"Who AM I To Judge” The Pope on First Public Backing of Gay Unions
Ed Mechmann, director of public policy of the Archdiocese of New York, said in a commentary on its website that the pope was mistaken, adding “supporting the legal recognition of any kind of same-sex union is contrary to Church teaching.”
‘A VERY POSITIVE MOVE’
A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is a devout Catholic, described the pope’s remarks as “a very positive move.”
“The Secretary-General has spoken out very forcefully against homophobia in favor of LGBTQ rights, that people should never be persecuted or discriminated against just for who they love,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The pope, who early in his papacy made the now-famous “Who am I to judge?” remark about homosexuals trying to live a Christian life, spoke in a section of the film about Andrea Rubera, a gay man who with his partner adopted three children. Rubera says in the film that he went to a morning Mass the pope said in his Vatican residence and gave him a letter explaining his situation.
He told the pope that he and his partner wanted to bring the children up as Catholics in the local parish but did not want to cause any trauma for the children. It was not clear in which country Rubera lives.
Rubera said the pope telephoned him several days later, telling him he thought the letter was “beautiful” and urging the couple to introduce their children to the parish but to be ready for opposition.
“His message and his advice was really useful because we did exactly what he told us. It’s the third year that they (the children) are on a spiritual path in the parish,” Rubera says in the film.
“He didn’t mention what was his opinion about my family so (I think) he is following the doctrine on this point but the attitude towards people has massively changed,” he said.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Gareth Jones, Giles Elgood and Jane Wardell.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions drew mixed reactions Thursday in the Philippines, Asia’s bastion of Catholicism, with a retired bishop saying he was scandalized by it while an LGBT group welcomed the pontiff’s remarks with relief.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said the Philippine leader has long expressed support to same-sex civil unions but added it needed to pass through Congress.
Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said he “had very serious doubts about the moral correctness” of the pontiff’s position. He said it ran against long-standing church teachings, which explicitly permit only the union of man and woman whether in civil, legal or church sacramental unions.
“This is a shocking statement coming from the pope,” Bastes told reporters in a cellphone message. “I am really scandalized by his defense of homosexual union, which surely leads to immoral acts.”
At least three other bishops expressed disbelief, saying they would verify if it’s the Vatican’s official position and if the pontiff was accurately quoted in context in a documentary, where he made the remarks.
“It is just a documentary film so it is not official and should first be verified,” Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said, adding there could have been editing alterations or the documentary was “just for propaganda so that it could be talked about or patronized.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the largest group of bishops in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, has yet to issue any reaction.
LGBTQ group Bahaghari told ABS CBN News that the pontiff’s position was a “huge thing” and should lead to changes in the Philippine family code to recognize such unions.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte has long supported same-sex civil unions and the papal endorsement may finally convince legislators to give their approval. In the past, such proposals have been opposed or avoided by conservative legislators or those who feared earning the ire of influential church leaders.
“With no less than the pope supporting it, I think even the most conservative of all Catholics in Congress should no longer have a basis for objecting,” Roque said.
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