Pope Francis Supports Same-Sex Civil Unions
2020-10-22
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1Pope Francis has become the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to support "civil union" laws for same-sex couples.
2Speaking in a film documentary, the pope called for the creation of such laws.
3He said that "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God."
4"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," Francis said.
5"I stood up for that."
6The statements represent a break from the Church's teachings and his strongest comments yet on the issue.
7The comments came in "Francesco," a documentary about his life and the social issues that concern him.
8The film was shown for the first time in Rome on Wednesday.
9The movie examines his support for migrants and refugees, the poor, and his work on the issue of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
10It also explores his ideas on the role of women in society, and the Church's relations with those who identify as LGBTQ.
11While serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010, the future pope opposed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
12But he supported the idea of civil unions as one way to prevent the approval of same-sex marriage in Argentina.
13After being elected pope, Francis once said in 2013, "Who am I to judge?" while answering a reporter's question about homosexuals in the church.
14He has not publicly expressed support for civil unions until now.
15The Reverend James Martin is an American clergyman who supports the Church's efforts to reach members of the gay community.
16He wrote on Twitter, "Pope Francis's support for same-sex civil unions is a major step forward in the church's support of LGBTQ people."
17Martin added that it "sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws."
18Filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky told Catholic News Agency that the pope talked about civil union laws during an interview for the movie.
19The news agency says the Vatican's press office did not answer its questions on the pope's comments.
20Another person interviewed for the film is Juan Carlos Cruz.
21He is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse whom Francis at first discredited during a 2018 visit to Chile.
22Cruz, who is gay, said they have since repaired the relationship.
23In one of the meetings, Cruz said Francis told him that God made Cruz gay.
24The filmmaker used Cruz's story to document the pope's understanding of sexual abuse and changing ideas about gay people.
25In 2003, under Pope John Paul II, the Vatican said that "respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions."
26That statement was written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany.
27He became Pope Benedict XVI, the predecessor to Pope Francis.
28I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Pope Francis has become the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to support "civil union" laws for same-sex couples. 2Speaking in a film documentary, the pope called for the creation of such laws. He said that "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God." 3"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," Francis said. "I stood up for that." 4The statements represent a break from the Church's teachings and his strongest comments yet on the issue. 5The comments came in "Francesco," a documentary about his life and the social issues that concern him. The film was shown for the first time in Rome on Wednesday. 6The movie examines his support for migrants and refugees, the poor, and his work on the issue of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. It also explores his ideas on the role of women in society, and the Church's relations with those who identify as LGBTQ. 7While serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010, the future pope opposed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. But he supported the idea of civil unions as one way to prevent the approval of same-sex marriage in Argentina. 8After being elected pope, Francis once said in 2013, "Who am I to judge?" while answering a reporter's question about homosexuals in the church. He has not publicly expressed support for civil unions until now. 9The Reverend James Martin is an American clergyman who supports the Church's efforts to reach members of the gay community. He wrote on Twitter, "Pope Francis's support for same-sex civil unions is a major step forward in the church's support of LGBTQ people." Martin added that it "sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws." 10Filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky told Catholic News Agency that the pope talked about civil union laws during an interview for the movie. The news agency says the Vatican's press office did not answer its questions on the pope's comments. 11Another person interviewed for the film is Juan Carlos Cruz. He is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse whom Francis at first discredited during a 2018 visit to Chile. 12Cruz, who is gay, said they have since repaired the relationship. In one of the meetings, Cruz said Francis told him that God made Cruz gay. The filmmaker used Cruz's story to document the pope's understanding of sexual abuse and changing ideas about gay people. 13In 2003, under Pope John Paul II, the Vatican said that "respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions." That statement was written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He became Pope Benedict XVI, the predecessor to Pope Francis. 14I'm Jonathan Evans. 15Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from Catholic News Agency and the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. 16___________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18couple - n. two people who are married or who have a romantic or sexual relationship 19homosexual - n. a person who is sexually attracted to a person of the same sex 20migrant - n. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work 21role - n. the part that someone has in a society 22LGBTQ - an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. 23archbishop - n. the highest rank bishop of an area 24gay - adj. sexually attracted to a person of the same sex 25predecessor - n. a person who had a job or position before someone else