21 Gay Popes, Cardinals, and Assorted Catholic Leaders

While the Roman Catholic Church has long condemned homosexual acts as sinful, history nevertheless shows many of the church's leaders engaged in same-sex love. There is evidentce that of the 266 popes in history, nearly a dozen were gay, bisexual or, in one case, transgender. The following includes Catholic popes, cardinals, and archbishops who faced rumors or accusations of unorthodox orientation.