Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Francis began inviting a group of trans women as his guests for the annual World Day of the Poor lunch in November, 2023, many of whom were Latin American migrants in sex work.

VATICAN CITY — A group of 48 transgender women attended a major Vatican event on Sunday with Pope Leo XIV, continuing a tradition that began under his predecessor of inviting members of the LGBTQ+ community to the church’s annual “lunch for the poor.”

ROME – Pope Leo XIV gave a shout-out to women everywhere and called for an end to feminicide and gender-based violence on Sunday, International Women’s Day. Speaking during his March 8 Sunday Angelus address on International Women’s Day, the pope ...