While being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco”, Pope Francis expressed his support for same-sex unions. His endorsement is a groundbreaking revelation, not only to Catholics but also the entire world.
This is the first time that the papacy has ever shown direct support towards the LGBTQ+ community. For a denomination that has fought against same-sex unions for decades and decades, this statement is undoubtedly taking a huge step forward in progressiveness.
In the documentary that premiered in Rome yesterday (21st October) the Pope is shown to state, “What we have to have is a civil union law, that way they are legally covered.”
While Pope Francis did not explicitly mention same-sex marriage, the Argentinian national stated that “homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family.” Again, for the chief pastor of a religious community known to oppose homosexuals in families and society as a whole, this statement is a true representation of changing times.
Even while he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis is reported to have endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative for same-sex marriages. However, this is the first time the 83-year-old publicly expressed his stance as Pope.
The “Francesco” documentary delves into issues involving the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination. Thus, the Pope’s support towards the LGBTQ+ community, which is largely discriminated on a global scale, is appreciated by many.
This biopic, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, gives in-depth access to the cardinals, the Vatican’s television archives and the pope himself. The director is reported to have gotten close to the Pope during this time and has garnered a meaningful relationship with Pope Francis.
In an interview prior to the premier of this recent documentary, Afineevsky revealed, “Listen, when you are in the Vatican, the only way to achieve something is to break the rule and then to say, ‘I’m sorry’.”
“Francesco” is said to be unlike any other documentary ever made, as it not only creates awareness on real world crises and tragedies but also includes an audio of the pope providing possible ways to solve them.
If any good came out of 2020, it is the reminder that each of us truly need to work towards making the world a better and kinder place.
Sources: Metro, The Washington Post.
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