The disclosure of Pope Francis expressing support for same-sex civil unions has been viewed as a significant break from the views of his predecessors concerning gays and has touched off a flurry of opinions about what the pontiff REALLY means.

Church observers see the remarks as having the possibility of changing the debate about the legal status of same-sex couples. This flies in the face of the long-standing church teaching that a legal union is between one man and one woman.

“His comments in no way signal a departure from the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning marriage or homosexuality,” said Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh. “It speaks, rather, of a pastoral approach to these issues.”

Other U.S. bishops were quick to join Zubik in insisting that the pope’s expression of being open to the idea of civil union laws for gay couples does not change church teaching.

Among them is the Rev. Alfred A. Schlert, bishop of the five-county Allentown Diocese, who felt the need to address the pope’s comments, which were made in a documentary film, to try to clear up concern and confusion among Catholics and others who have raised questions about the controversial remarks.

In a recent edition of The AD Times, the official diocesan newspaper, Schlert’s comments were contained in a question-and-answer column. When asked his reaction to the pope’s comments, Schlert said, “While I am typically hesitant to weigh in on remarks by the Holy Father that may have been taken out of context or misconstrued, I am deeply concerned about the confusion, anxiety and division that these recent comments have already sown among the faithful and the broader community.”

Roman Catholics form the largest single religious group in the five counties of the Allentown Diocese - Carbon, Schuylkill, Northampton, Lehigh and Berks. The 80 or so parishes are home to about 252,000 registered parishioners.

(Monroe County is part of the Scranton Diocese whose bishop, Joseph Bambera, has not issued a public comment about the pope’s remarks.)

The pope’s comments in the documentary paralleled his ongoing support for gay people but signaled his most prominent comment on the issue of civil unions, which are not only permitted in the United States but also in traditionally Catholic nations such as Italy, Argentina and Ireland.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” Francis said in the documentary, “Francesco,” which debuted at the Rome Film Festival. This reiterates the pope’s frequent view that “gay people are children of God.”

The Vatican added to the confusion by dismissing the pope’s comments as “old news.”

According to The New York Times, Francis has a tendency for making off-the-cuff public remarks, “a trait that maddens both supporters and critics alike.”

Bishop Schlert also tended to dismiss the remark as a “papal sound bite” which does not change church teaching. He said this teaching is “well-grounded in Sacred Scripture and deeply rooted in the Natural Law written in our hearts.”

Schlert was unequivocal, saying that the “Church cannot support the acceptance of any objectively immoral relationship - whether it is between two people of the same sex or between a man and a woman who are unmarried.”

He also said, “The church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”

Despite this absolute view, the bishop maintains that “individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God. They must have their personal human rights respected, defended and protected by law.”

Schlert also reminded his flock that “people who experience same-sex attractions” should not be rejected by their families.

While the church is “welcoming of everyone,” Schlert said that being welcoming does not exempt someone from “living in accord with church doctrines.”

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com