October 27, 2024. The final report from the three-year Global Synod, released late on October 26, will disappoint and frustrate many who participated in and followed the worldwide process, including those who hoped for some progress in making the Catholic church more responsive to the needs of LGBTQIA+ people and their families. That is the conclusion of DignityUSA, the world’s oldest organization of Catholics working for justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the church and society.

“The final document does not contain even a single explicit mention of LGBTQ+ people,” said Marianne Duddy-Burke, DignityUSA’s Executive Director. “There is one reference to sexuality (paragraph 50) and concern for people at the margins of the church is acknowledged several times. There is no reference to gender identity, transgender or nonbinary people. LGBTQ+ issues were among the most pressing concerns of Catholics worldwide. We expressed this frustration about the 2023 Assembly report, and the failure to acknowledge this for the second time will be painful for many.”

Duddy-Burke noted that one of the Study Groups whose work continues until June 2025 has been charged with addressing “controversial issues,” including LGBTQ+ concerns. “We knew that specific recommendations about responding to issues of gender identity, sexual orientation, and same-sex relationships had been directed to the Study Group, but being unnamed again in a Vatican document is an erasure that stings,” she said.

“We appreciate the calls for increased transparency and accountability, greater involvement of lay people in ministry and decision-making in our church, and the commitment to start working towards ‘unity in diversity.’ These are all synodal practices that DignityUSA and many other Catholic communities have modeled for decades. We believe they serve the People of God well,” said Duddy-Burke.

DignityUSA held Listening Sessions in 2022 and 2024 and submitted three different reports to the Synod office and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops documenting the concerns and hopes of those who participated, as well as a reflection on having lived as a synodal Catholic community for 55 years. In 2023 and 2024, DignityUSA had representatives in Rome during the Synod Assemblies to talk with Delegates, Vatican officials, and others about LGBTQIA+ inclusion, changes needed to official church teachings, and the hopes and frustrations expressed by Listening Session participants.

“Many Catholics are already deeply engaged in working for a more just and inclusive church, for LGBTQIA+ people, women, migrants, people with disabilities, and so many others who do not feel fully at home yet,” said Duddy-Burke. “We encourage people to keep doing this vitally important work, in parishes and independent Catholic communities. If our church can truly be open to the kind of synodal changes the report calls for we will see more equity and better pastoral care over time. We welcome those who want to live a synodal, inclusive church now to join us or to seek out other communities that already embrace these principles.”

DignityUSA is the world’s oldest organization of Catholics working for justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in our church and society. Founded in early 1969, the group has members, Chapters, and Caucuses across the US and beyond.