Pope Leo XIV

News

The thoughts of the new Pope Leo XIV on homosexuality, the environment and abortion

In continuity with his predecessor on ecology, distant instead on civil rights

by Chiara Ricciolini

9 May 2025

2' min read

Key points

Homosexuality
Ecologia
Aborto
Eutanasia

2' min read

Pope Francis had displaced the whole world with that "Who am I to judge?" on 29 July 2013, said during a press conference on the plane returning from his first apostolic journey, the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. Never before in the Church had there been such an openness on the subject of homosexuality and such a gesture of humility by a pontiff. With Leo XIV, according to his past statements, there could be a reversal. There could be the same closure on euthanasia and abortion. Instead, continuity with Francis' ecological drive is expected.

Omosessualità

Robert Francis Prevost seems to have distant positions on homosexuality from those expressed by Bergoglio. According to the New York Times, already in 2012, addressing the bishops, he denounced Western pop culture, guilty, according to him, of promoting "sympathy for beliefs and practices at odds with the Gospel". He was referring to the 'homosexual lifestyle' and 'alternative families composed of same-sex partners and their adopted children'.

As bishop of Chiclayo, northwest Peru, he opposed the introduction of gender education in schools: 'The promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it tries to create genders that do not exist,' he told the local media.

Ecologia

Francis was an ecologist pope. The first to write an encyclical entirely dedicated to the environment, Laudata Si'. Leo XIV could follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. As reported by Vatican news, during a seminar of the United Nations Environment Programme, the future pope called for the passage "from words to deeds", referring to the Social Doctrine of the Church. The 'dominion over nature', he warned, must never degenerate into 'tyranny', but remain a 'relationship of reciprocity' with creation.

Aborto

Leo XIV is opposed to abortion. In 2015, as a bishop, he participated in the March for Life in Chiclayo and posted on social media a photo of the event accompanied by an unequivocal message: "We defend human life at all times!"

Eutanasia

The pope also seems to be against euthanasia. Leo XIV in 2016 shared an article from the Catholic news agency in which Belgian citizens urged Canadians against the law that would legalise assisted suicide. Prevost on that occasion wrote in a tweet 'Don't go there, Belgians beg Canada not to pass #Prolife euthanasia law'.