Quote to Note: Call Us By Our Names

Pope Francis

It’s been three months since the death of Pope Francis, yet people are still commenting on how good it was that be “broke the ice” for the church’s conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. It is true that he did not change church teaching about same -gender relationships or about gender transition, but his small gestures have certainly had a profound impact throughout the Catholic world.

One Catholic queer woman wrote about how his simple, pastoral outreach changed the church in ways that are sure to last.  In a U.S. Catholic article entitled “For LGBTQ+ Catholics, Pope Francis’ message of love endures,” Emma Cieslik sums up Pope Francis’ legacy in this way:

“Pope Francis did call us by our names. Yes, he has used slurs that have hurt us before, names that have been used to cut us down, but by even mentioning our names—homosexual, transgender, gay—we have become part of the church’s two thousand years of history. That is a legacy that will be hard in the internet age to erase—and one that lays the groundwork for inclusion.

“Even though the church is slow to change, Pope Francis calling us by our names, mentioning us, meeting with us, listening to us—affirming our humanity—is his legacy and one that will touch the lives not only of every LGBTQ+ Catholic but also of every parent finding the courage to call their own child just as Jesus called them.”

Pope Francis was not perfect–who among us is?–but his example of simple, pastoral love will be the kind of actions that will eventually tear down the walls of opposition to LGBTQ+ equality in the church.

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, July 23, 2025