Pope Francis’ Legacy: To Marginalized, He Didn’t Do Enough

While Pope Francis has been praised for his inclusive tone, his refusal to alter core Church teachings has left both progressive Catholics and LGBTQ individuals disillusioned. True charity, I argue, lies not in ambiguity or appeasement, but in the clarity of truth—even when it disappoints.

In July 2023, I wrote the article A Synod of Disappointment Looms: Who Is This Synod for Anyway? In that piece, I made the following observations about the likely outcome facing those invested in the Synod of Synodality—especially those hoping for fundamental doctrinal change:

Given the Church’s consistent teaching on human sexuality, those within the Church pushing for change will ultimately suffer disappointment. Furthermore, if those in synodal authority find a way to successfully de-emphasize Church teaching, those who support Church teaching will also suffer disappointment. Therefore, regardless of how the Synod of Synodality turns out, the only certain outcome is disappointment.

Almost two years later, this prediction has proven accurate. Many on the Left—particularly those within the LGBTQ community—now reflect on Pope Francis’s papacy and the Synod of Synodality with disappointment. Among the commentary, the reflections by contributors at Intrinsically Ordered stand out as the most honest and indicative of the inevitable outcome for an “affirming” Catholic Church that refuses to change its foundational views on human sexuality.

Below, I share a conversation among three men from Intrinsically Ordered who identify as gay and former Catholics. This podcast candidly evaluates the inclusive legacy of Pope Francis, and the ongoing ministry of Fr. James Martin, SJ, and others like him.

(Note: I include extended quotations to preserve accuracy and context. I have only removed filler words for clarity.)

Francis Not a True Progressive

What essentially has happened is that he is not an American political conservative. So, he’s not advocating cruelty to people, but is that our standard for what makes someone a progressive? I don’t think it is. And so, for him to be like, ‘yeah treat gay people as people who are just like everyone else.’ But I assumed that was basic human decency. That’s not like a progressive stance in my opinion.

To these men, Pope Francis has done the bare minimum by advocating for “basic human decency.” His call to treat LGBTQ people “like everyone else” fails to advance real progress. In their view, true progress would involve doctrinal change. So, while they appreciate his tone, they reject his lack of tangible outcomes.

On Gender Ideology

Gender ideology is evil. He doesn’t affirm their gender. He’ll meet with them because he’s not cruel to people in person, but it’s not, ‘Oh, I love that you’re trans and as trans people you can be trans and we’ll recognize your gender.’ No, he’s having lunch with a bunch of trans women. From his point of view, all he’s doing is having lunch with a bunch of mentally ill men, and that’s ‘the charitable thing to do.’ He’s doing it because he’s a charitable person, but it’s not like he actually thinks they’re women or that they’re valid or that they should be allowed to enact pro-trans legislation. He’s not actually progressive on this. He’s just not personally a cruel, vindictive a**hole like most conservatives in America.

There is truth in this critique. Pope Francis has explicitly condemned gender ideology in his magisterial teachings, including Laudato Si’ (2015), Amoris Laetitia (2016), and most recently, Dignitas Infinita (2024). His harshest criticism appears in paragraph 56 of Amoris Laetitia:

Yet another challenge is posed by the various forms of an ideology of gender that denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family.

It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.

While Pope Francis met with individuals who espouse gender ideology, his teachings continued to view the ideology itself as incompatible with Church doctrine. This view presents a major obstacle to the affirmation sought by many in the LGBTQ community.

Appropriating the Language and Aesthetic of Progressivism

He did a really good job of appropriating the language and aesthetic of progressivism while maintaining very strict boundaries around actual belief. So, it appeared as though this was kind of moving things in a good direction versus engaging in policy or canon law to try to make any kind of effective change.

He had the Synod on Synodality. He’s like, ‘we’re going to get together to talk about what it means to talk about things,’ from which there were no conclusions and no changes. I feel like that sums him up.

We have to listen. We have to come together. We have to be nice. We have to be charitable. And then do nothing.

What is the point of listening if no concession is made?

This last question cuts to the heart of the video’s sharpest criticism. Surprisingly, I agree with the commentators here. What good is “listening” if it leads to no real concessions or compromise?

Fr. Martin and Others Continue to Disappoint

This is the same issue I’ve had with people like Father James Martin or other sort of progressive Catholic types who don’t actually countermand Church teaching. What they’re doing is pretending that there’s no knife being jabbed into your ribs by the Church. “We love you. Everyone is welcome.” And “we’re all sinners and we all struggle with sin.” And “let’s just come together.”

And “there’s always a home for you here.” Yada, yada…

Meanwhile it’s like, “yeah, but you actually can’t identify as gay because that’s disordered. And you can’t love someone who’s gay because your love is disordered, and you shouldn’t act on it. And you definitely can’t have sex—like woof, that’s one of the top three sins… Maybe you’re kind of broken inside. Maybe you should pray to God about it…”

Again, to those in the LGBTQ community, like the men at Intrinsically Ordered, mere “listening” isn’t enough. To them, listening must include the possibility of doctrinal change. Fr. Martin’s approach—highlighted in his interview on Interesting Times with Ross Douthat—illustrates this impasse.

Watch: Fr. James Martin on Interesting Times:

The Honesty of Traditional vs. Progressive Catholics

The difference between a traditional and a progressive Catholic is that the traditional Catholic has to tell you you’re a sinner on lunch number one, and a progressive Catholic can tell you that on lunch number two.

I almost prefer the upfrontness of a conservative traditional Catholic or whatever who will at least be honest and be like, “no, the Church condemns this. It is not okay.”

As someone who values “upfrontness,” I appreciate this recognition. Honest Catholics communicate the Church’s teachings clearly and charitably. The Church cannot change her views to accommodate disordered behavior. That some progressives continue to raise false hopes only adds to the pain.

Final Thoughts…

To conclude, I appreciated the brutal honesty found in the Intrinsically Ordered video. To them, Pope Francis—and especially his supporters, like Fr. James Martin—offered the LGBTQ community false hope. They believed that the Church, in “listening,” would eventually “hear” and change. But the Church cannot alter her foundational teachings on human sexuality.

Therefore, the truly charitable path must begin and end with truth. Anything less is not only dishonest—it is ultimately unkind. The Church’s witness in the modern world depends not on how well it mimics secular compassion, but on how well it embodies a truth-filled charity that leads souls to holiness.