VATICAN CITY, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Pope Francis has appeared to leave open the possibility of priests blessing same-sex couples, if they are limited, decided on a case-by-case basis and not confused with wedding ceremonies of heterosexuals.

Francis made his opinion known in one answer to five questions from five conservative cardinals from Asia, Europe, Africa, the United States and Latin America.

The cardinals sent the pope a set of formal questions, known as “dubia” (“doubts” in Latin), about issues relating to a global gathering that starts at the Vatican on Wednesday.