The Rev. James Martin, an American Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) who runs outreach ministry for LGBT+ Catholics, has been tapped by Pope Francis Friday (July 7) to participate at a major Vatican gathering of bishops, clergy and laity later this year.
Martin was among many named by the Holy See to participate in its Synod on Synodality in October.
Official Catholic doctrine considers any sexual act outside of marriage between a man and a woman sinful but calls on those who commit such acts to conversion and chastity.
Synod Seeks to Answer State of the Catholic Church
Ahead of the synod, there was an unprecedented canvassing of Catholics worldwide. The Vatican reportedly said Catholic congregations worldwide allegedly wanted to see concrete steps to promote women to decision-making posts and a "radical inclusion" of the LGBT+ community in the church.
The pope, who was the first Jesuit in the Catholic Church's history to be elected to the office, told the Associated Press in a January interview that laws criminalizing homosexuality, such as the case of the passed legislation in Uganda, were "unjust," further adding that "being homosexual is not a crime." In a follow-up, Martin, a fellow Jesuit of Francis's, asked the pontiff for clarification, who replied that he should have said that any sexual activity outside marriage is a sin.
Throughout his decade-long papacy, Francis has been a sign of contradiction for many Catholics for upholding the church's teachings on sexuality while reaching out to LGBT+ people as a pastoral policy.
Response from the Pews
For those who celebrate the inclusion of Martin, they are cautiously commending the pope for allowing such discussions to take place in the upcoming synod.
New Ways Ministry executive director Francis DeBernardo said Martin's participation in the upcoming synod was "hopeful" but noted that it would have been "reasonable" to include openly LGBT+ people in the assembly as well.
"Their absence at the October meeting does not allow for their voices to be heard directly," he wrote in an emailed statement to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, LifeSiteNews journalist and author Kennedy Hall heavily criticized Martin for his LGBT+ advocacy in the first place in his opinion piece with Crisis Magazine. In his article, he called on the total degradation and defrocking of Martin from the priesthood.
"Pray for [Father] Martin; and pray that he be suppressed, once and for all," he said.
Fellow Priests Criticizing Martin
But other than some members of the congregation, many Catholic clergymen also spoke out against one of their own.
In January, the Rev. Francisco José Delgado, a Spanish priest from the Archdiocese of Toledo, criticized Martin for his controversial post on Twitter about the alleged gay "marriage" of US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
"Surprised this got so much attention. Like it or not, Pete Buttigieg is legally married," Martin tweeted.
The US official was accused of having excessive travel expenses, and he responded he was "[traveling] with his 'husband' as other senior officials travel with their wives," Delgado explained.
"You can go to his 'church' and stop sullying that of Christ, prophet of Satan," he added.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Philip Bochanski, the executive director of Courage, the Catholic apostolate for people experiencing same-sex attraction, told the National Catholic Register that Martin's initial tweet was "irresponsible" due to its sharp contrast with what he called a clear Catholic doctrine on the matter.
"[I found his tweet] irresponsible, especially for a priest or bishop who has taken an oath to uphold Church teachings, [to] say something that the Church says that we mustn't say, which is that homosexual unions are the same or even remotely analogous to marriage," Bochanski said.
Last week, the Vatican announced Pope Francis has appointed La Plata Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández as the new prefect of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. However, many Catholics, specifically in the US, found the pope's choice of chief theologian and moral watchdog unsettling and with a touch of nepotism as he was accused by BishopAccountability for covering up the alleged abuse of a certain Rev. Eduardo Lorenzo in his home diocese in Argentina, where the pontiff was also a native of, in 2019.
Fernández, who also became controversial for his book "Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing", will be replacing Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer and will assume his office by mid-September.
Related Article: US Catholics Slam Pope Francis's Pick to Lead Vatican Office Dealing with Sex Abuse Cases
