A recent private audience granted by Pope Leo XIV has drawn attention after two self-identified “married” homosexual men publicly shared details of their meeting. According to LifeSiteNews, Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai, and Brian D. Stevens, a philanthropist and member of the Knights of Malta, were part of a delegation connected to Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles.
Capecelatro wrote on Facebook that “when Brian mentioned to the pope that we are married [sic], we both felt received with warmth and kindness,” according to LifeSiteNews. Photographs of the audience were also posted on his social media.
The meeting has stirred concern among some Catholics because, as LifeSiteNews notes, the two men “are incapable of real marriage, as natural law and the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church affirm.”
During their conversation with Pope Leo XIV, the pair spoke about how much Father James Martin, S.J.’s LGBT activism “means to them.” The Pope “nodded approvingly at the mention of that [so-called] ministry,” according to Letters from Leo, a site cited by LifeSiteNews and authored by Christopher Hale. Hale further emphasized that Leo “did not clarify Church teaching during the audience but appeared to accept the two homosexuals as-is.”
Observers have pointed out that Pope Leo’s approach appears consistent with trends seen under Pope Francis. LifeSiteNews reports that Leo recently promoted a bishop supportive of LGBT-themed liturgies to a consulting role within the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. The Vatican also announced the appointment of Cardinal Blase Cupich—known for suggesting in 2015 that homosexual and divorced couples could receive the Eucharist based on conscience—to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.
Pope Leo has also met separately with Fr. James Martin. As cited by LifeSiteNews, Martin said the “message” he took from the encounter “was that Pope Leo will be continuing with the same openness that Francis showed to [so-called] LGBTQ Catholics.”
LifeSiteNews Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen expressed strong concerns about these developments, describing Martin’s meeting with the Pope as “the nightmare scenario” he previously warned about. Westen explained that “a less bombastic pope could quietly cement a false new direction,” adding that “the James Martin approach defies Christ, His Church, Scripture, and 2,000 years of tradition,” according to LifeSiteNews.
In light of the ongoing discussion, the Church’s moral teaching remains clear. The Catechism teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law,” stating that “under no circumstances can they be approved.” LifeSiteNews further notes that the Church warns that such acts are mortally sinful and place the unrepentant soul “in danger of hell.”
The audience continues to prompt debate within the Catholic community as the faithful watch how Pope Leo XIV will address questions surrounding pastoral outreach, moral doctrine, and the interpretation of Church teaching going forward.
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