Papa Francis is the primary inclusion. LGBTQ Catholics I hope the new pope finish what he started.

As locked To choose a new pope begins this weekLGBTQ Catholics hopes whoever pick up the finish work Papa Francis started more than 20 years ago.

Papa Francis, who died at 88 last month, was the first Pontif who was publicly involved in the Catholic community of LGBTQ. Did not change the doctrine, but changed the conversation by making support to legal civil unions, a personal meeting with LGBTQ groups and expanding Blessings for individuals in same-sex unions.

“Francis was a really breath of fresh air, and revolutionary in the way he spoke to church leaders to approach and relate to LGBTQ people,” said Francis Dubrado, the Catholic Reach that educates and advocates for LGBTQ persons.

Deklado said that the previous two papes before Francis kept anti-gay attitudes, probably the most popular in the church history. Under Francis, the papacy adopted a different tone according to the LGBTQ community.

Some priesthood and Catholics in the community of hope Final – in which Some Frontrunners They seem to share Francis inclusive views – will continue their work.

“Who am I to judge?”

Just four months after Francis became Pope 2013, he created controversy when, during the July Journalists, he replied to a journalistic question about Gay Clergy. He said, “If someone gay and he is looking for the Lord and has a good will, who am I to judge?” Francis’ answer left against the years of Catholic precedent.

These words, which echoed around the world, Place a very different tone From the previous relationship, the Church had a gay priesthood and members. His predecessors of John Paul II and Benedict XVI were far less acceptance of LGBTQ people. Benedict XVI posted first Modern formal statement denies homosexuality in 1986. years.

The tract was written by Benedict while the cardinal under Pope John Paul II was still. John Paul supported Benedict a message, and explicitly and explicitly denied legal recognition for the same-sex marriage. That feeling prevailed in 2003. years when the Vatican officially opposes The same sexual unions.

In response to Vatican’s hardline views, LGBTQ people held protests during the 1987 John Paula visit. Years. During the trip, he stopped in several cities, but the resistance was the most famous during his time in San Francisco. San Francisco was selected from the AIDS epidemic and during the visit, the Pope was met with activists who possess protest signs and participate in the procluents of candles and prayer vigil, hoping to make changes.

In the catechism of the Catholic Church, which is an official document that outlines Catholic beliefs, the Church still sees homosexual acts as “intrinsically immoral and opposite to the natural law”. The text says that homosexual tendencies are “objectively unregulated.”

Cristina Traina, Professor Theological Department at the Fordham University, says that the language used in Katekism is not translated into everyday life to describe homosexuality.

“You could read (” objectively disrupted “) as just a technical expression, but people read it as essentially evil and broken,” said the train. “It’s a technical term, but certainly doesn’t work pastorally.”

With his public comments, Papa Francis began to change the narrative. Francis called the homosexuality of “human fact” during a Interview May 2024 With CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell. He has personally met with LGBTQ Catholic groups, including Defubla’s new way of the Ministry, and he explained that transgender people can be baptized and serve as a godfather and godparents.

Potential to continue progress

The train sees the potential to continue progress in the Church, despite the death of Pope Francis, because the attitudes among everyday Catholics have changed.

“These things change to Earth and in practice, then change in the Vatican and that is the last thing that changes,” the train said.

Study 2020. years From the UCLA’s Williams Institute, she found that there are about 11.3 million LGBTQ adults in the United States, and about 5.3 million of them were religiously, including about 1.3 million who are Roman.

Although 69% Americans support the same sex marriage, political figures like Vice President JD Vance, Catholic Converter, continue to push for traditional family values ​​and support laws that allow religious exemption for LGBTQ protection. While campaigns for their American headquarters 2022. years, one of the laws he said to vote “no” for Respect for marriage lawwhich provided federal protection for the same sexual and interracial marriages.

Teresa Thompson is a member Catholic lesbians In the church of St. Francis Xavier in New York. Catholic lesbians were founded in 1995. years and has over 300 members.

Thompson, who grew up Catholic, began to inspire from religion during the faculty, who was also accidentally when she came out like a lesbian. Although her move away from religion did not because of her sexuality, she felt like he could not return to Catholicism. It began to move when Francis adopted a compassionate tone towards LGBTQ people, and Thompson discovered the communities she was greeted.

As approaches to approaches, Thompson hopes that the new Pope will continue to work Francis began.

“I think there’s a sense of nervousness, not sure what will happen,” Thompson said. “If we look at the structure of the Cardinal Faculty, Francis appointed so many cardinals to do it unlikely to return, but also who says?”

Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of new ways of the ministry, thinks the next pope mirror Papa Francis rather than to undo their legacy.

“My sense is that cardinal voters will choose someone who (follow) in Pope Francis steps,” Gramick said. “So if it’s proven exactly, then the changes that Pope Francis led will not be undone.”

In his conversations with LGBTQ Catholics, Gramick says he feels a lot of hope for the future, and hopes for the Pope who will go even more than Francis.

“(LGBTQ) People, they are looking for more changes, and I think the primary change is looking for is to change the sexual ethics to learn the church,” Gramick said. “Catechism has not yet changed.”

Watching the conclap for traces

With a secure set to start, Some of the cardinal Who could be candidates who were willing to continue Francis legacy. As reported by the CBS news, they include:

• Cardinal Peter Erdo, Archbishop Budapest, Hungary
• Cardinal Friedolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General for Synod Bishop
• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State Vatican
• Cardinal Pierbattista Picaballa, Latino patriarch from Jerusalem
• Cardinal Luis Tagle Philippines
• Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop Bologna, Italy
• Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Archbishop Stockholm
• Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix Quebec

Cardinal Grech advocated for compassionate language when he talks about LGBTQ people and talked about the importance of involving all members, including LGBTQ people, according to New via the Ministry.

The cardinal taggle was also considered about LGBTQ Catholics and was the Francis ally. Cardinal Zuppi is another move that supports Francis’s hugs of LGBTQ Catolics, according to the new road.

“I vote for the cardinal taggle to be the first Filipino Pope,” Thompson said. “I think that in character and ideas, he is very similar to Francis and I lived in the Philippines, so I also have a special place in my heart for the idea of ​​the Filipino Pope.”

The train says it hopes for both someone like the tag, but they note that the prediction is who will be the new pope almost impossible.

“It is often difficult to say what (cardinal) will actually do when they enter the papacy, because Francis was also a surprise,” said the trail. “Because we have a global college of Cardinal, now a list of options is much longer.”

Although Thompson throws his personal support behind the cardinal board, she calls on the electorate to allocate their political motivations as they threw their voices.

“I really hope this will be a moment where leaders can exercise what she preached,” Thompson said. “In Ignatian spirituality, there is a practice of making decisions (where) Let the notions (s) allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. … try to cross the church really wants to move forward.”