The Pope wants Vatican City to be powered entirely by solar energy

Is Pope Francis the most modern pope yet?

Though Pope Francis has held slightly more progressive stances than his predecessors, he has not been able to stay completely out of controversy stemming from the old-school values of Catholicism.

At the end of 2023, he granted Catholic priests his permission to ‘bless’ same-sex couples in marriage. This was initially seen as a breakthrough for LGBTQIA+ Catholics – who have traditionally been viewed as conflicting with the church’s doctrines.

However, a look at the fine print revealed that discrimination had not been entirely eliminated.

In the eyes of the Vatican, the marriage of same-sex couples is still not seen as legitimate. Rather than ‘approving’ of their union, the Pope’s move merely stood to recognise the existence of gay, bisexual, and queer Catholic couples through this ‘blessing’.

In more recent weeks, the Pope was heavily criticised for using a homophobic slur (twice!) during a conversation about gay men. The Vatican issued an apology, with Italian media outlets quoting anonymous bishops who believed the Pope hadn’t realised the term was seen as derogatory.

It is possible he didn’t mean it badly, as Pope Francis has always been quite blasé when prompted to give his opinions on LGBTQIA+.

In 2013, he replied ‘Who am I to judge?’ when asked for his thoughts on a gay priest running a church. He also said that being homosexual is ‘not a crime,’ in 2022.

But who can really know for sure?

VIDEO: On a visit to Assisi, in central Italy, Pope Francis calls for greater immediate action on the climate, as “the earth burns today, and today we must change, at all levels.” pic.twitter.com/3sWrzVPX1z

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 24, 2022

The Pope is taking climate action 

While his views on the LGBTQIA+ community seem rather ambiguous, Pope Francis’ support for the environment and climate action is not.

Back in 2015, the Pope published an official letter which acknowledged the warnings coming from global climate scientists.

He labelled rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and warming of the climate system ‘troubling,’ while calling for a renewal of the dialogue on how humanity is building our planet’s future.

The Pope’s support for climate action was cemented in 2022, when the Vatican joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Now, news of his plan to run Vatican City entirely on renewables is a clear signal that Pope Francis is not just a climate activist, but is actively participating in making a much-needed change.

It’s good to see living completely immersed in religion hasn’t completely blinded him from understanding just how rapidly the outside world is changing.