A recent documentary film has featured a discussion of Pope Francis on same sex unions.
Over the years, discussions on same-sex unions have been a pressing topic, and have been met with mixed feelings and reactions by people of different cultures, religious beliefs and countries all over the world.
Thus, those who are perceived to have homosexual tendencies or who are self acclaimed gay/ lesbians have been treated mostly with disdain and rejection. Many have been segregated against, discriminated and in extreme cases beaten up especially in communities and countries where the laws of the land are against their existence.
As such there are homosexuals who dare not come out in public to profess their sexual orientation. like in Nigeria, because it is an offence punishable by the law (14 years jail term as stipulated by the federal government).
Meanwhile there are other countries where persons having this psychological sexual behaviour are treated with more compassion, accommodated and accepted as witnessed in the United States for instance. In such countries they freely express themselves without fear of harassment or attack from the law and it’s citizens.
Just recently, Pope Francis gave his endorsement to same-sex civil unions in spite of the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality.
According to the Catholic News Agency, the religious leader delivered the historic remark in ‘Francesco’, a new documentary on his life and ministry, which premiered at the Rome film festival on Wednesday.
He also called gay Catholics “children of God” and said they should not be thrown out from the religion.
“Homosexuals have a right to be a 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,” he was quoted to have said.
“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”
Although, the pope has previously hinted his support of same-sex marriages, this would be the first time he will be giving it a full endorsement.
James Martin, a Jesuit priest, took to his Twitter page to hail the religious leader, saying “Pope Francis’s support for same-sex civil unions is a major step forward in the church’s support of LGBTQ people. It is in keeping with his pastoral approach to LGBT people, including LGBT Catholics, and sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws.”
Since his election as pope in March 2013, Francis has sought to adopt a more inclusive tone towards the homosexuals in his public statements.
In 2018, Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse who met the pope and also features in ‘Francesco’, said the religious leader told him that being gay did not matter since God made him like that.
“Juan Carlos, that you are gay does not matter. God made you like this and loves you like this and I don’t care. The pope loves you like this. You have to be happy with who you are,” Guardian UK quoted Cruz to have said.
The pope’s endorsement is also likely to intensify already heated controversy over the Catholic Church’s teaching on gay marriages.
The Catholic Church has often times opposed legal recognition of same-sex unions. According to its teaching, marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
This recent statement of the pope will certainly not be the last of it because it’s going to generate more religious and cultural reactions and debate among theological scholars who are still holding unto the strong belief and notion that marital unions and relationships in whatever form should be between opposite sexes.
Gift Joseph Okpakorese.
Staff Writer
