Venezuela’s president has called on his country to take up the issue of same-sex marriage following the Pope’s comments endorsing civil unions. On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged the National Assembly to consider the passage of a marriage equality bill when the legislature convenes for its next term in January. The 57-year-old leader, who has held the presidency since 2013, cited the Pope’s remarks from a forthcoming documentary, Francesco, in which he claimed that LGBTQ+ people “have the right to be in a family.” “I have friends and acquaintances who are very happy with what the Pope said yesterday,” Maduro claimed during a meeting with leadership in the ruling Socialist Party, as was first reported by Reuters. “I will leave that task, the task of LGBT marriage, to the next National Assembly.” Parliamentary elections are scheduled in Venezuela in December. The opposition party coalition, which currently holds the largest share of seats, has already vowed to boycott the vote, claiming that Maduro plans to rig it in his favor.