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world news Diasabra 24 OctOber 2020

Fiasco over pope's cut civil union quote intensifies impact

(AP) — The world pre-
miere of a documentary While it wasn’t clear in the
on Pope Francis was sup- documentary, Francis was
posed to have been a merely recounting his posi-
bright spot for a papacy tion when he was archbishop
locked down by a pan- of Buenos Aires: Then, the
demic and besieged by a former Cardinal Jorge Mario
corruption scandal, re- Bergoglio endorsed extend-
calling Francis’ glory days ing legal civil union protec-
traveling the world to tions to gay couples as an al-
bless the oppressed. ternative to moves to approve
same-sex marriage, which he
But the red carpet rollout of firmly opposed.
“Francesco” has been any-
thing but bright, with evi- As Francis’ biographer Aus-
dence that the Vatican cen- ten Ivereigh recounts in “The
sored the pope last year by Great Reformer,” Bergoglio
deleting his endorsement of had ministered to many gay
same-sex civil unions from Catholics in Argentina. “He
an interview, only to have the knew their stories of rejection
footage resurface in the new by their families,” Ivereigh
film. wrote, and told gay activists
that “he favored gay rights as
Aside from the firestorm the well as legal recognition for
remarks created, the “Fran- civil unions, which gay cou-
cesco" fiasco has highlight- ples could also access.”
ed the Vatican’s often self-
inflicted communications communicates this Gospel- nipulated images. In 2018, replacement, Paolo Ruffini, The hitch for the pope is a
wounds and Francis’ willing- based message of compas- Francis fired the first head of kept the line of communi- 2003 document from the Vat-
ness to push his own agenda, sion,” he tweeted. the office, Monsignor Dario cations open, as well as the ican’s doctrine office, which
even at the expense of fueling Vigano, after he mischarac- doors to the Vatican televi- states the church’s respect
pushback from conservative But the contents of the pope’s terized a private letter from sion archives. for gay people “cannot lead
Catholics. words were almost lost in the retired Pope Benedict XVI, in any way to approval of ho-
controversy that ensued over then had a photo of it digital- Afineevsky had free range, mosexual behavior or to legal
That pushback was swift their origin. ly manipulated and sent out and used them to tell the recognition of homosexual
and came from predictable to the media. heart-lifting story of Francis’ unions.”
corners: Cardinal Raymond At first, film director Evgeny seven-year papacy, largely
Burke, Francis’ frequent Afineevsky claimed Francis In both cases, journalists, through the eyes of the peo- That document was issued
nemesis on matters of doc- made them directly to him. who must play by Vatican ple he impacted. Coming out after Rome criticized Bergo-
trine, said the pope’s com- Then one of Francis’ media rules in accepting handout in the midst of a Vatican cor- glio for refusing to speak up
ments were devoid of any advisers said they came from footage of events covered ex- ruption scandal dominating strongly when Buenos Aires
“magisterial weight.” But in a 2019 interview with Mexi- clusively by Vatican cameras, Italian headlines for months, extended civil union protec-
a statement, Burke expressed can broadcaster Televisa, and were misled into assuming the film provided a nostalgic tions to gay couples within
concern that such personal were old news as a result. the Holy See would abide by profile of a once globe-trot- the capital region in 2002, Iv-
opinions coming from the traditional journalistic ethics ting papacy that in some ways ereigh wrote.
pope “generate great bewil- Televisa confirmed the origin and provide them with unal- ended with COVID-19.
derment and cause confusion of the quotes, but said they tered images. As pope, Francis had never
and error among Catholic never aired. A source in Mex- About midway through the come out publicly in favor
faithful.” ico said the Vatican, which Coincidentally, it was Vigano film, Afineevsky recounts of legal protections for civil
used its own cameras to who first entertained a pitch the story of Andrea Rubera, unions, and no pontiff before
The kerfuffle began Wednes- shoot the interview and pro- for a documentary on Fran- a married gay Catholic who him had, either.
day with the world premiere vided raw footage to Televisa cis by Afineevsky, who was wrote Francis asking for his
of “Francesco,” a feature- afterward, had deleted the nominated for an Oscar for advice about bringing into In fact the closest Francis had
length film on Francis and civil union quote in question. his 2015 documentary “Win- the church his three young come before — a 2014 inter-
the issues he cares most The source spoke on condi- ter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight children with his husband. view with Corriere della Sera
about: climate change, refu- tion of anonymity because he for Freedom,” which opened in which he spoke in general
gees and social inequality. was not authorized to speak the Venice Film Festival that It was an anguished question, terms about the need to eval-
Midway through, Francis de- to the press.The Vatican has year. given the Catholic Church uate such legislation — was
livers the bombshell quote refused to comment and im- teaches that gay people must followed by a clarification the
that gays deserve to be part posed something of a media In an Oct. 14 interview be treated with dignity and next day by a Vatican media
of the family and that he blackout on the matter. with The Associated Press, respect but that homosexual liaison.
supported civil unions, or a Afineevsky said he had asked acts are “intrinsically dis-
“ley de convivencia civil” as None of the Vatican’s in- the head of the Venice festi- ordered.” The church also The Rev. James Martin, one
he said in Spanish — to give house media has reported on val, Alberto Barbera, to help holds that marriage is an in- of the leading priestly advo-
them legal protections. the cut quote, and on Friday him make inroads with the dissoluble union between cates for LGBT Catholics,
the Il Fatto Quotidiano daily Vatican, and that Barbera man and woman, and that as said the controversy over the
Christopher Lamb of Brit- quoted an email from a staff- had provided an email of in- a result, gay marriage is unac- pope’s comments would in
ain’s The Tablet magazine, er in the Vatican’s communi- troduction to Vigano in late ceptable. the end be helpful.
noted Friday that in some cations ministry to other staff 2017. Afineevsky said Vigano,
countries, the rights of gays saying there wouldn’t be any a known movie buff, was al- In the end, Rubera recounts “The intrigue over the video’s
are a life and death matter, comment, but that “talks are ready familiar with his work how Francis urged him to origin, and the explosive re-
and that Francis was merely underway to deal with the and was open to the idea. approach his parish transpar- action to the pope’s ongoing
positioning the church to de- current media crisis.” ently and bring the children support for LGBT people,
fend LGBT Catholics from “But he said, ‘Go. Start. Do up in the faith, which he did. make the pope’s words look
perhaps deadly discrimina- It wasn’t the first time that it. I’m not promising you After the anecdote ends, the more dangerous, and there-
tion. the Vatican’s communica- anything. We will see,’” film cuts to Francis’ civil fore more powerful,” he said.
“The pope is willing to ‘break tions office has gone into Afineevsky said. union comments in the Tele-
a few plates’ to ensure he crisis over apparently ma- After Vigano was ousted, his visa interview.