What Pope Francis Really Said About (Gay) Marriage -- and What He Did Not | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• THE POPE’S ‘SHOCKG’ STATEMENT ON GAY MARRIAGE IS G AN UPROAR AMONG CATHOLICS
• POPE FRANCIS WON’T BUDGE ON GAY MARRIAGE: “MARRIAGE IS MARRIAGE”
• POPE FRANCIS SAYS HOMOSEXUALY "IS NOT A CRIME," BUT GAY SEX IS "A S"
• WHAT POPE FRANCIS REALLY SAID ABOUT (GAY) MARRIAGE -- AND WHAT HE DID NOT
• POPE FRANCIS CONMNG GAY MARRIAGE BANS HIGHLIGHTS CATHOLIC 'CIVIL WAR'
• OPENLY GAY CATHOLIC PRIT DISCS POPE FRANCIS' APPEAL FOR LGBTQ PROTECTNS
• VATIN SAYS PRITS N'T BLS GAY UPL. WHY DID POPE FRANCIS APPROVE THIS CREE?
• EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE

THE POPE’S ‘SHOCKG’ STATEMENT ON GAY MARRIAGE IS G AN UPROAR AMONG CATHOLICS

Image source, RtersImage ptn, Pope Francis' statements are a parture om prev ments about LGBT rightsPope Francis has said that he thks same-sex upl should be allowed to have "civil unns" ma the ments, which observers say are his cleart remarks yet on gay relatnships, a documentary directed by Evgeny Afeevsky. " He add that he "stood up for that", apparently referrg to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Air when, although opposg same-sex marriag law, he supported some legal protectns for same-sex film Franc, about the life and work of Pope Francis, premiered as part of the Rome Film well as the Pope's ments on civil unns, the film also shows him enuragg two gay men to attend church wh their three Francis's bgrapher, Aten Ivereigh, told the BBC he was "not surprised" by the latt ments.

POPE FRANCIS WON’T BUDGE ON GAY MARRIAGE: “MARRIAGE IS MARRIAGE”

"Unr current Catholic doctre, gay relatnships are referred to as "viant behavur" 2003, the Vatin's doctral body, the Congregatn for the Doctre of the Fah, said that "rpect for homosexual persons nnot lead any way to approval of homosexual behavur or to legal regnn of homosexual unns" words but no sign of doctral changeThe remarks have set tongu waggg among Vatin-watchers - and they mark Francis's cleart support for the issue sce beg Pope. " he 2014 was reported that Pope Francis had exprsed support for civil unns for same-sex partners an terview, but the Holy See's prs office nied 2018, Pope Francis said he was "worried" about homosexualy the clergy, and that was "a ser matter" on this story.

Followg Pope Francis’s announcement clarg support for civil unn laws for same-sex upl, which breaks wh tradnal Catholic valu that oppose homosexual relatnships, the lear has garnered both cricism and support om people all over the world. ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has clarified his recent ments about homosexualy and s, sayg he was merely referrg to official Catholic moral teachg that teach that any sexual act outsi of marriage is a a note Friday, Francis relled that even that black-and-whe teachg is subject to circumstanc that might elimate the s altogether.

-based Outreach mistry for LGBTQ Catholics, asked Francis for clarifitn and prted the pope’s handwrten rponse on the Outreach webse late his note, Francis reaffirmed that homosexualy “is not a crime, ” and said he spoke out “ orr to strs that crimalizatn is neher good nor jt. 2, 2020Updated June 27, 2021ROME — The Vatin has nfirmed the pope’s remarks on gay upl servg civil protectns as sent an explanatory note to bishops unrlg that Francis’s ments did not mark a change church pope’s remarks ma headl last month after they appeared the documentary “Franc, ” at s Oct. Afeevsky the Vatin note said that durg the Televisa terview, speakg of the ntroversy Argenta, Francis had argued for the right of gay upl to have legal Vatin note also poted to a 2014 terview which the pope had reerated that “marriage is between a man and a woman” but that secular stat uld seek to “jtify civil unns to regulate var suatns of existence, driven by the mand to regulate enomic aspects among people, such as ensurg health re.

POPE FRANCIS SAYS HOMOSEXUALY "IS NOT A CRIME," BUT GAY SEX IS "A S"

“Legal regnn of homosexual unns or placg them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of viant behavr, wh the nsequence of makg a mol prent-day society, but would also obscure basic valu which belong to the mon herance of humany, ” the document said.

”“If they want to spend their liv together, a homosexual uple, natns have the possibily civilly to support them, to give them safety wh regards to herance and health, ” he the subject of civil unns, Francis suggted that wing the spe of who n receive partner benefs uld benef many groups of people. Stat still have laws agast sodomy, spe the Supreme Court clarg them unnstutnal pope said that some bishops om untri that crimalize homosexualy support the laws bee they're part of the lol culture, and he lled on those bishops to unrgo a procs of "nversn, " orr to wele LGBQT people to their mistry "wh tenrns.

