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Pope Leo appears to be continuing his predecessor’s more welcoming posture toward the LGBTQ community, according to a Jesuit priest and proponent of a more inclusive Catholic Church who met with the pontiff this week.
“I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis, which is the desire to welcome all people, including LGBTQ people,” Fr. James Martin told The Associated Press following the Monday meeting.
“It was wonderful. It was very consoling and very encouraging and, frankly, a lot of fun,” Martin added.
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Pope Leo delivers his blessing to the faithful at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, on August 27, 2025. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Jesuit priest, who hosts “The Spiritual Life” podcast and is founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic ministry, met with the late Pope Francis on several occasions.
The Catholic Church teaches that being gay is not inherently sinful, but any sexual act outside of marriage between a man and a woman is a sin. Some conservatives who were critical of Pope Francis’ overtures reacted negatively to Pope Leo’s meeting with Martin, while others praised it as a welcome development, the AP reported.
Martin spoke highly of his meeting with Pope Leo on X.
“Dear friends: I was profoundly grateful for my audience at the Apostolic Palace with the Holy Father @Pontifex this morning,” Martin said. “The message I received was that Pope Leo will be continuing with the same openness that Francis showed to LGBTQ Catholics. I found Leo to be joyful, relaxed and serene. He is a joy to be with!”
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The late Pope Francis did not change the Catholic Church’s doctrine on marriage. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
In a post on his Outreach website, Martin said the meeting lasted about 30 minutes and remarked Pope Leo’s “approach to LGBTQ Catholic ministry” is similar to that of Pope Francis, who reportedly told a gay man in 2018, “God made you that way and loves you as you are, and I don’t mind.”
“The message I received from him, loud and clear, was that he wanted to continue with the same approach that Pope Francis had advanced, which was one of openness and welcome,” Martin wrote. “So, it was very much a hopeful message of continuity.”
Martin did acknowledge that LGBTQ issues might not be the highest priority for the Holy Father given current events, such as the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza.
“So while LGBTQ issues are on his radar, other things may be more pressing for the time being,” Martin said. “And even when addressing LGBTQ issues, he may not move as fast as some might like. By the same token, he may move far too fast for others.”
Fr. James Martin met with Pope Leo this week. (Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)
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In 2023, before he was Pope Leo and was still Cardinal Robert Prevost, the future pontiff said the church was looking to be more welcoming. After he was elected pope, comments he made in 2012 criticizing the “homosexual lifestyle” resurfaced in media reports.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative of The Vatican for comment.
