QUOTE TO NOTE: Bishop Says Denying Sexual Love for Same-Gender Couples “Is Simply Wrong”
Near the end of 2025, an Italian bishop stated that people in same-gender relationships should not be denied the right to express their love for one another physically, reported Pink News.
Bishop Francesco Savino, of the diocese of Cassano all’Jonio, and who is also the vice president of the Italian bishops’ conference, gave an interview to Diritto di Cronaca, an online news outlet in which he said that same gender couples “should not be denied the opportunity to be loved and to love, even on an intimate, sexual level, because denying them this, denying them their right, I repeat, is simply wrong.”
This is not the first time that Bishop Savino has spoken forcefully for LGBTQ+ equality in the church. In August of 2025, he gave an interview with Progetto Gionata, in advance of the LGBTQ+ Pilgrimage of Hope for the Jubilee Year, at which he presided over the group’s Eucharistic liturgy. In that interview, speaking of LGBTQ+ people, he said “In the heart of the Gospel, no one is excluded.”
Bishop Francesco Savino
In the same interview, he referred to the then-upcoming LGBTQ+ liturgy as “a prophetic act,:
“The Eucharist. . .is a womb that welcomes, and not a fence that rejects; It is a house with always open doors, where the cornerstone is love without condition. It is in the encounter of the faces and in the sharing of the bread that the Church finds its original vocation: to be not a fortress for a few, but tends for everyone, capable of inhabiting the suburbs of the soul and history.
“That’s why this moment is not only a liturgical celebration: it is a prophetic act, a sign that announces to the world that in the kingdom of God there are no ‘guests’ and ‘hosts’. There are only sons and daughters, summoned to the same canteen, transformed by the only love that saves.”
During his homily at the liturgy in September, he said:
“A Jubilee was the time to free the oppressed and restore dignity to those who had been denied it.”
After a dramatic pause he added:
“Brothers and sisters, I say this with emotion. It is time to restore dignity to everyone, especially those who have been denied it.”
The pilgrims leapt to their feat with thunderous applause that lasted for almost a minute and a half. He received a second standing ovation at the conclusion.
It is extremely rare that a Catholic bishop will offer an opinion which contradicts official church teaching, making Bishop Savino’s latest remark all the more welcome. As we enter the new year, let’s hope and pray for more bishops to express their opinions openly and honestly.
—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, January 3, 2026
This is great. Very powerful! Thank you for telling us about Bishop Savino.
J.G., Detroit
It is a blessing to see this Bishop reminding all of the true meaning of Eucharist… welcoming all of God’s children. I hope other Bishops join him.
This account of an Italian bishop’s affirmation of the love and dignity of same sex couples lifted my spirit today! As a faithful Catholic and LGBTQ ally, I am pained by the rejecting stance many in my Church hold toward our LGBTQ brothers/ sisters in Christ. Sadly, many in the hierarchy reinforce this spirit of condemnation, in effect endorsing shame/ hate. I stay in this Church in part to be a voice for those suffering spiritual pain for their very existence.🙏
If God gave us a blessing wouldn’t be an insult to ignore it?
Thanks for posting Frank. A welcome start for 2026. May more bishops follow.