Sexual orientation, women’s ‘pastoral responsibility’ come to fore in Italian synodal assembly

April 04, 2025

The Church in Italy concluded its second synodal assembly on April 3 with the publication of a message to the Pope, the approval of a motion, and the publication of participants’ priorities.

Archbishop Erio Castellucci of Modena-Nonantola, the president of the national committee of the synodal way, delivered a final address, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the bishops’ conference, preached the homily at the closing Mass.

In its April 3 edition, the Vatican newspaper reported that the second synodal assembly had 1,008 participants: “168 bishops (seven cardinals), 252 priests, 34 religious, 17 deacons and 530 lay people (of whom 253 men and 277 women).” In its April 1 edition, however, the newspaper reported that there were 442 lay participants, 293 of whom were women.

The first synodal assembly took place in Rome last November, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. During the second synodal assembly, which began on March 31, participants discussed 50 propositions, which the Italian bishops were expected to vote upon in May, when they were scheduled to vote on a final document containing the propositions, as the culmination of a four-year Italian synodal process.

That May meeting of the Italian bishops, however, has been delayed until October 25, according to the motion, which was approved in an 835-12 vote, with seven abstentions (and 154 participants apparently absent from the vote). In the intervening months, Archbishop Castellucci and his committee will draft the final text of the propositions, taking into account 150 contributions made by participants during the second synodal assembly.

The Vatican newspaper reported:

Two points in particular are being examined: the integration of people who suffer because of affective relationships, sexual orientation or gender identity, and the ecclesial responsibility of women. These are issues to be addressed, according to many of the participants, in a more in-depth manner. Alongside these, the issues of economic transparency, budgets, accountability, work, migrants, ecology, peace. A nod also to the drama of sexual abuse, which also needs to be explored further.

L’Osservatore Romano‘s report found confirmation in the priorities voted on by the assembly’s working groups. Nine out of the ten working groups listed “the ecclesial and pastoral responsibility of women” as a priority—more than any other topic. Eight out of the ten working groups listed the following topics as priorities:

• “accompaniment of people in particular affective situations” (a reference to sexual orientation, and—the Vatican newspaper article suggests—gender identity)
• “local Churches (i.e., dioceses) and educational environments”
• “personal accompaniment of young people”
• “forming adults to the maturity of faith through the Word of God”
• “renewed national path of Christian Initiation”
• “obligatory nature of pastoral councils”

Address, homily, message to Pope

In his final address, Archbishop Castelluci spoke of his “overwhelming gratitude to this Assembly, in all its components: it has been defined by some as a ‘rebel’ Assembly, but it has rather been a living Assembly: critical, loyal, passionate for the Church and her mission.” The prelate also spoke of shortcomings in the synodal process, including a very brief time frame for synthesizing diocesan contributions and the quality of the draft propositions that assembly participants were asked to consider.

The draft propositions required “a global rethinking of the text and not just the adjustment of some of its parts,” said Archbishop Castelluci, who will be responsible for finalizing the propositions upon which the bishops will vote in October. “In these two half-days the groups worked very well, intensely and creatively, sometimes finding in the text even riches that did not emerge at a first reading, and they integrated and corrected the text; which, however, is not yet ripe.”

In his homily at the synodal assembly’s closing Mass, Cardinal Zuppi preached, “Let us love and defend unity at all costs, ‘from East to West’ which, then, is always the premise for peace ... The synodal journey brings us back to the essential dimension of community, in a world of prevailing brazen individualism, where it is no coincidence that the logic of force prevails, of old nationalisms” that “find so much space precisely because there is so little sense of community.”

“The world sees conservatives and progressives; the Spirit sees children of God,” he added. “The worldly gaze sees structures to be made more efficient; the spiritual gaze sees brothers and sisters begging for mercy.”

Cardinal Zuppi concluded:

Let us contemplate reality; in it we seek the signs to communicate hope, so that the Gospel may reach the hearts and minds of many. [Let us be] builders of communities who give glory to God and therefore to man, who walk together.

In their message to the Pope—who called for the Italian synodal process in a 2015 address in Florence—participants said that the assembly “saw us proceed together in listening to each other, in discerning the realities that emerged and in the elaboration of shared choices that relaunch our communities in a truly missionary perspective.”

They added:

Today we can say that this process has already been a training ground for synodality, which has taught us a style to be maintained in the future. We have taken important decisions, which have emerged from obedient listening to the Spirit and from frank dialogue among us. The Church is not a parliament, but a community of brothers and sisters gathered in the one faith in the Lord, the Crucified and Risen One ...

Joy and responsibility are the two sentiments that have animated us and that we consign to you, Your Holiness.

 

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