RIFT

Conservative Bishops Defy Pope Francis on New Same-Sex Guidelines

Bishops in Zambia said they will not “break the law of our country” by blessing gay couples, even if the Vatican says it’s OK.

Several conservative Catholic bishops have rejected Pope Francis’ permission to bless gay couples, a move that could point to a wider split in the Catholic Church over the pontiff’s liberal policies. After the Vatican issued bombshell guidelines Monday that allow priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples, the bishops of Zambia, Malawi, and the principal archdiocese of Kazakhstan forbade their priests from performing such ceremonies, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bishops in Zambia said they would not follow the new guidelines “in order to avoid any pastoral confusion and ambiguity as well as not to break the law of our country which forbids same sex unions and activities, and while listening to our cultural heritage which does not accept same sex relationships.”