Italian Archbishop Sparks Backlash After Surprise Mass In Milan’s Gay District
Archbishop of Milan Mario Delpini celebrated a surprise Mass on Friday night for a group largely made up of Catholics with same-sex attraction.
The Mass, which took place during Pride Month, was held at the Church of San Carlo al Lazzaretto in Porta Venezia, Milan’s well-known gay-friendly district.
In a brief homily for the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Delpini, who leads Italy’s largest archdiocese, reportedly stressed that “the Lord loves every person.” Although many of Delpini’s homilies are published on the archdiocese’s website, this one does not appear to have been posted.
Roughly 50 people attended the Mass, according to local media. After the initial surprise wore off, attendees reportedly “expressed their appreciation for the presence of the highest representative of the Ambrosian church,” with the gathering becoming “an important symbolic moment for a network of young people, parents, and couples,” a local daily reported.
The small Catholic church in Milan has reportedly served for several years as a gathering place for Catholics with same-sex attraction, who regularly meet there for Mass celebrated by a priest. (RELATED: Vatican Publishes ‘Emerging Issues’ Report On Engaging With The Gays)
The event quickly drew criticism from conservative Catholic media.
“It may be that the rainbow militants know which closets to open to find piles of skeletons inside,” one conservative Catholic website wrote, referring to scandals involving clerical sexual abuse, financial misconduct and other controversies. The outlet argued that although Delpini is widely considered a moderate and unlikely to intentionally provoke such a controversy, he “may have ended up” under pressure from LGBT groups.
“Obviously this cannot justify a Pride Mass in any way,” the website wrote.
The outlet also pointed to an Instagram photo allegedly posted by one participant who received Communion while wearing a T-shirt featuring a Jesus-like figure dressed in rainbow clothing alongside the phrase “Ah Men.” The phrase, a play on “amen” and “Ah, men,” was described by the outlet as an “explicit reference to homosexual attraction.”
As the participant received Communion, he allegedly repeated the phrase “Ah Men” in front of the archbishop, which the Catholic outlet called “a real mockery of Our Lord.”
Delpini recently ordained new priests and spoke of “a Church as colorful as the cathedral’s stained glass windows, flooded with light,” describing “a Church both ancient and new, where each of us can let a ray of God’s light shine through.”
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The controversy comes shortly after another dispute in the archdiocese, when right-wing politicians criticized the Oratory of San Giovanni Bosco in Baggio for allowing Muslim youth a separate moment of prayer during summer activities. (RELATED: ‘Catholic’ University’s Heretical Queer Profs Are Teaching Porn Classes And More)
Delpini defended the decision, saying that “controversies are always a pretext for something else.” He said the goal was “to pay attention to non-Christian kids” and ensure they were not present “only to play,” but could pray as well.
The archbishop described the decision as part of interreligious dialogue, adding that the criticism “does not affect me” and that he does not listen to “those who want to teach me how to be a priest.”
“There are also those who would like to teach me how to be a bishop,” Delpini said.
In March 2026, Delpini also wrote a message to Muslims marking the conclusion of Ramadan.
The Archdiocese of Milan is the largest in Italy and is often described as one of the largest in Europe by population. It has traditionally been considered a cardinalatial see, meaning its archbishops have often been elevated to the College of Cardinals. Delpini, who was appointed archbishop of Milan by Pope Francis in 2017, has not been made a cardinal.
Among Milan’s best-known archbishops are St. Charles Borromeo and Giovanni Battista Montini, who later became Pope Paul VI and was canonized by Pope Francis.
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