Denver Newsroom, Oct 21, 2020 / 06:49 pm (CNA).-
“Francesco,” a newly released documentary on the life and ministry of Pope Francis, has made global headlines, because the film contains a scene in which Pope Francis calls for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples.
Some activists and media reports have suggested that Pope Francis has changed Catholic teaching by his remarks. Among many Catholics, the pope’s comments have raised questions about what the pope really said, what it means, and what the Church teaches about civil unions and marriage. CNA looks at those questions.
What did Pope Francis say about civil unions?
During a segment of “Francesco” which discussed Pope Francis’ pastoral care of Catholics who identify as LGBT, the pope made two distinct comments.
He said first that: “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it.”
While the pope did not elaborate on the meaning of those remarks in the video, Pope Francis has spoken before to encourage parents and relatives not to ostracize or shun children who have identified as LGBT. This seems to be the sense in which the pope spoke about the right of people to be a part of the family.
Some have suggested that when Pope Francis spoke about a “right to a family,” the pope was offering a kind of tacit endorsement of adoption by same-sex couples. But the pope has previously spoken against such adoptions, saying that through them children are “deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God,” and saying that “every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help them shape their identity.”
On civil unions, the pope said that: “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.”
“I stood up for that,” Pope Francis added, apparently in reference to his proposal to brother bishops, during a 2010 debate in Argentina over gay marriage, that accepting civil unions might be a way to prevent the passage of same-sex marriage laws in the country.
What did Pope Francis say about gay marriage?
Nothing. The topic of gay marriage was not discussed in the documentary. In his ministry, Pope Francis has frequently affirmed the doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church that marriage is a lifelong partnership between one man and one woman.
While Pope Francis has frequently encouraged a welcoming disposition to Catholics who identify as LGBT, the pope has also said that “marriage is between a man and a woman,” amd said that “the family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage,” and that efforts to redefine marriage “threaten to disfigure God’s plan for creation.”
Why are the pope’s comments about civil unions a big deal?
While Pope Francis has previously discussed civil unions, he has not explicitly endorsed the idea in public before. While the context of his quotes in the documentary is not fully revealed, and it is possible the pope added qualifications not seen on camera, an endorsement of civil unions for same-sex couples is a very different approach for a pope, one that represents a departure from the position of his two immediate predecessors on the issue.
In 2003, in a document approved by Pope John Paul II and written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith taught that “respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”
Even if civil unions might be chosen by people other than same-sex couples, like siblings or committed friends, the CDF said that homosexual relationships would be “foreseen and approved by the law,” and that civil unions “would obscure certain basic moral values and cause a devaluation of the institution of marriage.”
“Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behaviour, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity,” the document concluded.
The 2003 CDF document contains doctrinal truth, and the positions of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on how best to apply the Church’s doctrinal teaching to policy questions regarding the civil oversight and regulation of marriage. While those positions are consistent with the long-standing discipline of the Church on the issue, they are not themselves regarded as articles of faith.
Some people have said what the pope taught is heresy. Is that true?
No. The pope’s remarks did not deny or call into question any doctrinal truth that Catholics must hold or believe. In fact, the pope has frequently affirmed the Church’s doctrinal teaching regarding marriage.
The pope’s apparent call for civil union legislation, which seems to be different from the position expressed by the CDF in 2003, has been taken to represent a departure from a long-standing moral judgment that Church leaders have taught supports and upholds the truth. The CDF document said that civil union laws give tacit consent to homosexual behavior; while the pope expressed support for civil unions, he has spoken in his pontificate about the immorality of homosexual acts.
It is also important to note that a documentary interview is not a forum for official papal teaching. The pope’s remarks were not presented in their fullness, and no transcript has been presented, so unless the Vatican offers additional clarity, they need to be taken in light of the limited information available about them.
We have same-sex marriage in this country. Why is anyone talking about civil unions?
There are 29 countries in the world that legally recognize same-sex “marriage.” Most of them are in Europe, North America, or South America. But in other parts of the world, the debate over the definition of marriage is just getting started. In parts of Latin America, for example, the redefinition of marriage is not a settled political topic, and Catholic political activists there have opposed moves to normalize civil union legislation.
Opponents of civil unions say they are usually a bridge to same-sex marriage legislation, and marriage campaigners in some countries have said they are concerned that LGBT lobbyists will use the pope’s words in the documentary to advance a pathway to same-sex marriage.
What does the Church teach about homosexuality?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that those who identify as LGBT “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.”
The Catechism elaborates that homosexual inclinations are “objectively disordered,” homosexual acts are “contrary to the natural law,” and those who identify as lesbian and gay, like all people, are called to the virtue of chastity.
Are Catholics bound to agree with the pope on civil unions?
