As you may have heard or seen, Pope Francis is very much in the news this week! The truth is that he has often expressed openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights.
The news this week is that the Holy Father’s comments, made in a brief passage in the documentary film, “Francesco,” are similar to the position he took while Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 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.
Speaking in Spanish in the film, Pope Francis says, “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 be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” He repeatedly has said publicly that parents should not and must not disown a child who is gay, and, on several occasions, he has spoken about the rights all people have to have a family. “I have always defended doctrine,” he said. “It is a contradiction to speak of homosexual marriage, but homosexual persons have a right to be in the family; persons with a homosexual orientation have a right to be in the family and parents have the right to recognize a son or daughter as homosexual; you cannot throw anyone out of the family, nor make life impossible for them.”
In the end, the Pope’s remarks did not deny or call into question any doctrinal truth that Catholics must hold or believe. In fact, the Pope has frequently affirmed the Church’s doctrinal teaching regarding marriage.
