Pope Leo XIV won’t reverse the Vatican’s former policy on same-sex blessings, despite ongoing criticism from conservative bishops.

Our lives are filled with what the hymn calls “blessings upon blessings.” Each day, God’s grace sustains us, and His mercies are new every morning.

Thus the patriarch Isaac intended to bless his son Esau to bring good things upon him, but through Rebekah’s intervention, this blessing was stolen by Jacob (Genesis 27).

If a same-sex couple asks for a blessing upon their illicit conjugal union, it cannot be granted — it would be blessing sin, as would also be the case with a heterosexual (unmarried) couple.

On the basis of age-old custom, water is one of the signs that the Church often uses in blessing the faithful. Holy water reminds the faithful of Christ, who is given to us as the supreme divine ...