In a huge departure from his predecessors, Pope Francis I says the Roman Catholic Church might be agreeable to civil unions for same-sex couples, despite its long-standing opposition to same-sex marriage and out-of-wedlock sexual relations. The Pope, just one year into his stewardship, appeared interested in looking at the legal arrangements as a method of providing for the medical and economic needs of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
“Marriage is between a man and a woman,” Pope Francis was clear to note in an interview with the Corriere della Sera. “The secular states want to justify civil unions to adjust to different situations of living together, driven by the need to regulate economic aspects between people, such as ensuring health care. These pacts of coexistence [are] of various kinds, of which I could not identify the different forms. You have to see the different cases and evaluate them in their variety.”
CNN adds that a “number of Catholic bishops have supported civil unions for same-sex couples, including Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010, according to reports in National Catholic Reporter and The New York Times.”
In January, however, the Pope took a much more strident tone, stating that same-sex marriage is “anthropological regression†for humankind.
LOOK: Pope Francis Attacks ‘Ideological Christians’ As ‘A Serious Illness’ For the Church
When asked about the “non-negotiable values” of the Church, Pope Francis responded, “I’ve never understood the expression values ​​are not negotiable. The values ​​are just, I can not say that one of the fingers of one hand there is one less useful than another.”
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Image of Pope Francis I by Casa Rosada via Wikipedia
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Previously:
Pope Francis Issues Major Policy Slamming ‘Trickle-Down’ Capitalism As ‘Tyranny’
Sarah Palin ‘Surprised’ And ‘Taken Aback’ By Pope Francis’ ‘Liberal Statements’
Pope Francis: Catholic Church’s Obsession With Gay Marriage, Abortion Could Be Its Downfall