"There could be no other answer, since the church - according to its two-thousand-year-old tradition - can only and exclusively give a blessing to a marriage based on the union of a man and a woman, the purpose of which is to produce a new life"

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is responsible for theological issues of the Vatican, said no to the possible blessing of same-sex couples in a statement on Monday.

The document, published simultaneously in seven languages, serves as an answer to a theological question. The question is whether the church is able to bless same-sex relationships. The Vatican office emphasized that many proposals and initiatives were raised in church circles on the issue, to which the document just released serves as a response.

The Religious Congregation answered no, but also justified its position. In the document, it states that no relationship or partnership - even if it is a stable relationship - that is outside of marriage can be blessed. The latter means an indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman, which is open to the blessing of children.

"There was no other answer, since the church - according to its two-thousand-year-old tradition - can only and exclusively give a blessing to a marriage based on the union of a man and a woman, the purpose of which is to produce new life," said Father Norbert Németh, from the Pontifical Hungarian Institute in Rome (PMI ) rector of MTI.

At the same time, the document calls on the Christian community and its pastors to - according to the wording of the text - respect and "tenderness" towards homosexuals by rejecting all forms of discrimination.

The resolution signed by Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, who leads the Congregation, states that the answer was discussed personally with Pope Francis.

On March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, the year of the family proclaimed by the church begins on the fifth anniversary of the publication of the apostolic exhortation on the beauty and joy of family love. It will end next June 26 within the framework of the Tenth World Meeting of Families, which is about to be held in Rome with the presence of the Pope.

MTI