‘No change in stand on homosexuality’: Kerala Catholic body after Pope Francis’ civil union endorsement

In a radical shift, Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for á feature-length documentary. “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film ‘Francesco’, which premiered on Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.

“You can’t kick someone out of family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered,” the Pope said.

Read | Plot thickens over origins of Pope’s civil union endorsement

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

The 83-year-old Pope’s comments hold tremendous significance since Catholic teaching maintains that a marriage can only be between a man and a woman, and the church has repeatedly opposed recognition of same-sex unions.

Pope Francis, who is the first pontiff in history to endorse same-sex civil unions, has in the past made headlines for his relatively progressive take on homosexuality. In 2013, soon after he was elected, he famously remarked, “Who am I to judge?” when asked a question about gay priests.