Martha Marvel and three other American Catholic “transgender women” (men pretending to be women) briefly met Pope Francis. On Sept. 18, each “woman” shook his hand and received a blessing after introducing themselves as “four trans women who have always lived and worked in the Catholic Church.”
Before proceeding in his wheelchair to meet and bless other attendees, Francis told them twice, “Pray for me.” Meeting the pope this time, Marvel said, “she” felt “at peace with my relationship with my God.”
“The pope represents God, the Holy Spirit, and I felt like we were on the same wavelength. There was nothing to be afraid of. And it was wonderful,” “she” told the National Catholic Reporter.
Marvel, Maureen Rasmussen, Christine Zuba and Lynn Discenza first learned that they would be able to meet the pope in September when they attended the August 2024 LGBTQ+ Ministry Outreach Conference. There they met Fr. Andrea Conocchia, an Italian priest from the Church of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin, a suburban parish in Torvaianica, a small town outside Rome. The priest has been regularly taking transgender sex workers to public audiences and lunches with the pope since 2020.
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