🌿 “Equal Dignity in Christ”: a New Breath for the Italian Church
Rome, October 25, 2025 – 9:42 p.m. CEST
With 781 votes in favor out of 809, the Third Synodal Assembly of the Catholic Church in Italy approved this afternoon its final document, Leaven of Peace and Hope (Lievito di pace e di speranza).
Far more than a procedural step, the vote defines a direction: the Italian Church identifies itself as “the People of God, in which all, men and women alike, share equal dignity in the one mission.”
(Synthesis Document, §40, p. 27)
Women, Co-Responsibility, and “Diffuse Ministry”
The text, fruit of four years of diocesan consultation, speaks clearly: the Church must “value the presence and contribution of women in decision-making processes and pastoral ministries.”
This is not collaboration but co-responsibility, recognized as “an expression of the common baptismal dignity.”
(Synthesis Document, Part II, §§41-43)
Monsignor Erio Castellucci, vice-president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) and moderator of the Synodal Path, told reporters:
“Women are no longer recipients but protagonists of the Church’s life.”
Welcoming Every Person and the Language of Dignity
While avoiding political language, the document adopts a profoundly inclusive tone:
“Every person carries a gift for the community, and no one should feel excluded from the journey of the Gospel.”
(Synthesis Document, Part III, §60)
It further calls the Church to “learn the language of listening and tenderness toward those who experience wounds and marginalization.”
(Synthesis Document, Part III, §61)
For the first time, the final recommendations also urge that
“local Churches, overcoming the discriminatory attitudes sometimes present in ecclesial and social settings, commit themselves to promoting the recognition and pastoral accompaniment of homosexual and transgender persons, as well as of their parents, who already belong to the Christian community.”
(Synthesis Document, Part III, §62 c)
And that the CEI
“support through prayer and reflection the civic ‘days’ aimed at countering every form of violence and discrimination, showing closeness to those who are wounded — including the days against gender violence, pedophilia, bullying, femicide, homophobia and transphobia.”
(Synthesis Document, Part III, §62 d)
No slogans, no ideological framing — only a pastoral invitation to embody the Gospel’s tenderness and justice.
Zuppi’s Closing Words: “Free from the Habit of ‘It Has Always Been Done This Way’”
In his concluding address, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the CEI, summed up the task ahead:
“Now it is the task of the pastors to take everything in hand, to identify priorities, and to involve both old and new forces in giving flesh to these words.”
(Agensir, October 25 2025)
That “everything” includes listening to and welcoming differences of gender, vocation, and experience.
A Church That Walks Together
“Equal dignity in Christ for all,” the document declares, “in the diversity of gifts, ministries, and vocations.”
Concise, conciliar, baptismal — this phrase captures the Synod’s spirit.
With the approval of Leaven of Peace and Hope, the Italian Synodal journey now enters its implementation phase.
Each diocese will have to translate these principles into concrete paths of inclusion and shared mission — shaping a Church that recognizes, in the diversity of human faces — men, women, LGBTQ+ persons, laity, and consecrated — the single face of Christ.