The papacy of Pope Francis ended with the same core doctrine for LGBTQ+ people that he inherited: The Catholic Church still rejected same-sex marriage and condemned any sexual relations between gay or lesbian partners as “intrinsically disordered.

Pope Francis was a "real game-changer" when it came to the Catholic Church's treatment of gay people, a London LGBT+ faith group has said. Martin Pendergast, the secretary of the LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council,

"Some say he did not do enough; others criticize him for even meeting with people like me," said one transgender Catholic. "But he led by example. And in doing so he brought more hope, more love to the Catholic Church.