Pope Leo XIV may have broken a historic barrier by becoming the first pontiff from the United States, but his views on the Catholic Church could harken back to more traditional times. There are also some areas of the church's doctrine where he takes a more progressive stance, similar to his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV might support Pope Francis’ relatively progressive vision, but as his latest comments about the LGBTQ+ community prove, progressiveness in the Catholic Church can still leave a lot to be desired.

Pope Leo XIV spent two decades working in Peru’s poorest enclave and appears to be in the mold of Pope Francis — who carried a legacy as “the people’s pope” for his outreach to those on society’s margins.