A provocative new book about the Catholic Church and the LGBT community has won high praise from leading figures in the Catholic tradition.

Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity (HarperOne, $19.99) is a new book from New York Times bestselling author James Martin SJ.

Martin has become a leading voice in the Catholic Church advocating for love and sensitivity to the LGBT community. He is also known for his closeness to Pope Francis, who while not advocating for any change in Catholic teaching on sexuality, has made unusually progressive comments on the subject. Francis won criticism and applause when he said last year that the Church needed to apologise to gay people.

Martin's new book, to be released on June 13, has already won wide acclaim from key voices in the Catholic Church. 

'In too many parts of our Church LGBT people have been made to feel unwelcome, excluded, and even shamed,' said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey in a commendation of Martin's book.

He added: 'Father Martin's brave, prophetic, and inspiring new book marks an essential step in inviting Church leaders to minister with more compassion, and in reminding LGBT Catholics that they are as much a part of our c
Church as any other Catholic.'

Bishop of San Diego Robert McElory wrote: 'The Gospel demands that LGBT Catholics be genuinely loved and treasured in the life of the Church. They are not.

'Martin provides us the language, perspective, and sense of urgency to undertake the arduous but monumentally Christlike task of replacing a culture of alienation with a culture of merciful inclusion.'

As well as receiving endorsements from high-profile cardinals, the book also received support from those further on the edges of Catholic tradition. Sister Jannine Gramick pioneered New Ways ministry, a group that describes itself as a 'gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian and gay Catholics and reconciliation in the larger Christian and civil communities'.

Gramick's teaching on sexuality was previously considered beyond Catholic orthodoxy and she was barred from the Vatican, according to RNS. She wrote: 'Sexuality, gender, and religion –a volatile mix! With this book, Father Martin shows how the Rosary and the rainbow flag can peacefully meet each other.'

Martin previously addressed New Ways ministry in October, where he outlined his reflections on 'respect, compassion and sensitivity' that formed his upcoming book. His address was republished here.

His book calls for both sides to listen to each other and engage in mutual respect. He implores the Church to call LGBT people by the terms they give themselves (as opposed to simply 'homosexual') and called for an end to discrimination in the Church against the LGBT community. His book does not advocate a change in Church teaching, nor address the issue of same-sex marriage.

The book's blurb describes Martin's book as a 'roadmap for repairing and strengthening the bonds that unite all of us as God's children'.

Building a Bridge will be published on June 13.