The papacy of Pope Francis ended with the same core doctrine for LGBTQ+ people that he inherited: The Catholic Church still rejected same-sex marriage and condemned any sexual relations between gay or lesbian partners as “intrinsically disordered.”

Yet unlike his predecessors, Francis incrementally conveyed through his actions, formal statements and occasional casual remarks that he wanted the church to be a more welcoming place for them.

Frustrated activists, wary conservatives

Among activists, there was frustration over the lack of a doctrinal breakthrough, but still there was gratitude this week for his unabashed warmth toward them.

Francis, who died Monday, “was a transformational leader who included LGBTQ people in historic ways,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of the U.S.-based advocacy group GLAAD, who met twice with the pope. “His principles of empathetic listening, inclusion, and compassion are exactly what this divided world needs right now.”

Many conservative Catholic leaders were wary of his LGBTQ+ outreach — and sometimes were angry and defiant, such as when he decided in 2023 to let priests bless same-sex couples.

Africa’s bishops united in refusing to implement the Vatican declaration, saying same-sex relationships were “contrary to the will of God.” Individual bishops in Eastern Europe, Latin America and elsewhere also voiced opposition.

The declaration restated traditional church teaching that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman. But it allowed priests to offer spontaneous blessings to same-sex couples seeking God’s grace, provided such blessings aren’t confused with the rites of a wedding.

Frances later acknowledged the declaration had encountered resistance; he faulted opposing bishops for refusing to open a dialogue about it.

“Sometimes decisions are not accepted," he said in a TV interview. "But in most cases, when you don’t accept a decision, it’s because you don’t understand.”

“This has happened with these last decisions about blessing everyone,” Francis added. “The Lord blesses everyone.”

The beneficiaries of Francis' welcoming attitude included a community of transgender women — many of them Latin American migrants who worked in Rome as prostitutes — who visited his weekly general audiences and were given VIP seats.

“Before, the church was closed to us. They didn’t see us as normal people. They saw us as the devil,” said Colombia-born Andrea Paola Torres Lopez. “Then Pope Francis arrived, and the doors of the church opened for us.”

A 2023 synod reflects Francis' mixed legacy

The pope’s mixed legacy was epitomized by the Vatican’s 2023 synod bringing together hundreds of bishops and lay people to discuss the church's future. The advance agenda mentioned LGBTQ+ issues; one of Francis’ hand-picked delegates was the Rev. James Martin, a U.S.-based Jesuit and prominent advocate of greater LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Yet in the final summary of the three-week synod, there was no mention of LGBTQ+ people — reflecting the influence of conservatives who opposed Francis’ overtures to that community.

During the synod, the pope met with a small delegation from the Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, which advocates on behalf of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the U.S.

According to the group’s executive director, Francis DeBernardo, the pope urged them never to lose hope — a message DeBernardo repeated after being disappointed by the synod’s outcome.

“The Catholic LGBTQ+ community must take Pope Francis’ message to heart,” he said. “The report’s shortcomings are an invitation to speak anew about their joys, their sorrows, and their faith. … Now is not a time to despair.”

Another disappointment came in May 2024, when Francis apologized after Italian media quoted unnamed bishops saying he jokingly used the vulgar term “faggotness” while speaking in Italian during a meeting. He had used the term in reaffirming the Vatican’s ban on allowing gay men to enter seminaries and be ordained priests.

This week, DeBernardo looked back at Francis’ legacy mostly with appreciation, even while acknowledging disappointments.

“Francis was not only the first pope to use the word 'gay’ when speaking about LGBTQ+ people, he was the first pope to speak lovingly and tenderly to them,” DeBernardo wrote. “His kind words of welcome to this community, traditionally marginalized in the church, rang loudly around the globe.”

An early message — ‘Who am I to judge?’

It became clear early in Francis’ papacy that he was going to articulate a gentler, more tolerant approach to LGBTQ+ people than any previous pope. The initial high-profile moment came in 2013 -– during the first airborne news conference of his pontificate — with his memorable “Who am I to judge” comment when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest.

Signals had come earlier. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had favored granting legal protections to same-sex couples. After becoming pope, he went on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the gay and transgender communities, steadily evolving his position. His abiding message: “Everyone, everyone, everyone” — “todos, todos, todos” — is loved by God and should be welcomed in the church.

On some specific LGBTQ+ issues, Francis initially disappointed activists with his decisions, yet later softened or reversed them as part of highlighting his welcoming approach.

Francis was criticized by the Catholic gay community for a 2021 decree from the Vatican’s doctrine office saying the church cannot bless same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin.” But that stance was effectively repudiated by the 2023 declaration on blessings.

Another reversal came that year in a Vatican statement saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for transgender people to be baptized and serve as godparents

If it did not cause scandal or “disorientation” among other Catholics, a transgender person “may receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful,” it said.

Similarly, the document said trans adults, even if they had gender-transition surgery, could serve as godparents under certain conditions. That reversed an earlier outright ban.

U.S. transgender-rights advocates welcomed Francis’ inclusive tone, noting that some political and religious leaders were targeting trans people with discriminatory laws and policies.

‘Being homosexual isn’t a crime’

Another issue tackled by Francis pertained to laws in dozens of countries criminalizing homosexual activity.

In 2008, the Vatican declined to sign a U.N. declaration calling for an end to such laws. But in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Francis assailed these laws as unjust and called for their elimination.

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said.

Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some regions support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops need to recognize the dignity of everyone.

“These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said, suggesting they should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.”

Advocates of greater LGBTQ+ inclusion hailed Francis’ comments.

“His historic statement should send a message to world leaders and millions of Catholics around the world: LGBTQ people deserve to live in a world without violence and condemnation, and more kindness and understanding,” said Ellis, the head of GLAAD.

Praise also came from Martin, who was selected by Francis as a synod delegate.

“Few bishops or bishops’ conferences have condemned the criminalizing laws that the pope rejected today,” he wrote of the AP interview.

But Jamie Manson, a lesbian who headed the U.S.-based abortion-rights group Catholics for Choice, insisted declarations were not enough.

“LGBTQ people need more than nice-sounding words in a newspaper interview in order to be safe in the Catholic Church,” she wrote. “We need doctrinal change.”

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