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.
Leo's thoughts on the LGBTQ+ community have not been widely reported, but at a meeting of bishops in 2021, “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: 'JD Vance is wrong,' new Pope Leo XIV once posted on social media
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."
