The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) has appointed a bishop to head the pastoral care of Catholic LGBT+ groups. Bishop Arnaldo Carvalheiro Neto of the Diocese of Jundiaí will serve a three-year term. The news was positively received by the National Catholic LGBT+ Groups Network. The first Catholic LGBT+ group was formed in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, leading to the formation of the Network in 2014. The Network now encompasses over 25 groups and is present in all Brazilian regions.
19 days ago
The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) has appointed Bishop Arnaldo Carvalheiro Neto of the Diocese of Jundiaí to lead pastoral care for Catholic LGBT+ groups.1
This three-year role marks a significant step in recognizing and supporting these communities within the Brazilian Church.1
Bishop Carvalheiro Neto, ordained in 2016 by Pope Francis, brings experience in spiritual direction and pastoral counseling.1
He has previously ministered to LGBT+ groups, positioning him as a moderate figure for this initiative.1
The first Catholic LGBT+ group formed in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, seeking a safe space for spirituality amid experiences of violence in traditional communities.1
By 2014, these efforts coalesced into the National Catholic LGBT+ Groups Network, now encompassing over 25 groups across all Brazilian regions, with two new online clusters forming.1
The Network joined the National Laypeople’s Council in 2021 and has grown steadily, influenced by Pope Francis's visibility on the issue during the Synods on the Family (2014-2015) and Synodality (2023-2024), as well as the 2023 declaration Fiducia supplicans.1
Local ministries, such as those in Belo Horizonte (2017) and Nova Iguaçu, faced interruptions due to leadership changes, but groups in Curitiba maintain strong diocesan ties.1
The appointment was welcomed by Network Executive Secretary Luis Fernando Rabello as validation of 11 years of work, shifting LGBT+ Catholics from the fringes to recognized ecclesial subjects.1
It provides institutional support to combat exclusion and violence, fostering closer ties with CNBB and individual bishops.1
Rabello noted the Network's consistent engagement with the episcopate, including past meetings with CNBB leadership.1
This move is seen as unprecedented in Brazil, comparable only to approaches in Germany and Belgium.1
Theologian Suzane Moreira, a PhD candidate at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, views the decision as a hopeful evolution in the Church's handling of "delicate" topics like LGBT+ inclusion, building on two decades of progress.1
She emphasized it as a "breath of the Holy Spirit," though short-term changes in entrenched homophobia will be gradual.1
Sociologist Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto attributes the initiative to Brazil's conflict-avoidant society and the Church's loyalty to the Magisterium under the new Pope Leo XIV.1
Unlike Germany's Synodal Way, this reflects mutual dialogue with a large, eager LGBT+ community, potentially serving as a model for global pastoral practices similar to care for divorced couples.1
The role aims to empower accompanying priests and religious who previously hesitated to speak publicly.1
It underscores Brazil's growing openness, offering a pathway for dialogue and concessions to build better relationships.1
Overall, this development signals a maturing Brazilian Church response to LGBT+ needs, contributing fresh pastoral insights to the universal Church.1
Does the Catholic Church’s pastoral care for LGBT+ communities align with its doctrinal teachings?
The Catholic Church's doctrinal teachings on human sexuality emphasize that it is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman within marriage, which is an exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union naturally open to the generation of children. This understanding is rooted in Scripture, particularly Genesis 1:27-28 and 2:24, where God creates humanity male and female, blessing their union with the command to "be fruitful and multiply." Marriage, elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament, signifies the covenant between Christ and the Church, embodying total self-giving, fidelity, and openness to life.
Regarding homosexual inclinations, the Church teaches that they are "objectively disordered" because they do not proceed from the sexual complementarity inherent to God's design for human sexuality. Homosexual acts are described as "intrinsically disordered" and "sins gravely contrary to chastity," as they cannot fulfill the unitive and procreative purposes of sexuality ordered to marriage. This doctrine remains firm and unchangeable, tied to the Church's understanding of creation and revelation. The Church does not equate the inclination itself with sin but distinguishes it from acts, affirming that the orientation is not sinful in itself. All persons, regardless of orientation, are called to chastity: for those with same-sex attractions, this means abstaining from sexual activity outside of marriage, which is impossible for them under current doctrine.
Pastoral care in the Catholic Church is guided by the principle of accompanying individuals toward holiness while respecting their dignity as children of God. The Church insists that persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity," and every sign of unjust discrimination must be avoided. This approach echoes the broader call to welcome sinners into the Church's embrace, recognizing that all members, including ministers, are in need of purification and on the path to holiness.
