Did Pope Francis indeed endorse same-sex marriage? Here’s All You Need to Know

The approval of same-sex couples by the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has generated lots of reactions across social media.

Many were shocked at the development, while others were confused. If you are confused about the major details of the announcement by the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State, below are all you need to know:

• The Pope only approved blessings for same-sex couples under some circumstances if the blessings weren’t confused with the ritual of marriage.
• A letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October reaffirmed that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman.
• The letter was the Pope’s response to five conservative cardinals who challenged him to affirm church teaching on homosexuality ahead of a big meeting where LGBTQ+ Catholics are on the agenda.
• The Pope stressed that blessings in question must not be tied to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union ceremony.
• The blessings cannot use set rituals or even involve the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.
• Francis’ response to the cardinals, however, marks a reversal from the Vatican’s current official position. In an explanatory note in 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said flat-out that the church couldn’t bless gay unions because “God cannot bless sin.”
• The radical shift in policy is aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage