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For the first time since assuming the role of Pope, Pope Francis approved of same-sex couples.
Support came during the filming of the documentary Francesco, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday.
The documentary is about the life of the Pope and addresses issues that concern him. Among other things, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality and those most affected by discrimination.
– Gays are children of God and have the right to be in a family, he said in one of the interviews for the documentary.
– What we must have is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered.
As Acting Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Pope supported same-sex couples as an alternative to same-sex marriage.
However, this is the first time he has issued a public statement of support.
I was surprised
Bishop Bernt Eidsvig was shocked when the Pope made his statement of support for homosexuals.
– There has been no warning that something like this was going to happen. I’m somewhat surprised, he says.
NO NOTICE: Monsignor Bernt Eidsvig was surprised by the Pope’s remarks, as there had been no notice that it would arrive. Photo: Mats Tande
Eidsvig believes that the Pope does this based on experience and care.
– You have been mourning for many years and have probably seen many gays who have suffered from a bad conscience, or because they have had to live alone.
Inge Alexander Gjestvang is the leader of the FRI association. He believes that queer people have experienced many challenges related to their faith.
– In general, I think that many queers are believers and want to be part of religious communities. Many may have experienced that they are not given the opportunity to participate on an equal basis with others. You may have experienced having to choose between your identities. I think this has created a number of challenges for many queer and religious people, he says.
– In that sense, I think it is a very positive sign from the Pope that believers are equal before God.
Eidsvig explains that the church has always marked a distance to a different form of coexistence than marriage between a woman and a man.
– That is not what the Pope is talking about in this context. He talks about a possible way of coexistence of gays, and I have no problem with that, he says and adds:
The Pope drops a bandage
– It will make life easier for many people.
– Instead with an apology
That the Pope now comes with his statement of support, believes Gjestvang is an important recognition. At the same time, it does not hide the fact that an apology is in order.
– I think there are many who have had great challenges and who may think that this came too late. I have respect for that. At the same time, it is an important recognition the Pope has of queer believers now, he says, adding:
– It is definitely appropriate to apologize for what queer believers have experienced in the past, including exclusion.
Gjestvang believes that many people think that the statement of support is too small and too late, while others may think that it is an important recognition for queer believers.
