
Fr. James Martin, SJ / Facbook (Left), Pope Francis (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // Fr. James Martin, SJ., founder of the controversial LGBT ministry “Outreach,” is set to join a group of US comedians that will meet with Pope Francis at an international Vatican gathering next week.
According to a June 8 Vatican News report, Pope Francis wanted to meet with famous comedians from around the world on June 14 as part of an effort to “celebrate the beauty of human diversity […] and to promote a message of peace, love, and solidarity.”
Fr. Martin is the author of the 2012 book “Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life.”
Pope Francis also recently wrote the foreword to the Italian edition of Fr. James’ book, titled: “Come Forth: The Raising of Lazarus and the Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle.”
Comedians invited from the US include household names such as Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, and Conan O’Brien.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Fr. Martin’s ministry to LGBT Catholics has been the source of controversy for appearing to fly in the face of Church teaching and leadership by signaling approval of homosexual and transexual lifestyles.
Fr. James notified his social media followers on June 10 that he would not be posting “as frequently” while traveling in Rome for the next week. He also indicated that he would be attending “a series of meetings.”
In an interview with Italian TV channel, TV2000, Pope Francis recalled the famous expression attributed to St Thomas More, “Lord, give me a sense of humor,” which the Pontiff said he includes in his prayers daily.
Coordinated jointly by the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education and Dicastery for Communication, the event will be attended by over 100 entertainers at the Apostolic Palace in the early morning.
