The complex of Castel Gandolfo, the popes’ summer residence, will be the scene of a strong controversy after it was learned that the renowned chef Art Smith, an LGBT activist and in a homosexual “marriage” with the artist Jesús Salgueiro, will head the new restaurant of the Borgo Laudato Si’ project, scheduled to open in the spring of 2026.
Smith, known for having worked for Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga, was chosen by a Vatican committee to lead the gastronomic offering along with Phil Stefani, from Chicago’s Stefani Restaurant Group. According to statements gathered by LifeSiteNews, the chefs even held a culinary “audition” for Vatican authorities before being confirmed in the position.
Career marked by LGBT activism
Smith’s appointment has generated debate, given his long history of homosexual activism. In 2006, he and his partner were inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Additionally, they have promoted campaigns and events such as the Big Gay Ice Cream Social, and even organized a ceremony with more than 100 “weddings” between same-sex couples.
In 2015, when they adopted their children, they received a personal blessing from Francis, in a gesture that Smith described as historic, being the first homosexual couple to present their children for baptism in Chicago’s cathedral.
Smith has openly declared his fight against companies critical of gender ideology, stating: “I don’t serve Barilla pasta in my restaurants” after the company’s statements in defense of traditional marriage.
Criticism within and outside the Church
Smith’s appointment highlights the tension between Catholic doctrine and the policy of openness to activists who publicly challenge the Church’s moral teaching on marriage and sexuality.
LifeSiteNews recalled that, in past interviews, the chef boasted of being a pioneer in promoting the homosexual agenda at food festivals and of having received explicit support from the Vatican.
The decision to place at the helm of an emblematic space like Castel Gandolfo a figure publicly identified with the LGBT agenda and opposed to the Church’s teaching on marriage and family constitutes a grave sign of ecclesial incoherence. Instead of offering a clear witness of fidelity to the doctrine, it projects the image of an institution that legitimizes practices and lifestyles opposed to the Gospel, sowing confusion among the faithful and weakening the Church’s moral credibility at a time of deep cultural and spiritual crisis.
