. >>> still ahead, a new message from the vatican on same-sex unions. wyatt now says they will not get blessings from the church. >>> an emotional reunion, mom and newborn baby reunited after a harrowing fight against covid- 19. >>> reminder to check out the kpix 5 news app. 24/7 access to the newscasts and real news update. you can this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden. >>> the vatican issued a controversial message today, saying that catholic church cannot bless same-sex unions. tina kraus has the details. >> reporter: the vatican has announced that catholic church cannot give its blessing the same-sex unions. writing, god does not and cannot bless sit. he blesses sinful men so you may recognize he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him. >> none of us like the terms sin, but that is a business of the church. >> reporter: cbs news consultant says the vatican decree is a strong affirmation of church doctrine. putti

well i think it's a very risky trip and there were some people in the vatican he suggested to the pope that he should postpone or delay it in some way but pope francis has always prioritized the countries of the suffering the most for his travels and so he is not concerned about the risks to his personal security i think what he was most concerned about was visit spreading kovac 90. vents that would be around the visit that would would cause that but the iraqi authorities they quite clear that the visit could be carried out safely in those terms but look i think this trip is extremely powerful from the a both a symbolic level theological level and political level the meeting. this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which is

that was the last thing i heard coming out of the vatican. it seems as though they are walking that position back. >> with the vatican has just ruled on that has some people around the world a little shocked >>> san francisco artist is pleading for whoever stole two of his paintings to return them. he is offering a $500 rewards, no questions asked. dale erickson says these two paintiwelectived project rto. earlier this month, they are estimated to be worth about $20,000. another painting was also taken the week before. he is beginning to suspect that beef is an inside job. >> subconsciously it affects me, i said what am i doing the work for if they just, if somebody steals it, you know, like what, what is the end, what is the purpose? the fact is bad enough but the byproduct of the theft is almost as worse because the paranoia that it creates, and you know, the fact that we are in arts community and we have art in the hallways and we can't put art in the hallways anymore, when the public comes through to see the work. >>> the snow was finally

well i think it's a very risky trip and there are some people in the vatican he suggested to the pope that he should postpone or delay it in in some way that pope francis has always prioritized the countries of the suffering the most for his travels and so he is not concerned about the risks to his personal security i think what he was most concerned about was visit spreading kovac 19 of their vents that would be around the visit that would would cause that but the iraqi authorities they quite clear that the visit could be carried out safely in those terms but i think this trip is extremely powerful from a both a symbolic level theological level and political level the meeting. this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which

well i think it's a very risky trip and there were some people in the vatican he suggested to the pope that he should postpone or delay it in in some way but pope francis has always prioritized the countries of the suffering the most for his travels and so he is not concerned about the risks to his personal security i think what he was most concerned about was visit spreading kovac 19 there vents that would be around the visit that would would cause that but the iraqi authorities they quite clear that the visit could be carried out safely in those terms but i think this trip is extremely powerful from a both a symbolic level theological level and political level the meeting. this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which is s

well i think it's a very risky trip and there are some people in the vatican he suggested to the pope that he should postpone or delay it in some way but pope francis has always prioritized the countries of the suffering the most for his travels and so he is not concerned about the risks to his personal security i think what he was most concerned about was visit spreading kovac 19 of their vents that would be around the visit that would would cause that but the iraqi authorities they quite clear that the visit could be carried out safely in those terms but look i think this trip is extremely powerful from a both a symbolic level theological level and political level the meeting. this morning prin the pope and ayatollah sistani's historic never before has a pope met the grand ayatollah in iraq and i thought our system is such a crucial figure for post invasion iraq but i think really at the heart of that encounter and at the heart of the pope's visit is this. point that he wants to make that religion can never be used for violence that religion is there to serve peace and in iraq which

he is furious over the vatican's refusal to bless same-sex marriages as the vatican calls such unions sinful. elton john tweeting, how can the vatican refuse to bless gay marriages yet happily make a profit from investing millions in "rocket man" a film which sbraet celebrates my finding happiness with my marriage to david. chasten buttigieg also taking the vatican to task, tweeting that love is love and the pope isn't your county clerk. my next guest, musician chely wright, tweeted this. this statement by the vatican causes spiritual harm to millions and i would like to make the following point. it's important to note that in addition to harming lgbtq folks, this is harmful to those who love them and those who are on their often complicated journeys to loving them. chely wright is also the author of the book "like me: confessions of a heartland country singer." i want to thank you so much for joining us to as the vatican says same-sex reunions are off limits, and the most interesting part of what you said, it also hurts people on this complicated journey of accepting them. tell me ab

