By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo gave a high-profile private audience to a prominent U.S. priest who ministers to LGBT Catholics on Monday, in a possible sign the new pontiff will continue the late Pope Francis’ legacy of opening up the Church to the gay community.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, met at the Vatican with Rev. James Martin, who has been attacked repeatedly by conservative Catholics for his ministry but was supported by Francis.
“It was very consoling and very encouraging,” Martin told Reuters after the meeting. “I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis about welcoming LGBTQ people.”
Francis, who led the Church for 12 years before his death in April, issued a decree in 2023 allowing priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis, although the Church still only officially recognises marriages between men and women.
The late pope’s decision on gay blessings sparked sharp criticism from conservative cardinals, who said Francis was watering down the Church’s teachings.
The Catholic Church teaches that LGBT people should be respected and that their human dignity must be defended. It also teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful, but that sexual relations outside marriages between men and women are.
Leo hosts many meetings each day but only some are announced officially by the Vatican. Those are closely scrutinized by Church watchers as a sign of the pope’s priorities.
CONTINUING FRANCIS’ LEGACY
Martin’s meeting, held at the Vatican’s apostolic palace, was part of an official schedule on Monday that also included meetings with two cardinals and several bishops.
Martin told Reuters the meeting lasted about a half-hour. “He wants everyone in the church to feel welcome,” the priest said of Leo. “His approach to LGBTQ Catholics is a continuation of Pope Francis’ legacy.”
A Jesuit, like Francis, Martin was the author of a 2017 book that addressed how Catholic leaders should engage with the gay community, and leads an online news site dedicated to LGBT Catholics.
Some U.S. universities have in the past cancelled lectures and appearances by Martin, often after pressure from conservative groups.
Leo, elected by the world’s cardinals in May, has not yet addressed the LGBT community publicly, and also has not publicly commented on Francis’ disputed 2023 decree.
Several gay Catholic groups are in Rome this week for a pilgrimage connected to the ongoing 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which is bringing some 32 million tourists to the city.
The Vatican has included one event organised by LGBT Catholics on its official online calendar for jubilee year, in an unusual sign of openness by the global Church that attracted criticism from some conservative Catholic commentators.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
