In the upcoming documentary, "Francesco", Pope Francis breaks from traditional Catholic Church doctrine and speaks about his belief in legal unions between same-sex partners.
"What we have to create is a civil union law," he said.
Francis has long expressed an interest in outreach to the church's LGBT followers, but his remarks have often stressed general understanding and welcoming β rather than substantive policies.
Priests in some parts of the world bless same-sex marriage, but that stance β and Francis's new remarks β are a departure from official church teaching.