Thanks Francesco

Open letter of the 3VolteGenitori Network, catholic parents with lGBT+ Children

The funeral of Pope Francis has just finished. There were many banners with written on it: "Thanks Francesco" and it is this gratitude that also fills the hearts of us believing parents of Figl* LGBT+ gathered in the 3volteeni network.

At the moment of their coming out our faith, our membership of the Church was questioned. Many have experienced closed, judging, excluding ecclesial communities, and with pain we have seen our children and daughters abandon that church in which we had grown them.

Then Francesco arrived and he brought us back the joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). With his words, but above all with his gestures he showed us the tenderness of God the Father and Mother teaching us how we had to live our parenting, with listening, respect, welcome, gift, in a single word with love which makes everyone children of the only father.

In the 1st reading of today's Mass we listened to the words of the apostle Pietro "in truth I am realizing that God does not make people's preferences, but welcomes those who fear it and practice justice, to any nation belongs" (Acts 10:34).

These will be the words that will guide the next vigils of prayer for overcoming homotransbiot. And they don't remember those of Francesco becoming famous "If a person is gay, look for the Lord and have good will, who am I to judge?"?

We were in July 2013, no Pope had spoken so before. For many parents who were then living with painful labor the discovery of the reality of* figl* had been the source of an unexpected hope.

They represented a change of language, but also of perspective because he added: "The catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of these people saying that they must not be marginalized".

He has translated these words into practice and repeated them to many parents, especially to the mothers he met. Not everyone in the church followed him, but opened the doors, indicated the road, started a journey.

Card. Giovanni Battista Re said this today in homily: "The guiding thread of his mission was the belief that the Church is a house for everyone; a house with always open doors". And this will be the motto of the jubilee pilgrimage of the la Tenda di Gionata and other associations in which we parents will also participate on September 6, 2025.

"Building bridges and not walls, continued the cardinal, is an exhortation that he has repeatedly repeated and the service of faith as successor of the apostle Pietro has always been joined to the service of man in all its dimensions". This was the mission of our network since its rise. How many times have we repeated it: "We want to hold our children with one hand and the Church with the other".

Now we hear a great void and honestly also the fear that this path of inclusion can slow down, but as it was written in another banner, taking up the words of Francesco "we will not let ourselves steal hope".