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Pope Francis: Church could support civil unions
CNN ^ | 03/05/2014 | By Daniel Burke

Posted on 03/05/2014 2:19:44 PM PST by SeekAndFind

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 Time

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 Time.

(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: civilunion; gaymarriage; homosexualagenda; homosexuality; pope; popefrances; popefrancis; rcino; romancatholicism; sodomy
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To: SeekAndFind

Let’s see. Who was the other guy who went from “traditional” marriage to “civil unions” to gay marriage. OBAMA!


81 posted on 03/05/2014 7:09:43 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: Viennacon

“If you say yes to civil unions, then there is no reason not to accept polyamorous ‘civil unions’ or any type of union. What limits could there be?”

No. It would not necessarily mean that. Civil unions are being adopted with a specific purpose in mind - monomgamous “same-sex” COUPLES. It will/would be easier to maintain that very basic intent.

However, the legal arguments in use and accepted by too many judges for REDEFINING marriage to accomodate “same-sex” couples CREATES the slippery slope of MARRIAGE being opened up to anyone who wants it, because it is a demand for redefining it on “universal” terms.

We wanted to preserve MARRIAGE, both in law and socially. By arguing against the separate and distinct civil unions, the goal post was moved - GO DIRECTLY TO MARRIAGE.

I think the mistake was forcing the whole issue into the legal definition of marriage. Tolerating under law, the separate civil unions, would have done more to protect marriage socially as well as legally - as separate and distinct.


82 posted on 03/05/2014 7:12:29 PM PST by Wuli
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To: All

We never had this problem with Pope John Paul or Pope Benedict. Clearly this Pope is a disappointment to real Christians. Something weird comes out of his mouth every week.

I guess popes are like presidents - you have some good ones and some awful ones. I’m glad I am Baptist and I have a direct connection to Jesus(called prayer) and don’t have to go through this no-principles Pope.


83 posted on 03/05/2014 7:13:06 PM PST by ClarenceThomasfan (My dream ticket is Cruz/Rubio 2016)
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To: Responsibility2nd

I am arguing that in the legal and political arena, by fighting against civil unions so much, the opposition just went straight after marriage itself. I am arguing that if more conservatives had been willing to support separate and distinct civil unions, our long term abilities to keeping marriage separate and distinct were going to be greater. Now, the entire thing has collapsed into an all or nothing on marriage itself. That is a process that I think more conservative acceptance of civil unions would have blunted.


84 posted on 03/05/2014 7:22:46 PM PST by Wuli
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To: al_c

RE: Go here ... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3129967/posts

Based on the link and response to the question provided... here is how I see his view:

As a matter of civil law, he recognizes that such “unions” (note the quotes) may be a way for Catholics to recognize the reality of a secular society without supporting same sex marriage.

The same principle I guess, applies to divorce. The Catholic Church FROWNS upon it, but recognizes that in a secular society, it may be made legal. That by no means tells us that the church will endorse such “unions”.


85 posted on 03/05/2014 7:25:22 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Sodom and Gomorrha
86 posted on 03/05/2014 8:00:10 PM PST by Cedar
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To: SeekAndFind

Father and father to the left!!! Damn.


87 posted on 03/05/2014 8:38:50 PM PST by montag813
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To: All; SeekAndFind

Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
Belief and Practice
http://www.lcms.org/belief-and-practice


88 posted on 03/05/2014 8:51:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2M for Sarah Palin's next run, what will you do?)
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To: SeekAndFind
our society has a diminishing number of babies and children, and that means all the Catholic churches and schools will have diminishing parishoners and students....

someone please tell the Pope that young people have NO reason to marry...none....we're not pawns of some religious hierarchy....we can have civil unions just as good as the next couple, except we can skip all those long premarital classes that are required....

I don't care about civil unions...let them have it....but I never expected my Pope to be blessing them....

what are we supposed to do as Catholics????....

