This is according to ChatGPT: the contents weren’t verified.
Selected appointments through 16 October 2026
Some of Leo XIV’s appointees have publicly supported same-sex blessings or changes to sexual teaching. Christian Würtz is a particularly clear example of support for doctrinal revision. Ramón Bejarano and Michael Saporito have documented involvement with New Ways Ministry. Other records differ substantially: Thomas Hennen has supported chastity through Courage ministry, while James Golka has opposed specified transgender policies.
This chronological list covers 22 selected diocesan appointments in the United States, Europe and Australia. It examines prominent claims about LGBT advocacy alongside other disputed issues. It is not a complete worldwide register or a statistical sample, so it cannot establish whether any position predominates among all Leo’s appointments.
Dates refer to public appointment announcements. Transfers and coadjutor appointments are included; ordination, installation and automatic succession are different events. Statements made after appointment are identified and do not establish what the pope knew when choosing an appointee. Foreign-language material is paraphrased in English.
The entries distinguish advocacy for changing doctrine, support for same-sex blessings, participation in LGBT ministry and positions not established by the cited sources. An anti-abortion record does not, by itself, settle a bishop’s position on LGBT questions. Assessments are interpretations of the stated evidence, rather than quotations or judgments about private motives.
Chronological list
22 May 2025 Beat Grögli
Bishop of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Background Cathedral pastor. Studied theology in Fribourg, Vienna and Innsbruck, and psychology at the Gregorian University. His appointment followed a cathedral-chapter election.
Public record In a July 2025 interview, he called the theological arguments against women priests weak and favored allowing a change to mandatory priestly celibacy. Asked about blessing a same-sex couple, he answered in pastoral terms. He also said he had not received a request to perform such a blessing.
Assessment He questions the arguments against women priests and favors changing celibacy rules. His response on same-sex blessings is qualified.
Sources Appointment and CV: Holy See, 22 May 2025 | Direct interview, 4 July 2025
22 May 2025 Michael Pham
Bishop of San Diego, United States
Background Previously auxiliary bishop and diocesan administrator in San Diego. Vietnamese-born refugee.
Public record The diocese continued its LGBT ministry under his administration, including the July 2025 All Are Welcome Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano. That is evidence about his diocesan administration. The sources used here do not establish a personal public demand by Pham to change sexual doctrine.
Assessment Institutional continuity with LGBT outreach. A stronger personal activist label needs additional evidence.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 22 May 2025 | Official biography | Diocesan account of July 2025 Mass
4 June 2025 Mark Eckman
Bishop of Pittsburgh, United States
Background Previously Pittsburgh auxiliary bishop, with long service as a local parish priest, school chaplain and pastor.
Public record The appointment and biography establish extensive local pastoral experience. This review did not establish a specific public position on same-sex blessings, changing sexual doctrine or gender-transition policy.
Assessment Position on the principal disputed issues not established in this review. Do not count as either an LGBT activist or an opponent on the basis of biography alone.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 4 June 2025 | Diocesan biography and announcement
5 June 2025 Simon Peter Engurait
Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, United States
Background Ugandan-born priest and diocesan administrator. Earned an MBA at Maastricht and a Master of Divinity at Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans.
Public record The verified sources emphasize diocesan administration and parish service. This review did not establish a specific public position on the disputed LGBT policy questions.
Assessment Issue position not established. Nationality, business training and administrative experience do not establish an ideological position.
Sources Appointment and CV: USCCB, 5 June 2025
18 June 2025 Shane Mackinlay
Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia
Background Previously Bishop of Sandhurst and head of Catholic Theological College in Melbourne. Prominent participant in Australian and Roman synodal processes.
Public record In a 2023 interview, he said he would welcome ordination of women as deacons if that became the Church’s decision. His synodal interventions have also stressed personal encounter and pastoral care for LGBT Catholics.
Assessment Open to the female diaconate. The cited statements do not establish support for women priests or moral approval of same-sex sexual acts.
Sources Official appointment date and biography | Direct interview on women deacons, 17 October 2023 | CNA profile of synodal role
20 June 2025 Anthony Ireland
Archbishop of Hobart, Australia
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of Melbourne. Succeeded Archbishop Julian Porteous.
Public record The appointment sources establish his former office and pastoral background. This review did not establish a sufficiently specific public record on same-sex blessings or changes to sexual teaching.
Assessment Do not infer his positions merely from the public reputation of his predecessor.
Sources Archdiocesan appointment announcement | Australian bishops’ release reproduced by Cairns diocese
27 June 2025 José Antonio Satué Huerto
Bishop of Málaga, Spain
Background Former Bishop of Teruel y Albarracín and official of the Congregation for the Clergy. Holds a licentiate in canon law from the Gregorian University.
Public record In a 15 February 2026 interview, he described blessing people pursuing a same-sex partnership as a step forward. In the same interview, he affirmed marriage between a man and a woman and defended protection of unborn human life. His support for blessings is clear; those accompanying positions also belong in the record.
Assessment Documented supporter of same-sex blessings within a professed male-female definition of marriage. Not equivalent to a documented demand for same-sex sacramental marriage.
