(LifeSiteNews) — Heterodox Jesuit priest Father James Martin praised Pope Francis for being an “imperfect” “champion” for gender-confused and homosexual people.

Fr. Martin recently wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times where he said the late pope did more for “L.G.B.T.Q. people – than all his modern predecessors combined,” calling them a “marginalized group.” He also reiterated his support for the pope’s LGBT views in a post on X.

In case anyone had missed the point, Martin also wrote a similar essay for his pro-LGBT website “Outreach.” Pope Francis appointed the dissident celebrity priest, who is highly active on Facebook and X, as a consultant Dicastery for Communications. Martin recounted how he spent the “entire time talking about LGBTQ people” during a half-hour meeting with the pope in 2019.

In the New York Times piece, the Jesuit priest thanked Pope Francis for welcoming pro-homosexual nun Sister Jeannine Gramick and calling her a “valiant woman.” Pope Benedict XVI had ordered Gramick to stop her homosexual advocacy.

Martin said Pope Francis “was less likely to condemn people seen by many previous church leaders solely as ‘sinners.’” He said ministering to people with homosexual inclinations and gender confusion was a “pressing pastoral issue.”

READ: Bishop Schneider publishes prayer begging God for ‘an era of holy popes’

However, the Catholic Church formally condemns homosexual activity and urges people to live a chaste lifestyle.

The Catechism teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law.” The text is very clear that homosexual activity can never be approved, and repeats that “[h]omosexual persons are called to chastity.” Homosexual acts are also mortal sins; therefore anyone who commits these sins and does not repent through the sacrament of confession is in danger of hell.

Under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a document instructing bishops on the pastoral care of homosexual persons. The CDF admonished bishops to ensure they, and any “pastoral programme” in the diocese, are “clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral.”

Meanwhile, Martin praised the “the increasing number of L.G.B.T.Q. groups and retreats in many parishes, as well as prominent church leaders who have grown more vocal in their support – though still mainly in the West.”

He also noted the pushback from African bishops over Pope Francis’ declaration in Fiducia Supplicans that priests can “bless” same-sex “couples.”

The pope’s approach also “forced Catholics” to consider “homophobia,” according to Martin.

He wrote:

Francis’ pastoral outreach helped L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics feel more at home in their church. But it also meant that a far larger group – their families and friends – also felt more at home. It potentially forced Catholics around the world, even in cultures where homophobia is more entrenched, to ask themselves: If Pope Francis is so welcoming, why not me?

EXPLAINER: What happens now that Pope Francis has died?

Martin then shared how Pope Francis apologized for using an Italian phrase that roughly translates to “faggotry” in reference to seminaries. He used the phrase twice in two weeks.

He wrote:

Within a few minutes, I recall that he volunteered, ‘Of course I know many good, holy and faithful gay priests and seminarians.’ When I suggested that he might say that publicly, he told me, ‘You can say that I said that.’ ‘Really?’ I recall asking. ‘Of course! Because I do!’ he replied. It also became clear in our conversation that he hadn’t known how offensive the slur was, despite the Vatican apology, and he told me he would never use it again.

“Being open to listening and learning, and his desire to make the church welcoming to everyone, lay at the heart of the pope’s pastoral approach to L.G.B.T.Q. people,” Martin concluded. “So besides the name of ‘Francis,’ he can claim another title: ‘ally.’”

As noted by LifeSiteNews’ Senior Vatican Correspondent Michael Haynes, Francis’ papacy was wrought with confusion on important moral issues.

Writing in an obituary for the pope, Haynes noted:

Styled as the ‘pope of confusion’ by commentators, his reign was marked by a rapid diversion from Catholic teaching on numerous issues, with his pronouncements and writings leading to widespread confusion amongst Catholics on topics such as LGBT issues, divorce and ‘re-marriage,’ nature of the priesthood, role of the laity in ecclesial governance, adherence to Tradition, and the permissibility of the traditional Latin Mass.

Read more of LifeSiteNews’ coverage of Pope Francis’ death and the upcoming papal election here.