Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis has expressed support for same-sex civil unions in remarks made in a documentary ‘Francesco’ that premiered on Wednesday, October 21st. This is a significant change in the church and has staked out new ground for the church in its recognition of gay people.

“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” stated Pope Francis.

The pope, who is the first of his predecessors to declare homosexuals as ‘god’s children,’ has not only voiced his support, but also called for legal action. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that,” he said.

For Pope Francis to clarify his supportive stance on the topic, it is a huge departure from church teachings from former popes. Former Pope John Paul II wrote in his last book, Memory and Identity, he suggested same-sex marriage was “part of a new ideology of evil.”

Although he supports homosexuals as of now, he did not always feel that way.  In 2010, while still archbishop in Argentina, he called a proposed gay marriage law in the country a “destructive proposal to God’s plan.” It was not mere legislation, he claimed, “but a move by the father of lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”

Next, many Catholics want the pope to take the next step and call for the recognition and blessing of same-sex unions within the Catholic Church.

Although the pope does not create rules, he does however set the tone for the Catholic Church, making his approval of homosexuals very progressive for the acceptance of gays.