Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has welcomed Pope Francis’ support for civil unions for same-sex couples and repeated his backing for marriage equality.
Francis made the comments in a documentary film, out last week. While he opposes marriage equality, he proposes civil unions as an alternative for same-sex couples.
Moreover, his words will carry weight in Venezuela where seven out of 10 people are Roman Catholic. What is less clear is how easy it will be to pass a marriage equality law, despite Maduro’s backing.
The political situation in the country is far from certain as it prepares for elections on 6 December. Maduro repeated his support for equal marriage as he spoke with leaders of his ruling Socialist Party preparing for the