Editorial: Pope Francis endorses same-sex civil unions

Staff Editorial

In a documentary that premiered at the Rome Film Festival Wednesday, Pope Francis officially endorsed same-sex civil unions, becoming the first Pope to do so.

“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said. “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.”

A civil union is defined as, “a legally recognized union with rights similar to those of marriage, created originally for same-sex couples in jurisdictions where they were not legally allowed to marry.”

His comments stopped short of endorsing same-sex marriage, but the endorsement of civil unions is a big deal coming form the Pope.

Pope Francis has made comments in the past supporting LGBT people and their place in the Catholic Church, saying that God made them that way and loves them.

His statements have been controversial within the church, but the fact that he is willing to publicly endorse same-sex civil unions will likely help Catholics who are members of the LGBT community feel more accepted by their religion.

The acceptance of LGBT people in all levels of society is an important, and the Pope seems to be moving in that direction.

We at The Daily Eastern News believe that this is a very important thing for the Pope to have done, and we hope it helps LGBT people feel more accepted.