Pope Francis meeting part of the the New Ways Ministry delegation. From left, Dr. Cynthia Herrick, Laurie Dever, Deacon Ray Dever, Michael Sennett, and Nicole Santamaria
ROME—Pope Francis met today with a diverse group of transgender, intersex, and ally Catholics, including a medical doctor who provides gender transition care. The group urged Pope Francis to move past the Church’s negative approach to gender-diverse people, and to encourage Church leaders to listen more attentively to the lives and faith of LGBTQ+ people.
The nearly 90-minute meeting was arranged by Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, a U.S. nun who has ministered with LGBTQ+ people and their families for more than 50 years. The visit was sponsored by New Ways Ministry, a national Catholic outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, which Sister Gramick co-founded in 1977 with the late Fr. Robert Nugent, SDS.
Five of the group of 11 Catholics who met with the pope shared their testimonies with him, including:
Nicole Santamaria, an intersex woman from El Salvador who immigrated to the United States because of death threats.
Michael Sennett, a transgender man and a theology graduate student, who has been involved with church ministry for many years.
Deacon Raymond and Laurie Dever, pastoral ministers who are the parents of a transgender daughter, whose difficult transition led to a suicide attempt.
Dr. Cynthia Herrick, a medical doctor specializing in endocrinology and a co-director of a gender medicine clinic.
Pope Francis with New Ways Ministry staff. From left, Francis DeBernardo, Bernadette Donlon, Robert Shine, Brian Flanagan, and Sr. Jeannine Gramick
New Ways Ministry staff also attending the meeting are Sr. Jeannine Gramick, Co-founder; Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director; Robert Shine, Associate Director; Brian Flanagan, theologian and Senior Fellow, Matthew Myers, Operations Manager; Bernadette Donlon, Digital Content Coordinator.
Sister Gramick arranged the meeting after reading the Vatican declaration Dignitas Infinita, released in April. Although the document emphasized that the Church treat all people with dignity and respect, it also contained a condemnation of medical care for transgender people who transition. She wanted Pope Francis to hear directly from transgender and intersex Catholics and those who support them, so she contacted the pontiff, and he eagerly accepted the opportunity.
The people who provided testimony to the pope participated in a gathering earlier this year where they shared their personal stories with an invited group of U.S. Catholic bishops. New Ways Ministry has held two such meetings, in 2023 and 2024, for bishops to learn about and discuss LGBTQ+ topics with theologians, other scholars, medical professionals, pastoral ministers, and LGBTQ+ people themselves.
Pope Francis seated with Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, co-founder of New Ways Ministry
“I am grateful to Pope Francis that he was willing to listen to the experiences of intersex and transgender people,” said Sister Gramick. “It is only by listening to stories of these individuals, as well as the individuals who care for and about them, that the Church will be able to fully hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling the Catholic community to break out of old, ill-informed teachings and practices.”
“We hope Pope Francis’ example of listening to LGBTQ+ people will inspire other Catholic leaders to do the same,” said DeBernardo. “By their own admission, the Catholic hierarchy has issued pronouncements about gender and sexuality without first consulting the people most directly connected to these topics. Pope Francis is showing the church a new way of developing its teaching.”
New Ways Ministry presented the pope with a copy of its newest publication, Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions, asking him to reflect on the lives and faith of LGBTQ+ who want to serve the church but who also experience discrimination.
In the coming weeks, Bondings 2.0 will be publishing the texts of each of the speakers’ testimonies to Pope Francis.
This is the second meeting that Sr. Gramick and New Ways Ministry staff have had with Pope Francis in less than a year. The first meeting, which lasted 50 minutes, took place on October 17, 2023.