Gay couple go viral for kissing at announcement of new Pope

In St. Peter’s Square, a gay couple gained attention by photobombing a broadcast with a kiss right after Cardinal Robert Prevost was declared Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Captured on the Vatican’s live broadcast of the momentous occasion, the couple later recreated the memorable kiss and shared it on social media.

“Habemus Papam!” declared the caption on the Vatican’s TV coverage of the new pope's announcement. “We have a Pope!”

As the camera moved across the crowd celebrating in St. Peter’s Square, the men marked the occasion with a brief but public kiss on the lips, according to ‘Advocate’.

Later, a photo appeared to show the same couple reenacting their kiss amid the crowds in St. Peter’s Square, which was posted on the social media of one of the perceived participants.

This kiss seemed a fitting way to greet Pope Leo XIV, especially since the late Pope Francis was considered the most LGBTQ+-affirming pope in Roman Catholic Church history. While details on Leo's views regarding the LGBTQ+ community have not been extensively covered, The New York Times reports that during a 2012 bishops meeting, he expressed concern that Western media and culture promoted “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.” At that time, he specifically mentioned the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”