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.
Jill and Carlo discuss an historic victory in the fight against one of humanity's biggest killers, Senate set to kick the debt-limit can down the road, natural gas prices signal a rough winter ahead and Squid Game's prank-call apocalypse.
New York's new Cannabis Control Board met Tuesday for its inaugural meeting to expand the Empire State's medical cannabis program effective immediately and appoint key staffers following months of delays.
Jill's back with Carlo to talk Facebook, at-home Covid testing, and the theory behind the trillion-dollar coin. Plus, Adele has a new single, postseason baseball and more.
A former Facebook data scientist has told Congress that the social network giant’s products harm children and fuel polarization in the U.S. while its executives refuse to change because they elevate profits over safety.
A Russian actor and a film director have rocketed into space to make the world’s first movie in orbit.
The day Facebook went dark, New Zealand gives up on 'zero Covid', a global energy crunch is coming for your heating bills and Russia just beat the U.S. in sending an actor to space.
Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that William Shatner will blast off from West Texas on Oct. 12.
Carlo and Baker have the headlines you missed from the weekend, starting with a growing ecological disaster on the southern California coast, Dems blow their infrastructure deadline, what to expect in a blockbuster SCOTUS term and more.
Elite, teen basketball players are facing more choices than ever with the NBA's developmental league and the NCAA loosening its financial compensation rules. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo reports.
Scarlett Johansson and the Walt Disney Co. on Thursday settled her lawsuit over the streaming release of “Black Widow,” bringing a swift end to what had begun as the first major fight between a studio and star over recent changes in rollout plans for films.
