 18 formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office stated, “There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.”