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Jesuit priest Father James Martin, who hosts "The Spiritual Life" podcast and is founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic ministry, said Pope Leo XIV intends to "continue Pope Francis' mission" of inclusivity for LGBTQ Catholics after meeting with Leo in September.
During a Tuesday appearance on "The Late Show," Martin was asked by host Stephen Colbert whether Leo plans on "expanding" the LGBTQ ministry, as Francis had previously expressed interest in doing.
"Yeah, the message I got from him was that he’s continuing Pope Francis’ mission and message of welcome and inclusion, and he wanted that to be broadcast," Martin replied, drawing applause from the audience.
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Fr. James Martin on the set of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Screenshot/CBS)
Following up, Colbert noted he said on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" that if there were one guest he'd like to have on before his show ends in May, it would be the pope.
The late-night host asked Martin whether he thought Leo would be a good guest, to which the priest responded, "I think he would be a very good guest, yeah."
After meeting with Leo in September, Martin took to X to share the pope's message about how the Catholic Church will continue to be inclusive of the LGBTQ community.
"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," Martin told The Associated Press following the Monday meeting.
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Pope Leo XIV waves after delivering the Urbi et Orbi Christmas Day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
"It was wonderful. It was very consoling and very encouraging and, frankly, a lot of fun," Martin added.
The Catholic Church teaches that being gay is not inherently sinful, but any sexual act outside of marriage between a man and a woman is a sin. Some conservatives who were critical of Pope Francis' overtures reacted negatively to Pope Leo's meeting with Martin, while others praised it as a welcome development, the AP reported.
Martin spoke highly of his meeting with Pope Leo on X.
"Dear friends: I was profoundly grateful for my audience at the Apostolic Palace with the Holy Father @Pontifex this morning," Martin said. "The message I received was that Pope Leo will be continuing with the same openness that Francis showed to LGBTQ Catholics. I found Leo to be joyful, relaxed and serene. He is a joy to be with!"
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U.S. priest Father James Martin speaking at the world meeting of families in Dublin, on how the Catholic Church can welcome members of the LGBT community. (Niall Carson/PA Images)
In a post on his Outreach website, Martin said the meeting lasted about 30 minutes and remarked that Pope Leo’s "approach to LGBTQ Catholic ministry" is similar to that of Pope Francis, who reportedly told a gay man in 2018, "God made you that way and loves you as you are, and I don’t mind."
"The message I received from him, loud and clear, was that he wanted to continue with the same approach that Pope Francis had advanced, which was one of openness and welcome," Martin wrote. "So, it was very much a hopeful message of continuity."
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Fox News Digital's Rachel Del Guidice contributed to this report.
