ROME — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions in a documentary that premiered in Rome on Wednesday.
The Associated Press reported that the approval came halfway through the film, which goes into issue the pope cares about, including the environment, poverty, migration, racism, income inequality and those hurt by discrimination.
“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of the interviews for the documentary. “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
The AP reported that Francis endorsed civil unions as an alternative to marriage when he was a bishop in his native Argentina. This was his first endorsement as pope.
Religion News Service reported that the documentary would be released in the U.S. on Sunday.
Francis has been more vocal about some progressive policies than his more conservative predecessors. As of press time, no Catholic organizations had made any statements on the pope’s comments.