RCC bishop in Ukraine: Pope's support for LGBT people – his personal stance

RCC Bishop Radoslav Zmitrovich. Photo: rodyna.org.ua

The manner in which Pope Francis speaks looks like his private opinion rather than an official statement of the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Radoslav Zmitrovich, the head of the Commission for Family Affairs under the Episcopate of the RCC of Ukraine, said in a commentary to the Catholic resource “Credo” regarding the words of the pontiff in support of LGBT unions expressed in the documentary film "Francesco".

According to the Catholic bishop, when he said that "homosexuals have the right to be part of the family and have the right to a family," Pope Francis meant the family as a parish community.

Regarding the words that people who consider themselves homosexuals should be legally protected, the bishop recalled a discussion that took place in Argentina in 2010, when Pope Francis was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Then, Zmitrovich noted, the future head of the RCC stressed that the creation of a law that would legally protect same-sex unions would hinder the introduction of a law that equates LGBT unions with traditional marriage. In addition, added the bishop of the RCC, in 2013, in his book “In Heaven and on Earth”, Pope Francis expressed concern about children brought up in same-sex unions.

Stressing that there is nothing in the film "Francesco" about LGBT marriages, Zmitrovich urged to refer to the statements made in it in the context of the entire teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

According to him, what Pope Francis wanted to convey is respect for every human person. And whether legal recognition of homosexual relationships is necessary for this, then, the bishop believes, Pope Francis's manner of speaking on this topic looks like his private opinion rather than an official statement of the RCC head.

He added that the official documents and phrases from the documentary have completely different meanings and weight. Besides, the director is responsible for the content of the film and may not have included all the words spoken by Pope Francis.

In conclusion, he suggested waiting for the official comment of the Vatican on this matter.

As reported, in the documentary “Francesco” that premiered in Rome on October 21, 2020, the current head of the Vatican, Pope Francis, backs the legalization of same-sex civil unions.

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