Pope Leo Opens Door to Greater LGBTQ+ Equality, Says Catholic Newspaper

Pope Leo’s comments on same-sex blessings earlier this month may represent an open window to the future rather than a closed door, says a recent editorial from the  National Catholic Reporter. 

While answering questions on the plane returning from his trip to Africa, Pope Leo responded in the negative to a question about whether he would endorse formal blessings for same-sex couples. That may sound like a negative, but the NCR editorial staff urge readers to consider the bigger picture when thinking about the future of LGBTQ+ Catholic life.

Pope Leo XIV answering questions from journalists at news conference on plane ride back to Rome.

This picture includes the fact that Pope Leo has consistently– in his comments on the plane and elsewhere– emphasized two significant themes: how change occurs in the Church and that matters of morality cannot be limited to issues involving sexuality. His words from the plane interview:

“First of all, I think it’s very important that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters. We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are greater and more important issues such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion that would all take priority before that particular issue.” 

These comments indicate  Pope Leo is calling for a refocusing of what it means to follow Christ and seek justice, the editorial says, and “intentional or not, Leo’s response poses a major challenge to a segment of U.S. Catholicism that uses sexual issues — opposition to abortion and to LGBTQ+ initiatives, to name two — as proof of Catholic bona fides.” 

With this framing, “Leo is challenging Catholics across the spectrum of liberal to conservative to take what might be a discomfiting step of engaging the fullness of the Gospel,” says NCR. This challenge entails a world of possibilities for the future of LGBTQ+ Catholic concerns. 

And while Pope Leo denied the possibility of formal blessings for same-sex couples, he upheld the informal blessings approved by Pope Francis. This continuation of Pope Francis’s engagement with LGBTQ+ ministry is another source of hope, the editorial states, as it suggests greater possibilities for openness and dialogue.

As an example of such possibilities, NCR points towards New Ways Ministry’s recent series of private gatherings of bishops, LGBTQ+ Catholics, theologians, scholars, and scientific experts. Over the course of the three gatherings held since 2023, 17 U.S. bishops heard from LGBTQ+ Catholics, theologians, and pastoral workers. These gatherings have been utilizing the simple power of dialogue to address a dire issue facing LGBTQ+ Catholics: a lack of understanding.

Pope Francis with New Ways Ministry staff, October 12 2024. From left, Francis DeBernardo, Bernadette Donlon, Robert Shine, Pope Francis, Matthew Myers, Brian Flanagan, and Sr. Jeannine Gramick

Archbishop John Wester

The gatherings were held to address those gaps in awareness, with the hope that the participating bishops would leave with a greater understanding of the realities of LGBTQ+ Catholic life. Through respectful and vulnerable conversations, this is exactly what occurred. Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico remarked:

“The honest exchanges gave me a deeper insight into the issues facing LGBTQ members of the Catholic Church. The atmosphere was collegial and respectful, living up to the ideals of synodality.”

Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson, Mississippi, described one of the meetings as “an authentic expression of what the Spirit is saying to the church in

Bishop Joseph Kopacz

the worldwide synod.” 

The results of these gatherings demonstrates just how far LGBTQ+ ministry has come and where it is headed, and the writers of NCR argue that this can be seen even in Pope Leo’s comments regarding formal blessings:

“Recently on the plane, in explaining that he would not endorse the plan from German bishops about offering formalized blessings to same-sex couples, Leo referenced broader blessings and said that “to go beyond that today” could cause disunity. But tomorrow? Leo may be leaving that an open question.”

The editorial cited another example from New Ways Ministry’s work as offering another sign of hope:

“Perhaps most exemplary of the possibility of change was the cordial and encouraging personal visit Sr. Jeannine Gramick, founder of New Ways Ministry, had with Pope Francis. That moment signaled a sea change in attitude from the decades of harassment and punitive action she underwent at the hands of church officials.”

Thus, the attitude of openness and the goal of wholeness that characterized Pope Francis’s approach to LGBTQ+ Catholics is present still with Pope Leo, and this– combined with the continuing work of organizations like New Ways Ministry– bodes well for the future of LGBTQ+ Catholics.

“The Catholic Church is not a static entity fully and perfectly formed,” says NCR. “Time and again what was immutable bends and transforms. Leo may be showing us the way.”

—Phoebe Carstens, New Ways Ministry, May 20, 2026