On 1 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV received Father James Martin, S.J., in a private audience in the Apostolic Palace as part of the pope’s official schedule.
Father Martin is a U.S. Jesuit, editor at large of America and founder of Outreach, a ministry serving LGBTQ Catholics. He is in Rome leading an Outreach Jubilee pilgrimage of roughly forty people, part of the larger pilgrimage of La Tenda di Gionata and other Associations led by La Tenda di Gionata and partnered by GNRC. Catholic News Agency reported the meeting and noted the pilgrimage; America Magazine provided on-the-record remarks from Father Martin. He described the audience as more than thirty minutes, said the pope encouraged him to continue his ministry, and stated that Pope Leo wants everyone to feel welcome.
Reading the encounter alongside recent developments helps to frame its meaning. In December 2023, the Holy See’s doctrinal declaration Fiducia supplicans opened the possibility of non-ritual, pastoral blessings for couples in “irregular situations,” including same-sex couples, while explicitly maintaining the Church’s doctrine on marriage. The present audience points to pastoral continuity within those doctrinal boundaries.
For a global network committed to dialogue, accompaniment and dignity, the audience supports the creation of real spaces for encounter. It does not signal a doctrinal change but confirm a method: presence, listening, and acknowledgment of ministries that work with LGBTQ Catholics within the Church. The Jubilee context and the inclusion of at least one LGBT-organized event on the Vatican’s online calendar indicate a willingness to keep channels open during this Holy Year.
We at GNRC work across regions and what we witnessed is that concrete steps, meetings, clear words, collaborative initiatives, help local communities to walk together. This audience belongs to that patient work.