The Vatican has said that priests can not bless same-sex unions, calling any such blessing "not licit".
In a statement on Monday, the Holy See referred to same-sex unions as a "choice," described them as sinful and said they "cannot be recognised as objectively ordered" to God's plans.
"The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit. This is because they would constitute a certain imitation or analogue of the nuptial blessing invoked on the man and woman united in the sacrament of Matrimony, while in fact 'there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family," the Doctrine of the Faith wrote in the statement.
"At the same time, the Church recalls that God Himself never ceases to bless each of His pilgrim children in this world, because for Him, we are more important to God than all of the sins that we can commit. But he does not and cannot bless sin: he blesses sinful man, so that he may recognise that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him. He in fact takes us as we are, but never leaves us as we are," it added.
According to CNN, Pope Francis, who has frequently been praised for his welcoming tone towards LGBTQ+ people both within and outside the Church, approved the note.
The decision comes as a setback for Catholics who had hoped the institution would modernise its approach to homosexuality. Globally, people are enraged over this conservative decision. Many people have taken to Twitter to condemn the Pope and his decision.
Here are some of the reactions against the decision. Have a look:
With inputs from ANI.