Latest news with #LGBTQ+Catholics
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pope Leo XIV signals intention to walk in Francis' footsteps
Newly elected hailed his predecessor in a meeting of cardinals on Saturday and said he intended to follow in the late pontiff's footsteps, signalling the continuation of the late pope's relatively . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Leo addressed a meeting of cardinals, his first since being elected the 267th pope on Thursday. The Chicago-born pope Robert Francis Prevost was elected in what was described as a short conclave given the large number of cardinals taking part and the diversity of their origins. The conclave is a secret affair, but cardinals who took part told media outlets Leo won with over 100 votes, well over the 89 needed for the required two-thirds majority. What did Leo say about Francis? Leo praised the late Francis' dedication to the "sober simplicity of life." "Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith," the pontiff said, according to a transcript of his speech to the College of Cardinals published by the Vatican. He cited the late pope's focus on "courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities." Francis' 12-year papacy often invited the criticism of conservative cardinals over what they said was his watering down of the church's doctrine on issues including LGBTQ+ Catholics and women's leadership. Before his election as pontiff, Leo spent most of his religious career as a missionary in Peru before Francis made him cardinal in 2023 and he served as a senior Vatican official. Why did the pontiff choose the name Leo? The new pope also explained why he chose Leo as his papal name, saying it was an homage to Pope Leo XIII, a 19th-century pope known for advocating and fair pay for workers amid the industrial revolution. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Leo XIV argued that the must lead in protecting workers, particularly from threats posed by artificial intelligence. AI posed "new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labor," Leo said. The new pope's two-hour meeting with the cardinals followed a new format. Instead of offering a speech and expecting the clerics to just listen, Leo opened the floor after his prepared address for comment from any cardinal. In the meeting, the attendants were allowed to voice their opinions and concerns regarding the issues facing the church. "He listened very carefully, but he knows he's going to have to make the decisions," Irish Cardinal Sean Brady told the Reuters news agency. "But we're here to help him."
Irish Examiner
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Unearthed comments from new Pope Leo XIV alarm LGBTQ+ Catholics
After years of sympathetic and inclusive comments from Pope Francis, LGBTQ+ Catholics expressed concern on Thursday about hostile 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 man who now leads the church said that 'Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy 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 United 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 are portrayed as being ideologically driven, severe and uncaring,' Prevost added. He went on to complain that 'alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today'. The video illustrated his criticism of the 'homosexual lifestyle' and 'same-sex partners and their adopted children' with clips from two US sitcoms featuring same-sex couples, The New Normal and Modern Family. The cleric also called for a 'new evangelization to counter these mass media-produced distortions of religious and ethical reality'. After some of the comments were reported by the New York Times, American LGBTQ+ Catholic groups expressed alarm but also cautious optimism that the papacy of Francis had moved the whole church forward. 'We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that 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,' said Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ+ Catholic group, in a statement. 'We pray that as our church transitions from 12 years of an historic papacy, Pope Leo XIV will continue the welcome and outreach to LGBTQ+ people which Pope Francis inaugurated.' DignityUSA, a group that represents LGBTQ+ Catholics, also expressed 'concern' with the pope's previous comments but wrote in an online post: 'We note that this statement was made during the papacy of Benedict XVI, when doctrinal adherence appeared to be expected. In addition, the voices of LGBTQ+ people were rarely heard at that level of church leadership. We pray that Pope Leo XIV will demonstrate a willingness to listen and grow as he begins his new role as the leader of the global church.' Perhaps the best-known of the sympathetic statements made about LGBTQ+ Catholics by Pope Francis was a comment he made to reporters in 2013, when he was asked about his observation that there was a 'gay lobby' inside the Vatican hierarchy. 'I have yet to find someone who introduces himself at the Vatican with an identity card marked 'gay',' the pope joked. 'But we must distinguish the fact that a person is gay from the fact of lobbying, because no lobbies are good.' 'If a person is gay,' he added, 'and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?' DeBernardo, the New Ways Ministry director, referenced those remarks on Thursday. 'The healing that began with 'Who am I to judge?' needs to continue and grow to 'Who am I, if not a friend to LGBTQ+ people?'' DeBernardo said. 