The document said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and that it “should not prevent or prohibit the church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing.”

The move, however, could further fuel further division, most notably with traditional Catholic prelates throughout the world who have had doctrinal debates in the past with his pope.

Progressive Catholics, meanwhile, have long viewed Pope Francis as a reformer and someone who’s theology came into stark opposition, regarding some cultural matters, to those of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.

In 2013, a remarkably candid Francis struck a conciliatory stance toward LGBTQ Catholics, saying “who am I to judge” when it comes to the sexual orientation of priests.

“We shouldn’t marginalize people for this,” he said at the time. “They must be integrated into society.”

The Vatican, however, had long said it could not bless same-sex couples because it would undermine church teaching that marriage is only between a man and a woman. In 2021, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the church could not do so because “God cannot bless sin.”

The church also teaches that same-sex attraction is not a sin, but that homosexual acts are.

The issue has also been a point of contention over the last few years — especially in Germany — where some priests regularly offer same-sex blessings despite resistance from the Holy See.

But Fernandez, an Argentinian prelate and ally of Francis who was brought in over the summer, stuck a different tone from his predecessors. acknowledged in the document that broadening of the scope of who receives a blessing amounted to “a real development” and an “innovative contribution.”

The Rev. James Martin, who advocates for greater pastoral care for LGBTQ Catholics, praised the new document as a “huge step forward” and a “dramatic shift.”

“Along with many Catholic priests,” he added, “I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”