Pope Francis has attempted to further clarify the Vatican document permitting non-liturgical blessing for couples in same sex or irregular relationships, saying the newly authorised practice is a pastoral gesture directed at the people involved and not their union itself.

Speaking to members of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), Francis said the intention of offering “pastoral and spontaneous blessings” to couples in irregular situations, including same-sex couples and divorced and remarried couples, is to express pastoral closeness.