American Pope Leo XIV Elected Amid LGBTQ+ Community Concern

Robert Francis Prevost, newly elected as Pope Leo XIV and the first American pope, has a complex history regarding LGBTQ+ issues that has raised concern among LGBTQ+ Catholics. While he has been seen as a centrist and moderate reformer close to Pope Francis, comments from 2012 resurfaced in which he criticized media portrayals of the "homosexual lifestyle" and same-sex families as being at odds with the Gospel, calling for a new evangelization to counter these influences. Despite his past criticisms, Pope Leo XIV echoed Pope Francis's inclusive message at his introduction, emphasizing the Church's mission to welcome all with charity and love. Nevertheless, some LGBTQ+ advocates remain cautious due to his conservative stances on certain doctrinal matters, such as opposition to ordaining women as deacons, even as he supports the meaningful participation of women in church roles. His papacy follows Pope Francis's incremental efforts to make the Church more welcoming toward LGBTQ+ people, though the core doctrine rejecting same-sex marriage and sexual relations outside traditional marriage remains unchanged. The election of Pope Leo XIV marks a continuation of tensions within the Church between tradition and inclusion, with diverse reactions from both within and outside the Catholic community.