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Topics: Pope Francis,
Jess Hardiman
In the wake of Pope Francis's death, many people have been looking back at the rich legacy that he left behind.
The 88-year-old had made history when he was appointed head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, becoming the first ever pope from the Americas.
He went on to become known as the ‘People’s Pope’ thanks to a focus on social justice – famously calling out President Donald Trump’s deportation policies on more than one occasion.
But while he marked a progressive step forward for the role in some senses, there’s one area that he has faced criticism for in the past.
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The LGBTQ+ community has, famously, been ostracised by the Catholic faith, which traditionally condemned same-sex relationships.
So where did Pope Francis stand on the matter?
Back in 2023, he said during an interview with the Associated Press that being homosexual was ‘not a crime’, arguing that laws criminalising homosexuality or homosexual activity were ‘unjust’.
He then added: “’Yes, but it is a sin.' Fine, but first let us distinguish between a sin and a crime.
"It's also a sin to lack charity with one another.”
US Jesuit Father James Martin, editor of LGBTQ+ resource site Outreach.faith, later wrote to Francis calling on him to clarify what he had meant, with many taking his comments to mean he saw homosexuality as a ‘sin’.
He then published the reply he received from Francis, which said: "In a televised interview, where we spoke with natural and conversational language, it is understandable that there would not be such precise definitions."
He continued: "It is not the first time that I speak of homosexuality and of homosexual persons. And I wanted to clarify that it is not a crime, in order to stress that criminalization is neither good nor just.
"When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.”
Francis stressed he was ‘repeating something in general’, adding: “I should have said, 'It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage.’
"This is to speak of 'the matter' of sin, but we know well that Catholic morality not only takes into consideration the matter, but also evaluates freedom and intention; and this, for every kind of sin.
"And I would tell whoever wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong.”
While Francis, in many ways, marked some form of progression, he 'wasn't perfect' in the eyes of LGBTQ+ Catholics, according to Jason Steidl Jack, an assistant teaching professor of religious studies at St. Joseph’s University, New York.
As well as stressing that homosexuality was still a 'sin' under Catholic doctrine, Francis also came under fire for using homophobic slurs on a number of occasions.
That said, many people have still praised the steps forward that were made.
“He could have conversations that just weren’t possible under John Paul II and Benedict XVI,” Steidl Jack told NBC News.
“As the years of his papacy went on, he seemed to get more open, both to gays and lesbians, but also to the trans community.
"This is a level of openness that was unthinkable before Pope Francis. It’s been a revolution of compassion, a revolution of welcome, and it’s changed the church. It’s changed the church’s relationship to the LGBTQ community.”