The discrepancy comes down to Pope Francis referring to a law of “convivencia civil,” or “civil cohabitating,” which critics argue is different from the subtitles’ use of “civil union.” Afineevsky’s film, which were the translation most English-language journalists used in their reporting, were not faithful to what Pope Francis said in the clip. Some comment ators have argued that the subtitles in Mr. In fact, Pope Francis’ support of civil unions dates back to his days as archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he proposed civil unions as an alternative to gay marriage, a position he has reiterated as recently as 2017. In the new documentary, however, he clearly expresses an openness for such legal protections. On a number of occasions, Francis has warned against threats to the institution of marriage and described marriage as “between a man and a woman.” Accepting gay family members or accommodating same-sex partnerships in civil law, he said, “does not mean approving of homosexual acts.” The pope’s words in the film are an endorsement of civil union protections for same-sex couples, in that the pope publicly expressed support for them.īut as the pope has often said, this does not mean that he believes that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. I supported that.”Īfter the film’s release, questions arose about the quote’s origin, whether the pope’s words had been manipulated either through video editing or a mistranslation, if they were new or simply a repetition of what he had said before and whether this statement signified a change in church teaching. What we have to have is a civil union law-that way they are legally covered.
Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.
They are children of God and have a right to a family. In a new documentary that premiered in Rome yesterday, Pope Francis appeared to endorse civil unions for same-sex couples for the first time as pope.Īs portrayed in the documentary, the pope says: “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. Editor’s note: This is a developing story.