'Pope Francis opened the door to a new approach to LGBTQ+ people; Pope Leo must now guide the church through that door,' he added. 'Many Catholics, including bishops and other leaders, remain ignorant about the reality of LGBTQ+ lives, including the marginalization, discrimination, and violence that many still face, even in Catholic institutions. We hope that he will further educate himself by meeting with and listening to LGBTQ+ Catholics and their supporters.' Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director of DignityUSA, told the Washington Blade in a text message from St Peter's Square shortly after Leo XIV's election that the new pope 'hasn't said a lot since early 2010s' on the subject, adding 'hope he has evolved'. Father James Martin, an American Jesuit and the founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ+ Catholic resource, sounded a note of optimism in a video message from Rome, calling the new pope a 'down-to-earth, kind, modest' man and 'a great choice'. In 2023, Martin was able to bless a same-sex couple for the first time, after Pope Francis said he would allow such blessings. In 2020, Pope Francis said that he supported civil-union laws for same-sex couples. 'Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,' he said. 'Pope Francis did more for LGBTQ people than all his predecessors combined,' Martin wrote last month. 'He wrote letters of welcome to Outreach conferences for LGBTQ Catholics. He approved the publication of 'Fiducia Supplicans, a Vatican document that permitted priests to bless same-sex marriages under certain circumstances – and weathered intense blowback from some parts of the church. And, perhaps most surprisingly and least well known, he met regularly with transgender Catholics and spoke to them with warmth and welcome.' - The Guardian
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LGBTQ+ Catholic organization's leader says he's 'hopeful' about Pope Leo XIV
American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the new pope on Thursday, selecting the papal name Pope Leo XIV. The first pope from the U.S., Leo is thought to continue some of the reforms made by the late Pope Francis, who died last month. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Leo's thoughts on the LGBTQ+ community have not been widely reported, but at a meeting of bishops in 2012, 'he lamented that Western news media and popular culture fostered 'sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel," The New York Times reports. At the time, the new pope specifically mentioned the 'homosexual lifestyle' and 'alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.' Related: Michael O'Loughlin is the executive director of Outreach, a resource organization working and supporting LGBTQ+ Catholics. He told The Advocate in a statement that Leo's choice of name is a sign of what can be expected from the new pontiff. Pope Leo XIII is looked to for his support of labor rights during the Industrial Revolution. "From his choice of name honoring a pope committed to justice, to his call for a church focused on peace and dialogue, early signs show that Pope Leo XIV hopes to continue the pastoral outreach of Pope Francis. While we do not yet know how the new pope will interact with LGBT Catholics, the same was true in 2013 on the night Pope Francis was elected, and his pontificate wound up being inspiring to so many in our community," he said. Related: By selecting an American, the Vatican sends a message to Trump's hostility and global aspirations Francis was often perceived as being more accepting of LGBTQ+ Catholics than previous pontiffs. Pope Benedict XVI, Francis's direct predecessor, was staunchly anti-LGBTQ+. When asked by a journalist in 2013 about gay priests being included, Francis said, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with goodwill, who am I to judge?" He later upheld that the church should apologize to LGBTQ+ people for mistreating them. Though Francis made several anti-trans statements, he met with trans Catholics on a number of occasions. "As a gay Catholic myself, and one who lived for a decade in Pope Leo's home city of Chicago," O'Loughlin said. "I'm hopeful for the church and offering prayers for the new pope."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The New Pope Faces Scrutiny On LGBTQ+ Rights
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. During his tenure as head of the Catholic Church, Francis was known for ushering in a more inclusive period of leadership that embraced LGBTQ+ parishioners and clergy members in a new way. 'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?' Francis said of gay clergy members in 2013. He also pushed back against laws around the world that have criminalized homosexuality and met with LGBTQ+ Catholic groups, becoming one of the first popes to do so. Francis' leadership was widely heralded as a sea change compared to past papacies that promoted anti-gay views, though he did not fundamentally change doctrine on issues like same-sex marriage. For now, LGBTQ+ Catholics are watching closely to see whether Leo — who emphasized inclusion broadly in his opening remarks — will maintain the same trajectory. 'We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues,' said Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, an LGBTQ+ Catholic group, in a statement.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will the next Pope embrace the LGBTQ+ community and a more modest lifestyle like Pope Francis did?
