Apparently the quote from the pope that is garnering all the attention reflects thoughts and convictions of the pontiff going back at least a decade, or more. However, in stark contrast, the previous pope, in his then position at the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote:
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…. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself.The author of the article referenced below then notes: "That is indeed the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church. And the Pope is now on the record dissenting from that teaching, publicly and unambiguously."
Again the author also notes: "So, let’s be very clear: One of the first principles of Catholic social teaching is that immoral acts must not be given legal sanction. That’s why the Church plainly teaches that abortion (CCC, 2273) and pornography (CCC, 2354) should be prohibited by law. We as Catholics believe that civil authorities must not condone vice, even implicitly."
The entire article, a quick read, is worth it, in part, as evidence of the continued widening gap between the current pope and the more traditional and conservative members of his church. This author believes, and I suspect a number of others within the ranks of the RC church, that Pope Francis "is dissenting from the Church."
Whether this will simply blow over and be forgotten, or will cause a growing crisis of confidence in the leader of this church among some followers, remains to be seen. However, the author does note that it will embolden the more 'progressive' wing of the church that will now use the pope's words against them as a kind of moral bludgeon.
Despite the fact that this author firmly believes he cannot follow where Francis leads in this instance, he appears yet to be a loyal son of the church. His concluding words are a prayer:
Pray for our Holy Father, who needs our prayers now more than ever. If you love him, stand your ground. Please God, he’ll turn away from his error someday. Then we, the faithful remnant, may lead him back home.https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/where-francis-leads-we-cant-follow