Pope Francis is – yet again – making a lot of noise with his supposed (somewhat) pro-LGBT position by recognizing (if not necessarily supporting/advocating) “civil unions”. It is worth stressing, nonetheless, that the head of the Roman Catholic Church continues to be against same-sex marriage/marriage equality.
In a series of interviews with French sociologist Dominique Wolton, Pope Francis was quoted as saying: “Marriage between people of the same sex? ‘Marriage’ is a historical word. Always in humanity, and not only within the Church, it’s between a man and a woman… we cannot change that. This is the nature of things. This is how they are. Let’s call them ‘civil unions’.”
The Pope has repeatedly emphasized his opposition to same-sex marriage/marriage equality. For instance, when he visited the Philippines, Pope Francis actually stressed the Roman Catholic Church’s position that “the family is… threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage.”
Civil unions are considered a union set out by the government, free from historical – or in this case in particular, religious – connotations.
This isn’t the first time Pope Francis tackled the issue.
In 2014, Time Magazine reported on the coverage of Italian daily Corriere della Sera of an interview with Pope Francis, who was asked about civil unions. The Pontiff was quoted as saying that states seek “to regularize different situations of living together” in order to ensure health care and other economic benefits, adding that “we have to look at the different cases and evaluate them in their variety.”
All the same, the Pope’s seeming recognition of “civil unions” continues not to have any effect on the Roman Catholic Church’s antiquated doctrines.
Also, hold the horses as far as Pope Francis being proclaimed as pro-LGBT.
Pope Francis continues to reiterate his opposition to transgender people, once comparing them to “nuclear weapons”. “In books also, children are learning that they can choose their own sex. Why is sex, being a woman or a man, a choice and not a fact of nature? This favors this mistake.”
MAIN PHOTO BY GUNTHERSIMMERMACHER FROM PIXABAY.COM
