Pope Leo XIV. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Pope Leo XIV has dismissed the chance of change in the Vatican’s LGBTQ+ rights stance. 

The Pontiff has ruled out any immediate prospect of change in the Vatican’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, explaining that attitudes must first change.

In Pope Leo XIV – The biography Leo speaks with Vaticanist Elise Ann Allen about the doctrine of the Church. 

“It seems to me very unlikely, at least in the near future, that the doctrine of the Church will change its teachings on sexuality and marriage,” he said.

Leo explained: “I must confess that the issue remains in the background of my thoughts because, as we saw at the Synod, within the Church any theme related to the LGBTQ reality is highly polarising. For now, in coherence with what I have already tried to witness and live as Pope at this moment in history, I try not to fuel polarisation in the Church.” 

‘We must first change attitudes’

He then explained that attitudes must change before church teachings are able to.

“What I mean to say is what [Pope] Francis stated very clearly with that: ‘Todos, todos’. Everyone is invited in, but not as an expression or non-expression of a specific identity. I invite a person because he or she is a son or daughter of God. Everyone is welcome, and we can get to know and respect each other. People want Church doctrine to change and they want attitudes to change: I believe that we must first change attitudes, before even thinking about changing what the Church teaches on a particular issue.”

“The teaching of the Church will continue to remain as it is and for now I have nothing more to add on this point,” he said in response to Prevost making clear that people want recognition of gay marriage and trans people. 

In July last year, cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, told an Italian reporter that same-sex blessings would continue, but made clear that such blessings could not be compared to marriage.

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