. >>> the vatican's message about catholics. the new declaration on same-sex emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. >>> a sandy command is behind bars this evening accused of plowing his car into nine people and killing three of them. it all happened around 9:00 this morning near san diego city college. police say several other people are hurt including two who are in critical condition. a witness as he saw the drivers beating down the sidewalk then veered across a four-lane road before coming to stop. >> the way he was going down the sidewalk, he did not

given says the church's statement is further example that the vatican remains behind the times. we live in you know, catholics no and couples their beer their families fear. it may work places to run their homes, their the neighborhoods and in their churches. but the vatican's announcement comes as a disappointment to bernardo says. >> even though the church in the same breath ruled that it should be welcoming towards people. >> with its own words, respect compassion and sensitivity. pope francis has said that couples should have legal protection but only in the civil sphere and he has continued to a close marriage. but says the church's stand does not stand well with the growing majority of catholic faithful and is doomed to fall along with past stances of the church. such is rejecting artificial contraception for heterosexual couples and past doctrine opposing the ordination of women as priests, the church, he says will eventually bend towards the will of those who fill up its pews. they want to be able to support these people. >> because they see that their relationships are

vatican that wants to lead a church out into the streets. and leave sort of the space of comfort and the space of safety of sort of you know that the church the physical building and the vatican so i mean yes francis has to put it with the church for the poor and poor poor church for the border and they think that in this sense this is very much you know consistent with that position it's very clear that he snow. you know he's now in a conflict zone and he's in a conflict zone in which security sqlite difficult to which you are sure i mean there are the counties of 10000 security agents being deployed in iraq to guard and t. hese you know his safety in the 66 places where he is which he spun into to visit ben you know i mean. this is something to be attentive to and i mean this is also part of the message that thing they do want to send about going once you send that you know they will not stop in the face or are given the possibility of violence you know he is religious it has mass in thank you very much martin you're welcome. and out to so

she says about meghan markle, and her comments about racism. >>> a major announcement today by the vatican on the church and same-sex unions in what many see as a setback keir simmons is following this, and keir, what did the vatican have to say? >> reporter: lester, the new vatican message approved by pope francis says the church cannot bless same-sex unions because the church "cannot bless sin. the language is sure to anger gay rights campaigners and disappoint gay catholics. their hopes had been raised when pope francis declared in 2013, "who am i to judge? and he approved same-sex civil unions just last year but tonight the pope's pronouncement welcomed by catholic conservatives who say it shows there are limits to the pontiff's enthusiasm for reform lester >> all right keir simmons tonight, thank you. >>> one of the women accusing new york governor andrew cuomo of sexual harassment met with investigators today as calls for cuomo to resign mount. let's get more from anne thompson. >> reporter: today 25-year-old charlotte bennett spent more than four hours telling investigators how gove

same-sex union meghan markle, and her comments about racism. >>> a major announcement today by the vatican on the church and same-sex unions in what many see as a setback keir simmons is following this, and keir, what did the vatican have to say? >> reporter: lester, the new vatican message approved by pope francis says the church cannot bless same-sex unions because the church "cannot bless sin. the language is sure to anger gay rights campaigners and disappoint gay catholics. their hopes had been raised when pope francis declared in 2013, "who am i to judge? and he approved same-sex civil unions just last year but tonight the pope's pronouncement welcomed by catholic conservatives who say it shows there are limits to the pontiff's enthusiasm for reform lester >> all right keir simmons tonight, thank you. >>> one of the women accusing new york governor andrew cuomo of sexual harassment met with investigators today as calls for cuomo to resign mount. let's get more from anne thompson. >> reporter: today 25-year-old charlotte bennett spent more than four hours telling investigators how gove

