For Pope Francis, 87, It’s Out with the Old and In With the New
As a transitional pontiff, Francis will not be pulled backwards.
December 19, 2023
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pope benedict xvi
Pope Benedict XVI Announces Resignation
The 85-year-old pope will leave the Vatican at the end of February due to declining health.
February 11, 2013
Former Pope: Same-Sex Marriage Comes From the Antichrist
The former Pope Benedict XVI makes that statement in a new biography.
May 4, 2020
Survivor: Vatican
Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church is jumping at the chance to drive gay priests from its ranks. The move continues to divide the church
November 7, 2005
Pope criticizes same-sex unions in Christmas address
Pope Benedict XVI touched on many of the themes close to his heart, including celibacy in the priesthood, dialogue between religions, and his opposition to legal rights for gay and unmarried couples in a year-end speech Friday in Vatican City.
December 22, 2006
Papal Visit Provokes Array of Protests
Pope Benedict XVI may not see them or hear them, but aggrieved Roman Catholic activists hope his U.S. visit this week will help them draw attention to issues ranging from the ordination of women and gay rights to sex abuse by priests and the Vatican ban on contraception. The groups have planned vigils, demonstrations, and news conferences to press their causes as the pope visits Washington and New York. On Monday evening, the eve of his arrival, supporters of women's ordination will host what they are calling ''an inclusive Mass'' at a Methodist church in Washington, presided over by Catholic women -- including two who were recently excommunicated.
April 15, 2008
Popes Francis, Benedict Team Up to Condemn Gays
It's among the topics covered in what appears to be the first encyclical written by two popes.
July 5, 2013
Pope Revokes Homophobic Cardinal's Vatican Salary, Subsidized Apartment
Cardinal Raymond Burke has critiqued Pope Francis's stances on LGBTQ+ issues and more.
November 29, 2023
Op-ed: Time to Modernize, Catholic Church
Will Catholic leaders embrace the opportunity to modernize with their followers now that Pope Benedict XVI is leaving the Vatican?
February 28, 2013
Pope approves ban on gay clergy
Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly approved a new Vatican policy indicating that gay men should not be ordained as Catholic priests.
September 20, 2005
Rome protest heats up battle over legal rights for unmarried, same-sex couples
Tens of thousands of people plan to rally Saturday in Rome to protest a bill that would give legal recognition to unmarried couples, including same-sex ones, fueling a debate that has split Italy amid calls by Pope Benedict XVI to defend the "traditional family."
May 12, 2007
Pope Meets With Victims of Sex Abuse by Clergy, Apologizes
For 25 remarkable minutes, the shepherd of the world's 1 billion Catholics met in Washington, D.C., with a handful of victims in the worst scandal to ever tarnish the U.S. Catholic Church. One man, abused as an altar boy, said he placed his hand over Pope Benedict XVI's heart as he pleaded with him to fix the problem of sexual abuse of minors. The pontiff apologized to his guests for not being perfectly fluent in English, and ''for everything,'' according to another victim. Plans for the secret meeting were kept quiet. But two Boston-area victims of abuse shared details of the meeting in interviews late Thursday with the Associated Press.
April 19, 2008
Pope Meets With Reps of Previously Shunned Pro-LGBTQ+ Ministry
The meeting with New Ways Ministry was “a moment once unimaginable,” according to the group.
October 21, 2023
Pope Francis Says Being Gay Isn’t a Crime
He still refers to homosexuality as a “sin” though.
January 25, 2023
Ex-Pope Benedict XVI, a Staunch Anti-LGBTQ+ Pontiff, Dies at 95
The Pope Emeritus, who retired from the papacy in 2013, said marriage equality was the product of the Antichrist.
December 31, 2022
WATCH: 'The Pope Came Out of the Closet?'
Stephen Colbert eviscerated the Catholic Church in a segment responding to Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, announced Monday.
February 13, 2013
Pope says Canadian same-sex marriage law is 'the exclusion of God'
Pope Benedict XVI on Friday criticized Catholic politicians in Canada for allowing same-sex marriage, accusing them of ignoring the values of their religion.
September 8, 2006
Paper Trail: Signorile and Ratzinger
Sirius OutQ radio host Michelangelo Signorile's 1993 classic Queer in America includes a telling anecdote about Pope Benedict XVI, then known as Cardinal Ratzinger, the pope's point man on crushing gay rights.
April 20, 2005
Tens of Thousands Rally in Spain in Defense of Traditional Family
Tens of thousands of people in predominantly Roman Catholic Spain rallied Sunday in Madrid to defend the traditional family in a country where the government has legalized same-sex marriage and facilitated divorce. The crowd roared when Pope Benedict XVI appeared on giant TV screens in a live hookup from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, praising the crowd. The pope, speaking during the traditional noon Sunday Angelus prayer, said the family is ''based on the unbreakable union of man and woman and represents the privileged environment where human life is welcomed and protected from the beginning to its natural end.''
January 2, 2008