Reprinted with permission from the Bay Area Reporter (https://www.ebar.com/story/154226/News/Pope Francis, who changed Catholic approach to LGBTQs, dies)

Pope Francis, who made the Catholic Church less hostile toward LGBTQ people, died Monday in Rome. He was 88.

For most of his life, he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and at the time he was elected the church’s 266th pontiff, he was the cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which made him the first pope from the Americas, and the first from outside Europe since the eighth century.

In his 12 years on the throne of St. Peter, Francis invoked the ire of some conservatives in the church, who saw in him a move back to the liberalizing tendencies of the mid-20th century that had been halted by his predecessors, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Francis published a papal encyclical on climate change, spoke on behalf of migrants, and butted heads with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the latter of whom is Catholic, and whom he met for the first time April 20, which was Easter Sunday.

But perhaps nowhere was this dissatisfaction more evident than on the issue of LGBTQ people’s place in the church, which with over 1.4 billion members is the world’s largest Christian denomination. Long-standing Catholic teaching is that while homosexuality isn't sinful per se, it is a sin to have sex with someone of the same sex.

Shortly after he became pope in 2013, Francis became The Advocate’s person of the year after he said to a reporter, “If a person is Gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

At the time, the prominent LGBTQ publication stated that this was “a stark change in rhetoric from his two predecessors.”

It was notably the first time a pope was heard to say the word “Gay” instead of “homosexual.” Francis’s predecessor Benedict had added to the Catholic catechism that homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered.”

The issue came up again in 2023 when — with some countries enacting harsh anti-Gay laws — the pope encouraged the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide in an Associated Press interview, saying, “It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”

Later that year, he approved blessings for same-sex couples — provided it was clearly distinguished from a marriage rite.

"The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else," stated Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. "This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God. Therefore, with its untiring wisdom and motherly care, the church welcomes all who approach God with humble hearts, accompanying them with those spiritual aids that enable everyone to understand and realize God's will fully in their existence."

As the Bay Area Reporter was first to report in January 2024, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone put restrictions on these blessings. In a memo, he wrote that the Vatican document had been misunderstood "by some reports and analyses" but did not indicate how, stating, "Please do not rely on secular media stories, which are easily fueled by ignorance, animosity, and judgmentalism."

Thus, Cordileone had instructed, “Any priest has the right to deny such blessings if, in his judgment, doing so would be a source of scandal in any way.”

Cordileone stated to the B.A.R. that, “Upon learning the news of Pope Francis’s passing, let us join together in prayer that the Lord may grant him safe passage to the heavenly Kingdom and give him the reward of God’s good and faithful servants.”

“The outpouring of prayers, good will and love for our Holy Father not only from Catholics but from people of different faiths all over the world is edifying and personally fills me with gratitude,” the archbishop continued. “Pope Francis called on us all to give more, sacrifice more, and care more about the poorest and most vulnerable, from the tiny infant in the womb, to the elderly and infirmed, to the migrant and the refugee. Let us take inspiration from his words and example and put that inspiration into action. That is the greatest tribute we could give to him.”\

Francis's funeral will be in Rome Saturday, April 26.

Reaction

LGBTQ leaders and organizations reacted to the pope’s passing.

“I’m saddened by Pope Francis’s loss but also grateful for what his leadership meant to make our church more inclusive and more faithful to its social justice traditions,” stated Gay San Francisco District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who is Catholic. “Progress comes slowly to the Catholic Church, but there’s [no] denying Pope Francis was a force for progress — for the LGBTQ+ community, for immigrants, for environmental stewardship, and more. So, I’ll be praying for my church this week, and hoping to see continued progressive leadership for a world that really needs that right now.”

Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministries, an LGBTQ Catholic affinity group, stated on April 21, “Francis was not only the first pope to use the word ‘Gay’ when speaking about LGBTQ+ people, he was the first pope to speak lovingly and tenderly to them.

“His kind words of welcome to this community, traditionally marginalized in the church, rang loudly around the globe. His recommendation to pastoral ministers and church leaders to accompany, listen, and dialogue with LGBTQ+ people has opened doors that had been sealed shut by the homophobia and transphobia of previous pontiffs.

