What are the most dire words that any Catholic journalist can hear in the mainstream media? “Today, the Vatican/Pope Francis said …” Some of that can be blamed on the pontiff’s lack of precision and care in his off-the-cuff comment, but not today. After chewing on the issue of blessing same-sex unions for the last few months, the Vatican issued a new and reasonably clear statement from its Prefect of the Doctrine of Faith … if one bothers to read it.
So what did it say? Well, if you read the Associated Press and/or ABC News, you would think that same-sex couples can finally get a priest to bless their relationship. Let’s screen-shot their headline:
Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject…
