Vatican: Pope’s civil union comments taken out of context

Pope Francis’s comments caused a furore (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The Vatican says Pope Francis’s comments on same-sex civil unions were taken out of context in a documentary that spliced together parts of an old interview, but still confirmed his belief that gay couples should enjoy legal protections.

The Vatican secretariat of state issued guidance to ambassadors to explain the uproar that Francis’s comments created following the October 21 premiere of the film Francesco at the Rome Film Festival.