The New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference has come out in support of Pope Francis, who has widely quoted recently as supporting same-sex civil unions.
Civil unions for same-sex couples have been available in Aotearoa New Zealand since 26 April 2005.
Bishop Patrick Dunn, Bishop of Auckland and President of the NZ Catholic Bishops’ Conference has made a public statement in relation to Francis’s stance on same-sex civil union, saying:
“I endorse the reported comments of Pope Francis. I know that he is anxious for LGBTQ people to know that they are valued members of the family of the Church as they are of their own families. We want their happiness, and for them to know that they are loved.”
Francis’s remarks were made in a new documentary film, Francesco, that focuses on his life and teachings.
The full quote as stated in the documentary is:
“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They’re children of God, have the right to a family. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil coexistence law; they have the right to be legally covered.”
Francis also made the same comments in 2019 to a Mexican journalist but they were not published at the time.
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