The New Pope Faces Scrutiny On LGBTQ+ Rights
HuffPost
Leo XIV's past statements raise questions about his commitment to inclusion.
On at least one major issue, it’s not yet clear just how closely the new pope will adhere to the legacy established by his predecessor.
As Pink News reported, Pope Leo XIV hasn’t made many public statements on LGBTQ+ rights, but the ones he has expressed have been described by The New York Times as “less welcoming” than stances Pope Francis once embraced.
Per the Times, Leo gave remarks in 2012 that criticized Western news media and pop culture for promoting “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.” Examples of such beliefs that Leo reportedly referenced included a “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”
As a bishop in Peru, Leo also deemed “the promotion of gender ideology” in schools “confusing,” noting that “it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.”
And in 2024, Leo adopted a more ambivalent stance regarding blessings for same-sex unions. While Francis backed the practice, Leo declined to oppose or endorse a document that supported them, according to The 19th.
