The gay pope
Unearthed comments from fresh pope alarm Homosexual Catholics
After years of sympathetic and inclusive comments from Pope Francis, LGBTQ+ Catholics expressed concern on Thursday about unfriendly remarks made more than a decade ago by Father Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV, in which he condemned what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and “the redefinition of marriage” as “at odds with the Gospel”.
In a 2012 address to the world synod of bishops, the dude who now leads the church said that “Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous compassion for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel – for example abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia”.
In the remarks, of which he also read portions for a video produced by the Catholic News Service, a news agency owned by the Merged States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the cleric blamed mass media for fostering so much “sympathy for anti-Christian lifestyles choices” that “when people hear the Christian message it often inevitably seems ideological and emotionally cruel”.
“Catholic pastors who preach against the legalization of abortion or the redefinition of marriage
What Pope Francis said about controversial issues from gay rights to immigration
Pope Francis, one of the more progressive pontiff's in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday morning at the age of 88, the Vatican confirmed.
Francis willingness to take a more progressive stance on issues from LGBTQ rights to same-sex marriage to immigration make him one of the most progressive and influential popes of the modern era.
Here are memorable moments from Francis' hour where he voiced his opinions on those topics.
Francis' stance on members of the LGBTQ community
In December 2023, Francis formally signed off on allowing Catholic priests to approve same-sex couples, he said in a declaration released by the Vatican's office.
The declaration stated, "When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral examination should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For those seeking a blessing should not be required to own prior moral perfection."
"A blessing offers people a means to increase their confidence in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy and the closeness to G
Seven Quotes That Build Pope Francis Complicated for LGBTQ+ People
Francis' tenure as pope has also been notable by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, genderqueer and queer (LGBTQ+) society for his adoption of a more conciliatory tone toward LGBTQ+ people than that of his predecessors. "But anyone who utters Christian words without putting them into practice hurts oneself and others," said Pope Francis in 2013.
So where does Pope Francis stand on LGBTQ+ people?
ON INCLUSION
[07/2013]
"If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?"
Let's start off with one of the most definitive moments in Francis' papacy for LGBTQ+ people. When asked about gay priests during a spontaneous exchange with the press, he responded, "If they [gay priests] accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to evaluate them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The tendency [same-sex attraction] is not the problem... they're our brothers."1
The fact that Pope Francis made such a comment – and used the word "gay" in English – was radical, and helped propel significant conversations in parishes and dioceses on LGBTQ+ equality to this day. But more importantly, his comment
What’s the context?
Some LGBTQ+ Catholics are "disappointed" by the new pontiff's past comments on homosexuality
LONDON - The world was watching as Pope Leo XIV delivered his first mass on Sunday, days after becoming the first American elected pope.
Robert Francis Prevost has used his initial days as leader of the Catholic earth to call for peace in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of imprisoned journalists.
LGBTQ+ rights groups are now waiting to see if he will follow in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, who met with trans women, urged the Catholic Church to seek forgiveness from gay people and allowed priests to praise same-sex couples.
Leo has not discussed LGBTQ+ issues since his election, but previous comments he made about homosexuality have "disappointed" members of the LGBTQ+ faithful.
Here's everything you need to know.
What is Francis' legacy on trans rights?
Francis, who died on April 21, was seen as more accepting of LGBTQ+ rights than previous popes, including his predecessor Benedict, who viewed gay marriage as a threat to the "future of humanity."
Soon after his election in 2013, Francis said lgbtq+ people should not be dis