We take a look at how queer people may be affected under this new leadership
BY VIOLET NEWTON-WILD, IMAGE BY FLICKR
Who is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV?
Pope Francis, who served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years, passed away on 21 April at the age of 88. On 8 May, the College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, has become the first American to assume the papacy. Despite being born in Chicago, he is widely regarded as a Latin American cardinal due to his extensive missionary work in Peru. He is acknowledged for his significant work with marginalised communities and commitment to building bridges. He will lead and guide over 1.3 billion followers worldwide, shaping the Catholic community through his teachings, leadership and influence over Church policy.
What were Pope Francis’s views on LGBTQIA rights?
Pope Francis, the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, left a profound impact on both the Church and global affairs through his advocacy for marginalised groups, environmental protection, and institutional reform within the Vatican. Throughout his papacy, debates concerning the status and inclusion of the LGBTQIA community within the Catholic Church remained an ongoing discussion. While he upheld the Vatican’s traditional stance that homosexual acts are considered sinful, he simultaneously emphasised that homosexual orientation itself was not.
Pope Francis expressed that homosexual individuals should not be marginalised from the Church stating, “if a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” In 2019, the LGBT Catholics Westminster group met with the Pope at the Vatican, symbolising a significant step toward improving the Church’s relationship with the LGBTQIA community. A pivotal moment occurred in 2023 when Pope Francis authorised the blessing of same-sex couples. Additionally, he permitted gay men to enter the priesthood, provided they remained celibate.
What are Pope Leo’s LGBTQIA views?
Since the announcement of Pope Leo’s papacy, considerable speculation has arisen regarding his views on LGBTQIA rights. By selecting his papal name, Leo, he has, according to experts, signalled a commitment to addressing social issues. Historically, Popes bearing this name have expressed progressive ideals: Pope Leo I persuaded Attila the Hun to turn back from his invasion of Rome, while Pope Leo XIII wrote an influential treatise on workers’ rights. Leo XIV has so far shown support for the Vatican’s 2023 directive permitting the blessing of same-sex couples. Although, he elaborated that bishops must interpret such guidelines in accordance with local contexts and cultures. As a result, his views remain ambiguous, as he has neither fully endorsed nor rejected the document.
However, some groups believe Leo may potentially be less supportive of LGBTQIA issues than his predecessor. In 2012, Leo expressed concerns that Western culture promotes sympathy for beliefs and practices that do not align with the Gospel, specifically mentioning the “homosexual lifestyle” and “same-sex partners and their adopted children.” During his eight-year tenure as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, he notably opposed a government initiative to introduce teachings on gender in schools, asserting that “promoting gender ideology is confusing because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.”
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