Pope Leo’s Recent LGBTQ-Friendly Appointments Include Bishop Who Had Drag Queen Speak at Mass

The first American Pope has made room for progressive LGBTQ+ voices in several recent high-profile appointments, per an analysis in the popular Substack Letters from Leo, written by former Obama staffer Christopher Hale.In February, Pope Leo XIV officially appointed Bishop James Checchio as leader of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, per a blogpost from New Ways Ministry, a Catholic outreach organization that “educates and advocates for equity, inclusion, and justice for LGBTQ+ persons.” Checchio had been in line to take over the role informally since September 2025, per EWTN News. Checchio, who had previously led the Metuchen Diocese in New Jersey, made LGBTQ+ outreach a priority with at least two of the 75 parishes under his jurisdiction known to be explicitly LGBTQ+-friendly, according to New Ways Ministry: Sacred Heart Parish in South Plainfield and St. Joseph Parish in Hillsborough.Not only did Checcio support a group for LGBTQ+ Catholics in his diocese, he attended their 2016 Christmas party, per a 2017 write-up in MyCentralJersey.com. “He stayed and talked to every person — made a point to go around to get to know them. In terms of times of healing, that meant a lot to a lot of our members,” one of the group’s leaders, David Harvie, told the local outlet.Appointed by Pope Leo in December and officially installed as bishop of Monterrey, California, in February, Bishop Ramón Bejarano has also made headlines for his notable embrace of the LGBTQ+ community, per Catholic Culture. In 2024, Bejarano led an “All Are Welcome” Pride Mass that included a drag queen speaker, during which Bejarano also issued an official apology to all LGBTQ+ people who have been hurt or harmed by the church. “I apologize for the pain and distress that I and the Church have caused to many of you,” Bishop Bejarano said at the time, per New Ways Ministry. “I apologize for the stigmatization and trauma we have caused to others, because we have told them that they are not