Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, at the 40th Meeting for Friendship Between Peoples in Rome, Italy. (Montesi/Corbis/Getty)

LGBT+ advocates are celebrating after the Pope elevated a leading pro-gay bishop to the College of Cardinals.

On Sunday, September 1, Pope Francis made the surprise announcement that he would promoting 13 clerics to the rank of cardinal.

Among them was Matteo Zuppi, 63, an Italian archbishop who encourages “a new pastoral attitude that we must seek together with our LGBT brothers and sisters“.

Pope Francis has also named Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna as a cardinal! He is a great supporter of #LGBT Catholics and wrote the foreword for the Italian version of my book “Building a Bridge” (“Un Ponte da Costruire,” published by Marcianum Press) https://t.co/3GUV5zRWmb pic.twitter.com/iknBJ4ZvhY — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) September 1, 2019

In an essay written as a preface for a colleague’s book, Zuppi identifies that there is “a bridge that needs continuous building” between the Church and the LGBT+ community, who he describes as “people of God”.

The essay discusses how to have a compassionate, respectful conversation with LGBT+ Catholics to “help them feel more at home in what is, after all, their church”.

The decision to promote Zuppi has angered some, with Christian media describing Zuppi as “a homosexualist” who risks challenging the Church’s teachings on LGBT+ rights.

But it has been celebrated among more progressive Christians, who hope the Pope’s choice of cardinals reflects his vision for “a Church of dialogue“.

According to international Catholic new outlet The Tablet, the Pope has “ripped up the unwritten rule book” when it comes to cardinals, selecting “credible and humble church leaders working away from the limelight”.

Journalist Christopher Lamb writes: “Choosing cardinals is the closest thing a Pope has to succession planning and, with his picks, Francis is trying to ensure the Church continues on the trajectory he has set for it.”