Blacked-Out Lines: Russia Censors LGBTQ+ Passages From Pope Francis' Autobiography

What happens when even the words of a pope are deemed too dangerous to print? Readers in Russia are finding out. The Russian edition of Hope: The Autobiography - the memoir by the late Pope Francis, published worldwide in 2025 and released in Russia this year - has been stripped of its LGBTQ+ content, with some passages reportedly blocked out with black lines. It is a striking illustration of how far state censorship of LGBTQ+ existence now reaches, and a reminder of the environment in which millions of LGBTQ+ people live and work.

What was removed

According to reporting cited by PinkNews, the Russian edition published by Alpina Publishing Group removed or heavily redacted every LGBTQ+-related section of the book. Gone are Francis' passages about welcoming gay and transgender people into the Catholic Church, his stance on blessings for same-sex unions, his views on transgender rights, and his position that homosexuality should never be criminalised.

The removals reportedly affect both the hard-copy and digital versions of the book — in some places quite literally, with text obscured by black lines. Alpina Publishing Group has not yet publicly addressed the censoring.

There is a particular irony in the target. Francis' comments on LGBTQ+ people were among the most cautious notes of welcome from any pope in history -hardly radical activism. Yet under Russian law, even a pope's words of pastoral inclusion apparently cannot be printed.

The machinery behind the black lines

The censorship is the product of Russia's "LGBT propaganda" legislation, which restricts the promotion of what the state calls "non-traditional sexual relations or gender transitions." The law's effects have been sweeping: nearly 600 books have been banned in Russia since 2022, and both individuals and businesses have faced charges - including over something as simple as displaying rainbow imagery.

For publishers, retailers and media companies operating in Russia, the message is that any acknowledgement of LGBTQ+ lives carries legal risk. For LGBTQ+ Russians, the message is bleaker still: their existence is being systematically edited out of public life, one blacked-out page at a time.

Why this matters beyond Russia

For a global audience of LGBTQ+ professionals and inclusive employers, this story is more than a curiosity from the publishing world. It is a case study in how quickly the space for visibility can close when laws target "propaganda" rather than conduct - a legislative model that has been debated and copied in other countries. And it lands close to home for any multinational: businesses operating in restrictive markets face real decisions about how to protect LGBTQ+ employees, what content and communications they localise, and where they draw their own lines.

Censorship of this kind also underlines why visibility elsewhere matters so much. When words of inclusion are erased in one market, the organisations, media and employers that keep saying them elsewhere carry more weight, not less.

Takeaways for our community and for employers

For LGBTQ+ professionals, especially those whose work involves travel to or collaboration with restrictive jurisdictions, this is a reminder to know the legal landscape before you go - and to expect your employer to know it too. Duty of care for LGBTQ+ staff should be a standard part of any mobility policy.

For employers, three practical steps follow. First, map the legal risks your LGBTQ+ employees face in every market where you operate, and build clear safety and support protocols for postings and business travel. Second, be deliberate about consistency: if your inclusion messaging quietly disappears in certain markets, your employees will notice. Third, keep telling the stories that others are forced to erase - in your internal communications, your ERG programming and your leadership platforms. In a year when even a pope's words of welcome can be blacked out, choosing to keep them visible is itself an act of inclusion.