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.
The pandemic was difficult for the nation's restaurant industry. And one of New York City's famous Delmonico's is ready to look past that and toward the future when it reopens on Friday. Max Tucci, Delmonico's global brand officer, and Dennis Turcnovic, owner of Delmonico's, both joined Cheddar News to discuss the history of the restaurant, how it always bounces back and what delicious offerings the menu has.
The HBCU Transformation Project, a coalition of 40 historically Black colleges and universities, on Wednesday announced a $124 million gift from philanthropic funders Blue Meridian Partners to increase enrollment, graduation rates and employment rates for the schools' graduates.
Lucas Jensen, senior manager of company-operated locations, and Gabi Picinic, general manager, both of 'The Melting Pot,' joined Cheddar News to demonstrate how to go about a chocolate fondue at home, explaining the process and ingredients needed to do so.
