CEBU, Philippines — The Vatican has yet to clarify the veracity of reports stating that a “documentary film” showed Pope Francis supposedly espousing civil union for same-sex couples.
Cebu Archbishop spokesperson Msgr. Joseph Tan said that to date, the Vatican has not yet made such a pronouncement.
“Let us wait for further developments on the matter,” said Tan.
Tan said that he called the other night Father John Thomas Limchua, who works at the Holy See office in the Vatican, regarding the matter. Accordingly, Tan was told “to wait before jumping to conclusions”.
“Maybe by the end of this week, we will hear more on this the matter,” Tan said, adding that they have to see the context and reliability of such statament.
Pope Francis, in a supposed in a sit-down interview, said: “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
Tan said it is important to wait for the official clarification of the Holy See on this alleged statement.
Tan said that the Church has a pastoral care for homosexuals, and homosexuals are not condemned for being so. However, what the Church condemns are their sexual acts or perversion.
Pope Francis was reportedly the first pontiff to have supported the same-sex civil union in a film entitled “Francesco” which was shown already during a film festival in Rome.
“We do not know yet the context of such statement. Dili lang sa ta mo-conclude dayon,” Tan reiterated. — JMD (FREEMAN)