Ukrainian Catholic church says document on blessing same-sex couples does not apply

FILE PHOTO: Kiev's Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk leads a news conference on the recent events in the Ukrainian capital, at the Vatican radio headquarters in Rome February 25, 2014. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo

(Reuters) - The head of Ukraine's eastern-rite Catholic church on Saturday said a document endorsed by Pope Francis this week permitting blessings for same-sex couples did not apply to his church and its teachings.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the Vatican document "interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church" but made no reference to issues governing the eastern, or Greek Catholic, church.