http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/05/pope-francis-church-could-support-civil-unions/?hpt=hp_t2Pope Francis: Church could support civil unions
By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
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(CNN) - Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to gαy marriage on Wednesday, but suggested in a newspaper interview that it could support some types of civil unions.
The Pope reiterated the church's longstanding teaching that "marriage is between a man and a woman." However, he said, "We have to look at different cases and evaluate them in their variety."
For instance, civil unions provide financial security to cohabitating couples, "as for instance in medical care," the Pope said in a wide-ranging interview published Wednesday in Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily.
A number of Catholic bishops have supported civil unions for same-sex couples, including Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010, according to reports in National Catholic Reporter and The New York Times.
MORE ON CNN: Behind closed doors, pope supported civil unions in Argentina, activist says
This is the first time a Pope has "indicated even tentative acceptance of civil unions," according to Catholic News Service.