section_path: Theological emphases and teachings/LGBTQ
section_name: LGBTQ
paragraph_text: LGBTQ
  
  While serving as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio led public opposition to the parliamentary bill on legalizing same-sex marriage in Argentina, which was eventually approved by the Argentine Senate in 2010. A letter he wrote in that campaign was criticized for using "medieval" and "obscurantist" language. A church source quoted in the Argentine newspaper La Nación called the letter a strategic error that contributed to the bill's success.
  
  As Pope, Francis marked a more accommodative tone on some LGBTQ topics than his predecessors. In July 2013, his televised "Who am I to judge?" statement was widely reported in the international press, becoming one of his most famous statements on LGBTQ people. In other public statements, Francis emphasized the need to accept, welcome, and accompany LGBTQ people, including LGBTQ children. Francis reiterated traditional Catholic teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, but supported civil unions as legal protections for same-sex couples. Under his pontificate, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed that transgender people can be baptised. The blessing of individuals in same-sex relationships was allowed by the document Fiducia supplicans. Francis privately met with many LGBTQ people and activists. In 2013, Francis was named Person of the Year by The Advocate, an American LGBTQ magazine.
  
  He described gender theory and children's education on gender-affirming surgery as "ideological colonization". In September 2015, Francis met with Kim Davis, a county clerk who was jailed for six days for contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples, and in August 2018, Francis was criticized for suggesting that gay children seek psychiatric treatment.
  
  In a January 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Francis denounced the criminalization of homosexuality (which he called "unjust"); he also called on the Catholic Church to "distinguish between a sin and crime" and asked bishops supporting such laws to reverse their position. Francis repeated this stance the following month.