Pope and gay rights
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 world to dial 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 look for forgiveness from gay people and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples.
Leo has not discussed LGBTQ+ issues since his election, but previous comments he made about homosexuality have "disappointed" members of the Gay faithful.
Here's everything you dependency to know.
What is Francis' legacy on trans rights?
Francis, who died on April 21, was seen as more accepting of Gay 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 same-sex attracted people should not be dis
What Pope Francis said about controversial issues from lgbtq+ 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 evolving stance on issues from LGBTQ rights to gay marriage to immigration construct him one of the most progressive and formative popes of the new era.
Here are memorable moments from Francis' time where he voiced his judgments on those topics.
Francis' stance on members of the LGBTQ community
In December 2023, Francis formally signed off on allowing Catholic priests to bless 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 analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection."
"A blessing applications people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy and the closeness
Pope Francis allows blessings for same-sex couples under certain conditions
The Vatican has approved a landmark ruling to allow Roman Catholic priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples as lengthy as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor given in contexts comparable to civil unions or weddings.
A document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office approved by Pope Francis on Monday said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all.
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end of listThe document backed “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex” but “this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them”.
It said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and “should not
Pope Francis gives green pale to blessings for gay couples
Same-sex couples can now receive blessings from priests – as elongated as the ritual is not confused with the sacrament of marriage, which in the Catholic Church can only take place between a man and a woman.
Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless queer couples, with a novel document explaining a fundamental change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis" to receive it.
The document from the Vatican's doctrine office, released Monday, December 18, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn't confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.
The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a chick. And it stresses that blessings in question must be non-liturgical in character and should not be conferred at the alike time as a civil union, using set rituals or even
.