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Peter's Basilica in Rome: The Pope's new statements are explosive for the Church
Photo: phant / Getty Images / iStockphoto
The man who has been at the center of a global debate about gays in the Catholic Church since yesterday was largely unknown: Andrea Rubera lives with his partner Diego De Gregorio in Rome, he is 50 years old, and the two men move their three together Children big that a surrogate mother carried for them.
In the documentary "Francesco", which premiered yesterday at the Rome Film Festival, Rubera speaks for the first time about his gay, Catholic family - and about an unusual phone call with the Pope five years ago.
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Partner Rubera, De Gregorio: "As a gay couple we were afraid of prejudice"
Photo: private
For the Catholic Church, the Pope's statements quoted in the film are explosive.
"Homosexuals have the right to be in a family. They are children of God and have the right to a family," said Francis in the film.
Nobody should be excluded or made unhappy because of this.
Same-sex couples should be protected by the state.
"We have to draft a law for non-marital partnerships. In this way they are legally protected," said the pontiff, whose statements from the film caused a sensation worldwide on Wednesday.
So far, the Church has refused to "approve homosexual behavior" and "legally recognize homosexual partnerships".
Rubera works as the spokesman for the Italian association "Cammini di Speranza", which advocates the interests of the LGBT community in the Catholic Church.
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