Erie bishop: Pope Francis allowing blessings to same-sex couples doesn't condone marriage

Pope Francis' recent document allowing Catholic priests to perform blessings for same-sex couples is not the same as condoning same-sex marriage, Erie Catholic Bishop Lawrence T. Persico said Wednesday in his first public remarks on the subject.

Persico said the document allows anyone who spontaneously asks for a blessing to receive it.

"This document clarifies this is to be a spontaneous blessing, not a sacrament, not a liturgical blessing," Persico said in a statement released by the Catholic Diocese of Erie. "It is not to be ritualized. It is not to be done with liturgical garments, or tied in any context to a sacramental or civil wedding."

The pope's document, released Monday from the Vatican's doctrine office, reaffirmed its previous statements saying marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman.

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But the document says requests for blessings from same-sex couples should not be denied, so long as the blessing is not conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals, or with the clothing and gestures that are part of a wedding.

"The document addresses not only blessings being given to same-sex couples, but also to couples who may be in what we call an irregular marriage, one in which, for example, someone has not had an annulment before remarrying," Persico said.

The document offers an extensive definition of the term "blessing" in Scripture to insist people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy should not be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis" as a precondition for receiving it.

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The Erie diocese is developing a plan to help its priests understand the nature of spontaneous blessings, Persico said.

USA Today contributed to this story.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie bishop comments on pope allowing blessings to same-sex couples