Pope endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary

Pope Francis has made his most explicit endorsement of same-sex partnerships since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church. The remarks are shown in a new documentary that premiered on Wednesday.

In the film, the pontiff urged a “civil union law” that would allow LGBT+ people to “be in a family.”

“They are children of God and have a right to a family,” he said in the documentary “Francesco” which premiered at the Rome Film Festival.

“Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.”

‘I stood up for that’

The now-pope already spoke out in favor of civil unions while serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He lauded such partnerships as an alternative to gay marriage.

However, this is the first time that the 83-year-old pontiff publicly endorsed same-sex unions since taking the papal seat.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that,” the pope added.

The documentary was directed by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, a Russian-born US national of Jewish background. In addition to the pope, it also features other senior clergymen as well as a gay survivor of sexual abuse.

“The main thread of this movie is more about us as human beings, who are creating disasters every day. And he (the pope) is the one who is connecting us through these threads,” Afineevsky said in an interview.