Pope Francis sent a letter praising the work of Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit priest noted for outspoken support for LGBTQ Catholics.

"Thinking about your pastoral work, I see that you are continually seeking to imitate this style of God," the Pope wrote.

The Pope was a member of the Jesuit order before his election to the papacy. He previously appointed Martin, editor of the Jesuit magazine America, as a consultant to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications, the Vatican press office.

Fr. Martin has been a target of anti-LGBTQ Catholic conservatives, many of them gathering to picket his public appearances.

Martin has also been at odds with the conservative-leaning US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), a group that recently defied the Pope by voting to move ahead with a plan to deny Holy Communion to US politicians like Pres. Joe Biden, who support reproductive choice and marriage equality.

In 2019, Martin wrote in a tweet that denying Communion to politicians was a "bad idea" because in this case, one "must also deny it to those who support the death penalty" — in other words, almost all Republican Catholics.


Martin has had friendly relations with more liberal-minded US prelates, however, like Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, who is also an ally of Pope Francis.

The Pope's hand-written letter, dated June 21, was a response to an announcement by Martin's Outreach LGBTQ Ministry Conference, hosted by Fordham University on Pride weekend.

"Pope Francis has sent a beautiful letter on the occasion of the Outreach LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Webinar, which happened yesterday, expressing his support for this ministry and encouraging us to imitate God's 'style' of closeness, compassion, and tenderness," Martin said on his twitter account.

"Initially I thought to share only the sections of the letter intended for yesterday's conference, but I thought people might wonder what was in the rest of the letter, so I am sharing the entire message, including the personal greetings at the beginning..."

"I was moved to receive his letter on the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit saint," Martin continued, "and am happy to share it on the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. May St. Aloysius and Our Lady pray for all LGBTQ Catholics, their families, and all who minister to them in the church..."