in general in the journal approach of the vatican to the strip which it's you know receptive to doing. the dignity of the christian community in iraq which is being of course atari violence and out of the same. inductor remote or so it's sort of the ongoing violence among other things sectarian. indeed and i mosul and kara caution no doubt the most dangerous parts of this journey own what's the security situation there during the pope's visit stream. security particularly this leg of the you know it's probably the most dangerous part of that you know as that's the most was the 4 miles so strong how do you think our cost as well that goes from so tell us on in terms of us operationally though they're not they don't have the capacity to know when they want any sort of an attack so i think i think it's his fans if he should be something very very very tight security and also i think quite safe at the moment. the minute you touched on a little bit this is such an important i would imagine for such an important visit for christians in iraq what does this to it mean for christians but also

ambassador to the vatican. there is a back story to this that i was simply summarize by saying the administration had floated two other names the vatican found unacceptable, so the administration said you do not like what we are going to send you. how about this? i think she was 81, and 81-year-old former member of congress, it was a bit of payback. she was not going to accept. she had just retired from congress. she was looking forward to getting back to new orleans and relaxing a bit, so she told cokie, her daughter, that she was going to turn this down, and cokie said, come on, mom, it is the two things you like most of the world, going to mass and going to parties. i do not know whether that did the trick but she accepted and did a fantastic job of repairing broken lines of munication between the vatican and government in washington. she was a woman of great charm, but also great consequence. she had real ideas. as i mentioned in the profile of her, she invited me to see her shortly after she arrived in rom

and there as much as in the vatican you have like for decades now the. conversation if you will and that's an interesting thing in the past i feel religious leaders were very much prone to just you know make. their villages leaders try to. understand. terrorist groups or radical groups within the church or other religions try to undermine this effort so of course the church having 5 decades since the. second vatican council of interreligious dialogue and having this dialogue for instance with the university but also institutions in iran i'm i'm aware that is of course more than just a symbol that rests on decades of like mutual understanding to start speak to you it isn't i think it has to be more than a symbol because there are so much challenges especially for them i know it is in this country that the people who have the big hope that there could be more than simple politics. it's a huge burden for them because it is and it's not just that which will make the change of course not but i think in a region where people who. belong to minorities like the

cannot be less so in the vatican's oath already off the fact the vatican's a better let's start again the vatican's all the dogs the office was responding to a question about whether catholic clergy have the authority to bless again unions pope francis approved this. will mean more security forces have again fired at pro-democracy protesters one activist group says at least 20 people were killed it comes a day after dozens of activists were shot dead in the country's largest city young gun safe media reported that martial law has been imposed in 6 districts in the city at least $138.00 people have been killed in the unrest since the military seized power last month that's according to the united nations. god deadly clashes continued into the night as fires burned in the streets and smoke mixed with tear gas. from a monitor groups report that over 40 people died from sunday into monday morning the bloodiest day of protests against the coup so far. on outskirts of yangon and identified attackers set fire to chinese own factories reportedly wounding multiple employees many pro-democracy

gentlemen is the model and there as much as in the vatican you have like for decades now the. conversation if you will and that's an interesting thing in the past i feel religious leaders were very much prone to just you know make. you see their villages leaders try to appease and understanding various other like. terrorist groups or radical groups within the church or other religions try to undermine this effort so for course the church having like now 5 decades since the. second vatican council of interreligious dialogue and having this dialogue for instance with our university but also institutions and. that is of course more than just a symbol that rests on decades of like mutual understanding to start speak to it isn't i think it has to be more than a symbol because there are so much challenges especially for them i know in this country that the people who have the big hope that there could be more than simple politics. it's a huge burden for them because it is and it's not just that which will make the change of course not but i think in a region where people who. belong

and there as much as in the vatican you have like for decades now the. conversation if you will and that's an interesting thing in the past i feel religious leaders were just you know make. you see their villages leaders try to. understand. terrorist groups or radical groups within the church or other religions try to undermine this effort so the church having now 5 decades since the. second vatican council of interreligious dialogue and having this dialogue for instance with the university but also institutions in iran. that is of course more than just a symbol that rests on decades of like mutual understanding to start speak to you it isn't i think it has to be more than a symbol because there are so much challenges especially for them i know it is in this country that the people who have the big hope that could be more than symbol politics. it's a huge burden for them because it is and it's not just that which will make the change of course not but i think in a region where people who. belong to minorities like the christians as it is this is also ver

