Pope Leo XIV is set to dine with Alessia Nobile and fellow transgender Catholic activists this Sunday, as part of the Vatican’s annual Jubilee for the Poor, according to Catholic journalist Christopher Hale.
The gathering coincides with the World Day of the Poor and features Mass at St Peter’s Basilica followed by a communal lunch with individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, or social exclusion.
Nobile, 46, was among five transgender women personally invited after she reached out to the recently elected pontiff, who hails from Chicago and holds both American and Peruvian citizenship. Pope Leo, aged 69, was elected on 8 May, following a two-day conclave after the passing of Pope Francis at age 88.
Nobile expressed her hopes that the inclusivity championed by Pope Francis would continue under Pope Leo’s leadership. “I ask Leo not to go backwards on rights,” she told Italian media.
In her interview, Nobile recalled painful moments from her youth within the Church—facing secret “exorcism” rituals conducted by a religious teacher and pressure on her family to pursue electroshock therapy. Despite these experiences, she remained a devoted Catholic and later published her story in her memoir La bambina invisibile (The Invisible Girl).
“In the eyes of God, we are all His children”
Nobile said her relationship with Pope Francis marked a turning point. After their first meeting in 2022, he became both a mentor and a friend, encouraging her to share her journey “so prejudice does not grow.” He reminded her, “In the eyes of God, we are all His children.”
She recalled how Francis ensured she was given front-row seating at papal audiences and even wrote her a heartfelt handwritten letter affirming God’s unconditional love—an act she described as “unrepeatable”.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis was known for his compassionate outreach to LGBTQ+ individuals, including private meetings with transgender communities and support for inclusive parishes, often prioritising pastoral care over doctrinal judgement.
As Pope Leo XIV begins his own tenure, Nobile hopes he will carry that legacy forward. Her invitation to the Jubilee meal signals a possible continuation of that inclusive approach. However, Pope Leo’s past remarks have painted a more complex picture.
In 2012, he criticised the portrayal of “homosexual lifestyles” and “alternative families” in media, suggesting they conflicted with Gospel teachings. He has also reiterated traditional Church teachings on family, stating that it is “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman”.
Still, he has called for respect for all, especially “the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike.”
More recently, in September, Pope Leo said the LGBTQ+ community “aren’t bad people” but expressed opposition to same-sex blessings.
Despite these mixed signals, Nobile remains hopeful. Her message ahead of Sunday’s meal is clear: the Church must remain “a home for all, no one excluded.”
