Pope Francis became the first pontiff to endorse same-sex civil unions in comments for a documentary that premiered Wednesday, sparking cheers from gay Catholics and demands for clarification from conservatives, given the Vatican's official teaching on the issue.

"Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God," the pope is quoted as saying in "Francesco," which premiered at the Rome Film Festival. "You can't kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered."

Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik said the pope's comments are not an endorsement of gay marriage, and that the pope is not promoting a change to the teachings of the church.


"I think that one of the things we've all learned about Pope Francis since he became the pope back in 2013 is he's first and foremost a pastor, and he's very much concerned about the needs of people who can sometimes be seen on the periphery of things, so when he speaks about same-sex unions, or civil unions, he's speaking about it from the perspective of, like, for the medical benefits that people could be receiving," Zubik said.

Zubik said he has reached out to the Vatican for further details and that he will be able to explain more about what Pope Francis said once he hears from them.

The film, which features fresh interviews with the pope, delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.

Although Zubik said he has not yet seen the film, he said he knows that the pope's comments in no way signal a departure from the Catholic Church and marriage, which the church teaches is between a man and woman. Instead, Zubik said the pope is calling for all people to be treated with dignity and love.

"He's also concerned about where gay people are being received or not received in their own families," Zubik said. "He speaks about it's important for everybody to be able to have the opportunity to be in a family, and that we have to be able to take a look at the inclusion of that."

Zubik said the pope is encouraging not only families to be welcoming to all their loved ones, but for the church to welcome all people too.

"Pope Francis is trying to say we need to be very much aware of what it means for us to be in the family of humanity and be concerned about the fact, imperfect as we all are," he said.


Source:

https://www.wtae.com/article/pope-francis-comments-on-same-sex-civil-unions-pittsburgh-catholic-bishop-david-zubik-responds/34442016