What Pope Francis meant to LGBTQ Christians like me

In the 12 years since Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, we’ve witnessed a rapid expansion of LGBTQ rights around the world. The pope’s death Monday is a reminder of the surprising ways his papacy was part of that wave of acceptance. 

Francis set the tone early in his appointment, during an in-flight press conference aboard the jet nicknamed Shepherd One en route from Rio de Janeiro to Rome in July of 2013. When a reporter posed a question about gay priests, the newly appointed pope quipped: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”