Such care involves providing support, friendship, and understanding, especially when chastity proves challenging, and encouraging frequent recourse to the sacrament of Penance with gentleness. Families and parishes are urged to offer respectful guidance, helping individuals discern and fulfill God's will, often by uniting their trials to Christ's Cross. For parents noticing such tendencies in children, seeking qualified help is recommended, while emphasizing that the condition constitutes a trial calling for heroic virtue. The Church welcomes all who seek the Lord, but active, public same-sex relationships are seen as offering a counter-witness to doctrine, potentially causing moral confusion, particularly for children; thus, they cannot be fully integrated into parish life in ways that endorse the relationship, such as holding leadership roles or liturgical functions.
In education and family settings, pastoral efforts aim to clarify the distinction between subjective experiences and objective disorder, promoting chastity without arousing hostility. This care extends to those in irregular situations, including same-sex couples, by offering paths of growth in faith without validating their unions.
The Church's pastoral care for LGBT+ communities—encompassing persons with same-sex attractions and those in same-sex relationships—aligns closely with its doctrinal teachings by balancing unwavering fidelity to truth with merciful accompaniment. Doctrine provides the unchanging framework: sexuality's purpose in marriage and the call to chastity for all. Pastoral care operationalizes this by rejecting any form of violence, harassment, or unjust discrimination, instead fostering respect and compassion as essential to evangelization. For instance, while homosexual acts are immoral, the Church defends personal freedom and dignity, viewing rejection of erroneous views on homosexuality as a realistic affirmation of human fulfillment in God's wisdom.
A key example of this alignment is the 2023 Declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which reaffirms the "perennial doctrine of the Church about marriage" and prohibits any liturgical blessings that could confuse same-sex unions with sacramental marriage. Yet, it innovates pastorally by permitting spontaneous, non-ritualized blessings for same-sex couples, not as endorsement of their status but as an expression of God's merciful closeness, inviting them to conversion without imposing liturgical conditions. This distinction between "liturgical or ritualized" and "spontaneous or pastoral" blessings enriches the classical understanding, rooted in Pope Francis's vision of popular piety and trust in divine mercy. It avoids moral legitimization of extra-marital practices while broadening access to blessings as sacramentals that praise God and benefit the faithful.
Earlier documents, such as the 1986 letter On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, similarly integrate doctrine and care by calling individuals to crucify self-indulgent desires through the Spirit's fruits, framing their struggles as redemptive participation in Christ's sacrifice. Amoris Laetitia (2016) echoes this, urging pastoral guidance for families with LGBT+ members to help them "fully carry out God’s will," respecting dignity without aggression. Even in vocational discernment, respect for persons with homosexual tendencies coexists with doctrinal limits on ordination, as deep-seated tendencies are seen as incompatible with the ministerial call to image Christ's spousal love for the Church.
Where tensions arise—such as public reactions to Fiducia Supplicans—the Church clarifies that pastoral innovations do not alter doctrine but deepen its application, requiring serene reflection free from ideology. Episcopal conferences' calls for further discernment highlight pastoral prudence, not doctrinal dissent. Thus, care remains oriented to holiness, ensuring that accompaniment leads toward, rather than away from, the truth of chastity and marriage.
While alignment is evident, pastoral implementation can involve nuance, especially in complex situations like those involving minors, families, or civil unions. The Church cautions against therapies that might pathologize orientation but supports assistance for those seeking to align with chastity, always with delicacy. In parishes, pastors must prudently address public same-sex couples to protect the community's faith without excluding sincere seekers. Broader societal issues, such as legal recognition of same-sex unions, are opposed doctrinally as they redefine marriage's nature, yet persons involved are still called to respect and compassion.
The Church's holistic view of dignity, as in Dignitas Infinita (2024), underscores that violations like discrimination against LGBT+ persons gravely offend human dignity, reinforcing pastoral imperatives alongside doctrine. This integrated approach ensures that care is not relativistic but evangelically faithful, inviting all to the joy of Gospel living.
In summary, the Catholic Church's pastoral care for LGBT+ communities fully aligns with its doctrinal teachings by upholding the objective truth of human sexuality and marriage while extending compassionate accompaniment, respect, and paths to holiness. This harmony reflects Christ's own ministry of truth and mercy, calling all persons to fuller union with God.