Will Leo Foster the LGBTQ+ Seeds Francis Planted?

Emma Cieslik

With Pope Leo succeeding  Pope Francis, who was widely regarded to be the Catholic Church’s most gay-friendly popemany LGBTQ+ Catholics seem to think the church is at a crossroads, observed writer Emma Cieslik in an essay in Sojourners.

Because queer and transgender children will continue to be born into Catholic families,” Cieslik points out that it will be “up to the next pope to tend and foster the seeds of inclusion that Francis planted.”

Since the papal election in May, Cieslik reports feeling both “relieved and apprehensive.” While Pope Leo has been outspoken against anti-immigrant rhetoric, but has also has also put forward that heterosexual marriages are the foundation for  families. As recently as May 16th, he said the family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman.” Cieslik said this statement “denies the existence and beauty of queer families.”

The writer did see hope in Pope Leo’s inaugural address which she discussed wih  pro-LGBTQ+ Jesuit Father James Martin. She writes:

Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, at their first appearances as new popes.

“In his first address, Leo called for ‘building bridges,’ perhaps a subtle nod to Francis’ intention to foster connection and community as opposed to exclusion and separation. In a May 2025 interview with me, Father James Martin, a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ Catholics and founder of the LGBTQ+ Catholic resource Outreach, told me that his sense was that ‘[Pope Leo XIV] was using the metaphor in the most general sense; indeed, Pope Francis often said we should build bridges, not walls.’

“Whether or not it was meant to apply in general or as a specific reference to building bridges with LGBTQ+ Catholics, the phrase spoke to LGBTQ+ Catholics. In 2017, Martin published Building a Bridge, a book about how the Catholic church can enter into a relationship of respect, compassion, and sensitivity with LGBTQ+ people. The key metaphor of ‘building a bridge’ is described by Martin as the Church’s need to ‘reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration.’”

Cieslik also pointed out though Pope Francis is remembered for his friendliness to LGBTQ+ Catholics, he  also sometimes echoed less positive views about the LGBTQ+ community. She faults him because she said he “oversaw the release of Dignitas Infinita, a document denying the existence and dignity of trans, nonbinary, and intersex Catholics.”

But Pope Francis is broadly remembered for his response “Who am I to judge?” in 2013, who a reporter asked him  about the sexual orientation of priests. Pope Francis undeniably improved inclusivity in the Catholic Church, and his commitment to “building bridges.”

Quoting Fr. Martin, Cieslik ended on the note that now the next move is now  up to Pope Leo:

“I hope that Pope Leo will continue the very positive legacy of Pope Francis, who helped to make the church more of a place where LGBTQ Catholics, and their families and friends, feel welcomed and valued.”

–Elsie Carson-Holt, New Ways Ministry, June 11, 2025