Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was
elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday (March
13), taking the name Francis I and becoming the first non-European pope
in almost 1,300 years.While many LGBT catholics were hoping for a change in attitudes towards gay marriage, the new Pope Francis I has a long history of opposing LGBT equality in his homeland of Argentina.
While the 76-year old Argentinian has previously stated the “importance of respecting gay individuals,” he has also described gay marriage as a “a destructive pretension against the plan of God" and has labelled the adoption of children by gay couples as "child abuse".
Joe Mirabella, Director of Campaigns for All Out
said: “I along with fellow Catholics around the world hoped the Church
was ready to send a signal that they were ready to stop attacking our
families..."
“Sadly, with the election of Jorge Begoglio the Church
has demonstrated they remain out of touch with the flock. LGBT people
and our allies are not likely to find a friend in Pope Francis I,” he
added.