Pope Leo XIV. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

A new report from the Vatican has highlighted the “pain” and “profound suffering” experienced by LGBTQ+ Catholics, particularly in the context of conversion therapy, for the first time ever.

The historic Synod report, which was released on 5 May, includes testimonies from two gay Catholic men – one from the United States and one from Portugal – in same-sex marriages who had undergone the so-called ‘conversion therapy’.

The man from the US told of his involvement with Courage, a Catholic group that encourages abstinence for people experiencing same-sex attraction. The report does not fully condemn the practice of conversion therapy, but calls Courage “problematic”.

“However, it also brings to light the many misunderstandings within the Christian community, rooted in attitudes of homophobia and transphobia,” the report continues.

The participant from Portugal explained that he was encouraged by the church to marry a woman to “find peace”. He told of the “devastating effects of reparative therapies aimed at recovering heterosexuality.”

It was only after the man joined the Christian community centred on Ignatian spirituality that he no longer felt isolated within his faith.

The report states: “The account bears witness to the discovery that sin, at its root, does not consist in the (same-sex) couple relationship, but in a lack of faith in a God who desires our fulfillment.”

As a whole, the report encourages the inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics and concludes that the church’s efforts to “repair” their sexual orientations have contributed to “profound suffering, personal lacerations, and experiences of marginalisation or ‘double lives’ for believers with same-sex attractions.”

The report has been celebrated by a number of LGBTQ+ Catholics in positions of authority within the church.

“[The report] marks a significant step forward in the church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community,” said Rev. James Martin, the founder of LGBTQ+ Catholic ministry Outreach, on the group’s website.

Speaking to Religion News Service on 5 May, the reverend said: “It’s a big deal because they included testimonies and published testimonies from two LGBTQ people, both of them married, which is also unusual for the Vatican to do.”

He continued: “As far as I know, it’s the first time that in any official publication of the Vatican, they’ve included witnesses and testimonies and stories from LGBTQ Catholics in any kind of detailed way.”

Yunuen Trujillo, a lesbian lay minister from Los Angeles, told the station: “It’s a really good – I would even say historic – document. It’s still calling for all Catholics to engage in a process of discernment that is respectful of people’s lived experiences.”

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