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.
Patrick Metzger, Writer and Technologist, joins Cheddar Reveals to break down how nostalgia has influenced pop culture, why it remains in a trend loop for every generation, and why that trend is likely never going to end.
Clay Routledge, Professor of Business and author of "Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource", joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the psychology of nostalgia: why we have it, and why it may be good for our mental health.
Are we headed toward a stalemate between Ukraine and Russia? Also, Miami Beach announces a spring break state of emergency and Maury Povich is retiring. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
After a tough start amid the pandemic, lifestyle brand Magnolia Network, a collaboration between Chip and Joanna Gaines and Discovery, is pressing forward. Allison Page, the network's president, joined Cheddar to discuss the challenges and rewards of putting together the latest cable television content offerings from the Gaines team. "Really, behind the scenes, this is their vision, and we saw bits of it in Magnolia Journal, their fantastic magazine," Page said. "And just getting to bring that to life in a broader cable landscape has been such a joy and such a great opportunity." The accomplished television executive who moved over from HGTV also had encouraging words for women in the workplace as Women's History Month continues.
"Surviving Sex Trafficking" is a new documentary examining the dark world of human trafficking and aiming to lift the voices of survivors. Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, a Jain monk and filmmaker, and actor/activist Alyssa Milano, executive producer, joined Cheddar News to the new documentary releasing later this week. "We can't turn away, we need to have these uncomfortable conversations to change the static, this status quo," Milano said about the film. Shree, a sexual abuse survivor, also noted that the filmmaking process of telling these stories helped her heal. "When you carry a lot of pain, when you have the PTSD, when you carry that kind of trauma, you're always trying to find ways to heal yourself," she said.
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its
'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Nadia Brown, actor and host of 'The Green Room with Nadia Brown,' and Jenny Makholm, executive producer of the show and co-founder of Be An #ArtsHero/Arts Workers United, join Cheddar News to talk about their new Ovation TV series.
Ben Strauss, sports and media reporter at the Washington Post, joins Cheddar News to recap round two of the NCAA Men's Tournament and what we can expect heading into the Sweet 16.
