Catholic priests in Shillong permitted to bless same-sex couples without any church ceremony

Catholic priests in Shillong have been permitted to bless same-sex couples without any kind of church ceremony.

Archbishop of Shillong Victor Lyngdoh said,” The Catholic Church issued the declaration "Fiducia Supplicans" on the 18 th December 2023 through the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith and approved by Pope Francis. With this it will be possible for a Catholic priest to bless same sex couples but without any type of ritual of the Church that resembles a marriage rite.”

It added, “The Declaration stresses on the pastoral meaning of blessings. This is a spontaneous prayer of a priest with informal words. This should not be mistaken as the official liturgical and ritual blessings of the Church during marriage.”


It added,” Therefore the declaration does not change the Catholic doctrine of marriage and the blessings do not signify approval of the union. Let us keep the sanctity of marriage in the church.”

The Archdiocese of Shillong, caters to 2.65 lakh Catholics spread in 5,196 sq. km of land in Meghalaya. The Archdiocese of Shillong was established in 1934.