The letter that Pope Francisco sent blessing the work of the Italian writer Francesca Pardi generated controversy. All because she is known for discussing LGBT-themed books – and being openly lesbian – and the message was interpreted as encouraging the LGBT cause, which the church had never promoted until then.
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In the letter, the Pope wished writing "fruitful activity in the service of young generations and the dissemination of authentic human and Christian values". He also sent an apostolic blessing to the writer's family.
The exchange of correspondence occurred as soon as Francesca and 43 other authors had books, which include same-sex families, removed from all libraries in Venice. She sent 30 of her books to the Pope and asked him to read them and prove that they did not debate "gender ideology" and that the objective is "to avoid discrimination against children, between them and the children of homosexual couples".
Detail, the writer (who is wearing a black tank top in the photo to the side) is married to Maria Silva Fiengo 20 years ago, and is the mother of four children.
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The Vatican Secretariat of State, through the spokesperson Ciro Benedettini, stated that the response was "private" and that the Pope did not aim to encourage LGBT relationships. "The Pope's blessing is on the person, and not on doctrines that do not conform to the doctrine of the Church, such as gender ideology, and there is no need for any instrumentalization of the content of this letter."
