--- description: Robert Prevost will usher in a transformative era for the Catholic Church. title: Where Pope Leo Stands on Major Issues image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc17c193bfd05303c/6998c68125f3eea1a5644a11/Pope-Leo-Where-He-Stands.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [vatican city](/tag/vatican-city/) ## vatican city Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Where Pope Leo Stands on Specific Issues  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter May 8, 2025 6:45 PM CUT  Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on May 8, 2025. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on May 8, 2025.Vatican Media/­Handout/Reuters  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter May 8, 2025 6:45 PM CUT White smoke [emerged from the Sistine Chapel](https://time.com/7283744/cardinal-elects-pope-leo-robert-prevost/ "undefined") Thursday afternoon after a short two-day deliberation, and [onlookers watched](https://time.com/7284004/robert-prevost-new-pope-leo-vatican-photos/ "undefined") while Robert Prevost, the [first American Pope](https://time.com/7283865/pope-leo-robert-prevost/ "undefined") in history, walked across the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in a white cassock. More than 100 cardinals gathered to elect Prevost, who took the name PopeLeo XIV, as the new leader of the Catholic Church, ushering in a transformative era for the religious institution that will be distinct from its direction under the late [Pope Francis](https://time.com/5762436/pope-francis-dies-obituary/ "undefined"). Much remains to be known about Pope Leo, who is seen as a centrist. The Illinois native has dual citizenship from the U.S. and Peru, and he spoke Italian and Spanish during his first address to the public, during which he emphasized peace.  Photograph by Guglielmo Mangiapane—Reuters **Read More:** [_‘Peace Be With You’: Pope Leo XIV Steps Onto the World Stage_](https://time.com/7283865/pope-leo-robert-prevost/ "undefined") Leo’s election is, in part, a departure from [Francis](https://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples-pope/ "undefined"), who was regarded as a progressive. Francis is remembered for his acts of [humility and inclusion](https://time.com/7267008/pope-francis-greatest-achievement-mercy/ "undefined"), such as: washing the feet of migrant refugees—including Muslims, Hindus, and others—and voicing support for a greater role for women in the Church. He is perhaps most remembered for his stance on [LGBTQ+ Catholics](https://time.com/7267052/pope-francis-impact-on-the-lgbtq-community/ "undefined"): “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis said in a striking 2013 statement. Francis was also a prominent voice in the call for global peace, using his last message at [Easter mass](https://time.com/7279098/pope-francis-catholic-parish-in-gaza-enduring-connection-phone-calls/ "undefined") to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. **Read More**: [_Photos Show Joyous Vatican Scenes as Robert Prevost Is Announced the New Pope_](https://time.com/7284004/robert-prevost-new-pope-leo-vatican-photos/ "undefined") Leowill serve about 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide—many of whom come from the global south—during a period marked by decreases in Catholic Church attendance and great political conflict. Here’s what we know so far about the new Pope’s stances on key issues: ## The LGBTQ+ Catholic community The Catholic Church has been firm on its stance that homosexuality is a sin and that same-sex couples cannot be married within the Church. But in October 2023, a letter by Francis in support of the [blessings of same-sex unions](https://time.com/6320335/pope-francis-inclusion-lgbtq-religion/ "undefined") on a case-by-case basis was made public. “We cannot be judges who only deny, push back and exclude,” Francis wrote to a group of conservative cardinals. “As such, pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not convey a wrong idea of a matrimony. Because when one seeks a blessing, one is requesting help from God.” **Read More:** [_Pope Francis’ Complicated, but Undeniable, Impact on The LGBTQ Community_](https://time.com/7267052/pope-francis-impact-on-the-lgbtq-community/ "undefined") Leo’s stance on LGBTQ+ Catholics marks a departure from the late pontiff, according to the College of Cardinals’ [report](https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/robert-francis-prevost/ "undefined") on him. In October 2024, Prevost voiced the need for greater conversations between each “episcopal conference” to discuss the blessings of same-sex couples and apply them in a way that aligned with cultural differences across the globe as some countries still criminalize homosexuality. “The bishops in the episcopal conferences of Africa were basically saying, that here in Africa, our whole cultural reality is very different … it wasn’t rejecting the teaching authority of Rome, it was saying that our cultural situation is such that the application of this document is just not going to work,” Prevost reportedly [said](https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/same-sex-blessings-issue-highlights-need-for-bishops-conferences-doctrinal-authority/ "undefined"). “You have to remember there are still places in Africa that apply the death penalty, for example, for people who are living in a homosexual relationship … So, we’re in very different worlds.”  