MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. The Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of marriage and family remains unchanged even after the release of a relevant Vatican declaration, and the blessing of same-sex couples is unacceptable, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia said in a communication concerning the results of a plenary meeting of the bishops in Listvyanka, Irkutsk Region, according to information published on the website of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow.

"Taking into account the misunderstandings that have arisen regarding the [Holy See’s December 18, 2023] ‘Fiducia supplicans’ declaration, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia has deemed it necessary to emphasize that the [Roman] Catholic doctrine of family and marriage remains unchanged. Only a man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. <...>. In order to avoid temptation and confusion, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia highlights the fact that the blessing of any type of couples that persist in relationships that are unregulated from the point of view of Christian morality (cohabitation, bigamous second marriages, same-sex marriages) is unacceptable," the senior clerics’ communication states.

The Catholic bishops noted that the church is aware of its special responsibility for supporting and strengthening marriage and the family "as a privileged community and the primary unit of society," and blesses and surrounds matrimonial unions and families with pastoral care.

"In the spirit of evangelical mercy and maternal love, the Church has not and does not refuse intercessory prayer to individuals in various situations, asking for God's grace for them, which is necessary for conversion, strengthening in good intentions, and the beginning or continuation of the path of righteousness," the communication adds.

The Vatican’s "Fiducia supplicans" declaration was adopted on December 18, 2023 by the Roman Catholic Church’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) and was then signed by Pope Francis. For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, a Vatican document suggests forms for blessing same-sex unions, while clarifying that such blessings are not equivalent to the sacrament of marriage.

After the release of the Vatican declaration, Catholic bishops in Africa and Madagascar, Kazakhstan, Hungary and some other countries, as well as the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, resolved that they would not give blessings to same-sex unions, and that the Vatican document has no ecclesiastical or legal force. The declaration was also condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier, the Vatican also stated that representatives of sexual minorities, like any believers, can be baptized, as well as be godparents and witnesses at a wedding ceremony performed in a church.