We are blessing same-sex couples, not their union - Filipino priest

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) — After the Vatican gave the nod for Roman Catholic priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples, a parish priest clarified that they are blessing the individuals, not the union.

«We are not blessing their union, we are blessing the people,» Fr. Aris Sison of the St. John Paul II Parish in Quezon City said in an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Tuesday.

He described blessing same-sex couples as a «blessing of mercy.»

«When someone asks for this blessing, first of all you admit that there is something that is not right in your life so you are asking for God's mercy and blessing,» he explained.

READ: Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples

The Pope's approval, according to Sison, is part of the Pontiff’s effort to reach out to people who feel they are distant from God.

«He [Pope Francis] is not saying that same-sex unions are now alright,» the priest said. «This is part of the efforts of Pope Francis to bring them closer to the church.»

The Vatican's historic announcement has gained a lot of support from the LGBTQ+ community and progressive individuals.

«This is great. Now we need lawmakers to follow suit and actually make same-sex civil unions legal because that is what we truly need, not just ceremony,» a user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.

«In an uphill battle for equity, a step forward, no matter how little, is progress,» another user said.

But before reacting to the recent announcement, Sison said people should read first the “Fiducia supplicans,” a document issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis.

“We need to understand what the declaration is really saying. To bless means to praise God and in this particular instance, blessing persons in irregular situations does not mean blessing their unions, that has to be made clear,” Sison said.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas also released guidelines on Tuesday, echoing Sison's stand on blessing same-sex couples.

Villegas said the blessing falls under the third and new kind of blessing called «blessing of mercy,» which seeks pity from God to give them grace of conversion