i.  Indeed he did state that "gender theory" was like nuclear war.  https://www(.)ncronline(.)org/news/vatican/francis-strongly-criticizes-gender-theory-comparing-nuclear-arms
ii.  Pope Francis has a fixation on "gender theory" and is the one who brought it up.  The woman asked him about family and there is lots of things he could have said, especially about economics that he chose not to.