Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, at age 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
Per the Vatican News, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced, “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
The pontiff was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Feb. 14 after suffering from a bout of bronchitis; he later contracted bilateral pneumonia, eventually returning to his residence to continue his recovery. He made his last appearance on Easter Sunday, and also met with Vice President JD Vance, The Advocate noted.
According to Reuters, Francis inherited a deeply divided Catholic Church after the 2013 resignation of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. (Benedict passed away in 2022.) The conservative-progressive gap widened after Francis, from Argentina, was elected the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.
Conservatives were unhappy with the pope from the start because of his informal style, his aversion to pomp and his decision to allow women and Muslims to take part in a Holy Thursday ritual that previously had been restricted to Catholic men. They also resented his pleas for the Church to be more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people and his approval of conditional blessings for same-sex couples in December 2023.
However, despite his relatively progressive leanings, Francis left a complicated legacy with the queer community.
When he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the pope visited HIV/AIDS patients in hospice, according to a 2013 profile in the National Catholic Reporter. Also in 2013, when a journalist asked about gay priests being included, Francis said, “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with goodwill, who am I to judge?”
The pope also upheld that the church should apologize to LGBTQ+ people for mistreating them, The Advocate noted. (The Advocate named Francis its 2013 Person of the Year.) But Francis did not change church doctrine; in 2016, he approved a Vatican document reaffirming that “persons with homosexual tendencies” are barred from Roman Catholic seminaries and the priesthood.
Another example of Francis’s mixed legacy involves transgender people. Francis was behind the ordinance that allowed transgender people to be baptized as Catholics, serve as godparents and be witnesses at weddings—but he also officially denied the existence of transgender identities and criticized gender-affirming surgeries, although he met with a group of trans women in 2023. And just last year, the pontiff denounced surrogacy and pornography.
Marianne Duddy-Burke (executive director of the LGBTQ+ Catholic group DignityUSA) met Pope Francis in October 2023. “I never expected I’d have a chance to represent DignityUSA and the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics in a meeting with a pontiff,” said Duddy-Burke in a statement. “I had the chance to thank him for his statement that the criminalization of our identities and relationships had to stop and to urge him to press for its implementation globally. I shared stories of LGBTQ+ people who had been harmed by church teachings or when pastoral care was refused. I told him how being part of a worldwide community of LGBTQ+ Catholics gave me a better sense of how faith is lived out in many cultures. He said our work was important and that we must keep moving forward. As a moment, that meant so much to people around the United States and in many other countries.”
However, DignityUSA also acknowledged that Francis’ legacy on LGBTQ+ issues is complex. “Even with the recognition of so many positive words and actions, church teachings and even some recent Vatican documents remain problematic,” said Duddy-Burke “Many LGBTQ+ people and families welcomed the pronouncement that same-sex couples can be blessed by priests and allowing transgender people to be baptized and to serve as godparents. However, Dignitas Infinita’s equating transgender peoples’ need to embrace their gender with evils like poverty and sexual abuse and failing to change catechetical teachings that say being gay is inconsistent with God’s plan for humanity continue to lead to discrimination and even violence.”
“Pope Francis oversaw the overdue liberalization of many Roman Catholic doctrines, bringing the Church further into alignment with the teachings of Christ,” said Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston, moderator of MCC churches worldwide. “We know many millions of Catholics are deeply feeling this loss, and as we grieve with them we invite all MCC members and adherents around the world to pray.
“We also pray for the College of Cardinals, now tasked with the sad duty of electing a new Pontiff,” Eggleston said. “We pray for their collective wisdom as they look towards the future of their Church, and to the future of all peace-loving churches and individuals around the world.“Pope Francis spoke out on many justice issues, including the environment, opened up the dialogue about women in ministry, and offered a less judgmental tone on LGBT+ rights,” Eggleston said. “I pray the next Pope will continue this more inclusive path.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, “Pope Francis was a transformational leader who included LGBTQ people in historic ways. Having had the honor of meeting with Pope Francis twice, I witnessed first-hand his dedication to make a Church for all, not just some. His principles of empathetic listening, inclusion, and compassion are exactly what this divided world needs right now. When Pope Francis spoke out against the act of criminalizing LGBTQ people and when he famously spoke ‘who am I to judge,’ he created an example of unity that faith and civil leaders should follow.”
A conclave—a private meeting of the College of Cardinals—will take place in the near future to elect Francis’ successor. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately 1.2 billion members around the world.