Pope's message poses queries

Surprise civil-union blessing appears to date to May 2019

Reaction continued Thursday over comments made by Pope Francis, seen on a 2015 visit to Paraguay, endorsing same-sex civil unions, a break from longstanding church doctrine.
(AP/Natacha Pisarenko)
Reaction continued Thursday over comments made by Pope Francis, seen on a 2015 visit to Paraguay, endorsing same-sex civil unions, a break from longstanding church doctrine. (AP/Natacha Pisarenko)

VATICAN CITY -- Questions swirled Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis' comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety.

The Vatican refused to comment on whether it cut the remarks from its own broadcast or if the Mexican broadcaster that conducted the interview did. And it didn't respond to questions about why it allowed the comments to be aired now in the documentary "Francesco," which premiered Wednesday.

In the movie, which was shown at the Rome Film Festival, Francis said gay people have the right to be in a family since they are "children of God."

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

Those comments caused a firestorm, thrilling most progressives and alarming most conservatives, given that official Vatican teaching prohibits any such endorsement of homosexual unions.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to view » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o466DZPd4I]

One cardinal frequently critical of Francis, Raymond Burke, on Thursday said the pope's remarks were contrary to the "sacred Scripture" and would "generate great bewilderment and cause confusion" among the faithful.

While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis had endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriages. However, he had never come out publicly in favor of legal protections for civil unions as pope, and no pontiff before him had, either.

One of Francis' top communications advisers, the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, insisted the pope's comments were old news, saying they were made during a May 2019 interview with Mexican broadcaster Televisa.

"There's nothing new because it's a part of that interview," Spadaro told The Associated Press as he exited the premiere. "It seems strange that you don't remember."

But Televisa didn't air those comments when it broadcast the interview -- nor did the Vatican when it put out its recordings of it. The broadcaster has not commented on the intrigue.

The Vatican frequently edits the pope in official transcripts and videos, especially when he speaks on sensitive issues. Yet some version of the footage was apparently available in the Vatican archives, which were opened to filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky.

Televisa has not confirmed that the comments were made during its interview, in which the pope insisted that "I always defended doctrine" in opposing same-sex marriage in Argentina. The Televisa interview cuts there.

The documentary doesn't include that quote, but instead used a previously unpublished one about his support for a law governing same-sex civil unions, or "a law of civil cohabitation" as he called it. But the scene of the documentary is identical to the Televisa interview, including the yellow background, a chair in the corner and slightly off-center placement of the chain of Francis' pectoral cross.

The official 2019 Vatican News transcript of that interview, as well as the official Vatican edit, contains no comment on the need for legal protections for civil unions.

Further muddying the waters is the fact that Afineevsky, when pressed by reporters late Wednesday, said the pope made the comments to him directly, through a translator, but declined to say when.

When The Associated Press interviewed Afineevsky on Oct. 14, the director was asked if he realized at the time that Francis' comments were going to grab headlines.

Afineevsky dodged the question about the origin of the quote and seemed to not appreciate its significance. But he said he hoped journalists would take more away from the film.

"If journalists will be focusing on this movie only on that, then it will be a pity," he said. "But I think that's one of the issues that our world needs to understand, that we're all equal."

The head of the Vatican communications branch, Paolo Ruffini, refused to speak to reporters who attended an award ceremony Thursday in the Vatican gardens for Afineevsky, and the director himself kept his distance.

The Catholic Church teaches that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered." A 2003 document from the Vatican's doctrine office stated the church's respect for gay people "cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions."

Information for this article was contributed by Nicole Winfield and Trisha Thomas of The Associated Press; and by Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli of The Washington Post.

Pope Francis, center, makes the sign of the cross during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, center, makes the sign of the cross during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky, left, and clergy sex abuse survivor and victim's advocate Juan Carlos Cruz, attend the photo call for the movie "Francesco" at the Rome Film Festival, in Rome, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky, left, and clergy sex abuse survivor and victim's advocate Juan Carlos Cruz, attend the photo call for the movie "Francesco" at the Rome Film Festival, in Rome, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE -- In this Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 file photo, models hold hands on the catwalk during a wedding fashion show with same-sex couples, dubbed "The rainbow wedding fashion show", part of a 'wedding fair' taking place in Rome. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival.  (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
FILE -- In this Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 file photo, models hold hands on the catwalk during a wedding fashion show with same-sex couples, dubbed "The rainbow wedding fashion show", part of a 'wedding fair' taking place in Rome. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky, left, and clergy sex abuse survivor and victim's advocate Juan Carlos Cruz, attend the photo call for the movie "Francesco" at the Rome Film Festival, in Rome, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky, left, and clergy sex abuse survivor and victim's advocate Juan Carlos Cruz, attend the photo call for the movie "Francesco" at the Rome Film Festival, in Rome, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky is awarded with the Kineo Movie for Humanity award at the Vatican, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Director Evgeny Afineevsky was awarded with Kineo prize Thursday for the movie "Francesco". (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Director Evgeny Afineevsky is awarded with the Kineo Movie for Humanity award at the Vatican, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Director Evgeny Afineevsky was awarded with Kineo prize Thursday for the movie "Francesco". (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE - In this Saturday Dec. 6, 2008 file photo two men kiss each other outside St. Peter's Square at the Vatican during a candle-lit demonstration for gay rights. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary "Francesco," which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
FILE - In this Saturday Dec. 6, 2008 file photo two men kiss each other outside St. Peter's Square at the Vatican during a candle-lit demonstration for gay rights. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary "Francesco," which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
FILE - In this May 21, 2015 file photo, Mauro Cioffari, left, puts a wedding ring on his partner Davide Conti's finger as their civil union is being registered by a municipality officer during a ceremony in Rome's Campidoglio Capitol Hill. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, file)
FILE - In this May 21, 2015 file photo, Mauro Cioffari, left, puts a wedding ring on his partner Davide Conti's finger as their civil union is being registered by a municipality officer during a ceremony in Rome's Campidoglio Capitol Hill. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday, Oct. 21 2020 at the Rome Film Festival. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, file)

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