(CNN) - Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to gay marriage on Wednesday, but suggested in a newspaper interview that it could support some types of civil unions.
The Pope reiterated the church's longstanding teaching that "marriage is between a man and a woman." However, he said, "We have to look at different cases and evaluate them in their variety."
States, for instance, justify civil unions as a way to provide economic security to cohabitating couples, the Pope said in a wide-ranging interview published Wednesday in Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily. State-sanctioned unions are thus driven by the need to ensure rights like access to health care, Francis added.
A number of Catholic bishops have supported civil unions for same-sex couples, including Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010, according to reports in National Catholic Reporter and The New York Times.
But Wednesday's comments are "the first time a Pope has indicated even tentative acceptance of civil unions," according to Catholic News Service.
The Pope said he's not Superman and can't change age old policies in a snap.
Funny thing is that he's said this about civil unions before, but the Vatican denied it and this time it's on tape - yahoo.
I hope Italy gives the people something soon, they're the only ones in western Europe aside from Monaco who offer zilch.
I really like Pope Francis a lot. I really do. I appreciate his perspectives on certain things that the Catholic community can't fully grasp. I'm not gay, but I am Catholic and I hate that so many Catholics misinterpret our teachings and believe that they should rip on gays. That's not the case at all. As followers of God, we're supposed to respect all of His Creation. Whether a person is gay or not, we need to treat them with respect and treat all people equally. I'm very glad that Pope Francis is so accepting of everyone and so humble and relatable. I really like him a lot.
I really like Pope Francis a lot. I really do. I appreciate his perspectives on certain things that the Catholic community can't fully grasp. I'm not gay, but I am Catholic and I hate that so many Catholics misinterpret our teachings and believe that they should rip on gays. That's not the case at all. As followers of God, we're supposed to respect all of His Creation. Whether a person is gay or not, we need to treat them with respect and treat all people equally. I'm very glad that Pope Francis is so accepting of everyone and so humble and relatable. I really like him a lot.
Catholic Church really wants the pink money. It's good when he says those kind of things, but too bad most of the catholics in the world still desagree with this.
In most of the western world most people support some kind of union whether marriage or civil union. In fact, US Catholics are second only to Jews as most accepting of same-sex marriage; 80% & 65%.
it’s a start
who offer zilch.