Sicilian bishops meet with LGBT groups, urge Catholics to ‘move beyond closed attitudes’

PALERMO, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — The Catholic bishops of Sicily met representatives of pro-LGBT Catholic groups and their parents for an unprecedented official dialogue held during the winter session of the regional bishops’ conference.

On January 13, in Palermo, during the winter session of the Sicilian Bishops’ Conference (CESi), the bishops of the island formally received a delegation from Cristiani LGBT+ Sicilia and In Viaggio per Emmaus, a group of Catholic parents of allegedly LGBT children, for a meeting of listening and dialogue, following a request made by the groups themselves and framed within the broader synodal process of the Church in Italy.

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“Every person must be welcomed and respected in his or her dignity,” the Sicilian bishops said in the official statement, acknowledging both “paths of faith” and “suffering often caused by closed doors or indifference within Christian communities.”

The meeting was presided over by Archbishop Antonino Raspanti, president of the Sicilian Bishops’ Conference. During the meeting, the participants expressed a desire “to be accompanied on their spiritual journey.” The statement specifies that the groups presented both their “history and their formative activities,” which include periodic spiritual initiatives.

“A parent then introduced the group In viaggio per Emmaus, founded in 2020, which welcomes believing parents and is committed to helping them accept their children, overcoming homophobic attitudes and behaviors,” the statement said.

The bishops expressed their hope that, “through the presence of LGBT Christians, doors may be reopened for those children of God who suffer from closure and indifference.”

According to the pro-LGBT Progetto Gionata, each Sicilian bishop received a copy of the booklet Dove mi accogli, io fiorisco (“Where you welcome me, I flourish”), published in 2026. The booklet collects testimonies and shared reflections, with the stated aim of “extending the listening process beyond the meeting itself into local diocesan life.”

“The meeting, which was also covered by the national press, was described as historic. The Sicilian bishops spoke openly about the need to move beyond closed attitudes and indifference, reaffirming that before any label there is always the person, with his or her dignity and desire to live the faith within the Catholic Church,” Progetto Gionata stated.

The Sicilian meeting is explicitly framed by the bishops themselves as part of the broader Cammino sinodale (“Synodal Path”) of the Church in Italy. In the official statement of the Sicilian Bishops’ Conference, the encounter with Christian LGBT-identifying people is placed under the implementation of the synodal synthesis document Lievito di pace e di speranza (“Leaven of Peace and Hope”), which was approved by the Italian Church’s Synodal Assembly in October 25, 2025.

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The document does not have magisterial authority. It is described by the Italian  bishops as an expression of the synodal assembly rather than of their teaching office, and as a “starting point” for future pastoral discernment. Nevertheless, it provides the conceptual framework within which many regional episcopal conferences, including that of Sicily, are situating concrete pastoral initiatives.

The document presents a clear tension with traditional Catholic doctrine. While it promotes inclusion, accompaniment, and dialogue with LGBT individuals and families, it uses language and frameworks that risk normalizing relationships and identities that the Church’s moral teaching regards as incompatible with sacramental marriage and natural law. Its emphasis on pastoral openness and synodal listening contrasts with established doctrinal boundaries, creating a pastoral approach that is simultaneously welcoming and potentially ambiguous regarding Traditional teachings.