Pope Francis said on Wednesday that the church couldn’t accept gay marriage ‘because marriage is a sacrament between a man and woman’.
“I have spoken clearly about this, no? Marriage is a sacrament. Marriage is a sacrament” the Pope said on Wednesday (17 September) according to a report by AP News.
“The church doesn’t have the power to change sacraments”, he continued. “It’s as our Lord established. These are laws that try to help the situation for many people of different sexual orientation. It is important that this helps people but without imposing things that by nature do not function in the church. But if they want to spend their lives together, a homosexual couple, nations have the possibility civilly to support them, to give them safety with regards to inheritance and health.”
Back in March, the Vatican decreed that priests and other Roman Catholic Church Ministers could not bless same sex unions due to homosexual partnerships not being “ordered to the Creator’s plan”. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said at the time that it is “impossible” for God to “bless sin” – a response which was approved by Pope Francis at the time.
Also on Wednesday, when prompted about his stance on abortion, CBS reports that Pope Francis said, “Abortion is more than an issue. Abortion is murder. Abortion, without hinting: whoever performs an abortion kills.”
Video from March below: