Roman Catholic priests in Barbados will not bless same sex unions as the church continues to oppose same sex marriage.
Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgetown, Father Clement Paul, made the declaration yesterday as he sought to clear the air on Pope Francis’ recent pronouncement on blessings for same sex couples.
“No Catholic church in Barbados is blessing gay unions. Pope Francis, in asking that we could and should bless people in gay unions, made it quite clear to us that we were not to discriminate against individuals. He also made it quite clear that the blessing is not to be a blessing on same sex unions because we cannot bless gay marriages because it’s against the word of God and it’s against the Bible and it’s against the very understanding of marriage,” he said.
Recently, the Vatican announced that the Pope had given the green light for Catholic priests to bless same sex couples, a shift in policy which has made the church more inclusive even though it stands by its strict ban on gay marriage. (AH)