civil union

Estonia: Coalition agrees on marriage definition question wording

The three coalition parties have agreed on a question for a planned national poll on the definition of marriage. ERR's online news in Estonian reports that the question will be formulated as: "Should marriage in Estonia remain as a union between one man and one woman?".

Ukraine: "Issues of minority rights and the elimination of violence against them should be discussed clearly not by opponents of equal rights"

Here is another interview from UHHRU to discuss the issue of legislative adoption of the Civil Partnership Registration (RCP) in Ukraine. Olena Shevchenko, a well-known LGBTQI + public activist and chairwoman of the Insight NGO, answers UHHRU's questions.

Estonia's liberal reputation at stake as gay marriage referendum emboldens the far-right

Over the past decade, Estonia has developed an international reputation as both an economic tech hub and a liberal bastion of human rights. As well as opening its doors to digital nomads with initiatives such as e-residency, Estonia was the first state in the Baltics to pass a law on same-sex partnerships. But now its liberal reputation could be in trouble.

In supporting civil unions for same sex couples, Pope Francis is moving Catholics toward a more expansive understanding of family

Public support for civil unions from Pope Francis is not entirely new. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and again in a 2014 interview, he spoke about civil unions for same-sex couples. While the Vatican is right in saying that church doctrine remains the same, as a theologian who has been writing about Catholicism and family for over two decades, I see in the pope’s comments evidence that Catholic understanding of who counts as family is evolving.

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Pope Francis calls for civil union laws for same-sex couples

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Pope Francis has called in a new documentary for the creation of civil union laws, giving his clearest support to date for the rights of same-sex couples while breaking from the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

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New Ways Ministry Praises Pope’s Support for Civil Unions, Seeks Same Recognition in Church

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New Ways Ministry gratefully welcomes Pope Francis’ latest support for civil unions for same-gender couples. It is an historic moment when the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, long seen as a persecutor of LGBTQ people, moves in such a supportive direction for lesbian/gay couples and their families.

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Germany: "Catholic Church must reposition itself"

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The way in which homosexuality is dealt with in the Catholic Church continues to cause controversy. Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers now wants to expand pastoral care for homosexuals and reduce prejudice in his diocese of Dresden-Meißen.