Rome – Thanks to Pope Francis’ personal intervention, three young children of an Italian gay couple are being raised in the Catholic faith and even serving as altar boys.
About five years ago, Andrea Rubera and her husband Dario were considering the possibility of enrolling their eldest son, then about 3 years old, in a catechesis program in a parish in Rome. But they feared that their son might be treated differently or be subject to some kind of prejudice.
When Rubera happened to be asked in April 2015 whether he would be part of a group invited to attend the Pope’s daily mass at the Vatican’s Santa Marta inn, the gay Italian Catholic brought a letter to deliver to Francis, exposing his dilemma.
Days later, Rubera received an unexpected phone call. “I replied and it was the pope’s voice asking me, ‘Mr. Rubera, is that you? ‘ “Rubera told NCR.
“I think you should do this,” Rubera remembers the pope saying. “Go to the pastor, ask for a meeting, introduce yourself transparently and I am very confident that everything will be fine.”
The layman did what the pope suggested. Her three children have already gone through the catechesis program and minister as altar boys. And the eldest prepares to receive the first communion.
Rubera previously spoke about his personal experience with Francis as part of the documentary “Francesco”, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky and released last year. He now says that the pope’s council has offered a “fundamental step” in his family’s life.
“It was something that really helped me out of a dead end,” said the Italian.
Although Rubera said he had not spoken to Francisco since the first call, he said he managed to ensure that the pope received a second letter, reporting on his children’s progress.
“I am happy to be sure that he received the news of how our children are doing,” said Rubera. “I’m not expecting him to call me again.”