Sources Appointment and CV: Holy See, 27 June 2025 | Direct interview: Málaga Hoy, 15 February 2026
1 July 2025 Mark Rivituso
Archbishop of Mobile, United States
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of St. Louis.
Public record The St. Louis archdiocese publicly listed him as celebrant of its June 2025 pro-life Mass and rosary. That provides concrete evidence of anti-abortion ministry. This review did not establish a specific public stance on the disputed LGBT policy questions.
Assessment Documented pro-life ministry. A general LGBT-activist label is not established by the reviewed sources.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 1 July 2025 | Mobile’s official chronology | Archdiocesan pro-life event, 21 June 2025
2 July 2025 Daniel Garcia
Bishop of Austin, United States
Background Transferred from Monterey; formerly an auxiliary bishop of Austin.
Public record On 14 September 2025, shortly before his installation in Austin, he ordered the Traditional Latin Mass at Sacred Heart in Hollister, California, to end after 13 October. His stated reasons included liturgical unity and implementation of Francis’s policy.
Assessment A documented restrictive position on the Traditional Latin Mass. This establishes a liturgical policy, rather than an LGBT position.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 2 July 2025 | CNA report on the September decree
10 July 2025 Thomas Hennen
Bishop of Baker, United States
Background Rome-trained priest; previously Davenport vicar general and cathedral rector.
Public record Helped develop Davenport’s 2023 Guidelines for Pastoral Accompaniment of Sexual and Gender Minorities, which call for individual discernment and a case-by-case approach. He also ministered for years with Courage and publicly supported chastity and existing Church teaching. Some LGBT advocates praised the guidelines while expressing reservations about his Courage work.
Assessment A mixed record that must be described in full. Involvement in the guidelines is established. Calling him an unqualified advocate of changing sexual doctrine omits significant contrary evidence.
Sources Appointment: Holy See, 10 July 2025 | Diocesan account of his role | 2023 guidelines, primary document | Contemporary report including his Courage work | Diocesan reporting on Courage and gender committee
19 August 2025 Ralph O’Donnell
Bishop of Jefferson City, United States
Background Former Omaha vocations director and USCCB executive director for clergy, consecrated life and vocations. Studied at Conception and Mundelein and earned a master’s in Christian spirituality at Creighton.
Public record The verified appointment materials describe vocational formation, parish ministry and spirituality. This review did not establish specific public positions on the disputed LGBT policy questions.
Assessment Issue position not established. Professional background alone does not justify an activist designation.
Sources Appointment and CV: USCCB, 19 August 2025
24 September 2025 James Checchio
Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans, United States
Background Former Bishop of Metuchen and rector of the Pontifical North American College. Canon-law and administrative background.
Public record New Ways Ministry cites his attendance at a Metuchen parish LGBT ministry gathering after the 2016 Pulse nightclub murders. The account describes him staying to speak personally with participants. The same organization’s profile acknowledges a lack of dramatic public LGBT-policy statements by him.
Assessment Pastoral outreach is documented; an outspoken campaign to change sexual doctrine is not established here. September 2025 is the appointment date. His succession to the archdiocese occurred in February 2026.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 24 September 2025 | Official diocesan profile | New Ways Ministry’s account, 4 March 2026
17 December 2025 Ramón Bejarano
Bishop of Monterey, United States
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of San Diego.
Public record Presided at diocesan All Are Welcome Masses for LGBT Catholics. In a 2024 homily published by the diocesan newspaper, he said he attended a New Ways Ministry workshop and apologized for harm and stigmatization caused by himself and the Church. The July 2025 Mass also drew favorable attention from LGBT advocates.
Assessment Sustained LGBT pastoral ministry and attendance at a New Ways Ministry workshop are documented. The cited homily does not call for redefining marriage.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 17 December 2025 | His 2024 homily in the diocesan newspaper | Diocesan account of July 2025 Mass
18 December 2025 Ronald Hicks
Archbishop of New York, United States
Background Former Bishop of Joliet and Chicago auxiliary, with substantial experience of ministry in Central America.
Public record His record includes participation in the Illinois March for Life and a pastoral emphasis on migrants and Spanish-speaking Catholics. His Chicago associations are often used to classify him, but association alone does not establish an LGBT-policy position.
Assessment Anti-abortion participation is documented. The sources reviewed here do not establish that he is an outspoken LGBT activist.
Sources Appointment: Archdiocese of New York, 18 December 2025 | Primary record of March for Life participation, 21 March 2023 | Profile of his pastoral background
19 December 2025 Richard Moth
Archbishop of Westminster, England
Background Previously Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and military ordinary for Great Britain. Holds a licentiate in canon law from Saint Paul University, Ottawa.
Public record The verified announcement documents his judicial, military-chaplaincy and diocesan leadership experience. This review did not establish a sufficiently specific position on the principal LGBT-policy questions to assign an activist label.
Assessment The cited announcement and biography do not establish a position on same-sex blessings or changes to sexual teaching.
