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 Two Popes actor Jonathan Pryce has praised Pope Francis for his endorsement of same-sex civil unions, describing the pontiff as a “great politician”.

Questions swirled on Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety.

Pope Francis has endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pontiff while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary Francesco, which had its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday.

Pope Francis has held his first public general audience after a pause of nearly six months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Francis used Wednesday’s audience to call for solidarity as the way to exit the crisis.