Where Pope Francis stood on key issues
Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church's teaching in areas such as the death penalty and nuclear weapons, upheld it in others such as abortion, and made inroads with Muslims and believers who long felt marginalized.
Where Francis, who died on Monday, stood on key issues:
Abortion
Francis upheld church teaching opposing abortion and echoed his predecessors in saying that human life is sacred and must be defended. He described abortion, as well as euthanasia, as evidence of today’s “throwaway culture” and likened abortion to “hiring a hit man to resolve a problem.”
Abuse
In his most significant move, Francis defrocked former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after a Vatican investigation determined he abused minors as well as adults. Francis later passed church laws abolishing the use of pontifical secrecy and establishing procedures to investigate bishops who abuse or cover up for predator priests.
LGBTQ+
Francis assured gay people that God loves them as they are, that “being homosexual is not a crime,” and that “everyone, everyone, everyone” is welcome in the church.
During his pontificate, the Vatican reversed itself and said transgender people could be baptized, serve as godparents and witnesses at weddings; and approved same-sex blessings. But while he met several times with members of the LGBTQ+ community, Francis didn’t change church teaching stating that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.”
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