Pope Francis on Monday
gave a high-profile private audience to a prominent American
Jesuit priest who has been attacked repeatedly by conservative
Catholics and media outlets for ministering to queer people.
By meeting Father James Martin during the morning, when the
pope's meetings are part of his published schedule, instead of
privately in the afternoon, Francis appeared to be defending
Martin pointedly from the attacks.
In the last two years, a number of Catholic seminaries and
universities have cancelled lectures and appearances by Martin,
often after pressure from conservative groups.
Martin, a Jesuit like the pope, is the author of the 2017
book "Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT
Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion,
and Sensitivity".
In a Tweet after meeting the pope, Martin said he "shared
with him the joys and hopes, and the griefs and anxieties, of
LGBT Catholics and LGBT people worldwide. I was so grateful to
meet with this wonderful pastor".
Describing the meeting as one of the highlights of his life,
Martin said he felt "encouraged, consoled and inspired" and that
the 30-minute audience was "a clear sign of (the pope's) deep
pastoral care for LGBT Catholics and LGBT people".
Rorate Caeli, one of the conservative blogs that has often
criticized Martin, Tweeted after the audience was made public:
"It's the feast of St. Gay Rome." In another Tweet, Rorate Caeli
said: "If that's not an endorsement, nothing is."
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry,
which calls for reconciliation between the Church and gays,
praised the pope.
DeBernardo said in a statement that the meeting "refutes the
unjustified barrage of criticism he has received from a minority
of Church leaders and other anti-LGBTQ sectors of the Church".
He called it "a clear signal that Pope Francis is calling
the Church to conversion away from the negative messages it has
sent in the past about LGBTQ people. It is a day of celebration
for LGBTQ Catholics who have longed for an outstretched hand of
welcome from the Church that they love".
The Church teaches that homosexuals should be respected and
their human dignity must be defended. It teaches that same-sex
attractions are not sinful but homosexual acts are.