Despite his efforts to merge LGBTQIA+ and Catholic communities, Pope Francis tries to resolve tensions following a harmful name calling incident.

There are around 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world today, united in a common Church defined in large part by its belief in the primacy of Saint Peter and in its head, the Pope, as his successor. Despite immense growth over its two millennia of history, the central tenet of Catholicism remains the same, as described in Matthew 22:37-39: “To love God with all your soul, heart, strength and mind [and] to love your neighbor as yourself—the Golden Rule, as many refer to it today.” 

Despite these ideals, and guided by conservative religious principles, the Catholic Church has often been hostile toward the LGBTQIA+ community. Recently, on May 28, Pope Francis extended a formal apology for his use of the word “fociaggine”, an offensive Italian slang word referring to the gay community. The Pope used the word behind closed doors in a private meeting with 250 Italian Bishops when asked about whether openly gay men should be admitted into seminaries (priesthood colleges). The press office director for The Holy See Matteo Bruni told the public that the Pope never intended to offend people or come across as homophobic, extending the Pope’s apologies to those that were hurt by the slur. 

Throughout its history, the relationship between LGBTQIA+ community and the Catholic Church has often been tense. In 1975, the Vatican issued a declaration stating that, “Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and can in no case be approved of.” Despite verbal support of the gay community, the Catholic Church itself does not officially recognize same-sex marriages. 

In 2013, Pope Francis responded, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about his stance on gay priests, opening the conversation on the gay community’s involvement with the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is thought of by many as revolutionary for the LGBTQIA+ community, with CNN noting that he, “has shifted the church’s tone and approach to gay people, refusing to take a judgemental stance, something that church institutions and leaders had often been accused of doing in the past.” The Pope’s decision to bless same-sex couples in 2023 was a landmark move for the community, the Vatican document opening “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, [leaving decisions to] the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers.”

Although blessings were not formally allowed until 2023, some progressive priests conducted them unofficially for years prior. Ultimately, discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community varies across dioceses and parishes. Some communities are very welcoming, within the Church policy limits, whereas others will quickly deny membership to those affiliated with LGBTQIA+. The Human Rights Campaign states that, “There have been recent instances of LGBTQIA+ employees in the United States being dismissed from Catholic schools and parishes following the celebration of a same-sex couple’s marriage.” In addition to the gay community, the transgender community is also discriminated against. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in September 2015 prevented a transgender man in Spain from serving as a godfather, barring transgender Catholics from serving as baptismal sponsors.

Over the decade of his papacy, Pope Francis has served as a beacon of hope for the LGBTQIA+ community, long used to hostility from organized religion. In early 2023, he called for the elimination of laws in many countries that criminalized homosexuality, stating that “being homosexual isn’t a crime.” The Vatican also announced in late 2023 that transgender people may be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents under special circumstances. Although there has been progress for the LGBTQIA+ community in Pope Francis's Catholic Church, his recent comments serve as a reminder that these are recent, fragile developments that still leave much room for improvement.