Spanish priest gives ‘blessing of love’ to lesbian couple after civil ‘marriage’
A Spanish priest has gained the attention of local and national media by performing a “blessing of love” on a lesbian couple that appears to endorse their same-sex relationship. Fr. José García, pastor of San Bartolomé (Saint Bartholomew) parish in the Valencian town of Onda, reportedly performed the “blessing” inside the parish church just 24 hours after the couple “married” according to Spanish civil law. A photo supplied by La Gaceta and other publications shows the couple standing before the priest, dressed in what appear to be wedding garments. At least 20 attendees can be seen sitting in the pews to witness the event. The couple announced the event with invitations that called it a “wedding” (“casament” in the Valencian dialect), followed by lunch at a local restaurant. The printed program for the event indicates that the “wedding” accompanied a Mass that included particular prayers at Communion celebrating the couple’s union. However, García told the La Gaceta news