Merch, Karolyn2022-11-022022-11-022022Merch, Karolyn. "Exploring Homosexuality Within Catholicism." Royal Road, 2022. https://doi.org/10.48497/AJN3-HZ18http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/3578Recommended citation: Merch, Karolyn. "Exploring Homosexuality Within Catholicism." Royal Road, 2022. https://doi.org/10.48497/AJN3-HZ18Historically, the Catholic Church has marginalized its homosexual followers due to their nonconforming sexuality. Further analysis will examine Pope Francis, prior papacies, and the continued stigma that homosexuals face within the Church in order to determine whether Pope Francis has enacted change. Such research will discredit the attempts of Pope Francis and reveal that while the acceptance of homosexuals within religion has liberalized, Catholic doctrinal law remains prejudiced against homosexual union. As a result, Catholics who identify as homosexual struggle to identify with the Church, which causes them additional strain in their personal endeavor to discover themselves.en-USCatholic ChurchHomosexualityCatholicismHomophobiaArticlehttps://doi.org/10.48497/AJN3-HZ18