Pope Francis has suggested that it may be possible to bless same-sex unions in a newly public response to cardinals who questioned the pope's affirmation of the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church. 

The Vatican published a letter Francis wrote to the cardinals on July 11 after receiving a list of five questions, or "dubia," from them a day earlier. In it, Francis suggests that such blessings could be studied if they didn't confuse the blessing with sacramental marriage .

The Pope's response to the cardinals 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." 

However, Francis reiterated that matrimony is a union between a man and a woman. Responding to the cardinals' question about homosexual unions and blessings, he said "pastoral charity" requires patience and understanding and that regardless, priests cannot become judges "who only deny, reject and exclude".

The news of the Pope's comments comes two days before the start of a major three-week meeting at the Vatican to discuss the state of the Catholic Church and its future. The three-week synod, or meeting, started at the Vatican on Wednesday, Oct. 4 and will run until Oct. 29

Some Church watchers are calling this Synod on Synodality a historical event, while some conservative church leaders and commentators have speculated that the gathering could cause harm to the Church and undermine Catholic teaching.

LGBTQ advocates have applauded the decision. GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, “Pope Francis' response is both unprecedented and compassionate and continues to urge every Catholic and leader toward acceptance and recognition of LGBTQ people". 

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity USA, an organization working for the inclusion and respect of LGBTQ+ Catholics, said, “Pope Francis' statement recognizes a reality already happening in many parts of the church. There are Catholic communities in many parts of the world that extend some type of blessings to same-sex couples"