PADUA, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic bishop has responded to blasphemous slogans being paraded outside his diocesan cathedral by expressing sympathy for the pro-LGBT demonstrators.
On May 30, Il Mandorlo – an advocacy group for people who identify as LGBT that has been formally recognized by the Diocese of Padua in Italy – displayed blasphemous signs in front of Padua Cathedral during the “Pride” parade. Bishop Claudio Cipolla said he was “embarrassed” by the signs but, nevertheless, showed “respect” for them.
“I am embarrassed by what these young people did. The image of the signs they displayed made me feel very embarrassed,” Cipolla explained later, according to a report from Italian outlet La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. “But let’s see, let’s wait. It is important that there is always respect for everyone who thinks differently!”
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The signs displayed in front of the local cathedral carried messages such as: “Here we are in frocessione”; “The Catto‑queers are here”; “I am beautiful in my own way, because God doesn’t make mistakes”; “God is queer among us.”
Frocessione is a play on the Italian words frocio and processione, the former being a slang term used to refer to a person who identifies as homosexual and the latter for procession. In 2024, Pope Francis made headlines by using the word “frociaggine” in refence to homosexual men in a meeting with Italian bishops.
Despite the messages mocking the Catholic faith, Cipolla called for impartiality. “A bishop stands at the apex of a large institution that includes the entire Christian people, made up of persons who think differently,” he explained. “I would not want to be dragged to one side or the other.”
Furthermore, Cipolla stated: “Yes, I know these young people personally, and that is precisely the point: we must, in any case, continue to love our children, and that is my attitude.”
The organizers of the parade belong to the association Il Mandorlo (“The Almond Tree”), founded on January 23, 2022, in the presence of – and with the approval of – the Diocese of Padua.
According to an online presentation, the group “organizes activities and moments of fellowship for young people between the ages of 18 and 35” and serves as “a place where one can freely live one’s identity as both Christian and LGBT+.”
“The aim of the group is to be an active part of the LGBTQIA+ community, to collaborate with its other organizations, and to take part in its initiatives whenever possible,” the presentation reads.
“At the same time, the group intends to be an active part of the Church, to bear witness to its existence through participation in her initiatives and proposals, and furthermore to serve as a tool of formation for priests and laypeople in the area.”
At least 12 Italian bishops attended or even led pro‑LGBT prayer vigils across Italy in May and June 2026, more than double the number involved in 2025. These vigils – framed as events against so‑called “homophobia” – are often held inside Catholic churches and supported by dioceses and Catholic associations. The LGBT lobby group La Tenda di Gionata has listed 47 vigils and related events.
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Some dioceses justified their involvement as expressions of faith meant to “break the wall of silence and indifference,” and several events include an ecumenical dimension involving other Christian denominations.
This is the logical consequence of the 2025 Italian synodal document Lievito di Pace e di Speranza (“Leaven of Peace and Hope”), which adopted LGBT terminology, encouraged participation in civil observances against “homophobia and transphobia,” proposed inter‑diocesan teams to develop educational programs on sexuality and gender identity for minors, and referenced the “recognition” of identification as homosexual and transgender. This document anticipated the highly controversial Vatican Study Group 9 report, according to which sin “does not consist in the same‑sex couple relationship.”