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Pope Francis salutes before holding a limited public audience in the courtyard of San Dámaso at the Vatican on September 16, 2020, during the COVID-19 infection, caused by the new coronavirus. Image: Vincenzo Pinto / AFP
When Pope Francis met with Christian parents of LGBTQ + children, he allegedly assured them that God loves his children.
The Pope had a dialogue with 40 Italian fathers in a courtyard at the Vatican on September 16. The Republic via Jesuit-run magazine America reported on September 17.
The parents were from the group Tenda di Gionata (“Jonathan’s Store”), which provides support to LGBTQ + Christians and their families.
The group’s vice president, Mara Grassi, and her husband presented the Pope with the pamphlet “Genitori Fortunati” (Blessed Parents). The booklet, which will have an English version, details parents’ experiences with the Catholic Church as they struggle to find acceptance for their children in church communities.
The group shared a video of the meeting between Grassi and Pope Francis on Facebook.
The meeting between Mara Fassi, Catholic mother of the association LA TENDA DI GIONATA and Pope Francesco after today’s general audience
Posted by Progetto Gionata on Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Grassi said Future, the newspaper of the Italian Episcopal Conference, which told the Pope: “We want to create a bridge towards the Church so that the Church can also change the way she sees our children, no longer excluding them but fully welcoming them. “
The Pope said in response: “The Church does not exclude you because it loves you deeply.”
Grassi told Pope Francis that his oldest son is gay and that he left the Church because he did not feel accepted. She said her experience with her son made her take a different perspective and see herself among “lucky parents.”
She recalled that the Pope told her and the rest of the group: “God loves our children because they are all children of God.”
According to Grassi, he appealed for the Church to change so as not to exclude anyone. She said Pope Francis responded, “The Church loves our children just as they are.”
Before separating, the association gave the Pope a T-shirt with a rainbow heart that read: “In love there is no fear.” Girl V. Guno /outside
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