89 posted on 03/05/2014 9:30:35 PM PST by cherry
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To: ClearCase_guy

I’m getting close to where you are.....let religious people maintain the santity of marriage as a true commandment...let us have our Christmas feasts and our Good Fridays and our Ash Wednesday’s and let everyone else go about their business...I am so tired of the civil statists controlling my religous expression....


90 posted on 03/05/2014 9:33:34 PM PST by cherry
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To: mgist
no...the real problem is conservatives do not marry and do not produce children....that is it in a nutshell....no marriage...no children....no power.....

different when I was a kid when everybody had several kids everywhere, when the churches were full of families and believe it or not, children were actually WELCOMED at weddings...

no political reasons can trump the fact that we just aren't making enough of our "own" kind...

91 posted on 03/05/2014 9:39:36 PM PST by cherry
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To: mgist

Grow up. Nothing good has come from this guy from day one. He attacks capitalism and he plays footsies with the enemies of the family. At a time when the family is under unprecedented attack, he is negotiating surrender terms. Stop making excuses.


92 posted on 03/05/2014 9:59:51 PM PST by BurningOak (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2830849/reply?c=1)
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To: al_c

When somebody preaches against homosexuality in Biblical terms there is no mistaking the message. When one uses platitudes and retreats, the media has plenty of room to interpret things as it sees fit.


93 posted on 03/05/2014 10:01:28 PM PST by BurningOak (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2830849/reply?c=1)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

Thunderation is sure abounding here, when we don’t even have an accurate picture of what is being thundered at.

It MIGHT be another take on making a household an official household. Two brothers could be a household without sin; they could be celibate all their lives.


94 posted on 03/05/2014 10:15:57 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: BurningOak

How do you know the original missive is like this?

The media distorts the pope; the media distorts Billy Graham. What’s new? Surely we shouldn’t blame the pope or Billy Graham till we know what they did say.

This pope is doubtless thinking chaste households. That may or may not be a viable end-run around the problem, but it’s the first mention I’ve seen.


95 posted on 03/05/2014 10:20:40 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Recognizing a government sanctioned union does not equal condoning such a union. He said himself that no doctrine regarding this will change.


96 posted on 03/06/2014 4:02:35 AM PST by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: SeekAndFind

He’s either in on the homo agenda or the most incoherent
pope ever. It’s always “he’s taken out of context” or “he misspoke”
or the media lies, but in most cases he said and meant what
he said leaving his supporters to twist themselves into
pretzels trying to cover for him. The infiltration and
take over of the church has been going on for quite some time
now, why is this pope so misunderstood when all the others
weren’t? Like Obama with America, Francis the fondeler is
there to oversee the decline and fall of the Catholic Church.


97 posted on 03/06/2014 5:15:30 AM PST by Slambat
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To: SeekAndFind

True or not, Francis is the worst Pope in a long time. When there’s this much smoke, there’s fire.


98 posted on 03/06/2014 5:40:28 AM PST by opres
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To: BurningOak
"Grow Up"?

So that's what they meant by "projecting". There will come a day in your life when you realize the not everything in print is true son. "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth" Goebbel's propaganda 101 We are in a spiritual war, choose to side with the Father of LIes, you will pay the consequences. People of faith need to consider the possibility that they may even remotely be offending our Father, by slandering God's people. There is always a price to pay for offenses, even though God is always merciful. There is no room for the Holy Spirit in a soul that hates his brother. Marxists divide, lie, spread hate, calumny, resentment, etc., don't fall for the Father of Lies deception.

99 posted on 03/06/2014 6:17:26 AM PST by mgist (.)
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To: cherry

RE: I don’t care about civil unions...let them have it....but I never expected my Pope to be blessing them....

Based on the statement he made that I’ve read, I did not see it as blessing them.

READ IT HERE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3129967/posts

He simply acknowledged that secular societies could recognize such unions (much like divorce is recognized, yet frowned upon by the church ).


100 posted on 03/06/2014 6:56:47 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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