“Yes to civil unions for gays”

Published on: 10/21/2020 5:06 PM

“Gay people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God and they have the right to have a family. No one should be expelled or discontent over it. What we have to create is a law on civil unions. That way they are covered . legally. I fought for it. ” Pope Francis, in the documentary ‘Francesco’ by Russian director Evgeny Afineevsky, presented today at the Rome Film Festival, explicitly says for the first time that same-sex couples are entitled to legal coverage.

The documentary begins – and closes – with the powerful image of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square completely empty: his tired walk, the chandeliers that illuminate the cemetery, the rain-soaked pavement, the sirens of ambulances in the background. They were the hardest days, we closed at home and the dramatic bulletins, and the pontiff prayed for the end of the Coronavirus pandemic: the whole world was in that empty square, even those who do not believe. Afineevsky, to speak of the Pope who came from the “end of the world”, chooses that moment, an event that is already part of the history books, because it testifies to his ability to dialogue beyond the fences, listening and even welcoming who do not recognize themselves in religion. Catholic.

It is he himself who speaks, willing to return pieces of a past that are undoubtedly known but that, through his voice and the photos that portray him very young with his family who emigrated to Argentina, reveal new angles. But the past of the man destined to become pope, including the memory of the years that culminated in his appointment as bishop of Buenos Aires, is one of the fragments of a complex and composite portrait that focuses its attention on the smallest of the world.

We see him, involved and troubled, praying in Lampedusa for the victims of one of the too many tragedies of the sea or moved by the drawings of the children of Lesbos, staying with their families in the Vatican. A pontiff who sets out to touch pain firsthand, even when the drama is close to home (the visit to the Arquata del Tronto destroyed by the earthquake: his figure with the rubble behind him is another image of great impact).

And who, at the same time, uses Twitter for pastoral reasons, always with the aim of expanding and never restricting, with humility, wisdom, generosity: on the other hand, Saint Francis said: “Go all over the world, preach the gospel to all creature … and if necessary use words “, as we read at the beginning.

But Francis also recounts the fundamental changes of a pontificate that has declined its closeness to the weakest and most forgotten by assuming diplomatically disruptive positions such as the confrontation with Turkey over the Armenian genocide. But, above all, the documentary reserves ample space for the battle against sexual abuse in the Church, giving a voice to the victims and focusing in particular on the Karadima case, an exemplary case of Bergoglio’s line by addressing an issue minimized during too much time. A stimulating and profound biography, with the silences of the prayers to unite the pieces of the mosaic.

“Pope Francis does not intend to change the Doctrine but at the same time he is very open to the real needs of the concrete life of people”, emphasizes Father Antonio Spadaro in tg2000.

The director of the film ‘Francesco’ – he points out – compiles a series of interviews that have been carried out with Pope Francis over time, giving a great summary of his pontificate and the value of his travels. Among other things, there are several passages taken from an interview with Valentina Alazraki, a Mexican journalist, and within it Pope Francis speaks of a right to legal protection for homosexual couples but without affecting the Doctrine in any way ”.

“There is also another testimony within the film – adds Father Spadaro – in which it is explicitly stated that Pope Francis does not intend to change the Doctrine but at the same time Pope Francis is very open to the real needs of life concrete of people. So there is nothing new. This is an interview granted a long time ago and already passed since the press reception. At the same time, however, we understand how within this film the importance that Pope Francis entrusts to the words of listening and protection of people living in situations of crisis or difficulty is reaffirmed. What remains and draws attention is the ability to listen that Francisco shows ”.