In a documentary broadcast on October 21, 2020, Pope Francis declares his support for the civil union of same-sex couples. A historic first, as part of a less harsh pontificate on LGBTQI + issues.
It's official: Pope Francis expresses his support for civil unions between homosexual people. An announcement made in a new soberly titled documentary Francesco, and broadcast for the first time in Rome this Wednesday, October 21, 2020. It is during the shooting that its director, Evgeny Afineevsky, questioned Pope Francis on the place of LGBTQI + people in the Catholic Church, reports the Washington post. The response of the Sovereign Pontif: "Homosexuals (…) are children of God and have the right to a family. No one should be kicked out or feel miserable because of it." For him, homosexual couples must have the right to an official framework to unite. "We must create a law for a civil union. So that they are legally protected", he says in the documentary.
A statement against the positions of the Church
If this news is so important, it is because the Church has always opposed unions between homosexual people. The Washington Post recalls that in 2003, under the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (then headed by the future Pope Benedict XVI), had published its "Considerations relating to proposals for the legal recognition of unions between homosexuals ". Conclusion: "The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons can in no way lead to the approval of homosexual behavior or to the legal recognition of homosexual unions."
For his part, Pope Francis has shown a certain openness on the subject, even if he has not officially returned to the doctrine of the Church. But he has repeatedly drawn the ire of conservatives by claiming that gays and lesbians are "loved by God". Perhaps his most famous statement was from 2013, when he replied about a gay man "who am I to judge".
A political calculation?
Since the publication of the information, positive reactions have multiplied on social networks around the world. But one question remains unanswered: is this interview another progressive step for Pope Francis, or a way to nip any debate on a religious same-sex marriage in the bud? Another subject, will it be supported by the rest of the Catholic institution, which in the past has been able to contradict the progressive exits of the sovereign pontiff? For the moment, we do not know the Vatican's position on these statements. Matteo Bruni, Vatican spokesperson, has in fact refused any comment to the Washington Post, arguing that he had not yet seen the film.