Pope Francis I and civil unions for same-sex couples in 2010, 2014 and 2017

Should the Pontiff's remark in the documentary really be considered so sensational? It is at least the third such statement of his. And note that on each occasion the Pope draws a clear distinction between marriage and a union recognised by the authorities, which we too should take care not to confuse in our haste.

In 2014 he touched on the adoption of civil union laws in various countries, saying that they contribute to granting rights to same-sex couples. In 2017, in conversation with the French writer Dominique Wolton, Francis I suggested that, instead of same-sex marriages, one might speak of civil unions. We also know that in 2010 Cardinal Bergoglio was one of the principal actors in talks in the upper echelons of Argentine power concerning the legalisation of same-sex marriage, and insisted on the adoption of a civil union law in particular. In July 2010 Argentina became the first Latin American country, and the tenth in the world, to legalise same-sex marriage.

It is, of course, a great humanitarian leap that the Pope, in the course of his pontificate, places such emphasis on inclusivity. There is, however, a perfectly plain explanation for it, one that brings us back down to earth: the Church is fighting as best it can for its believers, whose numbers are steadily shrinking, and is doing what it can to withstand new moral and ethical challenges and to answer the demands of modern society. Thank God that so conservative an institution is gradually changing its views on abortion, divorce, women's rights, marriage for priests, the ordination of women and, naturally, same-sex relationships, but a very long road still lies ahead.