Vatican: The Intense Battle for Rome’s Survival and the LGBTQ+ Community’s Influence on the Next Pope Election

Since April 21, the day Pope Francis passed away, approximately 180 cardinals have gathered daily in the Vatican’s meeting hall. Discussions about the next Pontiff and the future of the Roman Catholic Church, which boasts 1.4 billion followers, range from calm to intense. During Pope Francis’s 12-year leadership—marked by his advanced age of 91 and severe hearing issues as reported by Politico—he issued orders quietly, while many church leaders admired him but concealed deep concerns over his controversial decisions. ‘Everyone speaks with respect, but you need to know what lies behind the words,’ said one individual present at the preliminary gatherings. ‘All speak well of Pope Francis, but the way they praise him reveals dissatisfaction. He was a good Pope,’ some might say. ‘But we must also consider the popes before him; we must see the entire tradition,’ another remarked.