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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s

“This has happened with these last decisions about blessing everyone,” Francis added. “The Lord blesses everyone.”The beneficiaries of Francis’ welcoming attitude included a

— many of them Latin American migrants who worked in Rome as prostitutes — who visited his weekly general audiences and were given VIP seats.Transgender women, from left, Claudia Vittoria Salas, Andrea Paola Torres Lopez and Carla Segovia speak as they sit in the Beata Vergine Immacolata church in Torvaianica, Italy, on Nov. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)Transgender women, from left, Claudia Vittoria Salas, Andrea Paola Torres Lopez and Carla Segovia speak as they sit in the Beata Vergine Immacolata church in Torvaianica, Italy, on Nov. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

“Before, the church was closed to us. They didn’t see us as normal people. They saw us as the devil,” said Colombia-born Andrea Paola Torres Lopez. “Then Pope Francis arrived, and the doors of the church opened for us.”The pope’s mixed legacy was epitomized by the Vatican’s 2023 synod bringing together hundreds of bishops and lay people to discuss the church’s future. The advance agenda mentioned LGBTQ+ issues; one of Francis’ hand-picked delegates was the Rev. James Martin, a U.S.-based Jesuit and prominent advocate of greater LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Pope Francis presides at a Mass for the closing of the 16th general assembly of the synod of bishops, in St.Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Oct. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Pope Francis presides at a Mass for the closing of the 16th general assembly of the synod of bishops, in St.Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Oct. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File), geographical terms have altered the way spellers prepare for the bee,

at a convention center outside Washington. Mastering them can require an out-of-fashion skill: rote memorization.Avinav Prem Anand, 14, of Columbus, Ohio, competes in the first preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Avinav Prem Anand, 14, of Columbus, Ohio, competes in the first preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)“Geographical words can be super hard sometimes because there’s no roots to break it down or sometimes you don’t get a language of origin. It will say ‘unknown origin’ or the dictionary doesn’t say,” said Avinav Prem Anand, a 14-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, who’s competing this year for the fourth and final time. “Basically, you have to memorize them because that’s the only thing you can do.”