Pope Leo XIV received James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large at America, in private audience in the papal library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace this morning, Sept. 1, in what is seen in Rome as a public reaffirmation of support for the American Jesuit and his pastoral ministry to L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics.
“I am extremely grateful and deeply consoled by my meeting with the Holy Father. He encouraged me to continue my ministry,” Father Martin told me soon after the audience that lasted more than half an hour.
“Pope Leo has the same openness to L.G.B.T.Q. issues as Pope Francis had. He made clear that he wants everyone to feel welcome,” he added, without revealing what the pope specifically said.
Their conversation ranged over several topics, Father Martin said, and “It is clear that Pope Leo has many priorities, and in particular is deeply concerned for peace in the world, including peace in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar. His aim is peace and unity in the church and the world.”
He found the pope “serene, relaxed and joyful” and said they laughed frequently. “It was as if we were back at the synodal table,” he added, referring to the fact he had sat at the same table with Leo, then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, for part of the second session of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024. Moreover, he said, “it is clear that Pope Leo intends to continue with the synodal process.”
As they concluded their conversation, Father Martin gave the pope copies of two icons that hung in the chapel of his Jesuit novitiate in Boston: “Christ the Lifegiver and “Our Lady Quick to Hear.” Pope Leo gave him some rosaries, prayer cards and his blessing.
It was their first meeting since Leo was elected pope on May 8, but as Father Martin noted, the two men already knew each other from the two sessions on the Synod on Synodality in the Vatican, in October 2023 and October 2024. Then-Cardinal Prevost participated in both sessions as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and Father Martin did so as a papal appointee.
Today’s meeting took place in the pope’s private library, where Leo meets heads of states and of international organizations, cardinals and bishops, leaders of the other Christian denominations and of the world’s major religions, and other distinguished people. By choosing to meet him there, and having the announcement of the meeting published in the official news bulletin published by the Vatican press office, Pope Leo could be seen as making a public statement of support for his ministry with L.G.B.T.Q. people.
The Chicago-born, Augustinian pope and the Jesuit author who was born in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., had no need for translators, as had been the case when Father Martin met Pope Francis.
In some ways, today’s meeting was the message, just as it was when Pope Francis met Father Martin for their first private conversation in this same library on Sept. 30, 2019. Francis had already appointed the Jesuit and best-selling author as a consultant to the Vatican Dicastery for Communications in 2017.
Subsequently, Pope Francis granted him three other private audiences: one in the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 11, 2022, and two in Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he lived, in June 2024 and October 2023. He also appointed him as a voting member to the Synods on Synodality.
In 2021, Father Martin founded Outreach, a ministry and resource center for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics, in partnership with America Media. This week he is leading an Outreach pilgrimage of some 40 people to Rome for the Jubilee Year.
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