14-05-2025
Pope Leo's views on LGBT Catholics are a mystery — but we have clues
Michael J. O'Loughlin is executive director of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic publication, and author of 'Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.'
My husband and I stood in St. Peter's Square waiting for white smoke, our eyes darting from the giant screens near us to the tiny chimney in the distance. As minutes ticked by, the crowd grew in size, but expectations seemed to diminish. Yet shortly after 6 p.m., white smoke appeared. The cardinals had elected a pope.
