Pope Francis "Opens the Door to Civil Unions"?

According to CNS, Pope Francis kicked off Lent with by suggesting "the Church" needs to recalibrate Its teaching on civil unions:

Pope Francis has famously declared a cessation of hostilities in the culture wars on same-sex marriage, contraception, and abortion that had defined the Catholic Church for much of the modern era.

On Wednesday, he signaled a new direction in that regard when discussing civil unions in a short but wide-ranging interview that also touched on his discomfort with the hero worship that's sprung up around him. While still insisting that marriage is "between a man and a woman," he explained why he thought civil unions were created in the first place.

"The lay states want to justify civil unions in order to regulate diverse situations of cohabitation, motivated by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, for example in assuring medical care," said the pope, in a translation of the interview provided by John Thavis, the former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Services

When asked to what extent the church could understand this trend, the pope replied: "We need to look at the different cases and evaluate them."

The story written by the current Rome reporter for CNS said this indicated the church "could tolerate some civil unions."

Actually, it seems to me as though somebody asked him why civil unions were created in the first place and he said lay states want to provide medical insurance to everyone who is shacking up. Then, a luminary from the USCCB's news service(CNS)cracked the code of the Pope's intentions for everyone in the room.

Here's another version of the story that takes off like a rocket.

I've bolded what the Pope actually said, which appears to be taken out of context and surrounded by hysteria and conjecture:

(CNN) — Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage 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.”

For example, civil unions provide financial security to cohabitating couples, “as for instance in medical care,” the Pope said in a wide-ranging interview published Wednesday in Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily.

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 Times.

This is the first time a Pope has “indicated even tentative acceptance of civil unions,” according to Catholic News Service.

n.b. I did exhaustive research on the assertion that Pope Francis supported civil unions in Buenos Aires and came up with bupkis. It is an urban legend. Somebody from the National Catholic Distorter knew a man who knew another man who said the Pope told him so.

A bunch of blarney.

The Pope's support of civil unions would signal his willingness to encourage mortal sin between the parties for the sake of obtaining medical insurance.

This kind of bartering away of the salvation of the soul is...it pains me to say it...daft.

One can "examine" abortion or contraception to find out how people are being hoodwinked, exploited and murdered in 2014. That doesn't mean the outcome of the spin is going to be favorable to people looking for license from the Church to do it.


However, given the Pope's recent statements on Communion for people married to more than one person - my jury is still out on the man. We will just have to wait it out and see where he goes in October.

There's going to be a big fugatz if tries to persuade his see to drink that koolaid.

At the very least, this is yet another incident that indicates there should be less talking and more waving and blowing kisses.

UPDATE

CNN takes First Place Blue Ribbon in headlines contest with this whopper: Church Could Support Civil Unions.

Here's a better one: Pope Francis says the Church SHOULD tolerate some civil unions.

Sure. Maybe that's where the synod will go with it in October. Do away with marriage all together.

The Church wouldn't support gay marriage but should support shacking up. So long as when you do, you don't indulge in the real evil: gossip (if we to understand the hoo-ha on Pope Francis' theology of the redemption of one's soul).

Here's how to crack the code:

"The question is not whether to change the doctrine, but to go deeper and make sure that pastoral care takes account of situations and of what each person is able to do," he said.

Get it?

It's all about the situation.

Each situation is different and they're going to take a look at it to see what each person is able to do.

Your next door neighbor who situated himself under his secretary's lap while he was married to another woman - he has a situation. Holy Communion for you.

Sexually attracted to same sex? You can't get married because the Church won't accept it. Move in with the person. That's a situation Pope Francis says the Church should accept. You've got a situation. Here's your Holy Communion.

After 2000 years, Pope Francis has arrived to show us how to go 'deep' into Church teaching.

Gee, I hope he includes one-night-stands so the folks in Hollywood and Washington, DC can receive Holy Communion.

This is getting ridiculous.

In his vacuum of not teaching, he makes foolish statements and watches the damage in silence.

As a mother and about to be grandmother, I am fed up with the confusion being sown. He is making it impossible for Catholic parents to defend truth in their own home.

It is regrettable.