the vatican's decision is crushing in a way because it means that something which is in neatly human that desire to love the desire to be in companionship. and to see that that is blanketly described as sinful. that cannot be hopeful the white house weighed in on behalf of president biden, who is himself a devout catholic, he continues to believe. on support, same sex unions, as you know, and he's long had that position recently, the pope endorse providing gay couples with legal protections in a civil sphere, but not within the church in los angeles, jonathan hunt fox news. still ahead. the search is on for a man convicted of murder and robbery back in the eighties after he escaped from prison twice, the latest on the investigation coming out, plus getting ready to reopen california's biggest theme parks the advantage californians will have at disneyland and universal studios. and we are tracking the weather. there's more rain in the forecast. i think you look forward to that the five want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile, you can. how about saving hundreds

. >>> church controversy, why the vatican says it cannot bless same-sex unions. >>> well, good morning. good to be with you, i'm anne-marie green. we begin this morning with concerns over a potential spike in coronavirus cases, as spring break kicks off in florida, crowds of partygoers are much larger compared to last year. the state has reduced restrictions even though it has the most coronavirus variant cases in the u.s. meantime, more countries in europe are suspending the use of the astrazeneca shot. there are concerns over blood clotting though there has been no evidence that the vaccine is to blame. naomi ruchim is new york. naomi, there is some vaccine news here as well? >> reporter: well, anne-marie, we have some good news to start off the day, 38 million americans are now fully vaccinated. and there are now two states opening the vaccine up to eryone old e that being said, with spring break going on there is a lot of concern over both travel and crowding. today, mississippi becomes the second state joining alaska allowing anyone 16 and older to get vaccinated. >> i think it wo

the vatican releases a major statement about same-sex unions. and tdown today's historic nominations. ®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and d

think through said about the meeting he said the 1st one there's been a very long term attempt by the vatican to reach you know bromine and few years and this is one of the most prominent if not the most prominent figure inside the shia community they in roads to the sunni community in the conversations with sunni for years has been actually fostered for years bed these this prove the shia community has been much more inclusive in the one hand and the other hand i mean you know the shia community of iraq and particularly. the more important few years constitute something of a of a. of a softy shoe in the connection to iran which of course looms large in question suffer geopolitics in relation to the christian community of course a lot of the buy it and so against christians in iraq and syria now comes from. from shia militants so this is sort of the few year that it's understood to be could become the very core of if not critical in trying to fend off violence against christian communities you know the optics of this visit are obviously remarkable but what can the pope realistically achieve a

i think generally speaking this has been the policy or the policy position of this vatican which restricts trends and strengthening relations across really just religious boundaries and it has made you know it has made islam one of its name one of its main targets in the sense i mean they are very interested in fostering part of their relations with the world they have done sort of a thorough going where we would. would sunni's and now there is an opportunity for this pope to meet actually one of the main few years of the show were. so. here is that you know the basis the date the ground is being is being said for essentially much more work to be done in the future keep in mind that the vatican has a very strong diplomatic machine which very often states on the ground way after the pope has left the country so the presumption that this is an opening of conversations we don't very important part of usefully of the muslim world as you well know this meeting has been more than a decade in the making why has it taken so long. well there was an attendant in day. john paul the 2nd to meet to go

i think that by and large these vatican functions being a fairly regular fairly read with a fairly regular method which is to both arrives puts. on the table it highlights the issue for public opinion it's across really across the world and then there isa large body off you know taken diplomats and people on the ground that and sort of taking care of the details and of course you know both god and the devil are in the details so i think that a lot of what will come out of this is not something that we will see immediately after the meeting but it's something that will sort of progress simply be unrolled over the months to come and it will be reflected of course in what the situation for the christian community and there are yes thanks to safe we see fewer attacks and we really see a push to reconstitute the community off of iraq which as you have said in the report points out the task to england then we can assume that actually to to some degree the strip has been successful martin again religious affairs correspondent much thanks you're welcome to me in mar now where the un special envoy

