Catholic Bishops under the banner of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) have rejected a plea by Pope Francis for the church to start offering blessings to same sex marriages.

In a Joint statement signed by ECM president Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe said their decision is meant “to avoid creating confusion among the faithful”.

“The declaration is not about the blessing of same sex unions and sacramental endorsement of the same as married couples, no.

“This is a document prompted by questions to the congregation of the Doctrine of Faith regarding whether or not the blessings of God through His Ministers can be extended to everybody regardless of their state… not on the blessing of same sex unions,” reads part of the statement.

The conference added that the declaration that the Pope approved was in the context of ordinary blessings whose recipients can be any people, objects of worship and devotion, sacred images, places of work and fruits.

Through a doctrinal declaration that the Vatican released on Sunday, the Pope approved same-sex could be “blessed, but without any type of ritualisation or offering the impression of a marriage”.

The declaration has attracted mixed reactions on social media with many users attacking the Catholic Church of going against Jesus Christ teachings.