Summary:
On 7 May 2025, Cardinals will gather in the Vatican for the conclave to elect a new Pope. Millions of LGBTI Catholics and beyond are waiting to find out more about the direction that the Church will head towards.
During his term, Pope Francis opened doors with gestures of compassion and conversation, inspired hope in our communities, and fostered dialogue across religions.
In 2019, ILGA World was part of a historic meeting in the Vatican. There, the Secretary of State said it clearly: the Church is against all forms of violence and supports respecting the dignity of all persons.
But real equality has remained distant. Pope Francis’ legacy for LGBTI people is mixed—at time welcoming, and at times creating setbacks to inclusion.
With his words and actions, the Pope shapes social attitudes, laws, and lives—not just for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, but across societies. For millions of LGBTI people, his voice can mean either stigma or safety.
We need a Church that
- ends harmful rhetoric around the inexistent ‘gender ideology’
- respects everyone’s right to make informed choices about their bodies
- condemns the criminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts
- stops using faith to justify ‘conversion therapies’
- upholds dignity for trans and intersex people
- embraces families of all kinds
Many LGBTI persons are people of faith, deeply loved by their creator with all the different parts of who they are.
But too many LGBTI people still have nowhere to turn to, while some reactionary politicians and religious leaders across the world use our lives to cover up their own failures.
At the core of all our faiths, whatever its form, is love. And love is at the core of a better future for everyone.
A new Pope brings new choices. As the smoke rises, we hope the Catholic Church chooses love over fear, inclusion over silence. And we’ll keep working to make this hope a reality for everyone.
Share this content
View this post on Instagram