BREAKING Pope Francis Endorses Civil Unions

Pope Francis has endorsed same sex civil unions for the first time.

The news came during the premiere of feature-length documentary, Francesco, which aired at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday afternoon.

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In it, Pope Francis said: "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God.

"What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered."

During his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis endorsed civil unions, but this is the first time he has publicly spoken in favour of them as the Pope.

Director of the film, Evgeny Afineevsky had unprecedented access to the Vatican television archives throughout the creation of the doc as well as Pope Francis himself.

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The documentary looks at issues close to Pope Francis' heart, such as the environment, poverty and racial and income inequality as well as migration.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis addressed racism, comparing it to being "like a virus". He said: "Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting."

In an 86-page encyclical he also condemned politicians who "seek popularity by appealing to the basest and most selfish inclinations" or "enact policies of 'hatred and fear towards other nations".

Topics: News

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine