You might be right on that. It should be noted, however, that one would not expect Pius XII, Leo XIII or even John Paul II to have said much, if anything on this subject since "gender ideology" was hardly a defining political and cultural issue in previous pontificates, was it? We had not yet plumbed the depths to which we've currently sunk. The idea that we can simply choose our own sex and the bathroom of our choice has appeared out of nowhere and gone mainstream in the last 5-10 years. It's one of the defining examples of 21st century depravity.
Yes, Francis says sensible things sometimes, and we really want to believe he's the real deal, don't we? So we clutch on to anything he says, however rare, which seems to echo Catholic tradition. We want him to be a good Pope and to wake up and find that all the heterodoxy and demagoguery was just a bad dream. Here's where we differ, though. Looking at his papacy in its entirety, I cannot banish the feeling that his occasional moments of lucidity are devoid of sincerity, conviction and enthusiasm. They're rare, atypical and often in contradiction to his previous words and actions.
He says these things because....well......that's what Popes are supposed to do. In doing so, he believes he's buying himself time and space to further his real agenda, an example of which was shown to us this week with the convening of the commission on "deaconesses". He's building his credit score among the skeptics and critics so that he can move a little more freely in the areas which truly interest him.
It's good that you haven't yet reached my level of cynicism. You still take Francis at his word, whereas I see Jesuit deviancy and an agenda. I hope for the Church's sake you are correct. I see ulterior motives in everything he says and does.
And although he may have said things against gay marriage and gender ideology, there is still a question as to what he truly believes about civil unions:
I detect an attitude of “He’s gotta be wrong. Even when he’s right, he’s wrong.”
This does not constitute just judgment.