Pope Leo XIV to host a charity lunch with trans activists

Pope Leo XIV and trans activist Alessia Nobile. Photo: Substack/PinkNews

On November 14, 2025, it became known that Pope Leo XIV will host a charity lunch with a group of transgender activists in the Vatican on Sunday, November 16. This was reported by the publication Letters from Leo.

The lunch will take place in the Paul VI Hall after the Mass for the World Day of the Poor. The invitation of trans-activists is seen as a continuation of Pope Francis's approach to engaging with the LGBTQ community.

46-year-old Nobile stated that she and four other men identifying as women received the invitation after reaching out to Leo XIV with a request for a private audience. She explained this request by expressing concerns that after Pope Francis's death, the Church might "turn back on LGBTQ rights."

Nobile emphasizes that her relationship with the Catholic Church has been challenging. "I felt rejected by the Church and I was even subjected to an exorcism," Nobile has recounted of her younger years, noting that the current gesture from the Vatican holds special significance for her. Her views and expectations have changed thanks to personal communication with Pope Francis, whom she called her "spiritual father".

According to Letters from Leo, Nobile's participation will be the first instance of a sitting pope publicly sharing a meal with a guest openly declaring their transgender identity at an official event in the Vatican. She says she hopes to take advantage of this opportunity: "I hope it will be an opportunity to talk to him and call for the Church to accept everyone without exception."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in the USA, Protestants condemned the ban on trans-procedures in Catholic clinics.

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