Vatican City - Past remarks made by Pope Leo XIV about the LGBTQ+ community have raised concerns, as they are a stark contrast to the views of his predecessor.

In a video shared 12 years ago by the Catholic News Service, an agency owned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pope Leo, who was then a Bishop, argued that the media pushes "sympathy for anti-Christian lifestyle choices."

"Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel, for example – abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia," Leo argued.

Leo went on to say that "alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed" in today's media.

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"If the new evangelization to counter these mass media-produced distortions of religious and ethical reality successfully... [we will] have to become far more informed about the context of evangelizing in a world dominated by mass media," he concluded.

Leo was dubbed the newest leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, following the death of Pope Francis, who served in the role for 12 years.

While it's unclear if the new pope still holds those views, the world has been anxiously watching to see where he stands on many issues, and how he will lead compared to his predecessor.

Pope Leo's past views appear quite different from the messaging of Pope Francis, who was largely accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and pushed for the Vatican to begin providing blessings for same-sex couples.

Francis was seen as one of the most progressive popes overall, as he has publicly criticized anti-immigration sentiments, condemned the "cruelty" of Israel's continued attacks on Gaza, and has repeatedly admonished President Donald Trump for pushing "hate."

Leo does seem to share Francis' disapproval of Trump and Vice President JD Vance, as he shared several articles criticizing the administration – specifically in regard to its immigration policies – on social media.

But during his very first mass on Thursday, Leo mirrored his past remarks by telling Catholic leaders their preaching is "desperately" needed in places "where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied."