Pope Francis sent a letter of support for the Outreach LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference, to be held at Fordham from June 16 to 18.

In the hand-written note to James Martin, S.J., editor of the Outreach website, the pope mentions Fordham by name and sends his prayers and best wishes for presenters and attendees.

“I send my best regards to the members of the meeting at Fordham University,” reads the translation of the letter, which Pope Francis wrote in Spanish and dated May 6, 2023.  “Thank you for delivering it to them. In my prayers and good wishes are you and all who are working at the Outreach Conference.”

a hand-written letter from Pope Francis to James Martin S.J.

It’s the third letter that Pope Francis has written in support of an Outreach conference.

“I’m grateful for the Holy Father’s warm letter, which is a wonderful blessing for everyone joining us this weekend at the conference,” said Father Martin. “And it’s a special grace for LGBTQ Catholics to know that the pope is praying for them.”

Fordham President Tania Tetlow will be a keynote speaker at this year’s event, which will also feature a representative from the Vatican.

Read more on the Outreach website. 

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Nicole LaRosa is the senior director of University communications. She can be reached at [email protected] or 212-903-8810.