Nuns react to white smoke from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new Pope has been elected, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. Marko Djurica—Reuters In a report assessing his opinions regarding queer couples, the New York _Times_ [cited](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/world/americas/pope-candidate-cardinal-robert-francis-prevost.html "undefined") a 2012 statement from Leo in which he expressed dismay at the way media and pop culture expressed “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.” Francis was openly critical of laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people, calling them “unjust,” and was generally seen as a supporter of greater inclusion in the Church. ## Helping migrants Pope Leo’s stance on migrants falls in line with that of Francis. Jesus Leon Angeles, a coordinator of a Peruvian Catholic group who personally knows Prevost, [told _Reuters_](https://www.reuters.com/world/prevost-first-us-pope-supported-francis-shunned-spotlight-2025-05-08/ "undefined") that the new pontiff had always shown care for Venezuelan migrants in Peru. More than 1.5 million Venezuelan migrants live in the South American country as a result of economic instability. Francis was a strong supporter of migrants, expressing his support for the community in a [February letter](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-02/pope-francis-us-bishops-migration-deportation-human-dignity-righ.html "undefined") to U.S. bishops. The letter came after the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, which has been marked by [calls for mass deportation](https://time.com/7203665/trump-deportation-immigration-courts/ "undefined"), attempts to end [birthright citizenship](https://time.com/7208965/birthright-citizenship-trump-order/ "undefined"), an [undocumented immigrant registry](https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration "undefined"), and other anti-immigrant policies and [rhetoric](https://time.com/7225608/white-house-valentines-day-social-media-post-illegal-immigration-backlash/ "undefined"). “Your work in defending migrants is deeply rooted in the mission of Christ and the history of the Church,” Francis wrote. “The legitimate regulation of migration must never undermine the essential dignity of the person.” ## Equality for women Leo has been firm in his stance against the ordainment of women, falling in line with Francis’ opinion. “Something that needs to be said also is that ordaining women—and there’s been some women that have said this interestingly enough—‘clericalizing women’ doesn’t necessarily solve a problem, it might make a new problem,” he [said](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255823/cardinal-at-synod-on-synodality-clericalizing-women-will-not-solve-problems#:~:text=Synod%20on%20Synodality%20delegate%20Cardinal,synod%20press%20conference%20on%20Oct. "undefined") in October 2023 during the Synod on Synodality. However, he did point to the appointment of women to higher leadership positions under Francis as evidence that women contribute “a great deal to the life of the Church.”  Faithful listen the speech of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, on May 8, 2025. Francisco Seco—AP Francis signaled greater support for women in leadership throughout his 12-year papacy, giving them the right to vote during synods and appointing women to senior positions, while maintaining that they could not become priests. Still, Francis made pointed actions to show his support. In 2024, he washed the feet of Roman prisoners from a female prison, marking the first time a Pope had only washed the feet of women. ## Climate change Leo will likely continue Francis’ legacy as a steward of the environment. The new pontiff has previously made statements calling for the Church to take greater action against the destruction of the planet. “Dominion over nature” should not be “tyrannical,” Prevost [said](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-11/climate-change-conference-latin-america-cardinals-rome.html "undefined") during a November seminar, emphasizing instead the need for a more reciprocal relationship with the Earth. **Read More:** [_The Climate Pope: Francis and His Environmental Legacy_](https://time.com/7278986/pope-francis-environment-climate-legacy/ "undefined") The seminar came about at the request of Pope Francis, whocalled on the Church to act with “compassion” in regards to climate change, referring to the mistreatment of the planet as a “structural sin.” The late pontiff made connections between climate change and its [disproportionate impact](https://www.usglc.org/blog/climate-change-and-the-developing-world-a-disproportionate-impact/ "undefined") on the developing world. “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social,” Francis wrote. “But rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7283887/pope-leo-lgbtq-women-migrants-rights/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7283887/pope-leo-lgbtq-women-migrants-rights/"},"headline":"Where Pope Leo Stands on Specific Issues","datePublished":"2025-05-08T18:45:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:51:17.713Z","description":"Robert Prevost will usher in a transformative era for the Catholic Church.","url":"https://time.com/7283887/pope-leo-lgbtq-women-migrants-rights/","keywords":["vatican city","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc17c193bfd05303c/6998c68125f3eea1a5644a11/Pope-Leo-Where-He-Stands.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Solcyré Burga","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc17c193bfd05303c/6998c68125f3eea1a5644a11/Pope-Leo-Where-He-Stands.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pope-Leo-Where-He-Stands","caption":"Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. 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