he was a member of the parish i was leading in vatican with all almost everyone buried in this section of the cemetery died from cove it this is the 1st time don mario has visited it since the pen demick struck the region. you know myth or not even yet though. it's like going back months and then like reliving the moments of the people who are no longer here. in which a few. these harrowing images were seen around the world military trucks loaded with caskets starting in march the bodies of the seas were transported to other cities across italy the criminal were overwhelmed by the numbers as part of a mo became the epicenter of the pen demick in europe. the picture as town became a killing field the question of whether this tragedy could have been averted remains unanswered many blame the local and regional governments for closing things down too late the mayor of baghdad denied a request for an interview. this was the frontline in the battle against cove it. seems from march last year when doctors and nurses were caught off guard everybody we spoke to here had just one comparison in m

mend fences we did what he said very important community within iraq which is the shia community the vatican has fostered strong relations or last few years in various troops and in in meetings high level meetings we had with. sunis and this is basically an attempt also made about to going to. forge forge a stronger relation into religious relation area of the world which is a flashpoint in which christian communities under a are under enormous pressure. and i'm curious. particularly non christians reacting to the pope's visit. i think he's quite clearly i mean you can see it in the reports as well it's really you know we've decided that it's putting iraq giving iraq basically a very high profile for a couple of days in the news cycle and obviously to that extent it is welcome at the very same time i mean east. probably one of the strongest indications of some amount of review very sage and indeed iraqi in direct international presence i mean to the extent that iraq does not really see a lot of high profile movement and most certainly not of the kind that involves civil life. or religious li

that you know vatican press to some degree sort of decide which is the idea that you know even with the best of intentions governments cannot really offer full control of crowds and essentially when you have something of this magnitude and what use of trade the 1st visit of the pope to you know a country that has been to some degree. political as an isolation and only based on the current health crisis obviously your knowledge have a lot of people circulating and you know we very little capacity to control them so they're used to be concerned very concerned obviously that you know particularly the mass which could attract thousands of people this coming sunday in the north of the country could really become a subverts for event but you know the vatican takes the position that it's important to be out there with the people and this is the way in which they're trying to fulfill that what they see as our mission. martin stay with us the country is home to some of the oldest continuous christian communities in the world but the numbers of christians have dropped dramatically in recent years

the shoe on to the table and underlining it and then sort of groups of diplomatic forces within the vatican in conjunction with people on the ground do the sort of the work of the new show work on the my new show in trying to promote their agenda that they agree on is something that we've seen when devoutly can has been active in international global operations across the world and i think that that's what we should expect here as well. for once the pope schedule for the rest of us. well the most important the most important thing about happiness i mean he will be in mosul and there will be a. tomorrow which is expected to gather a couple of 1000 people and of course you know this well it's one of the main areas of concern for both people looking at it and criticism because the good turn into a sober spreader. you know event given that iraq is in the middle of us everywhere else in the middle of the pandemic and they have not enough resources to cope with what they already have. money of people that probably would move around they pull this it and they bomb us so d.c. sort of the question a

the vatican releases a major statement about same-sex unions. and the oscar goes to-- well, we'll break down today's historic nominations. historic nominations. to what's e with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ >> people everywhere living with type two diabetes are waking up to what's possible. with to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for people iabetic ketoacidosis.betes don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin incre

second vatican council of interreligious dialogue and having this dialogue for instance with university but also institutions and. that is of course more than just a symbol that rests on decades of like mutual understanding speak to you it isn't i think it has to be more than a symbol because there are so much challenges especially for them i know it is in this country that the people have a big hope that there could be more than simple politics. it's a huge burden for them because it is and it's not just that which will make the change of course not but i think in a region where people who. belong to minorities like the christians or the cities this is also very special because to be talking about the fact that they don't have the same rights we're talking about an ongoing genocide we're talking about the feel. instead of what is happening in the future so we're we're talking about sui 40000000 christians who are in the sweat and worldwide and in the place. i think 11 side. and i think this is it could be something to make clear this is the country of muslims christians and all religio

