FALSE: Pope Francis supports same-sex marriage

At a glance:

• Claim: Pope Francis supports same-sex marriage.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The Pope only supports a civil union law, so that same-sex couples may be legally protected. He remains opposed to same-sex marriage.
• Why we fact-checked this: This claim was flagged by Facebook Claim Check. Three posts containing this claim have gained combined 1,339 reactions, 259 comments, and 1,875 shares as of writing.

Complete details:

Facebook posts claim that Pope Francis supports same-sex marriage.

One post had the caption, “Pope Francis suportado sa paggawa ng batas para sa same sex marriage (Pope Francis supports drafting a law for same-sex marriage),” while another said, “Pope supports gay lifestyle and gay marriage!”

Another post said, “Pope supports same sex marriage but the Bible states that it’s an abominable sin.”

These posts were flagged by Facebook Claim Check, the platform’s tool for detecting dubious content. Overall, the 3 posts have gained 1,339 reactions, 259 comments, and 1,875 shares as of writing.

This claim is false.

Pope Francis only backed a civil union law, so that same-sex couples may be legally protected. He remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

In a documentary entitled Francesco, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival, Pope Francis said: “What we have to create is a law of civil union, they have the right to be legally protected. I have defended that.”

According to Catholic news website Crux, this quote was taken from a 2019 interview with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, who pointed out then that the Pope opposed gay marriage when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

In response, Pope Francis said: “I’ve always defended doctrine. And it is curious about the law on homosexual marriage – it is a contradiction to speak of homosexual marriage.” He then said the aforementioned quote on creating a civil union law.

The Pope remains opposed to gay marriage. His remark was not intended to change church doctrine.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said that the Pope “stood his ground” on same-sex marriage, citing his quote in an interview with French sociologist Dominique Wolton published in 2018: “What to think of marriage of persons of the same sex? The word marriage is a historical word. Ever since, in humanity and not only in the Church, it has always been between a man and a woman. One cannot change that; it is the nature of things. This is how they are.”

Lawmakers in the Philippines have filed bills seeking to recognize civil partnerships for couples, but these remain pending at the committee level of the House of Representatives. (READ: What would a civil union be like in the Philippines?)

If these bills are passed, heterosexual and same-sex couples alike may enter into a contract that would grant them rights and benefits similar to those granted in a marriage. These include decisions on shared property, giving consent to medical treatments on behalf of the other in case of a serious medical condition, equal visitation rights, and burial decisions, among others.

Meanwhile, a petition to allow same-sex marriage in the Philippines was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019 on account of technicalities. – Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.