First Italian Catholic Church Conference on LGBT Pastoral Care Held in Rome
On September 4, 2026, the first national conference of Catholic pastoral workers dedicated to accompanying LGBT people and their families took place in Rome, Italy. The event, titled “Good Practices of Pastoral Care with Homoaffective and Transgender Persons,” was held at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus and gathered about 200 participants, including a dozen bishops, according to the Italian bishops’ publication Avvenire .
Among the hierarchs present were Archbishop Giuseppe Satriano of Bari, Bishop Antonio Napolioni of Cremona, Bishop Giampio Devasini of Chiavari, and Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli of Florence. Opening the meeting, Archbishop Giampaolo Dianin of Gorizia conveyed greetings to the participants from Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).
During the conference, participants discussed ways to integrate LGBT believers into church life, overcome stigma and isolation, and the importance of supporting families with homosexual or transgender children. Attendees shared regional experiences: for example, dioceses in Lombardy have been using the document “First Steps” since 2023, which offers criteria for forming specialized pastoral teams. Florence operates “Andrea’s House” (Casa di Andrea) — a temporary shelter for LGBT youth experiencing family difficulties. In Chiavari, the accompaniment of queer individuals is entrusted to the family ministry service, aiming to create an environment where everyone can feel at home regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Theologian Luca Lunardon touched upon the work of Study Group 9 of the Universal Synod, noting that the Church needs a “relational conversion” to actively involve the recipients of pastoral care in formulating moral norms. The organizers of the event called it a turning point, demonstrating a new level of attention by the Catholic Church in Italy towards its most vulnerable believers.
