The papacy of Pope Francis ended with the same core doctrine for LGBTQ+ people that he inherited ... casual remarks that he wanted the church to be a more welcoming place for them.

From Chicago Public Radio Jason DeRose reports on the "Welcoming Church" movement. Those involved are working toward full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in churches.

“It seems to me like the mainline denominations are hemorrhaging people ... Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the East Village, New York, in April this year. Getty Images “Feminized” worship ...

Yet Pope Francis, during his nearly 11-year papacy, has done far more than any previous pope to make the church a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people. It became clear early in Francis’ papacy ...

“More than any decree or policy, a pope’s influence is about setting a tone in the church. Pope Francis set a tone of welcoming and dialogue. He gave people the courage to do outreach to LGBTQ ...

Throughout the visit, the pope continued to repeat the message that everyone is welcome in the Catholic Church — at one point getting young people to repeat after him "todos, todos, todos ...

For Pastor Lynn Hargrow, the welcoming power of a church can nourish a person’s mental health. “The church community is to me the most effective asset because the Christian community — true Christian ...

what concrete steps are needed to welcome those who feel excluded from the Church because of their status or sexuality (for example, remarried divorcees, people in polygamous marriages ...