Shocking: Openly Gay Gio Benitez’s Confirmation and the Catholic Drift Toward “Inclusivity”

ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ

An openly gay TV anchor confirmed in a Catholic parish with his husband as Sponsor — a stunning symbol of the Church’s doctrinal confusion and moral drift. “Inclusivity” overrides revelation, and a same-sex confirmation ceremony reveals the growing breach between the Bible and today’s Catholic practice. Elpifophoros and Bartholomew cannot contauin themselves: They are counting the days until they achieve the “Union” with Catholics… They may achieve such a union but tghey will also be abadoned by the overwhelming majority of Orthodox faithful.

By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team

This past weekend, ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez, who is openly gay, was confirmed into the Catholic Church at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Manhattan—an openly “LGBTQ-inclusive” parish. Standing beside him at the altar was his husband, Tommy DiDario, who served as his sponsor—a role traditionally reserved for a baptized Catholic living in accordance with Church teaching.

The service, presided over by priests associated with the Jesuit order, including James Martin, a prominent advocate for LGBTQ acceptance in Catholicism, was widely shared across social media. Fr. Martin himself posted photographs and congratulated the event on Instagram, praising it as a sign of the “inclusive legacy” of Pope Francis.

Benitez wrote that after 25 years away from the Church, he returned after seeing Fr. Martin on Good Morning America speaking about Pope Francis’s “legacy of inclusivity.” The ABC anchor said the message “opened my heart,” adding, “If God created me, how could He not love me?” His husband wrote afterward that standing beside him as sponsor was “one of the greatest honors of my life.”

A Pastoral Gesture—or a Doctrinal Breach?

For many Catholic faithful who adhere to historic teachings, the image of a man being confirmed with his husband at his side as a sponsor is nothing short of bewildering. The Catholic Catechism (§ 2357–2359) clearly teaches that while persons with same-sex attraction “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” homosexual acts “are intrinsically disordered.”

In that framework, a sponsor’s role at confirmation is to be a model of Catholic life and faithfulness to the Church’s teachings. Thus, to have a same-sex spouse—someone living in a union the Church does not recognize—fill that role appears to contradict the Church’s sacramental norms.

Yet no official censure has followed. In fact, the same inclusive parish, St. Paul the Apostle, has for years hosted LGBTQ-affirming ministries and events, including the “Out at St. Paul” group. This suggests that, at least at the local level, pastoral leniency has effectively overtaken doctrinal clarity.

The Vatican’s Evolving Posture

While the Catholic Church still insists that marriage remains between one man and one woman, the Vatican’s tone has undeniably shifted. In December 2023, the document Fiducia Supplicans permitted priests to bless same-sex couples under certain conditions—though it explicitly stated these are not marriages and do not change doctrine.

Nevertheless, the distinction between “pastoral blessing” and “doctrinal endorsement” has blurred in public perception. Some progressive clergy now treat the permission for blessings as a tacit approval of same-sex unions, while traditionalists view it as a dangerous step toward normalization of what Scripture and Church teaching call sin. The Fordahmite “theologians” funded by AB Elpidoktonos would undoubtedly have no problem blurring any lines of faith…

A Symbol of the Age

For secular media, Benitez’s confirmation was celebrated as a victory for love and inclusion—a headline that fits neatly into the narrative of modern progress. But from a traditional Christian standpoint, it represents something far more troubling: the erosion of boundaries between personal identity and divine revelation.

Scripture and nearly two millennia of Church teaching affirm marriage as a union between one man and one woman, reflecting Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). The notion that two men could together approach the altar in a sacramental ceremony, one sponsoring the other, is still inconceivable to the overwhelming majority of faithful Christians.

November 12, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com   www.helleniscope.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.

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Sources

• People Magazine: Gio Benitez, Openly Gay ABC News Weekend Anchor, Joins Catholic Church

• The Guardian: Vatican Gives Conditional Approval to Blessings for Same-Sex Couples

• USCCB News: Cardinal Says Vatican Not Moving Toward Accepting Gay Marriage

• Al Jazeera: Vatican Approves Blessings for Same-Sex Couples Under Certain Conditions

• Catechism of the Catholic Church §§ 2357–2359