(NewsNation) — Pope Francis formally approved allowing priests to bless couples in same-sex unions, the Vatican announced on Monday.

According to a declaration from the Vatican, same-sex couples and those in “irregular situations” can be given blessings if the ritual does not resemble marriage. This means the blessings must be non-liturgical in nature, and should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union, or use the clothing or gestures one would see in a wedding.

However, the declaration makes it clear that blessings for same-sex couples should not be automatically denied, and offers an extensive definition of what a blessing is in Scripture.

“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the declaration says. “For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.”

This document elaborates on a letter Francis sent to conservative cardinals that was published in October.

Because the Vatican holds that marriage is an indissoluble union between man and woman, it has long opposed gay marriage. However, Francis has in the past voiced support for civil laws giving legal benefits to spouses in same-sex unions. In parts of Europe, Catholic priests have been able to bless same-sex couples without being censured by the Vatican.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández said the declaration announcing same-sex couples can get blessings is the result of a careful drafting process. Although the declaration remains firm on the “traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage,” it also permits a “broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings,” Fernández said.

Monday’s declaration notes that a blessing offers people a way to increase their trust in God.

“The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live,” the declaration said.

This is one of several steps Pope Francis has made over the years to make the Catholic Church more inclusive to LGBTQ people, something he has frequently expressed an interest in.

Last month, for instance, the Vatican said in a public statement that it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for trans people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.

James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America Magazine, called the Vatican’s declaration on Monday a “major step forward” in the church’s ministry to LGBTQ people. It recognizes the “deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence in their loving relationships,” he wrote on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

“The declaration opens the door to non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off limits for bishops, priests and deacons,” Martin said. “Along with many priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex unions.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.