Pope Backs Priest’s LGBT Ministry in Rare Meeting

There’s an unmistakable electricity in Rome’s air this week, a kind of hope that crackles quietly through candlelit vigils and whispered prayers in sacred halls. On September 6, 2025, Pope Leo XIV did something truly extraordinary: in a private, heartfelt meeting, he directly encouraged a priest known for his long-standing LGBT outreach to “continue ministry,” igniting fresh courage in a community weary from years of rejection and silence.Read the full report here

A tender conversation, a watershed moment

The priest at the center is none other than Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit whose ministry to LGBT Catholics has been a lifeline for many who’ve felt unwelcome at the altar. The meeting took place in the pope’s personal library, with Leo XIV speaking frankly in English, a rarity for papal audiences, and a gesture of authentic connection. After the conversation, Rev. Martin shared that the pope’s message was clear: the Church must keep embracing “openness and welcome.” In Leo’s own words, this approach is inseparable from “synodality”, the radical idea that the Church should listen to voices from every walk of life, including LGBT Catholics.Discover Reverend Martin’s reflections

Crying tears of hope, not shame

During the Jubilee pilgrimage, more than a thousand LGBT+ Catholics, allies, and their families have filled Rome’s Jesuit church with stories that shimmer with joy and pain. Italian priest Rev. Fausto Focosi moved many to tears, saying, “Our eyes have known the tears of rejection, of hiding. … Today, however, there are other tears, new tears. They wash away the old ones. … They are tears of hope.” For many, including longtime Church members like Capozzi, this period marks a personal homecoming seeded by Pope Francis and now blooming under Leo XIV, who, despite a past of conservative remarks, openly affirms that “he doesn’t want people to be excluded simply on the basis of choices.” Find more personal testimonies here

From silence to celebration

What started as an unofficial gathering has burgeoned into a “semi-official” Jubilee event, with the Vatican’s listing of the LGBT pilgrimage seen as a visible, irreversible sign, a bell ringing through the long silence of exclusion. Bishop Francesco Savino, who led Mass for the pilgrims, offered a rallying cry: “the Gospel is not a manifesto for the chosen few, but a love letter addressed to the whole human family.”More on the Jubilee celebrations here

Within these stories, we find ourselves

As stories ripple outward from the Church of the Gesù, the message is unmistakable: acceptance is no longer whispered from the margins, but celebrated, joining hands across oceans of grief and hope. On this rare day, the Church listened. And with Pope Leo’s blessing, the ministry of welcome, born of struggle, heart, and truth, walks proudly forward in the light.