“A revolution of welcome”: LGBTQ Catholics reflect on Pope Francis’ inclusive legacy

From Pope Francis' first major remark in July 2013,

“If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge him?”

Pope Francis set in motion what LGBTQ Catholics now call “a revolution of welcome,” softening centuries of stern language and opening new conversations in the Church.

His informal, warm style, blending Spanish and Italian, helped bring attention to marginalized voices, as when he later described laws criminalizing homosexuality as “unjust” and said “being homosexual isn’t a crime.”

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, yet his pastoral outreach endures in ongoing debates about inclusion.

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Pope Francis' early words opened a new space for LGBTQ Catholics

In July 2013, Pope Francis’s “Who am I to judge?” response to reporters represented a clear break from past teachings that described homosexuality as an “intrinsic moral evil.” In January 2023, in an exclusive AP interview, he criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust” and said,

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,”

Emphasizing respect for LGBTQ people. He also spoke in the documentary “Francesco” in 2020, saying same-sex couples deserve legal protection through civil union laws, a stance confirmed by Reuters as

“the clearest language he has used on the rights of gay people.”

In 2023, his support for priests to bless same-sex couples under limited conditions further signaled pastoral care without redefining marriage. These early statements set a tone of cautious inclusion that contrasted with centuries of stern doctrinal language.

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His meetings brought personal attention to queer voices

Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis held private meetings with LGBTQ Catholics, listening to their stories and concerns. Jason Steidl, Jack of St. Joseph’s Universit,y said,

“It’s been a revolution of compassion, a revolution of welcome, and it’s changed the church’s relationship to the LGBTQ community.”

In October 2023, Marianne Duddy-Burke of DignityUSA recalled,

“He was very warm, and he laughed with us, and he made eye contact through the whole thing. He sat and held our hands and hugged one of us.”

Michael O’Loughlin, who met Pope Francis after publishing a book on AIDS and the Church, said,

“I’ll always remember Francis for creating space for LGBT people to tell our own stories in the church.”

Transgender advocate Max Kuzma described meeting the pope last year:

“I really felt that moment of acceptance and love and support, a very pastoral feeling when you look in the eyes of the pope.”

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Pope Francis granted limited pastoral measures without changing doctrine

In December 2023, a Vatican document allowed priests to bless same-sex couples; provided the blessings did not resemble marriage ceremonies or follow civil union rituals. He had earlier called for civil union laws in 2020 to protect same-sex partners; a view widely reported by Reuters as his clearest endorsement to date.

However, the Church’s catechism still describes homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered,” and Francis never moved to rewrite that text. His limited pastoral measures faced resistance, with some African and Eastern European bishops refusing to implement the new blessings.

At the same time, his 2024 reference to “gender ideology” as the “ugliest danger” of our time reminded advocates of enduring tensions within the Church.

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Pope Francis’s papacy did not change the official doctrine on LGBTQ matters, yet his gestures opened cautious avenues for acceptance within the Catholic community. LGBTQ Catholics say his example shows that leaders can shift attitudes through small, pastoral steps and active listening.

Jason Steidl Jack noted that Francis’s approach embodied “a ministry of listening to, a ministry of openness,” a legacy some hope the next pope will continue. Critics warn that without formal doctrinal revisions, future leadership could reverse his measures, but advocates remain mindful of the “revolution of welcome” he inspired. As the Church prepares for a conclave, many LGBTQ Catholics reflect on Francis’s legacy and wonder what will come next.

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