Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, at their first appearances as new popes.

As the initial surprise of Pope Leo XIV’s election begins to moderate, I am remembering the time 12 years ago when Pope Francis was elected.  In both cases, I was flooded with calls and emails from news reporters and producers asking what I thought about how each new pope would handle LGBTQ+ issues. In both cases, it was hard to give a definite answer.

In the case of Pope Francis, on the first day of his election, no one could find any information about how he approached LGBTQ+ topics.  Then on the day after his election, evidence emerged that while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio had made some harsh statements against a campaign to allow same-gender couples to legally marry, going so far as to say that the initiative was “a destructive pretension against the plan of God” and “the machinations of “the Father of Lies” (i.e., Satan) who wanted to “confuse and deceive the children of God.” He recommended that Catholics pray to the Holy Family, asking for their intervention to “succor, defend and join God in this war.”

And arguing against same-gender couples adopting children, he said that children would be “deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God.”

Pope Francis said those things? Really?

Yes, the same man who used such harsh language turned out to be the man to wonder “Who am I to judge?”  He is the same man who, as pope, eventually supported civil unions for same-gender couples, and authorized Catholic priests to bless people in same-gender relationships? Yes, he is the same man who supported such unions so that the children in those families would have stability and legal protection.

Yes, he is the same man who did so many other wonderful things for LGBTQ+ people, too many to recount here. (For a complete catalogue of everything that Pope Francis said or did concerning LGBTQ+ issues, click here.)

So, while the record does show that the new pope did say objectionable things about gay and lesbian relationships–as well as negative comments about “gender ideology” as a way to uphold the gender binary of male/female–we may yet be surprised by a change of heart that may be on the horizon. Perhaps even his equivocal support for blessings of people in same-gender couples, by giving a weak endorsement of Fiducia Supplicans (the Vatican document which allowed the blessings) but also allowing for bishops to opt out of such rituals, will develop towards stronger support for this practice, or encourage other bishops to vigorously support blessings.

If the history of Pope Francis’ papacy teaches us anything, it is that our God is a god of surprises who has the power to transform hearts and minds, even those of our church’s leaders. 

In New Ways Ministry’s statement welcoming Pope Leo, we expressed hope that perhaps such a change may have already taken place, unbeknownst to the public eye. We stated:

“We pray that, in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, his heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened.”

In effect, we are giving him the benefit of the doubt.  While his negative statements are clearly hurtful and ill-informed, they certainly do not indicate an obsession with LGBTQ+ issues which could have indicated a reversal of the Francis papacy.  And his record of championing the marginalized by the world indicates that he may yet recognize those marginalized by the church. 

Moreover, his strong support for continuing Francis’ project of creating a synodal church, which he indicated in his first address as pope, means that he may indirectly be supporting greater conversation about finding a place for LGBTQ+ people in Catholicism. 

So, we will “wait and see” what comes next, with hope that God will surprise us yet again. But while we wait, we also suggest that Pope Leo could easily clarify what his approach to LGBTQ+ issues will be by making a strong statement of welcome to LGBTQ+ people.  It could be as easy as a mention in a prayer or a homily. Meeting with LGBTQ+ Catholics simply to listen to them would be an even greater signal. Such messages would soothe many who worry that Francis may have been a statistical error as the pope.  

LGBTQ+ issues may not be at the top of this new pope’s agenda, or may not even be on the agenda at all.  However, it cannot be denied that Pope Francis put LGBTQ+ issues on the Catholic Church’s agenda, having created a generation of Catholic leaders and laity who are no longer afraid to have LGBTQ+ discussions.  That legacy is not going to die. 

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, May 12, 2025

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