Pope Francis’ statements in “Francesco” do not constitute formal papal teaching. While the pope’s affirmation of the dignity of all people and his call for respect of all people are rooted in Catholic teaching, Catholics are not obliged to support a legislative or policy position because of the pope’s comments in a documentary.
Some bishops have expressed that they are awaiting further clarity on the pope’s comments from the Vatican, while one explained that: “While Church teaching on marriage is clear and irreformable, the conversation must continue about the best ways to reverence the dignity of those in same–sex relationships so that they are not subject to any unjust discrimination.”
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So Radcliffe, the promoter of LGBTQ agenda, gets the red hat. Surprised Martin didn’t get one too. While Bergoglio talks an orthodox game about how gender theory is the biggest threat to humanity, his actions show his real convictions … and he is a threat to the unity and truth of the faith. Undoing the damage this man has done will take generations.
With God’s grace, Radcliffe is soon 80 and we need to pray that the pontiff’s health continues to deny that horrible possibility of ascending the See of Peter. The way these things go, Francis will probably have another one before Christmas, so Jimmy Martin is still in! What a horrible prospect!!!
Bergoglio will go down in Church history as a failed papacy.
And he has stacked the college with like minded men.
Reminds me of what happened to our Supreme Court! , human nature? 😂
Worse than that, Catullus.
His will go down in history as a perfidious papacy.
Perhaps the worst, most destructive ever.
The president of the United States, as Commander in Chief, has control over our nuclear arsenal. Only a fellow imbecile would vote for an imbecile as president.
Looks like homosexual advocate Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP managed to slip in. Or was he shoved?
What’s notable about Radcliffe’s appointment is not entirely the next consistory for the papacy. It’s the message it sends.
Apparently Radcliffe is 79.
I heard that also. Some of our Church troubles are generational. Young clergy and religious tend to be more orthodox.
The 1970s will eventually give way to the March of Time.
Radcliff will be 80 on August 22, 2025, so maybe his predictable vote will not be part of the next conclave.
Waiting, here, to learn more from bios on the others, and especially and hopefully wondering what to expect from those who are not coupled geographically with the Western apostasy from natural law…Japan, (a Belgian in) Iran, (a Ukrainian in) Australia, India, Peru, Indonesia, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Philippines, Serbia, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Lithuania. Otherwise, geographically, Canada, United Kingdom (Radcliff), and three from Italy.
Now this profile from the National Catholic Register about the 21 new cardinals:
https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-latest-cardinal-picks
The one thing I see in this is the usual promotions of his Southern American buddies whose theological background is well known, the prefect dealing with travel????? And a 44 year old?!? But what is interesting is that there is a country that has more Catholic participation than any country in the western world and has been repeatedly been denied a red hat and it is Uganda! Why? Because it takes its theological and committment to values that is needed now in this world and in the Church! But the Pope is content to give out hats to youngsters of 44 years old and to his goucho buddies etc and sodomic life style promoters! Oh Lord Jesus, how hard and difficult thou Cross is and how sore our backs have become in its carrying! COME QUICKLY OH MASTER AND GIVE YOUR BRIDE THE PEACE SHE ULTIMATELY GRAVES!
Congratulations. It’s a fine blend of the young and the young at heart. Wishing the team of the 21 Eminences strength and stamina in their service to God’s people.
And Toronto’s Archbishop Frank Leo is only 53.
I noticed that there are no Americans among the new Cardinals. I live in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and we are the oldest Archdiocese in the US and have often had a Cardinal, but not anymore.
I also noticed that many are from South America or Asia. This new crop of Cardinals should have much influence on the next Papal conclave. Francis has appointed most of the Cardinals eligible to vote. Will he step down now? Perhaps not. He recently did a grueling, very long trip. Perhaps he might just stay on until the end?
“I want to have dialogue, which is why I’m putting all my boys in positions of power” -the great anticlericalist synodalist, Jorge Bergoglio
Oh, oh, oh, pick me to be a Cardinal. I promise not to mention Christ and keep the next Conclave a gay affair.
In the meantime, fly me to Rome for some all-inclusive Synodaling. I don’t even need a voice, since I’ll be a Bishop. I can help Cardinal Radcliffe spiritually sooth the feelings of the papal guests. Trust me, I won’t mention Fr. Aidan Nichols. Mercy alone is the message; all are welcome; blah, blah, blah, no problems here.
Have mercy! It is wrong to make me synodal alone like this.
I’ve read good things about Toronto’s Archbishop Francis Leo.
BTW, his predecessor, Cardinal Thomas Collins, was/is a strong voice in favour of palliative care versus our so-called Medical Aid in Dying.
The German church has a vast over-representation of cardinals for the paltry number of practicing Catholics there.
It all makes sense why Leo was/ is so silent on the scandal of the LGBTQ in his catholic schools. He wanted the red beanie !!