CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2020 / 14:04 pm
Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, a long-time theological advisor to Pope Francis, has weighed in on the meaning of a phrase used by the pope in a video clip in "Francesco," a documentary released Wednesday in Rome. The phrase, which is translated as "civil unions," is at the center of a series of controversies about the documentary.
"Francesco," a newly released documentary on the life and ministry of Pope Francis, made global headlines this week, because the pope appears to call for civil union legislation, in contrast to the positions of his predecessors.
"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," the pope is seen to say in the documentary, during a scene in which Pope Francis talks about pastoral care for those who identify as LGBT.
The pope is seen to use the Spanish-language phrase "convivencia civil," which is translated in the film's subtitles as "civil union." After some Spanish-speaking priests said the translation was inaccurate, Archbishop Fernandez, a theologian who has long been close to the pope, said that the pope's phrase is substantially equivalent to the phrase "civil union."