Pope Francis waves to faithful at the end of the weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
By Nicole Winfield
Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which had its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday.
The papal thumbs up came midway through the film that delves into issues he cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.
“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film. “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriages. However, he had never come out publicly in favor of civil unions as pope.
Director Evgeny Afineevsky had remarkable access to cardinals, the Vatican television archives, and the pope himself. He said he negotiated his way in through persistence, and deliveries of Argentine mate tea and Alfajores cookies that he got to the pope via some well-connected Argentines in Rome.
On Monday, the FBI unveiled a report showing a 30 percent increase in homicides in 2020. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello looks into the bureau's numbers that show a steep increase in gun violence amid the growing pandemic.
According to LendingTree, over 196 million Americans used an on-demand delivery service within the last year. Cheddar breaks down why this trend is here to stay, and why so many Americans are actually overspending on these services.
Sandra Magallon, West Division Area Manager of Chase for Business, joins ChedHER to discuss the challenges that Hispanic entrepreneurs face, and what tools are out there to help these business owners.
Ramon Ray, Founder of SmartHustle.com, joins Cheddar to discuss how businesses have learned how to collaborate virtually during the pandemic, and tips for making remote work a success.
Cheddar is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting the history, culture, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. We're diving into issues that matter and shining a light on the amazing influence of the Hispanic culture. To celebrate this month, leading fabric and craft retailer, JOANN is launching its second annual Minority Creative Grant program to support Hispanic creatives. The program will provide grants totaling $100,000 to 20 Hispanic business owners in need of financial support. Anthony Davila, lead product designer with JOANN and Shautina Lilly, diversity and inclusion manager with JOANN joined us to talk about the program.
