Pope Francis’ efforts to make the Catholic Church a more inclusive and welcoming institution for all, and LGBTQ+ people in particular, earned praise from public officials following his death on Monday at 88.

In his first year as leader of the Catholic Church, Francis signaled a new openness to the LGBTQ+ faithful when he asked, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

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American Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the pope’s passing in Rome earlier today. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

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A day earlier on Easter Sunday, Francis had blessed the faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another,” President Barack Obama wrote in tribute. Francis ascended to the papacy during the former president’s second term in 2013.

“Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example. May we continue to heed his call to ‘never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.’”

“Pope Francis lifted the world as he led the Church with his profound moral voice,” former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on social media. “As he returns to God, may his call to humility and concern for the least among us continue to resound.”

Pope Francis lifted the world as he led the Church with his profound moral voice. As he returns to God, may his call to humility and concern for the least among us continue to resound.

— Pete Buttigieg (@petebuttigieg.bsky.social) April 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM

“Humanity is losing a voice of respect and acceptance of others,” said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil.

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, another majority Catholic country in Latin America, remembered Francis as a “humanist, a man who was always close to the most humble” and could “strike a chord with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”

“He exemplified servant leadership through his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and the vulnerable,” said President William Ruto of Kenya, where legislation criminalizing LGBTQ+ people earned the pope’s rebuke.

In 2023, Pope Francis declared, “Homosexuality is not a crime.” He called existing laws in more than 60 countries that criminalize same-sex relationships “unjust” and said treating other people uncharitably is a sin. 

The same year, Francis approved blessings for same-sex couples.

“The criminalization of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored,” he said in 2023, explaining that those laws are a sin and an injustice because God loves LGBTQ+ people. He repeated his belief that parents should not reject their gay children.

In 2022, Francis urged parents of LGBTQ+ people to “accompany their children and not hide in an attitude of condemnation.” 

Speaking before hundreds of thousands of Catholic young people in Portugal, he amplified his message that “Everyone is welcome in the Church.” He went on to lead the youth in a chant of “Todos! Todos! Todos!”

Pope Francis urged inclusion of transgender people in the life of the Roman Catholic Church, as well, stating they could be baptized, serve as godparents, and be witnesses in weddings. 

Pope Francis dined with transgender women invited to join in the Vatican auditorium as Pope Francis’ guests for the Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor.

This year, the Pope said gay men can train for the priesthood, though with some caveats.

Pope Francis didn’t suffer illiberal, anti-LGBTQ+ antagonists well, removing them from privileged positions in the Church hierarchy.

Those included Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, whose fierce opposition to LGBTQ people and spreading of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus had divided his diocese, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who attempted to deny LGBTQ+ people holy communion and compared them to murderers. Francis cut his tenure short after Burke condemned inclusive practices that welcomed LGBTQ+ people in the Church and repeatedly criticized the pope.

LGBTQ+ organizations also celebrated the pope’s life.

“Pope Francis has been a gift to the church and to the LGBTQ+ community,” Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministries, said in a statement. “For many years, we have prayed to God for such a leader to continue the work of Vatican II. We have not been disappointed, but have been blessed by the message of his words and deeds.”

“Pope Francis was a transformational leader who included LGBTQ people in historic ways,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said. “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.”

He met regularly with LGBTQ+ activists and lay people to hear their concerns and share his compassion.

One of the pope’s final public meetings was with Vice President JD Vance. The pontiff has called the current administration’s immigration policies a “disgrace” and “not Christian.” In his final address on Easter Sunday, the pope wrote, “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants.”  

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