WHAT POPE FRANCIS REALLY SAID ABOUT (GAY) MARRIAGE -- AND WHAT HE DID NOT

ROME — The Vatin says Pope Francis’ ments on gay civil unns were taken out of ntext a documentary that spliced together parts of an old terview, but still nfirmed Francis’ belief that gay upl should enjoy legal Vatin secretariat of state issued guidance to ambassadors to expla the uproar that Francis’ ments created followg the Oct. “More than a year ago, durg an terview, Pope Francis answered two different qutns at two different tim that, the aforementned documentary, were eded and published as a sgle answer whout proper ntextualizatn, which has led to nfn, ” said the guidance posted by the film, Afeevsky reunts the story of Andrea Rubera, a married gay Catholic who wrote Francis askg for his advice about brgg to the church his three young children wh his was an anguished qutn, given that the Catholic Church teach that gay people mt be treated wh digny and rpect but that homosexual acts are “trsilly disorred. ” The church also holds that marriage is an dissoluble unn between man and woman, and as a rult, gay marriage is the end, Rubera reunts how Francis urged him to approach his parish transparently and brg the children up the fah, which he did.

Francis was not endorsg the right of gay upl to adopt children, even though the placement of the quote right after Rubera told his story ma seem that Francis pope’s ments about gay civil unns me om a different part of the Televisa terview and clud several veats that were not clud the the Televisa terview, Francis ma clear he was explag his posn about the unique se Buenos Air 10 years ago, as opposed to Rubera’s suatn or gay marriage as a the Televisa terview, Francis also sisted that he always mataed Catholic doctre and said there was an “ngy” for the Catholic Church as far as “homosexual marriage” is documentary elimated that Televisa footage is available onle, and clus an awkward cut right after Francis spoke about the “ngy” of homosexual marriage. But don’t expla how his support for extendg Argente legal protectns to gay upl 2010 uld be squared wh the 2003 document om the Congregatn for the Doctre of the Fah, which says “the prcipl of rpect and non-discrimatn nnot be voked to support legal regnn of homosexual unns. Consirg that Pope Benedict often volly exprsed harsh nmnatn of marriage equaly -- even travelg to Spa to speak out agast when that untry was among the first to legalize marriage for gays and lbians and lled a "threat to the future of humany"-- 's astonishg how silent Francis is on the issue.

Yet this same culture prents others wh so many optns that they too are dissuad om startg a off, go whout sayg that gay and lbian people are a part of fai and have fai, and many are parents and raise children -- and Francis knows this bee he has met wh gay activists who are married and who have children. So if he meant that the other "optns" that are offered the "culture" today which are "dissuadg" people om "startg a fay" clu the abily to live as out gay people -- and 's possible he did -- then 's pretty weak and he tentnally didn't make his se wh clary. Francis was, after all, speakg to the legislative body that uld do somethg about -- and which is tryg to, wh Republins havg troduced the od First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow clerks like Kim Davis and bakers and florists and others to ny servic to gay and lbian upl.

POPE FRANCIS CONMNG GAY MARRIAGE BANS HIGHLIGHTS CATHOLIC 'CIVIL WAR'

" That sounds more like someone promotg social programs to help the poor and stop gun-vlence than someone tryg to end same-sex, this is the head of a a church that has for years nmned gays as "trsilly disorred" (and still do, s doctre) and has seen marriage equaly as harmg the culture. We'll know for sure a uple of so far, the pope at bt spoke -- as when, durg his addrs at the Whe Hoe, and soundg like Republin polil ndidat, he talked of fendg "relig liberty" the ntext of also protectg people agast discrimatn -- and at worst (for anti-gay nservativ, of urse) he pletely dodged the issue durg his addrs to Congrs, focg stead on other forc plagug the fay.

Pope Francis took one of his strongt posns yet agast legislatn around the world that crimaliz homosexualy or otherwise discrimat agast LGBTQ dividuals Tuday, seemgly ditg that the learship of the Catholic Church—long divid over the qutn of s posn toward the muny—was begng to take a firmer posn of solidary wh the LGBTQ muny.

OPENLY GAY CATHOLIC PRIT DISCS POPE FRANCIS' APPEAL FOR LGBTQ PROTECTNS

"Beg homosexual isn't a crime, " Francis said durg an exclive terview wh the Associated Prs published Francis still referred to homosexualy the ntext of "s, " the ments were ld by many who saw the ments as one of the first public steps by a Catholic pope to affirm the relign's acceptance of members of the LGBTQ muny who have long felt maligned by the Catholic tradn. "Pope Francis's historic ll for the crimalizatn of homosexualy worldwi is an immense step forward for LGBTQ people, their fai and all who love them, " Jam Mart, a prit and edor of the Ju Ameri Magaze wrote rponse to the news Wednday.

VATIN SAYS PRITS N'T BLS GAY UPL. WHY DID POPE FRANCIS APPROVE THIS CREE?

