Priest Suspended for LGBT Stance in Italy

Father Giulio Mignani hails from the parish of Bonassola in the Diocese of La Spezia near northern Italy.

After saying he was pro-“homosexual relations,” the Diocese suspended him a divinis for “holding positions that are not aligned with Church teaching” and deemed “non-compliant with the Magisterium.”

Mignani was first reprimanded in 2021 for refusing to bless palms on Palm Sunday after the Vatican said the Church cannot blame same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin.”

He said at the time: “If I can’t bless couples formed by persons of the same sex, then I won’t bless palms or olive branches either.”

Now, in an interview Vanity Fair Italy, Mignani has said “it’s a paradigm that must be changed.”

“Homosexual love is still considered a sin, a mistake, when it’s a fundamental aspect in the life of these people. The Church doesn’t condemn homosexuality but homosexual relations. Which is like saying that it’s ok to be hungry, but you can’t eat. I said to myself: we have blessed anything, including weapons and wars in the past. And we don’t want to bless real love?”

Mignani has also supported abortion and euthanasia in the past.

His bishop imposed a mandatory period of reflection, hwoever Mignani doubts he’ll change his mind adding he would still like to be a priest afterwards.

“Most people don’t say it, because if they spoke up, they would be suspended like me.” 

The Bishop of Luigi Ernesto Palletti said the choice to suspend him was “a painful one,” but “recalling his actions to the Magisterium is a must.”

Pray for priests to be faithful to the Magisterium!