the way that the vatican sees the role of the focus of course in a buster role in a bust pastoral position in the brics emitted to the people is something that they take a value both from a religious point of view but also from a political point of view so i think that you know it's hard to say whether this is a good choice i mean what is clear yes that the vatican c.s.'s an important as an important step to highlight in to make that community peaceable. religious affairs correspondent martin got that thank you very much miles and you're welcome . you're watching t w news here's a reminder of the top story we're following for you the biggest event on china's political calendar is on the way the national's national people's congress event is taking place with china outpacing other major economies also bringing big coronavirus pandemic launching under control. that's it for me on the news seem you're up to date so don't go away though up next as did business with steve not bits here and also a number that's always more on the news and on our website e w book call but also on instagram and tw

and celebrities are reacting to the vatican statement, sir elton john tweeted, quote, how can the vatican, the vatican refused to bless marriages because they are sen yet happily make a profit from investing millions in rocket man, a film, which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to david. and this is a tweet by actor jesse tyler ferguson who starred in the tv series modern family. he wrote, quote, as a graduate of a catholic high school. i'm deeply saddened by this archaic rhetoric and not at all surprised the good news. i'm still happily married and i don't need the pope to acknowledge the love that exists in my family, end quote. coming up next, how the social media giant facebook is helping people get vaccinated against covid-19. >> and for your money will walk you through the new irs tool to track your $1400 stimulus. check. also after the break vaccine side effects were joined by a local doctor. life discussed diff >> in the fight against covid-19 the u.s. has a 3 vaccines pfizer and moderna and the one shot johnson and johnson vaccine and we're hearing from many peopl

used some stem cells from aborted fetuses but not in the production of the vaccines so both of the vatican and the united states conference of catholic bishops that those are old kade to take even though with a little cough that the research used these stem cells from aborted foetuses johnson and johnson is a little bit different because they used the stem cells from aborted foetuses in the research and in the production now there's even another asterisk after that to answer your question if the other 2 vaccines are not available then it is permissible to use the johnson and johnson vaccine with the teaching from the vatican and the bishops here in the united states is to defaults to either pfizer or maternal and nothing else is available just as an act of charity to make yourself well and those around you will take the johnson and johnson but only in certain categories and only certain cases i've heard one bishop say just that is for everybody sake get vaccinated as soon as you can if you can avoid johnson and johnson but if johnson and johnson is the quickest way to get your shot get it

second vatican council of interreligious dialogue and having to style it for instance with our university but also institutions in iran i'm i'm aware that is of course more than just a symbol that rests on decades of like mutual understanding to start speak to you it isn't i think it has to be more than a symbol because there are so much challengers especially for the minorities in this country that the people who have the big hopes that there could be more than symbol politics. it's a huge burden for them because it is and it's not just that which will make the change of course not but i think in a region where people who are. belong to minorities like the christians. this is also very special because we are talking about the fact that they don't have the same rights we're talking about an ongoing genocide we're talking about the feel. instead of what is happening in the future so we are we are talking about 340000000 christians who are in the sweat and worldwide and in the places i think on the 11th side. minorities and i think this is it could be something to make clear this is the cou

. >>> this morning the vatican is doubling down on the opposition to same-sex marriage, months after it was revealed that pope francis says he supported civil unions. jobina at the desk with more on this announcement >> thank you, reggie. in the last couple hours the vatican has released a formal answer to a question about whether catholic clergy can bless gay marriages appear the answer is no, because the church cannot bless send. the vatican gave a two-page explanation that was approved by pope francis and is he's had a complicated history with the lgbtq community. when he was archbishops of point is there is, he endorsed civil unions and that was affirmed last year when he appeared in the documentary. but francis is also repeatedly condemned same-sex marriage during his time as pope. today's statement is also complicated for catholics, while refusing to endorse same- sex marriage. the vatican says it welcomes gay people and gay people must be treated with dignity and respect . >> a pennsylvania mom faces charges for making doctored photos and deep fake videos of her daughters riva

that you know vatican press to some degree swept aside which is the idea that you know even with the best of intentions governments cannot really offer full control of crowds and essentially when you have something of this magnitude and which is to face the 1st visit of the pope to you know a country that has been to some degree being political as an isolation and only based on the current health crisis obviously you're bound you have a lot of people circulating and you know we burn a little capacity to control them so. they're used to the concerned her concern obviously that you know particularly the mass which good at tracked thousands of people this coming sunday in the north of the country could really become a super spreader event but you know the vatican takes the position that it's important to be out there with the people and this is the way in which they're trying to fulfill that what they see as their mission. martin stay with us the country is home to some of the oldest continuous christian communities in the well but the numbers of christians have dropped dramatically in

