The Vatican’s Deliberate Confusion on Same-Sex Couples

To me, the confusion looks deliberate. The entire document was a response to a question from certain quarters of the Church: Can we bless same-sex couples or other couples who are married in the eyes of the law, but not those of the Church? The response from the Vativan was technically “negative.” ...In other words, the statement must be accepted as orthodox, but another valid response is to reject it as insufficient and wish it had gone further. Then the document goes on to outline a very complex set of assumptions about same-sex couples who request a blessing — not as a couple, and not to be confused with approving of their marriage, but simply seeking God’s light in their life — and may receive this from any  priest who wants to give it. “What has been said in this Declaration regarding the blessings of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers in this regard.” In other words, as long as it all remains informal, priests can do what they want here.