As Rome prepares for a new papal election following the death of Pope Francis , an air of both reverence and apprehension has settled over the Vatican. For LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies, the conclave signals a pivotal moment, one that could either sustain the spirit of inclusion Pope Francis championed, curtail it, or send it backwards. Michael O'Loughlin, executive director of Outreach , a resource ministry for LGBTQ+ Catholics, is in Rome during this time of transition. 'There's still memorials to Pope Francis,' he told The Advocate, 'but everyone is talking about the conclave and who will be elected next. For Catholics who really admired Pope Francis, there's probably a little nervousness about who might follow him.' The anxiety is not only palatable but understandable. While Pope Francis appointed roughly 80 percent of the cardinals eligible to vote in this conclave, a move that should, at least on paper, tilt the scales toward continuity, O'Loughlin notes that geography doesn't always dictate ideology. 'Even though he made the College of Cardinals more diverse by appointing men from places that didn't traditionally have cardinals, they come from more conservative areas as well,' he explained. 'So it doesn't necessarily mean they're on board with Francis' outreach, especially to the LGBT community.' Still, there is cautious hope. Many observers believe there is an appetite among the cardinals to elect someone who can preserve Francis' pastoral tone without generating quite so many headlines. O'Loughlin describes the mood as open to a pope who will continue the Church's emphasis on mercy and inclusion, but in a steadier, quieter form. 'Someone who admired Pope Francis's courtesy, but who maybe is a little less charismatic. Someone calmer and more steady,' he pointed out. Among the names being floated, a few have emerged as contenders who might carry forward aspects of Francis' legacy, especially regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion. According to O'Loughlin , one of the more promising figures is Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy, a close ally of Francis and a voice for a more inclusive Church. 'Zuppi has written prefaces for books on LGBTQ+ Catholics and has been vocal about the need for welcome, even as he upholds traditional Church teachings on marriage,' explained O'Loughlin. Another possibility O'Loughlin mentioned is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, who was once considered a frontrunner. Tagle has similarly walked a tightrope, emphasizing pastoral care for LGBTQ+ Catholics while remaining doctrinally conservative. His momentum, however, appears to have waned in recent days, raising questions about how much sway Francis's closest allies still hold within the conclave. O'Loughlin said that perhaps the most widely mentioned candidate is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State. 'Parolin embodies the continuity without drama profile many in the Church hierarchy seem to desire,' O'Louglin noted. 'Though close to Francis in governance, he is considered more traditional, especially on LGBTQ+ issues. His election would likely mark a return to a more cautious and reserved papal style, and one that extends the olive branch but doesn't push the boundaries.' On the more conservative end is Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary. O'Loughlin explained that he is a canon lawyer known for his careful, measured language. 'He's seen as a palatable choice for those favoring a more traditional Church, particularly on sexuality and gender, and would likely appeal to conservatives within the College of Cardinals,' O'Loughlin said. While not known for inflammatory remarks, Erdő's reluctance to endorse LGBTQ+ outreach suggests a cooling of the Francis-era momentum. For many Catholics, though, the conclave isn't just about theology or doctrine; it's also about tone, style, and symbolism. Pope Francis r edefined the papacy in profound ways. He declined the opulent Apostolic Palace in favor of a modest Vatican guesthouse. He rejected the gilded vestments often worn by popes, choosing instead to step onto the balcony in 2013 dressed simply . Famously, he traveled in a Ford Focus . These choices were not just personal preferences. They were statements of humility. Whether the next pope will follow suit remains to be seen. 'That's one of the big questions,' O'Loughlin said. 'Will the new pope step onto the balcony without the traditional garments? If he does wear them, it might suggest a return to papal grandeur. Every detail in those early moments will be scrutinized and compared to Francis.' And it's not just about appearances. Francis' legacy, his commitment to a more inclusive Church, his outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, his symbolic rejection of extravagance, has left a powerful imprint. 'Whoever is elected will have to navigate that legacy,' O'Loughlin explained. 'Even if they don't embrace all his reforms, they'll need to respond to the expectations he set.' As cardinals prepare to cast their votes under Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, the world watches and waits. For LGBTQ+ Catholics especially, the next pope will send a message not just with his first homily, but with his first step onto the balcony. Will it be a message that will either echo Pope Francis' call for mercy, or retreat from it?
