Pope Leo XIV has met with American priest James Martin, granting the Catholic leader who ministers to the LGBTIQA+ communities a private audience.
Reverend James Martin is the editor at large at America Media and founder of Outreach, an organsiation the provides resources for LGBTQ Catholics and those who minister with them in the Catholic Church worldwide.
He is a successful author and has written many books including Building a Bridge a work about including LGBTIQA+ Catholics that has been translated in to nine different languages.
The meeting is seen as a positive sign that Pope Leo will continue the work of his predecessor Pope Francis in opening up the church and reforming it for modern times.
Reverend Martin has often been attacked by US bishops for his work with LGBTIQA+ communities, but he found a firm ally in the late Pope.
“It was very consoling and very encouraging,” Martin told news agency Reuters after the meeting. “I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis about welcoming LGBTQ people.”
While the Pope has many meetings each day, not all are publicly announced. The fact that the Vatican let the world know that this meeting had taken place is seen as a sign that the issue remains on the new Pope’s agenda.
Photograph of Pope Leo XIV By Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
