Pope Leo XIV set to meet campaigners for LGBTQ+ inclusion and female priests
The Vatican confirmed that WAC representatives will "meet with Pope Leo XIV and walk through the Holy Gate" during the Jubilee of Synodal Teams
By Callum Wells
Pope Leo XIV is set to meet We Are Church International (WAC), a group campaigning for LGBTQ+ inclusion and female priests, as part of this year’s Holy Year celebrations.
The Vatican confirmed that WAC representatives will “meet with Pope Leo XIV and walk through the Holy Gate” during the Jubilee of Synodal Teams, held from 24 to 26 October 2025, offering the organisation a rare chance to raise issues of equality directly with the sovereign pontiff.
Founded in Rome in 1996, WAC brings together national church reform groups from across the globe. Over the past 30 years, the organisation has maintained a consistent presence at bishops’ synods, council commemorations, papal elections and other major Church events.
Campaigning for equality within the Church
Colm Holmes, chair of WAC, said: “We are celebrating 30 years since our foundation. We are committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.”
The group campaigns for equality within the Church, including for women, LGBTQ+ people, and married individuals. Their participation in October marks a significant step in WAC’s long-standing advocacy.
Christian Weisner, co-founder of WAC, told Vatican Radio: “We are pleased that this meeting of synodal teams and bodies of the World Synod will take place in the Vatican as part of the Holy Year, and that the invitation was open.
Positive signal for the LGBTQ+ community
“Our patient work over 30 years, attending synods, council commemorations, papal elections and other events, may have contributed to this. I also see the passage through the Holy Door as a sign for the Church as a whole, to leave mistakes behind and to set out again in Christian hope.”
The group’s participation is being viewed as a positive signal for the LGBTQ+ community, despite Pope Leo XIV’s previous scepticism about reforms, including his insistence that family is “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman”. He has, however, confirmed that blessings for same-sex marriages will remain.
WAC’s presence at the Vatican this October is being hailed as a landmark moment for Church reform and inclusion.