now pope francis has arrived in iraq fulfilling a decades long promised by the vatican and becoming the 1st pontiff to visit the country the 3 day visit is his 1st trip outside since the coronavirus pandemic began he was welcomed by the prime minister in baghdad and is currently on his way to meet the president at the presidential palace now the head of the roman catholic church says he's going as a pilgrim of peace we can speak to our correspondents money is on the ground there outside the presidential palace. in baghdad so none of this trip is obviously happening with a backdrop that we've been seeing of escalating violence in various parts of the country over the last few weeks and months you know the pope himself insisted on going then major security concerns around his agenda today. i mean of course there has been this has been a huge challenge for the iraqi government to pull this together logistically but also from a security perspective as you mentioned that there are numerous security challenges here challenges here even though i saw has been territorial defeated in iraq in 201

now safely back at the vatican many expect the pope to get some much needed rest after this trip. i don't know if the slowdown or not but i do confess in this visit i was much more tired than in the others although exhausted the pontiff is already busy planning for the future he is keen to resume public audiences at the vatican which have been suspended for months and he has also hinted that he may be making a trip to lebanon for watching the hawks. who very fascinating stuff when you really see that and watch it all get broken down and i'm glad you know i've always been a fan of this pope you know like you hasn't done much wrong in my book so far i mean not to say he hasn't but i mean i do like a lot of his messages which is all about you know hey we need to and weapon prove relation in these countries we need to stop arms deals as big doesn't begin to come out of the pope he's a lot more progressive than popes we've seen in the past i think he's trying to take the catholic church in a new direction he's expanding the ideology to a certain extent updating it in many ways i do fin

pope francis has returned to the vatican after a whirlwind tour of iraq the timing of the story visit caused some controversy among critics while many in the war stricken country welcomed the pontiff in his message of peace with open arms parties alex mileage reports. it was the 1st time ever that a reigning pontiff has made a trip to iraq. france has completed a much anticipated 4 day tour of the country visiting 6 cities and sites across the nation the 84 year old kicked off the trip with a speech at the presidential palace in baghdad on friday calling for peace and unity in the middle eastern country bust that millions no more violence extremism baksh and intolerance let there be room for all citizens who want to build this country together in dialogue in. frank and sincere constructive confrontation the leaders in the violence plagued nation were quick to show the type of hospitality that iraq is famous for while echoing the pope's message of peace that iraq had a dualist it is a must to continue our work to counter the extremist ideology and up through terrorism and to be victori

the vatican ruled the catholic church cannot bless same-sex unio, explainin god, quote, cannot bless sin. the vatican's orthodoxy office was responding to a question about whether catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. pope francis approved the response. the official instagram account ofin kremlin critic alexey navay posted the first photo of him since he began his 2.5 year prison sentence. shown with a shaved head, he writes that he is serving his sentence at a penal colony number two, 100 kilometers north of moscow. he describes it as a, quote, real concentration camp. voters in germany have handed chancellor angela merkel's ruling conservatives a stinging defeat in two regional elections. voters in the south and west turned their backs on the cdu party in record numbers. >> germany's super election year began badly for chancellor merkel's conservatives. in two elections they significantly lost support. the cdu is in crisis. in berlin, the frustration was crystal clear among party leadership. >> we can clearly say the regional election results are disappointing for

pope francis has returned to the vatican after a whirlwind tour of iraq the timing of the story visit caused some controversy among critics while many in the war stricken country welcomed the pontiff and his message of peace with open arms parties alex mileage reports. it was the 1st time ever that a reigning pontiff has made a trip to iraq. france has completed a much anticipated 4 day tour of the country visiting 6 cities and sites across the nation the 84 year old kicked off the trip with a speech at the presidential palace in baghdad on friday calling for peace and unity in a middle eastern country bus that the audience know more violence extremism factions intolerance let there be room for all citizens who want to build this country together in dialogue in. frank and sincere constructive confrontation the leaders in the violence plagued nation were quick to show the type of hospitality that iraq is famous for while echoing the pope's message of peace that iraq had a dualist it is a must to continue our work to counter the extremist ideology and upper terrorism and to be victoriou

