Pope Francis has spoken warmly about the place of LGBTQ people in the church and has invited advocates to the Vatican.

But on Monday, he decreed that the Catholic church cannot bless same-sex unions, the Washington Post reported.

The two-page ruling signed by the pope was published in seven languages by the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

It ruled that blessing gay people’s unions would “approve and encourage a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God” but called on Catholic clergy to treat them with “respect and sensitivity.”

The Vatican’s ruling said: “The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan.”

It also said that God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognise that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him.”

But the document argued that the ruling is “not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.”

The Vatican said that the pope was “informed and gave his assent” to the ruling.

Patrick Hornbeck, a Fordham University professor of theology, said that Francis “has extended a warmer welcome than any of his predecessors have done.”

“But today’s statement shows that his hospitality has limits,” he added.

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