Salesian youth ministry emphasizes queer-sensitive attitude

Youth showing young people "regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity: You are welcome. You are loved" - Award of the Austrian Rainbow Ministry Vienna

Father Haas

The Salesian Youth Ministry of Austria is visibly committed to an appreciative and inclusive attitude toward queer young people. The outward sign of this is the so-called "a+o Award" – the abbreviation stands for "accepting and open" – of the Austrian Rainbow Ministry. "We want to show young people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity: You are welcome. You are loved. You have a place in our church and community," explained Father Johannes Haas, head of the Salesian Youth Ministry, in a press release on Wednesday. 

The tradition of Don Bosco, "who approached young people with warmth, faith, and respect," is not contradicted by this, but rather sees itself, through the Salesian Youth Ministry, as a space "in which diversity is welcome – and everyone has a place with their own realities." The Salesian motto "Da mihi animas, caetera tolle" – "Give me souls, take everything else" – also encapsulates this commitment: 

"The focus is on the lives of young people, not ideology, control, or conformity," the youth organization explained. It was precisely this attitude that led to the application for the "a+o" award – "as a visible sign that the Salesian Youth Ministry stands unconditionally by the side of all young people," it stated. The "a+o" award has been awarded to parishes and church institutions since 2023. This is accompanied by a commitment by parishes and organizations to ensure "that people of different sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as their families, have a place in the church," the initiative states.

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