Jt days earlier, Francis' precsor—the more nservative late Pope Benedict XVI—released a posthumo book of says through his publisher ntag a number of revealg claims about his own philosophy of the church as well as ncerns of a proliferatn of homosexualy wh the ranks of clergy, reprentg another book a seri of books cril of Pope Francis that were released the wake of Benedict's ath on December recent memoir by Benedict's longtime secretary, Archbishop Ge Ganswe, released January prompted a s-down between the two men after Ganswe claimed Francis was abandong old tradns of the church, cludg wh his outreach toward divorced members of the church as well as movg away om the Lat Mass, which has been growg favor wh more nservative sects of the Catholic headl wrote themselv: Were the tell-all books the start of a "civil war" as the Catholic-fund publitn Cx posed Tuday?

Universy of New Hampshire soclogist Michele Dillon, an expert on Catholic views on secular society, noted that Francis still voked official church teachgs that homosexualy was a s even his nunciatn of discrimatn toward the LGBTQ muny, a posture that has ed "a lot of anguish for many gay and lbian Catholics. "It will disappot a lot of lbian and gay Catholics, and many other Catholics and non-Catholics too, that Francis voked the language of s talkg about gays even as they will appreciate his advocy of the crimalizatn of homosexualy, " she told Newsweek. However, Francis is a tight spot: The bate over Francis' visn for the church and that of Benedict's—a much more nservative figure—date back well before eher man ascend to lead the Vatin, wh recent events only servg to exacerbate those the wake of the send Vatin Council the early 1960s, a rift began to form between clergy who believed the church should adhere to a more rigoro standard of tradnal Catholic valu and others who believed the church should bee more progrsive and reflective of an creasgly secular world around the church has long acknowledged that the state is ee to enact laws that may be at odds wh church teachgs, Dillon not that the church has ntued civil bat around subjects like gay marriage and divorce to reaffirm the sfulns of those behavrs for the duly elected lear of the Catholic church, Francis—nsired to be among the more progrsive pop recent history—has sought to leave his own imprt on the church.

Recently, he has creased his public outreach to the LGBTQ muny, cludg remarks last year askg parents not to "nmn" their homosexual children and firg officials behd documents barrg blsgs for LGBTQ mov, however, have only helped to spur creasgly public opposn om some members of the clergy recent years. And so this ll for the civil regnn and protectn of gay civil unns, 's really an affirmatn of the humany of gay and lbian persons - that he's sayg that bee gay and lbian persons are human begs, that society, that the state, that ernments have an obligatn and a duty to protect their basic human Do extendg the right to a civil unn and acknowledgg that LGBTQ people should be allowed to have a partner their life through a civil unn and a fay - do that mean children? Now, may seem to be a semantic difference, but I thk what the pope is sayg is that he is not opposed to the legal regnn of fay life and the right for gay and lbian persons to raise and have As a gay Catholic yourself, I mean, as a man of fah, as a Catholic, is somehow ls signifint, I would image, a civil unn than beg able to be married the church?

EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE

And what the pope is dog wh this kd of claratn - he's clearly puttg the Catholic Church on the si of agast the crimalizatn of behavr and favor of protectg the human digny of gay and lbian But help me unrstand this bee 's my unrstandg that the Catholic Church still nsirs homosexualy to be a s, not somethg that should be enuraged a liftyle. Fernánz wrote about the oral soon after Bergogl was elected Pope Francis, reuntg that a newspaper article he had penned about gay marriage had been clud the anonymo dossier and that an unnamed Vatin “ngregatn” – believed to be the one rponsible for Catholic tn -- repeatedly refed to receive him to expla has also had to acknowledge mistak his handlg of a 2019 se volvg a prit acced of sexually abg mors. 21, 2020Updated June 27, 2021ROME — Pope Francis exprsed support for same-sex civil unns remarks revealed a documentary film that premiered on Wednday, a signifint break om his precsors that staked out new ground for the church s regnn of gay remarks, g om the lear of the Roman Catholic Church, had the potential to shift bat about the legal stat of same-sex upl natns around the globe and unsettle bishops worried that the unns threaten what the church nsirs tradnal marriage — between one man and one woman.

”Many gay Catholics and their alli outsi the church weled the pope’s remarks, though Francis’ opposn to gay marriage wh the church remaed nservative crics wh the church hierarchy, and pecially the nservative wg of the church the Uned Stat, who have for years acced him of dilutg church doctre, saw the remarks as a reversal of church teachg.

The ments shown the film are likely to generate exactly the sort of discsn the pope has repeatedly sought to foster on issu once nsired forbidn the church’s culture Granati/Corbis, via Getty ImagFrancis had already drastilly shifted the tone of the church on qutns related to homosexualy, but he has done ltle on policy and not changed teachg for a church that se s future growth the Southern Hemisphere, where the cleril hierarchy is generally ls tolerant of remark “ no way affects doctre, ” the Rev. Anton Spadaro, a Ju prit and close ally of Francis, told the televisn channel of the Italian bishops nference on Wednday remarks the documentary were keepg wh Francis’ general support for gay people, but were perhaps his most specific and proment on the issue of civil unns, which even tradnally Catholic natns like Italy, Ireland and Argenta have permted recent director of the documentary, Evgeny Afeevsky, told The New York Tim that Francis had ma the remarks directly to him for the film.