Sources Appointment and CV: Holy See, 19 December 2025
19 December 2025 Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez
Bishop of Palm Beach, United States
Background Dominican-born Brooklyn priest and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows in Queens. Studied law, education and canon law, and served as defender of the bond.
Public record The appointment sources emphasize parish and educational experience. This review did not establish specific public positions on same-sex blessings or changing sexual doctrine.
Assessment Issue position not established. His ministry in a diverse immigrant parish does not by itself imply an LGBT-policy stance.
Sources Appointment and CV: Holy See, 19 December 2025 | Brooklyn’s announcement
22 December 2025 James Misko
Bishop of Tucson, United States
Background Former Austin vicar general and diocesan administrator. Worked in the restaurant industry before priesthood and earned theological degrees at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston.
Public record The verified announcement documents parish and administrative service. This review did not establish a specific public position on the principal disputed LGBT questions.
Assessment Issue position not established in this review.
Sources Appointment and CV: USCCB, 22 December 2025
7 February 2026 James Golka
Archbishop of Denver, United States
Background Previously Bishop of Colorado Springs. Studied at Creighton and St. Paul Seminary and served in parish and diocesan leadership.
Public record Signed Colorado bishops’ 2025 support for ballot initiatives concerning sex-based school sports and restrictions on medical interventions intended to change minors’ sex. As archbishop, he also signed a September 2026 appeal supporting related ballot propositions.
Assessment A concrete public record opposing transgender advocacy on these policies. It weighs against treating all Leo appointees as LGBT activists.
Sources Official appointment date and biography | Primary Colorado bishops’ statement, 2025 | Primary Colorado bishops’ statement, 18 September 2026
7 July 2026 Christian Würtz
Bishop of Eichstätt, Germany
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of Freiburg. A jurist and theologian with doctorates. The appointment was governed by the Bavarian Concordat.
Public record Supported German Synodal Way resolutions on same-sex blessings, reassessing the moral teaching on homosexuality, and reconsidering women’s access to ordained ministry. The sexuality resolution he supported treats same-sex sexual acts as not inherently separating people from God.
Assessment Clear support for substantive revision of sexual teaching, extending beyond pastoral welcome and the limited blessings authorized by Fiducia supplicans.
Sources Appointment: Holy See, 7 July 2026 | Official diocesan biography | Catholic World News on his votes and concordat correction | German Catholic profile confirming reform votes | Synodal Way adopted texts
15 September 2026 Michael Saporito
Bishop of Metuchen, United States
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of Newark and a New Jersey parish priest.
Public record Participated in New Ways Ministry’s private meetings for bishops on LGBT questions. The organizer published his favorable assessment of the exchange of personal stories and information. This directly establishes participation and an appreciative response.
Assessment A documented connection to an LGBT advocacy organization. Participation does not establish agreement with every speaker or proposal, and the cited comment does not expressly endorse changing sexual doctrine.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 15 September 2026 | Organizer’s account and his statement, 23 April 2026
17 September 2026 Brendan Cahill
Bishop of Joliet, United States
Background Previously Bishop of Victoria, Texas, and chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration.
Public record His public work includes advocacy for migrants and a joint April 2026 intervention with the USCCB pro-life chairman seeking protection for pregnant women, nursing mothers and unborn children in immigration enforcement.
Assessment The reviewed record concerns migration and protection of vulnerable human life. It does not establish an LGBT-activist position.
Sources Appointment: USCCB, 17 September 2026 | Primary USCCB statement, 13 April 2026
14 October 2026 Marek Forgáč
Archbishop of Košice, Slovakia
Background Previously auxiliary bishop of Košice. Studied psychology at the Gregorian University and earned a doctorate in social psychology at Trnava.
Public record In a July 2024 interview, he defended Fiducia supplicans and criticized failure to understand Francis’s pastoral purpose. He also expressly rejected an interpretation that abandons Gospel morality. He described blessings as non-ceremonial and associated with a desire to move toward the Gospel.
Assessment Documented supporter of the blessings policy, with stated moral restrictions. The interview does not establish a demand to make same-sex sexual activity morally permissible.
Sources Appointment and CV: Holy See, 14 October 2026 | Direct interview, 23 July 2024
Reading the record accurately
Support for same-sex blessings is a substantive policy position even when a bishop retains the male-female definition of marriage. Conversely, pastoral contact, participation in a conference or an apology for mistreatment does not by itself establish agreement with every proposal of an advocacy organization. The source should identify the bishop’s own statement, vote, policy or role.
Hennen’s appointment was announced on 10 July 2025. Checchio was appointed coadjutor on 24 September 2025 and succeeded to the archdiocese in February 2026. Würtz’s appointment was announced on 7 July 2026. These distinctions prevent later events and secondary summaries from producing misleading chronologies.
Formal appointment is a papal act, but a cathedral-chapter election or a concordat can affect the process. The individual entries flag the St. Gallen election and the Bavarian Concordat. The announcement alone does not reveal the pope’s personal motive.
One additional appointment falls outside this diocesan list. Leo named Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to the Apostolic Signatura on 25 July 2026. That is an appointment to a Vatican tribunal, rather than a new selection of the bishop of San Francisco.