Letture d’estate… “La barca e il mare” per riflettere su fede e persone LGBT+

Reflections by Silvia Zucchini

I came across a blog entitled “The boat and the sea: Church and surroundingsA title that opens up courageous and promising routes.

The blog presents itself like this: "The Church is small like the boat and the world is as big as the sea. But the world is in the Church and the Church is in the world. A space, small but alive, for discussion.

We are a group of people, men and women, who love to relate their beliefs, and also their faith, to the extraordinary changes taking place. And they love to enrich what they think with what others think."

I ventured to read some articles; a pleasant surprise: the blog is always updated on current issues that challenge us, presented in a non-trivial way, taking on different points of view.

Surprise within the surprise, I come across the articles by Paolo Vavassori published on 8,9,10,11,14,15 July 2025: Gender, LGBTQ+, homosexuality put into dialogue with Family and Church.

In short, the "boat" followed a difficult route, to be undertaken only if one is well armored to avoid shipwreck, but Vavassori, as a good helmsman, faced the waves with great skill.

Two interviews with Don Aristide Fumagalli, (dated 8 and 9 July): "Sex, gender identity, queer... current Culture and morality of the Church" and "Homosexuality and love. The effort of understanding in the Church"first they prepared the hold with what is essential for safe navigation: knowing the use of terms relating to sexual orientation and gender identity; then they addressed the position of the Magisterium between openness and tradition.

The following days (10 and 11 July) two interviews with Don Gian Luca Carrega shed light on how to read the Bible in reference to homosexuality "Bible, sexuality, person, community. The biblical world and ours"And"Bible, homosexuality, relationship with God".

Subsequently, Lucia Vantini (July 14) in “Gender, Queer and theology” he pointed out the definitions of gender theology and queer theology which “contribute to dynamizing the image of God – thinking of him as an active Word rather than a static noun, developing relational theologies, integrating corporeal and cosmic dimensions.

It is not a question of feminizing God but of freeing him from patriarchal cages to rediscover the inexhaustible richness that embraces and transcends every difference. God as a mystery that exceeds every definition and welcomes every life in its fullness."

Finally, (15 July) a long and passionate interview with Giorgio Gervasoni with the eloquent title "Me, homosexual and believer" in which, with great generosity, he talks about his own journey of self-recognition and spiritual growth thanks also to the lGBT+ christian group "La Creta" of Bergamo. Those who are part of it Are "convinced that everyone is called to live their vocation within the existential condition in which they find themselves and, therefore, in the case of lGBT people, within their specific orientation, because everyone is given the opportunity to live the love Of christ in accordance with nature, means and limits of each one, without pretenses, hypocrisies, absurd denials of what one is".

Read this last article it opened to me the ways of a rich and fruitful sea that is just waiting to be navigated!