Pope Leo XIV in his own words: The pontiff on abortion, climate change, homosexuality, and capital punishment

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV is widely considered to be soft-spoken and cautious — but has not been shy in recent years about speaking out on hot-button issues, from the teaching of gender ideology in schools to climate change. Known as Robert Francis Prevost prior to his election Thursday as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the 69-year-old Chicago native’s views on several controversial topics can be gleaned from past social media posts (and reposts), public remarks and interviews with media outlets. Like his predecessor, Francis, Leo XIV is a strong believer that the faithful have a responsibility to take care of the planet.The then-president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops argued in November of last year that it is time to move “from words to action” on the “environmental crisis.”“Dominion over nature” should not become “tyrannical,” Prevost stressed, arguing that man’s relationship with the environment must be a “relationship of reciprocity,” according to Vatican News.Prevost further cautioned against the “harmful” environmental impacts of technological development and highlighted the Vatican’s installation of solar panels and use of electric vehicles.While Francis famously told reporters, “Who am I to judge?” gay people and said homosexuals “must be integrated into society,” Leo XIV may be less accommodating.In a 2012 address to bishops, Prevost accused the news media and popular culture for encouraging “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,” according to the New York Times.Among those “beliefs and practices” Prevost cited were the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”While bishop of Chiclayo in northwestern Peru, Prevost opposed a government initiative to promote gender ideology teachings in schools.”“The promotion of gender ideology is ...