POPE FRANCIS BECOMES FIRST POPE TO ENDORSE SAME-SEX CIVIL UNIONS | AfriTV Online

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has endorsed same-sex civil unions thereby making him the first pontiff to do so in a landmark move that has been welcomed with mixed reactions.

The pope’s endorsement came midway through a feature-length documentary, titled “Francesco”, which premiered at the Rome film festival on Wednesday. The documentary features fresh interviews with the pope, delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.

“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family”, Pope Francis said.

“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. I stood up for that.”

While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriages. However, he had never come out publicly in favour of civil unions as pope.

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