The Vatican on Thursday moved to calm Catholic bishops in some countries who have reacted negatively to last month’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, telling them that the measure is not “heretical” or “blasphemous.”
In a five-page statement, the Vatican’s doctrinal office also acknowledged that such blessings could be “imprudent” in some countries where people who receive them might become targets of violence, or risk prison or even death.
Catholic bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, have expressed perplexity and various degrees of dissent over the Dec. 18 declaration, known by its Latin title Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust).
The fact that
