The Mormon Church will officially permit children with same-sex parents to get baptized and receive blessings.

According to The New York Times, the new mandate from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alters a previous policy from 2015, which had barred children raised by same-sex parents in the Church from receiving the ritual ordinance. That same order from 2015 also declared that married gay Mormons were apostates—and subject to excommunication from the Church.

“Effective immediately, children of parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender may be baptized without First presidency approval,” the church’s First Presidency announced in a statement this Thursday, April 4.

The update went on to clarify that while same-sex marriages are still considered "serious transgressions" by church officials, partnered LGBTQ Mormons would no longer be deemed apostates.

"Instead," the statement reads, "the immoral conduct in heterosexual or homosexual relationships will be treated in the same way ... While we cannot change the Lord’s doctrine, we want our members and our policies to be considerate of those struggling with the challenges of mortality. We want to reduce the hate and contention so common today.”

The decision comes just days before the Mormon Church's annual General Conference, slated to be broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend. It also comes almost a year after a poll of young Mormons found that acceptance of LGBTQ identities and marriage equality are actually growing within the community.