Pope Leo XIV held a meeting on Monday with one of the leading figures promoting greater LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Catholic Church. This meeting serves as a strong signal of openness in the early phase of his papacy.

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit author and editor based in New York, shared that Pope Leo expressed his intention to continue the inclusivity policies initiated by Pope Francis, urging Martin to persist in his advocacy efforts.

Martin shared with The Associated Press, “Pope Leo conveyed the same welcoming message for LGBTQ people that I heard from Pope Francis. It was an uplifting and heartening experience, and frankly, quite enjoyable.”

The meeting, taking place over roughly thirty minutes, was officially publicized by the Vatican, indicating Leo’s desire to share it with the public. It precedes a Holy Year pilgrimage to the Vatican by LGBTQ+ Catholics, further underscoring a gesture of inclusion.

This audience is notable as it underscores a clear continuation of Francis’s initiatives to foster a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals in the Church. Pope Francis gained attention for his welcoming stance, famously remarking in 2013, “Who am I to judge?” regarding a homosexual priest, and for permitting blessings for same-sex couples.

Throughout his papacy, from 2013 to 2025, Francis engaged multiple times with Martin, appointing him as an adviser in the Vatican’s communications department and involving him in significant discussions about the Church’s future. However, he maintained the church’s position that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.”

Leo’s position on LGBTQ+ Catholics had been something of a question. Soon after he was elected in May, remarks surfaced from 2012 in which the future pope, then known as the Rev. Robert Prevost, criticized the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.

When he became a cardinal in 2023, Catholic News Service asked Prevost if his views had changed. He acknowledged Francis’ call for a more inclusive church, saying Francis “made it very clear that he doesn’t want people to be excluded simply on the basis of choices that they make, whether it be lifestyle, work, way to dress, or whatever.”

Prevost then underlined that doctrine had not changed. “But we are looking to be more welcoming and more open and to say all people are welcome in the church,” he said.

News of the audience was met with consternation among some conservatives who had criticized Francis’ outreach and had hoped Leo would be less accepting. Taylor Marshall, a podcaster active on Catholic social media, merely posted the official Vatican photo of the encounter on X. John-Henry Weston, co-founder of the LifeSite news site, called the audience a “nightmare scenario.”

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics, said the audience was a great first step. In a statement he called it “a strong indication that Leo affirms Pope Francis’ welcoming model and that previous repressive approaches are now just history.”

Martin, who knew Prevost from their time working together in the synod on the church’s future, said he wasn’t worried about Leo’s views given Martin always had found him to be “a very open, welcoming, inclusive person.”

“But it’s wonderful to hear this continuation,” Martin said, adding that Leo told him his priorities are to work for peace and unity, citing in particular the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.

“But he also wanted to remind people that this is a church for ‘todos, todos, todos,’” Martin said, quoting Francis’ famous line in Spanish about how the church is open to everyone, todos.

Martin helped found Outreach, a ministry promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance, which will participate in a big Holy Year pilgrimage Friday and Saturday sponsored by Italian LGBTQ+ Catholic group “Jonathan’s Tent.” Significantly, the pilgrimage of about 1,200 people includes a Mass at the Jesuit church in Rome celebrated by the second-highest member of the Italian bishop’s conference.

The pilgrimage is not officially sponsored by the Vatican, but is listed on the Vatican’s calendar of Holy Year events. Vatican officials say such a listing doesn’t signify endorsement, but is merely a logistical help to those groups that wish to organize pilgrimages and walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

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