“Even with his many groundbreaking milestones, Pope Francis did have areas where his welcome was not as wide as it could have been. In the area of gender identity and Transgender issues, the pontiff adhered closely to the male-female gender binary, referring to any newer understandings of gender identity as ‘gender ideology’ or ‘ideological colonization.’ His misunderstanding and mischaracterization of gender identity did not, however, prevent Pope Francis from reaching out with compassion to Transgender people, continually calling for people to respect the inherent human dignity of these minorities.”

Stan JR Zerkowski, a Gay man who is the executive director of the LGBTQ Catholic-affinity group Fortunate Families and director of Catholic LGBT ministry for the Diocese of Lexington, stated to the B.A.R. that Francis will be remembered for fighting "the globalization of indifference."

"He did this by treating each person as a valued and precious child of God," Zerkowski stated. "Pastoral application with generous mercy was his quest for the leaders of the Church.

"In recognizing the dignity of LGBTQ persons, he recognized the hurt that many lived. He called us to listen to one another, to communicate, to respect diversity of opinion, and to do so with humor, and with utmost mercy and compassion. Today, the rubber meets the road as far as living what we celebrated yesterday [Easter Sunday]; while we mourn this good man’s passing, we rejoice because he has fulfilled his purpose on this plane and gone to that place where we hope to follow. We must celebrate his new life and look to his example to be people who continue to build the culture of encounter with joy and a smile."

The LGBTQ Catholic group DignityUSA also shared [its] thoughts. Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke, a Lesbian, met the late pope in 2023.

"I had the chance to thank him for his statement that the criminalization of our identities and relationships had to stop and to urge him to press for its implementation globally," she stated. "I shared stories of LGBTQ+ people who had been harmed by church teachings or when pastoral care was refused. I told him how being part of a worldwide community of LGBTQ+ Catholics gave me a better sense of how faith is lived out in many cultures. He said our work was important and that we must keep moving forward."

Duddy-Burke acknowledged, “Even with the recognition of so many positive words and actions, church teachings and even some recent Vatican documents remain problematic.

"Many LGBTQ+ people and families welcomed the pronouncement that same-sex couples can be blessed by priests and allowing Transgender people to be baptized and to serve as godparents. However, Dignitas Infinita’s equating Transgender people’s need to embrace their gender with evils like poverty and sexual abuse and failing to change catechetical teachings that say being Gay is inconsistent with God’s plan for humanity continue to lead to discrimination and even violence.”

Emmanuel Romero, co-chair of Dignity San Francisco, stated to the B.A.R. that LGBTQ Catholics are saddened by Francis's death.

"In a political climate where vitriol and cruelty to others are increasingly considered alluring or even fun, the late pope led with compassion and humility," Romero stated. "I don't think people understand how precious that is."

Conceding some faults, Romero said nonetheless for Queer Catholics, Francis was "the best leader we had to date."

"Francis made it a point to listen to the stories of LGBTQ Catholics," Romero continued. "He honored the stories of our lived experiences, and we pray his successor continues this conversation of welcome in a positive way."

Also issuing a statement early Monday was former President Joe Biden, who is Catholic.

“It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him,” Biden stated. “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him. For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased.”

Biden awarded Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction earlier this year, before he left office.

“As pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths,” Biden continued. “He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope — a light of faith, hope, and love.”

Vance stated via X, sharing link to a March 2020 sermon of the late pope’s, that “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”

Trump — whom Francis once controversially said was “not Christian” due to his stance on immigration — stated, “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), a former House speaker, also shared condolences in a statement on behalf of her and her husband.

"It is with immense sadness that Paul and I join our fellow Catholics and people of faith around the world in mourning the loss of Pope Francis: a beacon of charity, hope and love for all people of faith," she stated. "His Holiness rekindled the faith of Catholics worldwide, with a triumphant message of peace that has inspired a generation."

"Francis personified our sacred responsibility in the Gospel of Matthew to honor the spark of divinity in the least of our brethren — championing the poor, the worker, the refugee and the immigrant. He reminded us of our inescapable duty to those struggling to escape poverty and persecution in our communities and around the world. Many of us who met His Holiness know that he would always say, ‘Pray for me.’ Now, we will pray to him and pledge to carry on his towering legacy. May he rest in peace."