Pope Francis has pushed back against criticism from Catholic conservatives over his newly issued declaration on the blessing of same-sex couples, in a document issued by the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican on Thursday. The response emphasized that Francis only opened the door to the blessing of same-sex couples so long as they are not part of regular church rituals and not given in relation to civil unions or weddings. The landmark declaration on same-sex couples issued by Francis last month also reiterated that sexual relationships are only considered permitted within marriage between a …