In a response made public Monday, Pope Francis appeared to suggest a way to enable the blessing of same-sex couples by clerics, something not recognised by the Holy See but practised in countries such as Germany and Belgium.
While insisting that the Church only recognised marriage between a man and a woman, the pope said that “we cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude”, recommending “pastoral prudence”.
Since taking office in 2013, Francis has worked to reform the governance of the Church. Striving to make it less hierarchical and more attentive to the needs of the faithful, he has met stiff internal resistance along the way.
Pope Francis opened a major congress on the Catholic Church’s future vowing to open doors to “everyone” despite tensions with conservatives on issues from the LGBTQ faithful to the treatment of divorcees.
The general assembly of the Synod of Bishops gathers in the wake of an unprecedented two-year global consultation that will also address topics such as women deacons and priestly celibacy. It will take place over four weeks in Rome.
The pope stressed welcome in his opening address, seeking to make the Church of 1.3 billion faithful more tolerant amid changing social norms and demographics, including the growth of Christianity outside the West.
“The Church is here for you! The Church of open doors is for everyone, everyone, everyone,” said the 86-year-old at a large mass in St Peter’s Square.
“In such a complex time as ours, new cultural and pastoral challenges emerge that call for a warm and kindly inner attitude so that we can encounter each other without fear,” he said.
