BRUSSELS (AP) — A Belgian bishop has lashed out at the Vatican over its decree that the Catholic Church won’t bless same-sex unions. Antwerp Bishop Johan Bonny wrote in a newspaper opinion piece published Wednesday that he feels “shame for my Church” and “intellectual and moral incomprehension” after the Vatican’s orthodoxy office responded to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless same-sex unions. The official response said God “does not and cannot bless sin.” Bonny apologized “to all for whom this is painful” and said the orthodoxy office’s arguments “don’t even reach the intellectual level of high school.” The Vatican document distinguished between blessing same-sex unions and blessing gay people, which the office endorsed.
