Pope Francis speaks on his support for same-sex couples, then says they were “taken out of context.”
In the film “Francesco” by director Evgeny Afineevsky, Pope Francis comments on same-sex unions. The famous quote “Homosexuals have a right to be part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” said by Pope Francis in this documentary was a groundbreaking step to acceptance of LGBTQ members around the world. With the Church establishing natural laws of moral belief and its influence intertwining with governments in countries around the world, it opened ideas on how the discrimination against homosexual couples needs to change especially since the statements were explicitly opposing Church teachings of immoral same-sex sexual activity. Leaders such as Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of the LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD, says “This news should send an undeniable message to Catholic families with LGBTQ people that all family members are deserving of acceptance and support” and Morrill, a Jesuit priest, adds “What this statement doesn’t do is change any official policies, but in a very patriarchal way he is saying we should be kind and compassionate.”
But, the Vatican released a letter on how Pope Francis’s comments were “taken out of context.” In particular, they clarified the Pope’s comment on “Homosexuals have a right to be part of the family” is not in any way favoring same-sex couples creating families, but supporting children with a homosexual orientation. They blame the confusion on the editing of the documentary that answered used the Pope’s answers to two different questions at two different times without the correct contextualization. The letter strongly emphasizes “Pope Francis was referring to certain provisions made by states, and certainly not to the doctrine of the Church.”
People around the world, members of the Catholic Church or not, question what caused one of the most powerful figures in the world to change, or to some clarify his controversial statements. Backlash from followers of the Church did, of course, result from the words that were “taken out of context” by the Pope; however, extensive support poured from the public as this statement was heard around the world and seemed to light a new realm of acceptance. How did the public’s reaction sway the Vatican to publicly denounce Pope Francis’s statements? How did this event change people’s perspective on the Catholic Church, did it create a more positive standpoint or negative? In the religiously diverse communities around the globe, the Catholic Church still holds immense power, enough to change the lives of millions. And the question is should they be more careful with it?
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