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.
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Parents in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee are among those who will be the first to navigate the new academic year as schools open up in parts of those states this week.
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CEO of DroppTV, Gurps Rai, and rapper Kid Daytona talked to Cheddar about the e-commerce revenue generation for musicians the platform provides.
Authorities say British man, a Florida man and a Florida teen hacked the Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls to scam people around the globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin.
Heads up, east coast: a hurricane is coming. The president suggests delaying the election as the worst economic data ever recorded comes out. Plus, tech earnings blowout, Obama's stirring eulogy for John Lewis and the return of Love, Hate, Ate!
Former NFL player and current Rock Church pastor, Miles McPherson, discusses his 2018 book 'The Third Option' on embracing differences along racial lines to achieve equity and justice.
John Lewis was celebrated as an American hero during his funeral as former President Barack Obama and others called on people to follow Lewis’ example and take action in the face of injustice.
Magic Johnson just closed a new deal with CBD company Uncle Bud's. The NBA legend talks benefits of CBD and joining the team at Uncle Bud's.
Statues commemorating the Confederacy are being torn down across America as a result of racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But the largest monument in the country has been left out of the conversation: Stone Mountain monument in Georgia. The 42-foot-deep, 76-by-158 foot carving of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson sits on the face of the world’s largest piece of exposed granite. Removing it could require bitter political debate and a year-long demolition. But for most, the racist history it represents is too hard to ignore.
