A prominent transgender activist has stated that he plans to attend Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming Jubilee of the Poor dinner, following an invitation he says he received from event organizers.
The activist, a man who identifies as a woman and is publicly known as “Alessia Nobile,” told Italian media that he was asked to join the gathering scheduled for November 16 at Paul VI Hall in Rome. The dinner traditionally brings together the poor, homeless, and other marginalized individuals served by the Church.
Nobile said he and several others who identify as transgender were invited to participate. According to LifeSiteNews, he explained that “he and four other men who identify as women were invited to the lunch after he had requested an audience with the Pope over his concerns that the Church might ‘turn back on LGBTQ rights’ after the death of Pope Francis.”
Nobile has spoken publicly about his past relationship with Pope Francis, describing the late pontiff as both “a friend and mentor.” According to the same report, their first meeting took place in June 2022 during an audience with “five other self-identifying ‘transgender women.’” LifeSiteNews notes that Francis continued the correspondence, even addressing Nobile in a personal letter as “dear sister.”
The LifeSiteNews report also highlighted that, “By all available public accounts, Francis did not tell Nobile that a man living as though he were a woman is contrary to nature and that the Church rejects transgender ideology.”
The Jubilee of the Poor dinner marks one of Pope Leo XIV’s major direct encounters with those on the margins, continuing the pastoral outreach emphasized during the Francis pontificate. How this encounter may unfold—and what it signals about broader discussions within the Church regarding pastoral care and doctrinal clarity—remains a point of close attention for many Catholics.
For many Catholics watching closely, the issue is no longer just who gets invited, but what message such invitations send about the Church’s commitment to truth.
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