In Italy, controversy grows around the document Fiducia supplicans from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which opened the door to blessings for homosexual couples. According to La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, in Caprino Bergamasco a Catholic priest used a Waldensian rite to publicly bless a couple of men who had just been civilly united.
The protagonist was don Roberto Falconi, a priest of the Diocese of Bergamo and in charge of the sanctuary of the Madonna del Perello in Algua. Wearing an alb and stole, he presided over the ceremony of Gabriele and Mario, who were celebrating their civil union. In statements to La Bussola, the priest acknowledged that “he knew full well that this is not in accordance with morality” and that it was a ritual “taken from the Waldensian Church”.
A public act disseminated on social media
Although Falconi intended for the ceremony to remain in the private sphere, the Cascina Ombria, the venue where the event took place, posted photographs and messages on Instagram celebrating the gesture: “Here history is made. Gabriele and Mario, with a religious blessing from don Roberto. God was with them. Long live the spouses and long live don Roberto”. The enthusiasm of the post turned the event into a public scandal.
The priest, interviewed by La Bussola, insisted on absolving his bishop, Monsignor Francesco Beschi, of any responsibility: “Crucify me, but leave the bishop out of it”. He added that he personally assumed all the consequences of his action, although he emphasized that his intention was “to accompany homosexual believers who do not ask for marriage, but for their path to be placed under God’s blessing”.
“I know it is contrary to morality”
During the interview, Falconi candidly acknowledged that he acted against the Church’s moral teaching. At the same time, he tried to justify it as an exercise in pastoral discernment: “My reasoning is simple: they are homosexual believers who do not ask for marriage, only God’s blessing”.
When questioned about the contradiction between his gesture and doctrine, he went so far as to say that even Saint Paul accepted slavery and that today “the Church has evolved”. His words were described by the Italian outlet as evidence of the drift that Fiducia supplicans has provoked in sectors of the clergy, by opening the door to practices that exceed even the controversial document by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.
A liturgy foreign to the Magisterium
The ceremony in Caprino Bergamasco was not a simple improvised prayer. As Falconi himself admitted to La Bussola, he expressly used a form from the Waldensian Church, which constitutes a break not only with Catholic liturgical discipline but also with moral doctrine, as he himself acknowledged.
Despite declaring himself fully aware that his act is “contrary to morality”, the priest assured that in his ordinary ministry at the Marian sanctuary he faithfully complies with the Catholic liturgy, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and promoting devotion to the Virgin. At the same time, he justified what happened as an “off-script” moment, a kind of pastoral outlet in his free time.
The case of don Falconi adds to other episodes that show how Fiducia supplicans, far from bringing clarity to pastoral care, has generated situations of confusion and scandal in the life of the Church, fueling a practice that even priests recognize as contrary to Catholic morality.