The ruling was a response to practices in some countries, including the United States and Germany, where parishes and ministers have begun blessing same sex unions in lieu of marriage and calls for bishops to de facto institutionalized.

These in response to formal questions from a number of diocese on whether this practice was allowed, the Vatican's doctrinal office issued the ruling negative.

It said Pope Francis approved the response.

The office notes said that since marriage between a man and a woman was a sacrament and blessings are related to the sacrament of marriage, they could not be extended to same sex couples.

At least two German bishops, including one of the pope's top advisers, have expressed support for some kind of pastoral blessing for same sex unions.

But the note approved by the pope ruled this out.

The church teaches that gay tendencies are not sinful, but gay attacks are and that gay people must be treated with respect.

Last year, the Vatican had to move to clarify comments attributed to Pope Francis on civil union laws in a documentary saying they were taken out of context and did not signal a change in church doctrine on gay people or support for same sex marriage.

Yeah, yeah, Antifa.