According to the Catholic News Agency the religious leader delivered the historic remark in ‘Francesco’, a new documentary on his life and ministry, which premiered at the Rome film festival on Wednesday.

He also called gay Catholics “children of God” and said they should not be thrown out from the religion.
“Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it.What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that ,” he was quoted to have said.

Although, the pope has previously hinted his support of same-sex marriages, this would be the first time he will be giving it a full endorsement.

Since his election as pope in March 2013, Francis has sought to adopt a more inclusive tone towards the homosexuals in his public statements. In 2018, Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse who met the pope and also features in ‘Francesco’, said the religious leader told him that being gay did not matter since God made him like that.

The pope’s endorsement is also likely to intensify already heated controversy over the Catholic church’s teaching on gay marriages. The Catholic church has often times opposed legal recognition of same-sex unions. According to its teaching, marriage can only be between a man and a woman.