section_path: Views/Social and political issues
section_name: Social and political issues
paragraph_text: Social and political issues
  
  Within the context of church politics and theology, Prevost has been seen as a moderate or centrist, neither liberal nor conservative. In April 2025, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica stated that Prevost was seen as a "cosmopolitan and shy figure" who was "appreciated by conservatives and progressives" within the church. In line with the church's official positions, Prevost opposes abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Prevost expressed reservations about "sympathy for beliefs and practices that contradict the gospel" and did not fully endorse nor reject Fiducia supplicans, a declaration concerning blessings for people in a same-sex relationship. He stated that national bishops' conferences should "interpret and apply such directives in their local contexts, given cultural differences." In 2012, he criticized popular culture's sympathy for the "homosexual lifestyle" and same-sex families. In April 2016, Prevost opposed the inclusion of " gender ideology " in Peruvian primary school curricula, stating it promotes "genders that don't exist". When asked in 2023 by Catholic News Service whether his views from 2012 had changed, Prevost said that "many things have changed" and emphasized the church should be more open and welcoming though he cautioned that church doctrine has not changed. In May 2025, he said that it was up to governments to build peaceful societies "above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman."
  
  During his time in Chiclayo, Prevost remained relatively politically neutral on national issues. However, in the midst of the Peruvian protests in 2023, he stated: "The deaths during the protests cause me great sadness and pain I asked to stay in Peru; I even made that request to the Holy Father. It wasn't the time to leave." He has also expressed support for the plight of Venezuelan refugees in Peru. With regards to climate change, Prevost has advocated for stronger church action, stating in a November 2024 seminar that "dominion over nature" should not be "tyrannical". On geopolitics, he denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, describing it as "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power", and in one of his first major speeches as pope, Leo called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Following the Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025, he urged Iranian and Israeli authorities to act with "reason".
  
  Throughout his time as a bishop and as a cardinal, Prevost continued to vote in both state and federal elections in the United States, being a registered voter in Will County, Illinois. Illinois election law does not require voters to register by political party, thus Prevost has never officially declared any affiliation to a political party. The elections Prevost has voted in include the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, the Democratic primary for the 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election, the 2012 Republican presidential primary, the Republican primary for the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, the 2016 Republican presidential primary, and the 2024 United States general election.
  
  On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Prevost's former account retweeted posts critical of US immigration policies under President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. He has also expressed support for COVID-19 vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and sympathy for George Floyd and protesters. His X account which he used prior to his election as pope has since been deleted and he is currently using the official @Pontifex handle, inherited from Popes Francis and Benedict.
  
  In his Pentecost homily soon after his election as Pope, Leo criticized the "exclusionary mindset" displayed by various nationalist movements. The Holy Spirit "breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred", he said. To Leo, areas advertized as "security zones" had the effect of "separating us from our neighbors" and spreading "prejudice". He proclaimed that the Church needed to "open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race." Leo additionally condemned femicide during the homily, calling it both painful and tragic and attributing it to "an unhealthy desire for domination."