Vatican City, Feb 7, 2013 / 12:01 pm
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, denounced media assertions that his recent comments show Vatican support for homosexual unions.
The archbishop said he was "very surprised" by reports claiming that some of his recent statements signaled an "openness" on the part of the Church to same-sex unions.
On Feb. 6, Vatican Radio asked Archbishop Paglia about his statements in a press conference two days earlier, in which he had spoken about individual rights of inheritance. Some media outlets interpreted these comments as an allusion to gay couples.
"Obviously I am very surprised by what some of the media reports say," the archbishop responded. He explained that both his words and intentions were misunderstood and added that "they were truly, and perhaps deliberately, derailed."