Pope Francis says same-sex unions need to be legally protected in a stunning departure from the Vatican on the issue.
"Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family," Francis said in a new documentary that premiered in Rome Wednesday.
"Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it," he added.
According to the Catholic News Agency, the remarks came as the documentary, "Francesco," touched on how the church should care for LGBTQ people.
"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," the 83-year-old pope said. "I stood up for that."
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky (known for 2015's "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom"), the film chronicles the work of the Holy Father throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and his thoughts on women's rights, sexual abuse in the church, racism, the refugee crisis and the LGBTQ community.
Or, in the words of the pope, those who live "on the existential peripheries."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Francesco" features interviews with Francis, his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, collaborators of the pope, as well as activists who have fought against some of the Vatican's positions in recent years.
"Francesco" premiered as part of the Rome Film Festival.
