ROME — The Vatican says Pope Francis’ comments on gay civil unions were taken out of context in a documentary that spliced together parts of an old interview, but it still confirms Francis’ belief that gay couples should enjoy legal protections.
The Vatican secretariat of state issued guidance to ambassadors to explain the uproar that Francis’ comments created following the Oct. 21 premiere of the film “Francesco,” at the Rome Film Festival.
The Vatican nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Franco Coppola, posted the unsigned guidance on his Facebook page Sunday.
In it, the Vatican confirmed that Francis was referring to his position in 2010 when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and strongly opposed same-sex marriage.
Instead, he favored extending legal protections to gay couples.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
From left, Rosetta Sannelli, director of the Kineo Movie for Humanity Award, director Evgeny Afineevsky, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the dicastery of Communication, and Monsignor Ruiz, secretary of the dicastery, pose for a photo respecting the social distancing during the award ceremony at the Vatican, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Director Evgeny Afineevsky was awarded with Kineo prize Thursday for the movie "Francesco". (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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