Father James Martin Reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s Commitment to LGBTQ Inclusivity

In a recent discussion, Jesuit priest Father James Martin, who hosts “The Spiritual Life” podcast and leads the LGBTQ Catholic Church Outreach, conveyed some hopeful news following his September meeting with Pope Leo XIV. He mentioned that Pope Leo intends to carry on the inclusivity mission initially embraced by Pope Francis, particularly regarding LGBTQ Catholics.

During an appearance on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, Martin was asked whether Leo planned to “expand” his outreach to the LGBTQ community, as Francis had shown interest in. He affirmed, stating, “Yes, the message I got from him was that he was continuing Pope Francis’ mission and message of welcome and inclusion, and he wanted to broadcast that.” This response was met with applause from the audience.

Colbert also expressed a desire to have Pope Leo as a guest on his show before it wraps up in May. When he asked Martin for his opinion on whether Leo would be a suitable guest, Martin replied, “I think he’d be a very good guest, yeah.”

After their meeting, Martin took to X to share insights about the Catholic Church’s ongoing embrace of the LGBTQ community. He remarked, “I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis: a desire to welcome all people, including LGBTQ people.”

Martin shared enthusiastic reflections about the audience he had with Pope Leo, describing it as “amazing, comforting, very encouraging, and quite frankly, a lot of fun.” It’s interesting to note that while the Catholic Church regards homosexuality as not inherently sinful, it maintains that sexual activity outside of marriage is. Unsurprisingly, reactions to the meeting varied; some conservative critics of Pope Francis viewed it negatively, while others welcomed the development as progressive.

In his comments on X, Martin expressed heartfelt gratitude for his time with Pope Leo, saying, “The message I received was that Pope Leo would continue to show the same tolerance that Francis has shown to LGBTQ Catholics. I found Leo to be a fun, relaxed, and gentle person. He is so much fun to be around!”

Summarizing the meeting, Martin noted that Pope Leo’s approach to LGBTQ ministry closely mirrors that of Pope Francis. He asserted that Leo’s intentions were clear—continuing an open and welcoming approach for all.