““Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.””
Today, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) welcomes the news that Pope Francis has stated that homosexuals have the right to have their relationships recognized in civil unions. In a new documentary titled “Francesco”, by director Evgeny Afineevsky, the Pope says, “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way [homosexuals] are legally covered. I stood up for that.” In addition to support for civil unions, in this documentary, Pope Francis also expresses his support for the inclusion of gays and lesbians in their communities and the Catholic Church. The Pope’s comments are his clearest and most direct statements that demonstrate the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church. These comments follow earlier gestures of support, such as when the Pope responded with “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gays and lesbians leading Christian lives in 2013. His most recent comments align with the position he held when he advocated for same-sex civil unions as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Though he has not previously suggested he opposes civil unions, this is the first time the Pope has explicitly declared support for them.
RFF is pleased that the Pope, and consequently the Catholic Church, recognizes the inherent value of gays and lesbians to their communities in general, and the Catholic Church specifically. “Most LGBTQ+ activists around the world say that religious-based discrimination, i.e. religious-based homophobia and religious-based transphobia, are the main opposition to full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. It is wonderful to hear that Pope Francis, a leader of a significant portion of the Christian religious community, is speaking out in favour of legal recognition of LGBTQ+ relationships. This is wonderful, good news from the Christian community,” explains Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Founder and Executive Director. The Pope’s comments are timely considering that the United States Senate is set to install a conservative minority on the Supreme Court with the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic, whose vote of the court puts the right to marriage for same-sex couples at risk in all fifty states.
The Pope’s recent comments are to be celebrated but are also an indication that many LGBTQ2S+ people across the world have not been treated equally by the state nor the law and continue to face discrimination and exclusion. “Today’s affirmation of my own dignity and my capacity to enter into a full and loving relationship as a gay man from Pope Francis has moved me deeply. He is building bridges and is a healer of many of the wounds that we carry as former Catholics,” says Joe Jamieson, RFF Board President. Though civil-unions do not always allow for equal treatment by the state nor by the law, RFF welcomes this news. RFF believes that this is an important step toward eliminating religious-based discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ people across the world.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes C.M
Founder and Executive Director
Rainbow Faith and Freedom
Phone: 647-573-3506
Email: bhawkes@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org
Rainbowfaithandfreedom.org