RICHMOND, Va. -- A historic decision from the Vatican is garnering mixed reactions from Catholics across the globe.
On Monday, a declaration approved by Pope Francis said Catholic priests can bless a gay or unmarried couple as long as it is not done as a formal "liturgical" blessing.
It states that marriage, to the Catholic Church, is still an "exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman," but opens up the possibility for same-sex couples to seek blessings without any kind of "moral analysis."
"It's supposed to be more of an information, spontaneous blessing," said Andrew Chesnut, the Chair of Catholic Studies at VCU. "Maybe that happens in the context of a weekend retreat, or a pilgrimage somewhere. And it by no means, means a formal blessing of the same sex union."
Chesnut said this landmark move by Pope Francis solidifies his legacy of being more inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community.
"I see this as a major advance in welcoming a significant percentage of the population, in our own country and worldwide, who have felt on the margins or even excluded by the church because of their sexual orientation," Chesnut said.
Exclusion from the Catholic Church is something Brendan Hayes says his family has personally felt.
Hayes attended Mass at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart on Tuesday afternoon.
"I was raised Catholic. One of nine kids. My brother, Marty, who was number eight and I was number nine, came out when he was about 16," Hayes said. "He's gay. And he ended up getting married in California, but he couldn't be a member of the Catholic Church," Hayes said.
"I think it was a wise decision for him," Hayes said when asked about the recent announcement. "I think it goes to show some sensitivity to the issue, but it doesn't go far enough. It's created a lot of stress in the Church for the conservatives and it's not enough for the liberals."
Both Hayes and Chesnut say they do not expect every Catholic Church to respond the same way.
"There's going to be a lot of resistance, no doubt because his papacy has been very controversial," Chesnut said. "There is a strong conservative opposition. And so this will just kind of lead to further division."
"I'd be very surprised if the Catholic Church would ever get to the point where they would recognize marriage between same-sex couples as the sacraments of marriage because it's one of the sacraments in the Church. And it's hard for me to believe in my lifetime that that's ever going to happen," Hayes said.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond has not released a statement on the matter at this time, but did share a message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that said the following:
"The Declaration issued today by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) articulated the distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God's loving grace in their lives. The Church's teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God's healing love and mercy in our lives."
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