“He who is without sin among you cast the first stone” says Jesus in the Gospel of John. A lesson in mercy and forgiveness that underlines the importance of looking at yourself before judging others. A universal teaching, it will be said, but one that does not find the most fundamentalist Catholics in agreement. Yes, because during the final prayer vigil of World Youth Day in Lisbon (WYD), the LGBTQ Catholic associations reported that they had been targeted with insults, shoving and stones, and that they had had their rainbow flags stolen. symbol of this movement.
This was reported by the portal on faith and homosexuality Gionata.org which publishes the press release, translated into Italian, of four associations participating in the «Rainbow Center» promoted by the Global Network Rainbow Catholics (GNRC): the Arco-íris Center (Portugal), the CRISMHOM (ecumenical Christian community of Madrid), Dignity USA ( United States) and Ichtys cristianə LGBTH from Seville.
The irruption of the fundamentalists at mass
One of the most tense moments was the interruption, during a mass in a Lisbon parish, where a group of fundamentalist Catholics interrupted the ceremony with Latin songs and the display of crucifixes. Rafael Da Silva, the young ultra-conservative who led the “prayer of reparation”, shared a comment on social media in which he said: “Instead of seeking acceptance and applause from the world, everyone will face Hellfire”. This demonstration was stopped by the police shortly after: “This happened despite the fact that the Eucharist is perhaps the most sacred of the sacraments of our common faith”, the statement continues.
First the insults, then the stones
It was not the only homophobic episode. During the prayer vigil on Saturday 5 August, with one and a half million faithful, members of LGBT associations from the United States were threatened and forced to leave the event due to the hostility of some participants. According to reports from the GNRC, “they did not feel safe after several other WYD participants repeatedly questioned their presence, their knowledge of Catholicism, the rainbow flag, and asked them where they were staying”. As far as we learn, there was no physical confrontation, but “insults, shoving, throwing stones and even the theft of the lgbtq+ flag they carried”. And so the LGBTQ+ Americans “were forced to leave the meeting and spent a good part of the night in a police station to file a complaint”.
Pope Francis at the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Lisbon
Battaglio (Gionata.org): there is no place for us
«Why was there no place for LGBT+ people at WYD in Lisbon?» headlines the portal Gionata.org. To answer is Massimo Battaglio, collaborator of the online project. “There is no place for us, Lgbt+ Catholics have been driven out with violence”. But how do homosexual people feel today in the Church of Francis? «Feelings fluctuate – continues Battaglio -. One day there are opening statements and the next day there are outright homophobic incidents, as in this case. Which means that declarations are useless. In the early days of WYD, the Pope welcomed transgender people, but homophobia is so deeply rooted, even among young people, that it cancels out any good intentions». Battaglio underlines that “we are not talking about theory or doctrinal openings but about real violence” and wonders how it is possible to participate in a Catholic gathering of such vast dimensions “forgetting the Gospel and also the Catechism so dear to them, which instead it teaches to welcome homosexual people “with respect, compassion, delicacy. In their regard, every mark of unjust discrimination will be avoided”.
Massimo Battaglio, collaborator of the portal on faith and homosexuality Gionata.org
«We are faced with delinquent behavior – adds Battaglio – not with the expression of an opinion. The notorious “gender ideology”, if it exists, has never hurt anyone. Stones yes. It is not tolerable that one’s faith is manifested with this violence”. And he continues: “The fact that no one from the hierarchies has raised a voice suggests that the waved openings are nothing more than warm blankets to make Western LGBT people feel good”. Is Pope Francis’ Church more open than in the past about homosexual Catholics? “It is true that there are openings – replies the collaborator of the Gionata.org portal – We underline them because we are too sorry that the Church does not really love us, but in the face of these things, looking at the glass half full when the empty one is full of pain means doing a further injustice to the victims whose injustice has not been fully embraced”. Is there no room for forgiveness? “Forgiveness – concludes Battaglio – is a fundamental value for Christians but no one can forgive on behalf of third parties. Has anyone gone to ask how these people feel? Because it is up to them – and not those who talk about it so inappropriately – to forgive. Forgiveness, as told by the Gospel of Matthew, requires a series of steps. The first of which is repentance”.
Despite the episodes of intolerance, the rainbow associations have highlighted positive experiences, such as the opening of the “Rainbow Center” in Lisbon, an inclusive meeting and prayer place in the Lumiar district. They expressed gratitude for the solidarity received from some pilgrims and hoped that the values of inclusion and respect expressed by Pope Francis would translate into concrete actions within the Church. WYD, the associations write, “offered any participant the experience of meeting and training with other LGBT Christian people, despite the fact that it was not possible to include its activities in the official programme, apparently for formal reasons related to timing, which leads us to hope that they will be included in the next WYD».
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