The Pope has given cautious backing to the blessing of gay unions for the first time in a further step away from the Catholic Church’s traditional intolerance of homosexuality.
Francis, who famously said “Who am I to judge?” when asked about homosexuals in 2013, gave his verdict on gay unions in response to doctrinal questions from five hardline cardinals.
The Catholic Church officially considers homosexual sex as “intrinsically disordered” and the Pope has long opposed gay marriage, claiming wedlock can only happen between a man and woman. He has supported same-sex civil unions, however, arguing that gay couples need legal rights, and told a gay man in 2018 that “God made you that way and loves you as you are”.
Despite his stance, the