The ABC news piece came from a source who would not provide any evidence whatsover. In otherwords he made it up. Liberals of course ate it up after he mad it up. Never happened. Why would you believe a word that came from a liberal website? No transcript exist of the former Pope approving of homosexual unions because the conversation never happened. Only in the minds of liberals who want to destroy the Church.
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal_bergoglio_hits_out_at_same-sex_marriage
The following teachings of the Catholic Church are unchangeable: (a) valid marriages are between a man and a woman and are indissoluble, (b) homosexual acts are intrinsically evil and always seriously wrong, (c) homosexual unions can never constitute valid marriages, (d) valid marriages between baptized Christians constitute a sacrament, and (e) homosexual unions do not constitute a sacrament. Pope Francis and all of the future Popes will continue to teach that homosexual acts are always morally wrong and that same-sex unions cannot constitute valid marriages. Pope Francis will not allow Catholic priests to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies or same-sex union ceremonies because these ceremonies would constitute a scandal and lead the faithful into error regarding same-sex marriages and same-sex unions.
I think we have agreement.
1) Pope Francis opposed legislation for the Republic of Argentina to extend to civil unions the language or special rights reserved for marriage. This is what was emphasized in your most recent link.
2) When he was a Cardinal, he supported civil unions based on the principal of equal rights. This is what was emphasized in the ABC News piece. I distinguish what the man did as a Cardinal regarding civil unions from what he might do as Pope. What he did as Cardinal was consistent with Catholic doctrine, but is not itself doctrine.
To get back to original point, Catholics find themselves sharing much in common with the political left on economic policy and much with the political right on social policy.
As a Cardinal, the man who is Pope Francis said he was a Peronista. This is the political party formed by Juan Peron at the time that the Catholic Church promoted fascist political economy as implemented by Mussolini, Franco and Peron, in Quadrilismo Annus. Today, there is no party in Italy or Spain based on fascism (the political spectrum in those two countries involve the Socialists and more radical parties on the left, and free market-oriented parties on the right). But, in Argentina, the Peronistas continue to rule. The majority of the Peronistas, however, do not embrace the social policies of the Catholic Church. Hence, Argentina, under a Peronista government, became the first Latin American country to recognize gay marriage.