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.
Target Corp. is joining a growing list of retailers and restaurant chains offering educational assistance at select online institutions for its front-line workers.
The White House will be requiring incoming travelers to the U.S. to be vaccinated., Gov. Cuomo is potentially looking at criminal charges, and Jeopardy! might be heading in a surprise direction for a new host.
A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who criticized her coaches at the Tokyo Games said Thursday that she showed police at the airport a translated plea for help on her phone as she tried to avoid being put on a plane back home.
Cuomo Report, Evictions Halted & Passenger From Hell
J. Allen Brack, the president of Activision’s Blizzard Entertainment, is leaving the company as it continues to deal with the fallout from a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit.
Biles Takes the Beam, Vax Milestone & 'Lord of the Rings' First Look
Fortnite fans are getting a special treat this month. Epic Games just announced that Ariana Grande will be performing at Fortnite's upcoming Rift Tour. The five-show concert series kicks off August 6th through August 8th. Jordan Minor, apps and games analyst at PCMag.com joins us to talk about what fans can expect from the virtual concert.
A growing number of businesses are requiring their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, alarmed by the rise of the more contagious delta variant and frustrated that vaccination rates in the U.S. have plateaued.
A California law taking effect Jan. 1 could make pork harder to find and more expensive.
Jill and Carlo talk about the latest from Tokyo including Simone Biles plans to compete in the balance beam final, Dr. Fauci's dire Delta warning, high profile vaccine mandates from employers like Walmart and Disney, and Square's acquisition of Afterpay.
