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.
Co-founders of the 'Female Founder Collective,' Rebecca Minkoff and Alison Wyatt, join Cheddar News to discuss this year's 'Female Founders Day' conference in Austin, Texas.
The new show ‘Fix My Flip’ is offering help to flippers from HGTV’s own Page Turner. The real estate expert and host joined Cheddar News to talk about her series and share advice for anyone looking to break into the world of flipping houses. "I'm coming in with this whole, just, book of 'we're gonna stop doing this and this is what we're going to start doing to get you out of this hole that you've dug,'” she said.
Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank employee mistook him for a robber when he passed her a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account.
NFT and digital collecting platform Neon recently raised $3 million in seed funding. The startup also launched the world's first NFT vending machine, located in New York City's Financial District. Neon says it aims to be the simplest and most accessible way to buy, sell, and trade NFTs, both online and in the real world. Kyle Zappitell, CEO of Neon, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Russian leaders "live in their own reality" according to Ukraine, cryptocurrency is getting a nod from Biden, and Nintendo decides now is not the time to release a new war game. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Thursday, March 10, 2022.
One NFL player got caught gambling on his own team, and now it's going to cost him. The NFL announced Monday that Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be suspended for at least the entire 2022 season. The league said Ridley bet on NFL games during a five-day period last November. Frank Shwab, NFL and Betting Reporter at Yahoo Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Scientists say they have found the sunken wreck of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, more than a century after it was lost to the Antarctic ice.
Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, Florida passes the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, and a guy is busted for using COVID aid on a very expensive Pokemon card. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Wednesday, March 9, 2022.