Pope Leo has certainly sent shockwaves around the world again.
According to the Daily Mail, Pope Leo XIV hosted the Vatican’s annual “lunch for the poor” on Sunday, where reportedly “48 transgender women” found themselves “excluded from his head table.”
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This change of seating arrangements is quite different from the lunch’s previous table arrangements, as Pope Francis had sat with the group back in 2023 and 2024.
As the outlet noted, Alessia Nobile, who is an Italian transgender writer, stated that they only “…managed to hand the new pope a letter before he ‘smiled’ and moved on.” This letter was reportedly written “on behalf of the trans community.”
According to The Advocate, the tradition of inviting transgender women to the lunch began back in 2023 when Francis first “selected two members of the group to dine at his head table.” Instead, they all sat at different tables.
This comes after the Vatican hosted a group of LGBTQ pilgrims carrying a rainbow crucifix earlier this year for the Catholic Jubilee.
As believers, we are called to be carriers of light in a world clouded by confusion and spiritual darkness. Jesus never shied away from the broken and lost—but He also never affirmed the lifestyles or behaviors that kept them bound. He offered compassion without compromise, love without abandoning truth.
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When the church blurs those lines, it risks replacing the transforming power of the gospel with a hollow imitation of acceptance that leaves people unchanged. Our mandate has always been to lead people out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Christ—not to pull up a chair inside the darkness and call it ministry. The church’s role is not to mirror the world but to proclaim the truth that sets captives free.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
