"Church for all": Pope Francis remembered for inclusivity with LGBTQ+ communities

• Early in his papacy, he famously responded to a question about gay priests, saying, "Who am I to judge?" — marking a shift in tone on the Vatican.

What they're saying: "Pope Francis was a transformational leader who included LGBTQ people in historic ways," Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement Monday.

• Ellis said she witnessed "first-hand his dedication to make a Church for all, not just some," adding, "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," Ellis added.

Zoom in: Pope Francis strongly denounced laws that criminalize homosexuality, calling them "unjust."

• In 2023, he granted priests the ability to bless same-sex couples under certain circumstances.
• The change didn't alter the church's doctrine concerning same-sex marriage, holding that the blessings cannot be given at the same time as a civil union and can't resemble weddings in any way.
• The pope also told parents not to condemn their children if they are gay.

Yes, but: Last year, he apologized after reports surfaced that he used a slur to refer to gay men during closed-door meetings.

Zoom out: Pope Francis also. made strides toward creating space for transgender people in the church.

• The pope said transgender people could be baptized within the Catholic Church and could serve as godparents.
• He also opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers as part of his larger outreach toward the LGBTQ+ community.

Between the lines: The church considers homosexual acts to be "intrinsically disordered."

• It also holds "sex-change intervention" is a threat to human dignity.

Go deeper: Pope Francis championed historically progressive stances