Rev. James Martin, a New York-based Jesuit, outside St. Peter's Square in Rome on Monday. Father Martin's meeting with Pope Leo XIV was officially announced by the Vatican in a sign that Leo wanted it made public.

Pope Leo XIV met Monday with one of the most prominent advocates for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the Catholic Church and encouraged his ministry, just days before a planned Holy Year pilgrimage of LGBTQ Catholics to the Vatican in a sign of continued welcome.

The Rev. James Martin, a New York-based Jesuit author and editor, said Leo told him he intended to continue Pope Francis’ policy of LGBTQ acceptance in the church and encouraged him to keep up his advocacy.

“I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis, which is the desire to welcome all people, in

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