Pope Francis has suggested he would be open to the Catholic Church blessing same-sex couples.
Responding to a group of cardinals who asked him for clarity on the matter, he said that any request for a blessing should be treated with "pastoral charity". "We cannot be judges who only deny, reject and exclude," he said.
He added, however, that the Church still considered same-sex relationships "objectively sinful" and would not recognize same-sex marriage.
Bishops in a number of countries, including Belgium and Germany, have begun to allow priests to bless same-sex couples, but the position of church authorities remained unclear.
Responding to the latest request, the Pope said that the Church understands marriage as an "exclusive, permanent and indissoluble union between a man and a woman" and must avoid "any type of rite or sacrament that could contradict this conviction".
But he added that "when a blessing is requested, it is the expression of a prayer to God for help, a prayer to live better".
