Our meeting of parents with a LGBT+ daughter with Pope Francis

Testimony of a mother, Maria Rosaria Castelli di Bari

I had long dreamed of meeting Pope Bergoglio then, in 2019, the tsunami in the family caused by the coming out of my daughter Martina and feeling out of place in that church until then felt as their own home, have made that desire even more burning.

I needed to hear from his speech voice what he really thought of the marginalized and removed children because they are judged "disordered" in love or in being other than the genre manifested at birth.

In fact, my parish priest had frozen me by telling me that the opening of the Pope (who am I to judge?) Was a good affirmation aimed only not to feed the hatred towards the LGBTQ community!

I tried to deepen and in my personal research i met a world of wonderful people on the way like me and me.

So I came to meet Don Andrea and Sister Genevieve who gave me the opportunity to meet Pope Francis in the hearing on Wednesday 11 October 2023 and finally present my difficulties to stay in a church that does not want to love all the children of God: "Todos, Todos, Todos".

With my husband we lived a very difficult emotion to bring back to words but certainly so strong that we read in the face.

I remember that my husband seemed to me radiant and beautiful as I did not see him since our wedding day!

It was a sunny day but equally the pope, tireless, greeted the hundreds of people who were there on the churchyard of Sanpietro to find comfort with his loving gaze with us.

Today, even with more strength, I understand that Pope Francis through Sister Genevieve, Wednesday after Wednesday, affirmed the unconditional love of God the Father for all* and that the Church must innovate to adhere authentically to the Gospel ...

In the sense of human loss of these days, the simple image of Sister Genevieve remains in recollection in front of her body and of us all with her in prayer to collect the witness and proudly continue the more or less silent revolution acted by Pope Bergoglio !!