Vatican denies letter was intended to endorse Italian author's book on same-sex unions

August 28, 2015

The Vatican press office has issued a statement to counter an Italian writer’s claim that Pope Francis praised her book defending same-sex unions.

Francesca Pardi, whose book Piccolo Uovo was among the gay-oriented books banned from city schools in Venice, had written to Pope Francis to protest. She received a polite response—not from the Pope but from an official of the Secretariat of State—saying that the Pope “is grateful for the thoughtful gesture and for the feelings which it evoked, hoping for an always more fruitful activity in the service of young generations and the spread of genuine human and Christian values.”

Pardi quickly made that letter public, and succeeded in prompting a series of media reports that the Pope had endorsed her book. The August 28 statement from the Vatican rejected that interpretation of the letter. “In no way does the letter from the Secretariat of State mean to endorse behavior and teachings not in line with the Gospel," the statement said. The Vatican statement added that the letter to Pardi was intended to remain private, which “unfortunately did not happen.”

 

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Further information:

• Vatican denies encouraging gender theory with author letter (ANSA)