VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV, in remarks in 2012 when he was the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, made comments critical of what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.
Reports about the 2012 comments emerged after Thursday’s election of U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost to succeed Pope Francis; he took the name Leo XIV.
The remarks were “disappointing,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a U.S.-based group that advocates for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church.
“We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his (Leo’s) heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened,” DeBernardo said in a statement.
A 2012 video provided to Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. bishops conference, featured Prevost’s address to the world Synod of Bishops against the backdrop of images from popular TV series and movies.
“Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel, for example abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia,” Prevost said.
He singled out “how alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today.”
When he became a cardinal in 2023, Catholic News Service asked him if his views had changed. He acknowledged Pope Francis’ call for a more inclusive church, saying Francis “made it very clear that he doesn’t want people to be excluded simply on the basis of choices that they make, whether it be lifestyle, work, way to dress, or whatever.”
But he underlined that doctrine had not changed, in line with Francis. “And people haven’t said yet (that) we’re looking for that kind of change,” Prevost said. “But we are looking to be more welcoming and more open and to say all people are welcome in the church.”
In his first remarks as pope on Thursday night, Leo spoke about building bridges and God’s love for all.
The Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit who founded an LGBTQ+ outreach ministry, said such an invitation to inclusiveness and welcome was important and he considered the cardinals’ choice of Prevost “brilliant.”
“He is humble, reserved, straightforward, trustworthy. I think he brings a wealth of experience not only (from) his long time in Peru working with the poor, but also in the Vatican,” Martin said. “It’s rare to come in contact with someone who is actually humble and not pretending to be humble. And he’s the real deal. And that really cemented my respect for him. He always treated me with great respect, dignity, friendship. He’s a man of few words, and I’ll say that when he talked, people listened.”
Francis, more than any of his predecessors, incrementally conveyed through his actions, formal statements and occasional casual remarks that he wanted the church to be a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people. Yet his papacy ended with the same core doctrine for LGBTQ+ people that he inherited: The Catholic Church still rejected same-sex marriage and condemned any sexual relations between gay or lesbian partners as “intrinsically disordered.”
The U.S.-based LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD called on the new pontiff to “build on the progress” made by his predecessor.
“The Roman Catholic Church stands on the threshold of a hopeful and inclusive new chapter. With Pope Leo XIV’s leadership, there is an extraordinary opportunity to inspire billions around the world and further embrace LGBTQ people with compassion, dignity, and love,” GLADD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.
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Crary reported from New York. Barry reported from Soave, Italy. Nicole Winfield contributed.
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