Pope's statement on LGBTQ+ rights more encompassing
While Pope Francis has not changed official Catholic teachings regarding LGBTQ+ issues, he has been in favor of supporting the legal rights of LGBTQ+ people in the past, something his predecessors have never done
Mnewspapers and media outlets highlighted that the Ramon Catholic Church’s highest authority, Pope Francis, appeared to support same-sex civil unions in statements he said in a new documentar y film, Francesco, which premiered on 21 October at the Rome Film Festival in Rome, Italy.
The n ew s reports — the pope’s clearest stand on LGBTQ+ issues so far — became much talked about as the Ramon Catholic Church has traditionally forbid same-sex marriages and frowned upon the LGBTQ+ community and their struggle for their rights in general. Many welcomed this as an indication of the pope’s support while many were skeptical and downright adamant. Soon after, many posts in social media said that the pope was misquoted or mistranslated as he spoke in Spanish. While Pope Francis has not changed official Catholic teachings regarding LGBTQ+ issues, he has been in favor of supporting the legal rights of LGBTQ+ people in the past, something his predecessors have never done.
In the new documentary, which was shot in 2019 by a Mexican television production, the pope said that “homosexual people have the 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 have is a civil union law — that way they are legally covered. I supported that.”
The Spanish term used is “convivencia social,” which according to Macario Ofilada, a professor who has taught Philosophy and Spanish at the Saint Thomas of Villanova Institute and is presently teaching at the Instituto Cervantes de Manila, means “civil co-existence.”
“The Pope did not mention same-sex civil union but he did mention civil rights, rights to be guaranteed by the civil authority, which is the most important thing, in contrast to the canonical or ecclesiastical authority. Of course, he would not go against the sacramental
teaching of the church. He would not mention the validity of civil unions or marriages of same-sex couples,” the professor, who graduated summa cum laude with a doctorate in Philosophy and Educational Sciences from the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain, explained. “In the first place, the Church does not sacramentally recognize civil marriages or unions, whether same-sex or not. Far from his mind is the intent of giving any kind of civil union (whether same-sex or not) any sacramental status.”
Pope Francis is the first pontiff to declare the showing of compassion to LGBTQ+ people.
Ofilada further said: “However, the most important thing is that he asked for rights to be guaranteed by the civil authority, whether they are in a civil union or not, especially that homosexuals are part of civil society or of civil co-existence, which includes homosexuals living in civil unions and not. What matters are the rights, the dignity, the respect.”
He also shared his opinion on the pope’s words: “If we could give animals and even our Mother Earth rights and respect, so much more must we give the same to our fellow human beings, regardless of sexual orientation, race, color, language, religion, socio-political ideology. The issue is not whether they (homosexuals) are in civil same-sex union or not. I think the Holy Father chose his words very well. He avoided giving his blessing, which is sacramental or quasi-sacramental, to same-sex civil unions or even heterosexual civil unions. He went straight to what mattered more, to what is all-embracing, which is ‘ convivencia civil’ which is broader for it encompasses all homosexuals whether in civil union recognized by the state or not. It also encompasses the other spectrum (the heterosexuals whether living in a civil union or not). What is underscored is that there is a scheme of co-existence or society wherein homosexuals (and heterosexuals and asexuals) live. The Holy Father has advocated for what matters most for all these people whether in civil union or not: Rights to be guaranteed by the civil authority.”
For the longest time, the Ramon Catholic Church has been one of the institutions that perpetuate intolerance and even active persecution against LGBTQ+ people. In the recent years, it has softened its stance and encouraged humaneness and respect. There have been even several Catholic priests who bless same-sex weddings. Pope Francis is the first pontiff to declare the showing of compassion to LGBTQ+ people.