Pope Francis, the leader of the Vatican, said in a recent film that same-sex couples should be allowed to have civil unions and they should have the right to be in a family.
He made the comments in a documentary that is directed by Evgeny Afineevsky.
This is considered to be the clearest remarks Pope Francis has given on gay relationships during his term as the pope of the church.
In the film, which premiered earlier this month, Pope Francis could be heard saying:
Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.
He also said that he stood up for his words.
He was referring to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires when he supported legal protections for same-sex couples.
At that time, almost everyone was opposed to same-sex marriages to become a law.
Francesco, the movie, is about the life and work of Pope Francis.
It was premiered as part of the Rome Film Festival.
Not only the comments of Pope Francis were highlighted in the movie, but his acts of encouragement were also highly noted.
In the movie, he encouraged 2 gay men to attend church with their 3 children.
Austen Ivereigh, the biographer of Pope Francis, said that he was not surprised by the latest comments of the Pope.
During an interview with BBC, Austen said:
This was his position as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He was always opposed to marriage being for same-sex couples. But he believed the church should advocate for a civil union law for gay couples to give them legal protection.
As of writing this, the Catholic Doctrine says that gay relationships are part of a “deviant behavior” and they are condemned.
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