Overview

• The pope says he will maintain Francis-era priorities, welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics and expanding women’s leadership, while calling changes to teaching on sexuality, marriage and women’s ordination highly unlikely in the near term.
• He vows to avoid U.S. partisan politics, notes he has not met President Donald Trump, identifies himself as not a Trump supporter, and says he raised concerns about immigration in a May meeting with Vice President JD Vance.
• He plans no short‑term shift in the Vatican’s 2018 arrangement with Beijing on bishop appointments and says he is studying the issue in dialogue with Chinese Catholics on both sides.
• Calling clergy abuse a real crisis, he urges respect and care for victims, warns about proven cases of false accusations, and says the scandal should not become the Church’s sole focus.
• He reports Vatican finances are improving despite ongoing deficits and a pension gap, rejects creating an AI “artificial me,” and expresses grave concern for Gaza while saying the Holy See cannot declare genocide at this time.