While there is no doubt that Pope Francis said civil laws should protect the rights of gay couples, some mystery shrouds the context in which he said it and the way it is used in a new film.
Saying that gay people “are children of God” who deserve their family’s love and the care of the church, Pope Francis in a new documentary expresses support for legalizing civil unions.
Pope Francis often has expressed openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights. The pope’s comments in a brief passage in the documentary film, “Francesco,” are similar to the position he took while archbishop of Buenos Aires and echo remarks he has made in several interviews during his pontificate: “Marriage” is only between a man and a woman, but civil union laws could provide legal protection for couples in long-term, committed relationships.
Although his film is called “Francesco,” director Evgeny Afineevsky said the main character of his new documentary “is us, humanity,” and Pope Francis simply is the one “trying to point us in the right direction.”
Professing faith in God as the creator of all human beings, or even simply recognizing that all people possess an inherent dignity, has concrete consequences for how people should treat one another and make decisions in politics, economics, and social life, Pope Francis wrote.
