ATLANTA—Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory has invited Jesuit Father James Martin to speak to the Catholic community in Atlanta.

Jesuit Father James Martin, a popular author and editor-at-large of America, the Jesuits’ national magazine, is pictured in an undated photo.

Father Martin will present “Building a Bridge: Showing Welcome and Respect in our Parishes to LGBT Catholics” on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas More Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur; and on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 9:30 a.m. at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SW, Atlanta. All are welcome to attend.

Archbishop Gregory, in a statement, said, “Several weeks ago I was asked by one of our pastors to invite Father Martin to share his perspective on ministry to the LGBTQ community as part of a larger, local parish conversation. I did not hesitate to support that pastor in extending the invitation. A second parish then asked to host Father Martin during the same visit.”

He added that Father Martin is a priest in good standing of the Society of Jesus and a Consultor, appointed by Pope Francis, of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication.

An editor-at-large at America Magazine, Father Martin is also the bestselling author of “Jesus: A Pilgrimage,” “Seven Last Words,” “The Abbey” and “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything.” He has spoken boldly about the need for the Catholic Church and the LGBT community to enter into a deeper relationship of respect, compassion and sensitivity.

At the World Meeting of Families in August in Dublin, Ireland, Father Martin spoke to an overflow crowd on the topic of welcome and respect for the LGBT community, suggesting a number of ways in which the church can minister to and with LGBT members, who have often been persecuted.

Archbishop Gregory said, “Conscious of the considerable misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding Father Martin’s message as it relates to the church’s teaching, I renew my confidence in both the pastors and the presenter. I ask that you please join me in a spirit of respect for the dignity of every person of God as we welcome Father James Martin to the Archdiocese of Atlanta.”