Leo's embrace of Francis' LGBTQ+ acceptance follows surprising new study on priests
Pope Leo XIV smiles as he greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile as he rides around St. Peter's Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience Sept. 17, 2025. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
BY CAMILLO BARONE
NCR staff reporter
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September 19, 2025
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Pope Leo XIV's just-released comments embracing his predecessor Pope Francis' hallmark approach to LGBTQ+ Catholics could have a lasting impact on the church because the papal tone on such matters appears to predict priests' attitudes, specifically how U.S. priests approach LGBTQ+ issues, according to a new study.
Those are the findings of Jesuit Fr. Lucas Sharma, whose recently released study found that priests who express approval of Pope Francis' papacy are more likely to adopt a pastoral approach to LGBTQ+ Catholics — even when they are politically conservative, heterosexual or recently ordained.
The study coincides with Leo's comments on LGBTQ+ Catholics in a recent interview for a new book, in which he said he plans to carry forward Pope Francis' hallmark approach to: an open door to all, rooted in dignity and respect, while maintaining church teaching on sexuality and marriage.
Leo said that what "I'm trying to say is what Francis said very clearly when he would say, 'todos, todos, todos.' Everyone's invited in, but I don't invite a person in because they are or are not of any specific identity. I invite a person in because he's a son or daughter of God," Leo told journalist Elise Allen in one of two interviews for a new biography published in cooperation with the pope.
"I think we have to change attitudes before we ever change doctrine," Leo said in video released this week from the July 30 interview.
Pope Francis blesses a member of the National Association of Hispanic Priests after a meeting in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Nov. 16, 2023. (OSV News/Vatican Media)
Over the past few decades, American society has become steadily more accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Yet within the American Catholic priesthood, attitudes tell a different story. While polls show that only about 21% of American Catholics viewed same-sex relationships as always wrong, priests — especially those ordained more recently — are trending more conservative.
However, the study conducted by Sharma revealed a surprising twist: approval of Pope Francis, rather than ordination date or political ideology, predicts a more pastoral stance toward LGBTQ+ issues, suggesting that even politically conservative and religiously traditional priests can embrace a more inclusive approach when guided by the Francis example.
That raises a new question now echoing in Catholic circles: If enthusiasm for Francis softened priests' views on LGBTQ+ issues, could the same dynamic take hold under Leo? For advocates, the prospect offers hope that a culture of welcome can endure even without doctrinal change, while for researchers like Sharma, it's an open question he said future surveys should try to answer.
