Pope Francis changed the conversation on LGBTQ+ Catholics—will the next Pontiff hit mute?

As we mark the end of Pope Francis' time as leader of the global Roman Catholic Church, his impact on LGBTQ+ Catholics is one area many are considering.

His 12-year reign will be remembered as bringing groundbreaking advances on LGBTQ+ issues in the church. His early response of "Who am I to judge?" to an in-flight reporter's question about gay priests sent shockwaves and joy to a world that had come to expect immediate condemnation whenever gay issues were raised with Vatican figures.

Throughout his Papacy, Francis spoke with and about Queer people using our terminology—he referred to us as "gay," "transgender," and "LGBT." There were recent incidents where he used inexplicably offensive slurs. Still, he generally demonstrated respect by choosing our language rather than the traditional clinical and demeaning terms in Vatican discourse and documents.

Pope Francis' meetings with many, many LGBTQ+ people, and the public visibility of these meetings, have normalized LGBTQ+ inclusion in our church. I am among those who have represented our community in such meetings. I was invited to meet Pope Francis in October 2023, along with two other Board members of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics. I asked if the Pope knew I also represented DignityUSA, which the Vatican still considered a dissenting organization and banned from Catholic spaces. As a married lesbian and parent of adopted children, he was assured he was well-informed about each person invited to such meetings. In that encounter, the Pope listened carefully, seemed delighted by the gifts we presented, and held hands as we spoke.

He told us our work was essential and we should keep pressing forward.

Pope Francis is also responsible for some significant changes in church practice. He called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, the first Pope to do so. His pronouncement that priests could bless same-sex couples brought joy to many couples and, perhaps even more significantly, to Catholic parents, grandparents, and siblings of lesbian and gay people. He declared that transgender people could be baptized and serve as godparents, even if they had transitioned socially or medically. He has prevented efforts to strip schools that have supported LGBTQ+ students and staff of their Catholic identity. There was an open discussion of LGBTQ+ concerns during the recent global Synod, including at the official Synod Assemblies in 2023 and 2024.

However, official church teachings still refer to being gay as an "objective disorder," and to same-sex intimacy as "intrinsically evil." The recent document Dignitas Infinitaequated transgender people living in their true gender with human evils, including war, poverty, and sexual abuse. The persistence of such degrading teachings subjects LGBTQ+ people to discrimination and violence, justifies unequal access to our church's pastoral care and sacraments, and creates heartache and division among families, communities, and the Body of Christ.

It is painful to many and tragic for some that these teachings remain unchanged.

Of course, at times of transition, our thoughts leap ahead. Many fear that a traditionalist Pope will succeed Francis. However, Pope Francis appointed over 75% of those who will serve as Electors. Therefore, it seems reasonable to hope that when a new Pope is chosen, he will continue leading our church toward greater inclusion, respect for the dignity of all, and prioritizing human needs over dogma. With many nations experiencing increases in nationalism and xenophobia at the same time we face global crises of climate change and migration, there is an increasing need for the Catholic church to be a consistent moral voice for those on the margins, including LGBTQ+ people.

During Francis' Papacy, LGBTQ+ people, our concerns, needs, and gifts became part of the mainstream of the church. We are no longer invisible or voiceless. This is Francis' lasting legacy for our community.

Marianne Duddy-Burke is the Executive Director of DignityUSA and co-chair of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics. She holds a master’s in theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now Boston College). She is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences, and has represented Dignity in over 3,500 media stories, covering print, radio, television, and on-line media. She has spoken on LGBTQI+ issues in eight countries. She has written for The New York Times, National Catholic Reporter, The Advocate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and numerous other publications. She is featured in the award-winning documentary film Wonderfully Made:LGBTQ+R(eligion), the video DignityUSA: A Conversation with Marianne Duddy, and is profiled in the books Redemption Stories: Unwasted Pain and Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Anger and Hope.

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