Local pastor: Popeโs support for same-sex civil unions doesnโt mean automatic change in Catholic church
Supporters of the LBGTQ+ community say the Popeโs public words are a step in the right direction for the Roman Catholic Church. The Popeโs on-camera remarks supporting same-sex civil unions appear in โFrancesco,โ a feature-length documentary that premiered at the Rome Film Festival. That way, they are legally covered.โAvery Garner, a local Protestant pastor and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said that while itโs great to hear someone of such religious caliber support civil unions, that doesnโt mean an automatic change in the Catholic church. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions instead of same-sex marriage -- when Argentina was discussing legalizing same-sex marriages. Now that Francis is the bishop of Rome, Garner is hopeful the world will take the popeโs words to heart.