Two of the most influential cardinals in the Church in the United States have sent messages of support to Fr James Martin’s annual LGBT outreach conference.

The messages were issued for Outreach 2026, a conference marking five years of Outreach, the LGBT Catholic resource organisation founded by Fr Martin in conjunction with America Media. The event, titled Walking Side by Side: Celebrating Five Years of Outreach Ministries, is taking place at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, from 19 to 21 June.

In a letter dated 19 June, Cardinal McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, welcomed participants to the gathering and linked the conference to developments following both the Synod on Synodality and the pontificate of Pope Francis.

“I am delighted to welcome you to the 2026 Outreach Conference here in Washington,” His Eminence wrote. “For I know that the Holy Spirit will be profoundly present in our meetings and discussions at this key time in the history of our Church and our nation.”

The cardinal said the conference was being held at a moment when “the pastoral foundations laid by Pope Francis for authentic ministry to and with the LGBT community are being deepened and refined by Pope Leo”.

Cardinal McElroy also mentioned  the report of Study Group 9, one of the working groups established during the Synod on Synodality process.

“And the conference comes directly after the release of Study Group 9 of the Synod on Synodality, which places LGBT ministry within a new paradigm that integrates powerfully the experience of faith-filled and diverse disciples as a basis for understanding the call to holiness in all of its concreteness,” Cardinal McElroy wrote.

“This new paradigm points to the true pathway for establishing Todos, Todos, Todos in our Church, ever ancient and ever new.”

The cardinal concluded by telling delegates that they would gather in Washington “for prayer, thanksgiving and dialogue”.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, also sent a message to conference participants, praising efforts to expand ministry and outreach to LGBT Catholics in parishes.

“Greetings and best wishes as you gather for your conference, ‘Walking Side by Side: Celebrating Five Years of Outreach Ministries’,” the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago wrote. “Listening to and accompanying each other are essential to ensuring a thriving Church.”

The cardinal noted that the conference included leaders from parishes as well as representatives of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Outreach ministry.

“I am pleased to note that this conference features leaders from some of our most vibrant parishes and our Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO), who will share their insights on fostering outreach to LGBTQ Catholics and a culture of welcome, hospitality and proclaiming the Gospel in our parishes and ministries,” His Eminence said.

Cardinal Cupich said the theme of the conference reflected the priorities of a synodal Church and what he described as the “current new missionary age”.

“The conference theme resonates well in our synodal Church and in the current new missionary age,” the cardinal wrote. He added that Christians should look to the example of the early Church: “It is helpful to look to the early Christians who were determined that no one felt left out or was left behind.”

The Chicago cardinal said that listening to people’s experiences of faith and recognising evangelisation as a process enabled individuals to grow in their relationship with Christ and with fellow Catholics.

“Making a greater effort to listen to people’s faith journeys by recognising evangelisation as a process enables people to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in solidarity with other members of the Body of Christ,” Cardinal Cupich wrote.

He added: “These efforts strengthen individuals and parishes in witnessing to the transforming power of Christ’s love, mercy and hope, a message desperately needed in our polarised culture and world.”

Cardinal Cupich concluded by thanking those involved in the ministry and invoking the episcopal motto of Pope Leo XIV.

“With gratitude for your commitment to outreach, I join my prayers to yours that the conference enriches you, encourages you to walk with others in faith and embodies, as Pope Leo XIV’s motto beautifully expresses, ‘In the One, we are one’ (In illo uno unum).”

The conference programme includes liturgies, keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops focused on LGBT ministry in the Catholic Church. Topics scheduled for discussion include theology and LGBT Catholics, parish outreach, mental health, Scripture, women in the Church and the experiences of transgender Catholics.

Among the keynote speakers are Kerry Robinson, president and chief executive of Catholic Charities USA, and the Jesuit moral theologian Fr James Keenan. The gathering began on 19 June with a welcome Mass celebrated by Fr Martin and will conclude on 21 June with a commissioning service.

Outreach traces its origins to Fr Martin’s wider ministry to Catholics who identify as LGBT and their families. The initiative emerged from work that followed publication of his 2017 book Building a Bridge, which called for greater dialogue between the Church and LGBT Catholics. Outreach launched formally in 2022 and has since organised conferences, published articles and hosted discussions focused on pastoral accompaniment and inclusion within the life of the Church.

Previous Outreach events received messages of support from Pope Francis, who repeatedly encouraged pastoral outreach and accompaniment for LGBT Catholics and their families. In one message to participants, Pope Francis wrote: “I am glad that Cardinal Gregory will celebrate the Mass; I will be spiritually with him and with all of you, united in prayer.”

Pope Francis also told Outreach that God “does not disown any of his children”, while encouraging ministry to LGBT Catholics and their families.