“From today no more closures”: the Sicilian bishops meet LGBT+ Christians and their parents
Reflections by the volunteers of Jonathan's tent
It wasn't just any meeting, and neither was the date. on 13 january 2026, During The winter Session of the sicilian episcopal conference, A Representation Of the christian lGBT+ sicily Group And Of in viaggio Per Emmaus, a Group of sicilian christian parents with lGBT+ children, Was welcomed by the bishops of the island for a listening and dialogue meeting.
An official first time, recognized and told publicly, which marks a new step in the path of the Sicilian Catholic Church.
«This January 13th is not just any date for us»
The tone of the meeting was set first and foremost by the words of Sicilian LGBT+ Christians. “This January 13th is not just any date for us,” they said, opening their speech. A date that returns to their history as a sign of a dialogue sought and never abandoned.
Three years earlier, on 13 January 2023, one of their delegations had participated in a national ecclesial listening meeting; today that same date also coincides with the World Day of Dialogue between Religions and Homosexuality, linked to the memory of Alfredo Ormando, a young man who experienced a profound conflict between faith and sexual orientation, who became a symbol of a suffering that still requires listening, care and ecclesial responsibility (See LGBT+ Christians Sicily, speech dated 13 january 2026, published on Gionata.org).
In their speech, LGBT+ Christians speak as believers who inhabit the Church. They recount journeys of faith experienced in parishes, in groups, in ecclesial services, but also real wounds: silence, closures, indifference. "We are certain that the Spirit, who blows where he wants and how he wants, continues to surprise us", they said, explaining that being there does not arise from a claim, but from the desire to build bridges, in the Church and in society (LGBT+ Christians Sicily, speech of 13 january 2026, Gionata.org).
Sicilian christian parents with lGBT+ children: “On The Road to Emmaus”
Next to them, he spoke In Viaggio per Emmaus, group of sicilian christian parents with lGBT+ Children, born in 2020. A journey that arises from concrete family stories: believing mothers and fathers who, after their children came out, went through confusion, loneliness and often a painful lack of accompaniment in Christian communities.
Over time, Traveling to Emmaus it has become a space for listening, prayer and discussion, where faith and family ties are not put in opposition. In front of the bishops, these parents shared their journey and the suffering experienced "in the indifference of the Christian communities", expressing a clear desire: to be accompanied on their spiritual journey, as believing families, without having to feel on the margins of ecclesial life.
The words of the bishops: dignity, listening, doors to be reopened
In the final communiqué of the winter session of the Sicilian episcopal conference, the bishops of Sicily describe the meeting in direct words. They say they have listened to "the experiences of the journey of faith and the suffering often caused by closed doors or the indifference of Christian communities" and reiterate that "every person must be welcomed and respected in their dignity" (See AgenSIR, Bishops of Sicily: "every person must be welcomed and respected in their dignity", published on 17 January 2026)
The bishops express gratitude for the meeting and hope That, "through the presence of LGBT+ christians, doors can be reopened for those children Of god who experience closure and indifference with suffering".
And they entrust the text with an image that runs through the entire story: wounds can become "windows of light", if welcomed into a shared spiritual journey.
During the meeting, all the Sicilian bishops were given a copy of the booklet "Where I welcome me, I flourish", which collects the testimonies and the shared journey of the LGBT+ Sicilian Christians and the parents of Traveling to Emmaus so that listening continues even after the meeting, within the life of the local churches (See LGBT+ Christians Sicily – Traveling To emmaus, Where You welcome me, i flourish, 2026).
The media story: «From Today no more closures»
The public value of the meeting was also captured by the Journalistic Account. la repubblica, Palermo edition, Dated 17 January 2026, headlined: «From today no more closures», reporting the words of msgr. Antonino Raspanti, president of The Sicilian Episcopal conference, who explained how the request for a meeting came from sicilian LGBT+ christians and was welcomed "with Joy", to listen to "an experience, sometimes painful, of living the faith within the church".
A first time opening a method
January 13, 2026 thus remains a symbolic date not because it solves everything, but because it opens up a new method: LGBT+ Christians and Christian parents with LGBT+ children speaking from within, in an official context, in front of their bishops; with bishops responding with public words of listening, respect and responsibility.
A first time that does not close a chapter, but opens a path yet to be followed.
