Pope Francis Supports Same-Sex Union, Says Civil Union Law Should be Passed

(Photo : Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
BANGKOK, THAILAND - NOVEMBER 21: Pope Francis visits the Saint Louis Hospital on November 21, 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pope Francis arrived in Bangkok yesterday to begin a three day tour in Thailand followed by Japan. This is the first visit by the head of the Roman Catholic church since St. John Paul II back in 1984. Thailand, a Buddhist country has approximately 388,000 Catholics, out of 69 million people.

In a statement which is a huge departure from the position that is held by the doctrinal office of Vatican, Pope Francis called on lawmakers to pass laws which would allow the civil union of same-sex couples in a documentary that was aired in Rome, Wednesday,

According to the Catholic News Agency, during the airing of "Francesco," a documentary about the life of the pontiff, the pope stated that homosexuals also have the right to be part of a family.

The Vatican sovereign further added that homosexuals are also children of God and should not be thrown out or made miserable because of who they are.

Moreover, the pope said that civil union laws for homosexuals or those part of the LGBTQ community should be passed. He emphasized that he stood up for this particular issue in order for the same-sex couple to be legally covered.

Based on the documentary, Francis has long endorsed the civil union of same-sex couples as an alternative to having same-sex marriages. He has stood up for this call since he was just serving as the archbishop of Buenos Aires.

However, Francis has never publicly shown favor to a civil union of same-sex couples as a pope. It is only when the documentary was aired that many heard Francis' statements, Yahoo! News reported.

"Francesco," is a documentary which was directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, an Oscar-nominated director. The documentary depicts the pope as "the great connector." In the film, he was placed amid the narrative that discusses some of the most pressing problems faced by the world.

Aside from same-sex union, the film also tackled several important issues including, racism, climate change, migration, sexual abuse, the gap between the rich and the poor, human trafficking, politics, and the relationship between the different religions.

In addition, one of the highlights of the documentary was when it discussed how Francis has initially misjudged the severity of sexual abuse in the church. It can also be noted that Francis, later on, apologized in public and acknowledged his mistake of belittling the issue.

In one part of the documentary, Francis' conversation with one Andre Rubera was featured. Rubera was said to be a gay man who had three adopted children together with his partner.

According to The New York Post, it was discussed in the film how Rubera reached out to Francis through a letter about how he and his partner wanted to raise their children as Catholics. However, he was unsure how their community would think of them and if they would be received in church.

A few days after receiving the letter, Francis called Rubera and expressed that he was moved by the letter. He then urged the couple to introduce the children to the parish but warned them to be ready for possible opposition. Rubera stated that they took the pontiff's advice and turned out to be very happy with the result.

Moreover, the film also featured a survivor of sexual abuse in the clergy. Juan Carlos Cruz stated that during his first meeting with Francis in 2018, the pontiff assured him that nothing is wrong with his sexuality and that God made him gay.