Pope Leo XIV met on Monday (1 September) with one of the most prominent advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church. The Rev. James Martin, a New York-based Jesuit author and editor, told the Associated Press that during his meeting with Pope Leo he said he intended to continue Pope Francis’ policy of LGBTQ+ acceptance. Martin added: "I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis, which is the desire to welcome all people, including LGBTQ people. "It was wonderful. It was very consoling and very encouraging and frankly a lot of fun.” During his time as Pope, Pope Francis allowed priests to bless same-sex couples and in 2013 famously said "Who am I to judge?" in response to a purportedly gay priest. Despite this, however, Francis did not change church teaching saying homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” #pope #popeleo #popefrancis #lgbtqrights #catholicchurch