Pope Francis

While there is no doubt that Pope Francis said civil laws should protect the rights of gay couples, some mystery shrouds the context in which he said it and the way it is used in a new film.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christians should pray from the heart and not “like parrots.” 

In a recent documentary, Pope Francis spoke about civil unions as a way to preserve the family rights of same-sex couples. The pope has a history of defending marriage, but being open to some civil unions.

The pope, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and an international array of other Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist leaders gathered on Rome's Capitoline Hill Oct. 20 to affirm their community's commitment to peace, dialogue, fraternity and assistance to the poor and needy.

The pope urged Christians to be active in society, inspired by the Gospel.