him. >> the vatican put us on their calendar. i met with him in the palace, where he meets with presidents and diplomats. it was a pretty strong sign of support. >> reporter: the teachings haven't changed? >> the teachings haven't changed, but the tone is very important. >> it is a life issue. we have high suicide rates among lgbtq youth, and we have places in the world were gay people can be arrested and executed for being gay. >> reporter: he calls pope francis the most pro-lgbtq pope ever, though acknowledges that is not a high bar. francis is the first pope to use the word "gay" publicly. >> one of the things i lament is if there were a case of, say, bullying in a parish or a school, it would be wonderful for a gay priest to get out and say, look, i was bullied as a boy. so there are these life experiences i think people are missing in the church. >> reporter: how many gay priests do you think there are? >> maybe 40%. if it was 40%, i wouldn't be surprised. if it was 80%, i wouldn't be surprised. >> it is the last silent majo

it's the same thing there being tunnels in the vatican to jerusalem. aren't these just age old anti-tropes? >> some of the things you just said sounds like those are for sure. but i can -- i can say that -- i can clearly see what's happening now, enter i don't know about -- i don't verify the tunnel from the vatican to jerusalem. it was reported. so it sounds like it's a good possibility that it could be true. it sounds farfetched but so do those political elite and hollywood elite and business elite, killing babies and drinking their blood. you know, that sounds crazy! i mean, it does. if i was one of your listenering listening to me, i would think, this guy is crazy. i'm telling you, go look. you can see it. imagery, the sacrificial imagery is everywhere. >> if you were living in nazi germany in the late '30s and '40s, you would think that jews were drinking the blood of children because there were posters of it. >> here is what i will say there is evidence. >> does it not concern you that some of these are tropes that have been out there to demonize

under his watch, the catholic church will still not be blessing same-sex marriage the reason, the vatican considers it a sin and says god, quote, cannot bless sin. that from the statement it gave in response to a question on whether the church has given the power to give the blessing the vatican did clarify that the church should welcome and bless day people but it argued same-sex marriage is not part of god's plan catholic teachings healed lifelong unions between a man and a woman are intended for the sake of creating new life. francis de-bernardo is with us now, executive director of new ways ministry which advocates for lgbtq catholics. francis, thank you the church is willing to welcome lgbtq plus people but won't bless our marriages. what message does that send? >> it's a mixed message very much and i think that lgbtq people today more and more are leaving the church because of that mixed message. and their supporters are leaving as well. >> the church does consider anything but a union of two people for the purpose of pro creating a lifelong union, anything but that to be sinful how

s coming up in april, and normally thousands of pilgrims head straight for st peter's square in the vatican for the big services. last year they were live streamed as visitors were forbidden from going. but if you are more interested in the art and the history on show there, there are some great virtual tours available on the vatican museum's website including some rooms normally not open to the public. and just around the corner in rome, the mausoleum of augustus opened earlier this month. it was built in 28bc and has been hidden for 100 years, largely overlooked. a few years back, ade went to see how the restoration work was progressing. it's hard to believe that in its heyday, these walls were three times higher than they are now and they were covered in white marble. of course, none of us can go there and visit yet but the team at fondazione tim has spent a lot of time and effort putting together the story of the mausoleum, which is told in an interactive timeline on their website. let's hope we can all go and visit soon. new york city is beginning to look ahead to a time when it can ge

*s coming up in april and normally thousands of pilgrims head straight for st peter's square in the vatican for the big services. last year they were live streamed as visitors were forbidden from going. but if you are more interested in the art and the history on show there, there are some great virtual tours available on the vatican museum's website including some rooms normally not open to the public. and just around the corner in rome, the mausoleum of augustus opened earlier this month. it was built in 28 bce and has been hidden for 100 years, largely overlooked. a few years back, ari went to see how the restoration work was progressing. it's hard to believe that in its heyday, these walls were three times higher than they are now and they were covered in white marble. of course, none of us can go there and visit yet but the team has spent a lot of time and effort putting together the story of the mausoleum, which is told in an interactive timeline on their website. let's hope we can all go and visit soon. new york city is beginning to look ahead to a time when it can get its actors and