In July 2013, Pope Francis made a groundbreaking statement regarding the LGBTQ community, declaring, "Who am I to judge?" This response to a question about a gay lobby at the Vatican marked a significant departure from previous Catholic stances, which often decried homosexuality. While conservatives were shocked, advocates welcomed the change. Over his tenure, Francis subtly guided the Church towards a more inclusive posture, emphasizing the importance of love and acceptance. He later called for legal protections for same-sex couples and encouraged bishops to respond with tenderness toward LGBTQ individuals, signaling an evolving Church perspective.
If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, the pontiff replied. Who am I to judge? They shouldn't be marginalized.
Anyone who says nothing has changed in the church today is nuts, he says, drawing a contrast between Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
God made you like this and he loves you, he told a gay man in 2018, and two years later he endorsed legal protections for same-sex couples.
Francis proceeded slowly in the face of criticism from conservatives. Still, over the course of his pontificate, he nudged the church away from condemnation toward, if not acceptance, inclusion.
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