Here’s what the late Pope Francis said about LGBTQ+ people, abortion and other key issues

The pontiff, who died Monday at 88, was beloved by many progressive Catholics.

April 21, 2025
The 19^th

Pope Francis, who as head of the Roman Catholic Church advocated for a greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and protection for migrants, died on Monday after a series of respiratory infections, which were particularly dangerous as he was already missing part of one lung due to a serious bout of pneumonia he experienced as a young man. He was 88.

The Vatican announced his death in a brief statement on the social media platform X.

Continued: https://19thnews.org/2025/04/pope-francis-dead/

21.04.2025

Commentary

Catholic Church

Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Pope Benedict

Pope Francis

sexual abuse crisis

the Pope and abortion

Pope pays house visit to veteran Italian abortion rights advocate

By Joshua McElwee
November 5, 2024

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday paid a home visit to Emma Bonino, a veteran politician who successfully campaigned in the 1970s to legalise abortion in Italy, bringing her a bouquet of roses and chocolates. A photo posted by Bonino on social media showed them both sitting in wheelchairs on her sun-drenched terrace in Rome.

Bonino, 76, was released from hospital last month after suffering from respiratory and heart problems. Last year, she said she had recovered from an eight-year battle with lung cancer.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-makes-rare-house-visit-italian-abortion-rights-advocate-2024-11-05/

05.11.2024

Belgium PM summons Vatican envoy over pope’s abortion remarks

While the pope’s position on abortion is not surprising and he has used the same exact words before, his remarks come at a sensitive time for Belgium.

October 3, 2024
By Ketrin Jochecová

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to Belgium, Franco Coppola, on Thursday after “unacceptable” comments by Pope Frances on abortion.

Earlier that day, the Free University of Brussels (VUB) had urged the Belgian government to call the Vatican to account over statements by the pope comparing doctors who perform abortions to hitmen.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/pope-abortion-murder-remark-brussels-university-vatican-envoy-belgium/

03.10.2024

Free University of Brussels

Pro-choice Catholics protest at Vatican after abortion left off summit agenda

Quilt featuring stories of Catholic women who have had terminations unfurled outside event hosted by the Pope

Angela Giuffrida in Rome
Thu 3 Oct 2024

A vibrantly coloured, 15-metre-long quilt woven with stories of Catholic women who have had abortions has been unrolled outside the Vatican in protest against the topic being left off the agenda of a major summit hosted by Pope Francis.

Thursday’s demonstration by Catholics for Choice, a US-based abortion rights group, comes days after the pontiff emphasised his traditional views of women while reiterating that abortion was “murder” and that doctors who terminate pregnancies were “hitmen”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/03/pro-choice-catholics-stage-protest-after-abortion-left-off-summit-agenda

Pope’s calls doctors who perform abortions ‘hitmen,’ sparking online furore

It was the second time in as many weeks that Francis has been asked about his views on abortion, which remains a hotly-contested issue for the Catholic Church

By Euronews with AP
Published on 30/09/2024

Pope Francis wrapped up a troubled visit to Belgium on Sunday by doubling down on his traditional views on abortion, calling the abortion law “homicidal”.

“Doctors who do this are — allow me the word — hitmen. They are hitmen," Francis said. “And on this you cannot argue. You are killing a human life.”

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/09/30/popes-calls-doctors-who-perform-abortions-hitmen-sparking-online-furore

30.09.2024

News

anti-choice hatred

anti-choice ignorance

Italy’s Meloni plays down G7 abortion row

June 15, 2024
By Kathryn Armstrong, BBC News

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says a suspected row over the absence of the word "abortion" in a G7 statement has been blown out of proportion.

She issued the response after a commitment made last year by G7 nations to address access to "safe and legal abortion" was left out of the final statement at this year's summit in Italy.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c511x7j9j0eo

15.06.2024

Meloni wins diplomatic spat with Macron as abortion vanishes from G7 final text

The presence of Pope Francis, who joined the meeting of the world’s leading industrialised nations, might have influenced this outcome, according to Meloni's right-hand man.

By Gerardo Fortuna
14/06/2024

In a powerful show of influence, Italy’s hard right leader managed to scrap any reference to safe abortion in the final declaration of the group of industrialised democracies.

The final wording of the G7 final communique has not included any mention of abortion as was the case at last year’s summit in Hiroshima.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/06/14/meloni-wins-diplomatic-spat-with-macron-as-abortion-vanishes-from-g7-final-text

14.06.2024

Abortion rights activists heckle Italy’s family minister at conference

By Angelo Amante
May 9, 2024

ROME (Reuters) - Protesters on Thursday heckled Italy's family minister over her critical position on abortion rights, forcing her to abandon a speech at a conference on reversing the country's declining birth rate.

When Eugenia Roccella -- a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party -- took the floor, activists booed and raised letters forming the sentence "I decide over my body."

Roccella initially tried to confront the protesters, but then decided to give up her planned speech.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pro-abortion-activists-heckle-italys-family-minister-conference-2024-05-09/

09.05.2024

Biden says pope said to keep receiving communion amid abortion row

President coy when asked if abortion came up in Vatican meeting, as US Catholic bishops weigh whether to deny him the sacrament

Joanna Walters in New York and agencies

Fri 29 Oct 2021

Joe Biden said on Friday that Pope Francis told him he should keep receiving
communion, after holding an unusually long meeting with him at the Vatican.

Asked if abortion came up in the talks, Biden said cryptically the pope told
him he was happy he was a good Catholic.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/29/biden-meets-pope-francis-urges-radical-decisions-cop26

29.10.2021

San Marino legalizes abortion while Pope, women’s groups disagree

The Associated Press
Monday, September 27, 2021

SAN MARINO -- Pope Francis repeated Monday that abortion is "murder," a day after the tiny republic of San Marino became the latest Catholic state to legalize the procedure, much to the cheers of women's rights groups.

An overwhelming majority -- 77 per cent of the 14,384 votes cast Sunday in the microstate surrounded by Italy -- favoured making abortion legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion would also be legal beyond that if the woman's life is in danger or if her physical or psychological health is at risk because of fetal anomalies or malformations.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/san-marino-legalizes-abortion-while-pope-women-s-groups-disagree-1.5602230

27.09.2021