Vatican says pope's comments on civil union laws were taken out of context

The Vatican has said Pope Francis' comments in support of civil unions for homosexual couples were taken out of context and do not signal a change in Church doctrine on homosexual acts, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: The pope’s apparent remarks in the documentary "Francesco" sparked celebration and controversy, as they appeared to represent a break from the Church's position that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered" and contrary to natural law.

• Last week, the Vatican’s Secretariat of State sent an “explanatory note” to its ambassadors claiming that two separate quotes were spliced to appear as one, according to Reuters.

What the Pope supposedly said: “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,” Pope Francis appears to say in the film. "What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered."

• The documentary’s director, Evgeny Afineevsky, told reporters he interviewed the pope for the film, but journalists found the footage in an unaired 2019 interview with Mexican broadcaster Televisa.
• The Vatican claims that the pope said “it is an incongruence to speak of homosexual marriage,” but that part was cut, according to Reuters.

What the Vatican is saying: “It is clear that Pope Francis was referring to certain state provisions and certainly not the doctrine of the Church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years,” the note said.

• Afineevsky has not responded to questions about the cut quote and has refused to discuss the editing process, according to Reuters.