An Italian bishop has come out strongly in support of the LGBTQ+ community in a new interview, saying that denying people in same-sex relationships “the opportunity to be loved and to love” is “simply wrong.”

In a new interview with DirittoDiCronaca.it, Bishop Francesco Savino said that people in same-sex relationships “should not be denied the opportunity to be loved and to love, even on an intimate, sexual level, because denying them this, denying them their right, I repeat, is simply wrong”.

As reported by The Catholic Herald, Savino, 70, went on to say that the Church must “restore dignity to everyone, especially to those who have been denied it”.

Who is Bishop Francesco Savino?

Francesco Savino has been bishop of Cassano all’Jonio since 2015, and is known for his LGBTQ+ activism. He’s known locally as “Don Ciccio.” He was appointed by the late Pope Francis.

The Catholic Herald notes that he’s “known for his LGBT activism.” He recently celebrated Mass at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, for LGBTQ+ Catholic pilgrims taking part in the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

During the Mass, Savino spoke about the dignity of every person, telling the congregation: “We are all a pilgrim people of hope and we want to leave this celebration more joyful and hopeful than ever. We have to go forward, convinced that God loves us with a unique and unrepeatable love – unconditional love.”

His comments in the interview with DirittoDiCronaca.it appear to contradict official Catholic teaching, which is that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved”.

For this reason, Catholics who, as the church put it, experience same-sex attraction are asked to live in chastity.

What has Pope Leo said about LGBTQ+ issues?

Pope Leo XIV was elected as pope in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis – and he has previously expressed anti-LGBTQ+ views.

Considered a centrist and reformer who was close to Pope Francis, Prevost, 69, was not considered a frontrunner to be elected as pontiff and did not have an extensive public record of speaking on LGBTQ+ issues.

However, The New York Times reports that in 2012, Prevost was critical of entertainment media that held “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,” including the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”

Since his appointment, a Vatican official has confirmed Pope Leo XIV’s stance on gay marriage.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the head of the dicastery for the doctrine of the faith, told an Italian reporter last week that same-sex blessings would continue. Asked if the pope would backtrack, he replied: “I really don’t think so, the declaration will remain.”

The declaration, approved by Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis, made clear that such blessings could not be compared to marriage.

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