National Post (National Edition)
Pope Francis calls for civil union laws for same-sex couples
ROME • Pope Francis has called for same-sex civil unions for the first time as pontiff in a surprise declaration that could prove “revolutionary” for the Catholic Church.
His endorsement of gay unions, which will be sharply divisive within the
Church, was made in a documentary about his papacy, Francesco, which was shown for the first time at the Rome Film Festival Wednesday.
“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,” the Pope said in the film.
“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”
When he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina Francis opposed gay marriage, but endorsed legal protection for the rights of gay couples. But this is the first time he has spoken so clearly on the subject as Pope.
The comments were welcomed by Catholic liberals but greeted with anger and dismay by conservatives.
They are already deeply opposed to the Pope's progressive views on issues including giving communion to remarried divorcees, his support for migrants and his criticism of capitalism.
The remarks come seven years after Francis famously asked, “who am I to judge?” about homosexuals, both in the Church and in society at large.
While the Pope's endorsement of same-sex unions will make little practical difference in countries where they are already permitted, it will have huge ramifications for Catholic countries in the developing world.
“In Africa, Asia and Latin America, he is way ahead of the curve in talking about civil unions. In some countries in Africa, it is still a crime to engage in homosexual activities. In Latin America, there are people who will say gays do not exist. So to talk about civil unions is revolutionary,” Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and author of Inside the Vatican, told The Daily Telegraph.
Italy was the last country in Western Europe — other than Vatican City — to offer same-sex couples legal rights,
Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who has spearheaded efforts to build bridges with gays in the Church, said the remarks were “a major step in the Church's support for LGBT people.”
“This is the first time as Pope he's making such a clear statement,” said Martin. “I think it's a big step forward. In the past, even civil unions were frowned upon in many quarters of the church. He is putting his weight behind legal recognition of same-sex civil unions.”
His remarks will outrage many conservative Catholics, some of whom wish Benedict XVI had never resigned from the papacy in 2013.
“This will be the last straw for a number of Catholics who have become increasingly incensed at the Pope's words which can be read in a variety of ways, often contrary to the faith,” said Edward Pentin, a Holy See expert.
The Catholic Church's official position is that while being homosexual is not a sin, engaging in homosexual sex is. The Pope spoke in a section of the film about Andrea Rubera, a gay man who, with his partner, Dario De Gregorio, has adopted three children.
Rubera said he told the Pope in a letter that he and his partner wanted to bring the children up as Catholics in their local parish. Rubera said the Pope telephoned him several days later, telling him he thought the letter was “beautiful” and urging the couple to introduce their children to the parish but to be ready for opposition.
Francis has a reputation of offering words open to interpretation. In 2016, after the Vatican hosted a combative synod on the family, he said “there cannot be any confusion between the family willed by God and other kinds of unions,” The Washington Post reported.