On eve of a major Vatican meeting, nun confesses she blessed a same-sex couple

As bishops, cardinals, priests, religious and lay people from around the world gather at the Vatican for a three-week meeting to discuss the role of LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic church, one nun has made a stunning confession.

While Pope Francis recently said he is open to blessing same-sex couples’ relationships, Sister Anna Koop revealed that she had already done it – 15 years ago.

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Pope rips rightwing American Catholics as useless idealogues who have lost the faith

Far right leaders and believers don’t understand “faith and morals,” the leader of the church said.

Sister Koop chided a small group of hardline church leaders who had attempted to stir up controversy around the role of queer Catholics by accusing the Pope of being too friendly to LGBTQ+ people. Koop pointed out that, “Jesus did not say love was confined.”

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Five retired Cardinals, fearful that the pope would change church doctrine on whether priests should get married, women should be able to become deacons, and how the church will handle LGBTQ+ matters, sent a letter to the church’s leader demanding that he answer their questions about his intentions.

In his response, the pontiff suggested that the church could bless same-sex unions if it weren’t confused with marriage. He has previously voiced support for civil unions.

“In our relationships with people, we must not lose the pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes,” according to a translation from Vatican News.

“The defense of objective truth is not the only expression of this charity; it also includes kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement,” Pope Francis wrote. “Therefore, we cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”

He said it’s essential to determine “whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey a mistaken concept of marriage.” He added that this does not mean these kinds of blessings should be made into official protocols or norms but rather can be considered case-by-case.

Nevertheless, he concluded that “the life of the Church flows through many channels other than normative ones.”

In her response to the Cardinals, Sister Koop confessed that she had been one step ahead of the pontiff when she blessed her friend’s relationship. The couple is still together and have two children.

She said she doesn’t regret performing the secret blessing.

“I did it once, and I would do it again,” said Koop.