Plot thickens over origins of pope’s civil union endorsement

By NICOLE WINFIELD
October 22, 2020

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Question swirled Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety.

The Vatican refused to comment on whether it cut the remarks from its own broadcast or pressured the Mexican broadcaster that conducted the interview to follow suit. And it didn’t respond to questions about why it allowed the comments to be aired now in the documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday.

In the movie, which was shown at the Rome Film Festival, Francis said gay people have the right to be in a family since they are “children of God.”

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The Vatican frequently edits the pope in official transcripts and videos, especially when he speaks on sensitive issues. It wasn’t clear if the Vatican also insisted on having the final cut as a condition for the Televisa interview.

What also remains unclear is why the explosive comment was never aired — and if the Vatican forgot that it remained available on a recording in the Vatican archives, which were opened to filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky.

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