Roman Catholics reacted with equal parts confusion and shock Monday in the aftermath of the news that Pope Francis has given formal approval for priests to bless same-sex couples.
For others, what the Pope actually approved vs. what the headlines screamed is yet another example of mainstream media's distortion of the truth. No, they say, the Pope did not OK the blessing of same-sex unions.
A new Vatican document says priests may bless same-sex couples so long as it doesn't get confused with the ritual of the sacrament of marriage. Further, the document reinforces that any such blessing not be conferred at the same time as a civil union and that the priest not wear clothes and/or use gestures that would signal a wedding. The document reaffirms that the sacrament of marriage is still between a man and a woman.
In the end, the Pope has OK'd the blessing given to the individuals involved in a gay relationship, not the union itself.
"The Devil loves ambiguity and the Vatican has provided him just that with this statement that does not bless same sex unions, but can be read as doing something very close to that," posted staunch religious and political conservative Erick Erickson.
Regardless, Catholics voiced their displeasure with the actual ruling. Pope Francis said people seeking God's mercy shouldn't be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis." Catholics aren't buying that either.
"The Vatican has fallen! Pope Francis has approved priests blessing same-sex couples. Did you see that coming?" posted one.
"Pray that Francis' papacy is soon over and this blasphemy comes to an end," posted another.
Others took aim at the mainstream media headlines that screamed the Pope approved the blessing of same-sex unions.
"The Vatican must be shaking its collective head at the spin in the mainstream media to this announcement. They took away the exact opposite of the clear intent of the Dicastery, which was to close the debate on blessing and/or recognizing same-sex unions. This can't be blamed on papal ambiguity either, but in the failure of journalists to actually read a document and understand the context of the debate at the Holy See for the last decade," HotAir Managing Editor Brian Morrissey wrote.
Wrote Townhall's Larry O'Connor, "If you are hearing from certain corners of social media and the internet that the pope has reversed centuries of doctrine on homosexual acts, then I beg you to please examine the person who you are listening to. I suspect you might find someone who is engaged in a polemic argument to validate their own belief system, which sadly relies far too much on attacking the Catholic Church rather than extolling their own religion's virtues."