The 20 years of cammino de La creta, the group of believing homosexuals of Bergamo

Reflections by fra Paolo Giavarini spiritual accompanying de La crete, the group of believing homosexuals of Bergamo

The March 15, 2021 the group of believing homosexuals of Bergamo has turned 20. Tracing the fundamental lines of our path is not particularly difficult.

The 3-4 March 2001 one of the retreats organized by the La Fonte di Milano group was held in Torrazzetta di Borgo Priolo (PV). These events - led by Don Domenico Pezzini - have been one of the meeting spaces of many homosexual believers for a few years, who participated both as individuals and as groups present in Italy, but also by some foreign country. On that occasion we found ourselves in about ten Bergamo: at the end of that meeting we wondered why not try to start a group like the source also in Bergamo. We decided to try.

The March 15, 2001 we met in a private house on the outskirts Of Bergamo. the memory of that first meeting is the sense of fear, of shame, but also the joyful hope that accompanies all the Beginnings. we established to meet on Wednesday, every 15 days, especially to allow those who wanted to continue attending the meetings of The Source in Milan which were held on Sunday afternoon. The structure of the meeting was immediately set: half an hour of talk, one hour of discussion on some theme, notices and communications, final prayer.

The group structured as the group La Fonte: importance to listening to people, no claims, attempt to agreement and harmony between the two aspects that interested us: our homosexuality and our faith. In addition to the refusal of the idea of ​​the Ghetto group: the two monthly meetings did not have to divert the participants from attending the places of their ecclesial belonging: parishes, speakers, groups and associations.

In fact, the first period went well beyond our expectations: in some meeting we reached 20 participants, which for a city like Bergamo was a significant number. Probably also the expectations and purposes of the participants were very different from each other. The choice of the name of the group took place on November 28, 2001: the sentence of S.Paolo "We bring a treasure to crete pots"(2Cor 4,7) inspired us: the name" Crete " - humble material but which worked by expert hands can become a tile, lamp and vase - prevailed on other choices, and the clay we called us. Soon there was the need to find a wider venue: the community of San Fermo in Bergamo opened its door according to a spirit of evangelical welcome. From 9 January 2002 the saggestia of the church of San Fermo di San Fermo. The room of the above sacristy became the ideal location: in the city and welcomed in an ecclesial reality of our diocese.

In fact, the choice of the new location led our group to reduce considerably: within a year the motivations of the group and those of the individuals had probably clarified. in A few weeks we became half. For a stretch of walking few components carried the meetings of la Crete. Probably Just continuing to attend the source In Milan also We found the strength not to abandon everything.

From 2004 something changed: word of mouth led to a progressive increase of participants up to an average of 15-20 people per evening with some unable to send greetings. In short, a respectable group that was being characterized as the mustard grain of the parable of Marco 5.32: the smallest of the seeds had grown like an sapling of the garden capable of offering rest to those who wanted to stop a little. Days, months, years: each one could decide to be with us and make his own stretch of path, listening, confiding, opening his heart and being refreshed and helped to make peace with himself, his condition of homosexual and his faith as a believer, so much or little it was.

Since Christmas of 2004 our ecclesial location has also been clarified at the diocesan level: we wrote the best wishes to our Bishop presenting ourselves as a group of believing homosexuals and receiving from Bishop Roberto Amadei reply. That simple greeting card inaugurated a presence of our group at the diocesan level, certainly without pretensions, but also very clear from the beginning: we have always communicated our ideas, our writings to the Bishop.

We have never been hindered. Indeed the current bishop, Francesco Beschi, has often reserved for us words of esteem. Estimate not least manifested by the participation in the vigil for the overcoming of homophobia (May 2019) and from having gone to the participation of the group La Crete a diocesan commission in view of a pastoral care for homosexual people and their family.

Our group made personal meeting and listening with those who came from us the center of its business. But over time we have ventured into some written interventions, first in collaboration with the La Fonte Group, then autonomously. Contributions to the National Congress of the Church of Verona, to the extraordinary Synod on the family, a written to Walter Danna author of the book Faith and homosexuality (that we also went to meet personally in Turin) on the positive aspects and critical reliefs to his book. Until the letter to the Bishop of Bergamo after the negative responum of the congregation of the doctrine of the faith on the possibility of blessing of homosexual couples. We have always sent these writings to our bishop.

How many people have we welcomed in these years? Many have accompanied them to accept, to pacify, to find a life of faith not to disagree with their homosexual condition, to start a couple relationship, to open up to relatives and friends, to live voluntary experiences, catechesis, prayer.

All this in an attitude of dialogue with different homosexual realities, without ever losing our charisma: seeking dialogue between faith and reality of faith and the homosexual condition, without denying either of them. Even when it is tiring, even at the cost of appearing too much Catholics for homosexuals and too homosexuals for Catholics. Dialogue and communion, we tried to remain faithful.

The evidence that follow other aspects of the group, shades and pieces of walking in different directions reveal. We try to continue our path, certain of God and accompanied by the brothers.

> History of faces and faces with stories of La Crete, the group of believers of believers of Bergamo