The new Catholic Pope, Leo XIV, has pledged to continue his predecessor’s legacy of openness toward LGBTQ people in the Church. On Monday, September 1, he met with Rev. Fr. James Martin, a New York-based Jesuit priest and leading advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion.

During their half-hour audience at the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo encouraged Fr. Martin to keep up his advocacy work, affirming that the new papacy would maintain the welcoming spirit championed by Pope Francis.

Fr. Martin later shared a Vatican News photo of the meeting, writing: “The message I received was that Pope Leo will be continuing with the same openness and welcome that Francis showed to LGBTQ people. I found Leo to be joyful, relaxed and serene. He is a joy to be with!”

Speaking to the Associated Press, he 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, very consoling, very encouraging and frankly a lot of fun.”

The Vatican officially announced the meeting — a significant gesture highlighting Pope Leo’s intention to signal continuity with Francis, who was widely recognized as the most inclusive pontiff toward LGBTQ Catholics in history.

Fr. Martin is currently in Rome leading a Jubilee pilgrimage for his LGBTQ ministry, Outreach.