Gio Benitez confirmed in Catholic parish as conservative criticism emerges online

Television journalist Gio Benitez has been confirmed in the Catholic Church, an event that has drawn both support and conservative criticism online.

The Good Morning America co-anchor was confirmed earlier this month at St Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan, where his husband, Tommy DiDario, acted as his sponsor.

Benitez shared a video from the Mass alongside a detailed Instagram statement describing his faith journey as a gay Catholic. He cited Pope Francis and Jesuit priest Fr James Martin as significant influences, explaining that a segment on Good Morning America prompted him to re-engage with the Church.

In his post, Benitez wrote: “It was the first time I had seen a Catholic priest speaking in such a beautiful way about LGBTQ people.”

The parish, run by the Paulist Fathers, is known for its LGBTQ+ ministry, Out at St Paul. Benitez described the confirmation as the culmination of a journey that began with his baptism at 15 and continued through his studies in religion.

He said he ultimately recognised “divine love” through the people who supported him and those who advocated for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Church.

Some conservative Catholic commentators on X criticised the confirmation, with posts describing it as “vulgar” and “a scandal.” Dominican priest Fr Peter Totleben used the moment to criticise Fr Martin, alleging elitism in his ministry.

Writer John Grosso, commenting in The National Catholic Reporter, questioned the tone of such responses, describing Benitez’s statement as “a moving testimony of a man who has found a home in the Catholic Church.”

Grosso noted that negative reactions represented a minority of responses, observing that most comments on Benitez’s original posts were positive and congratulatory.

Many online users expressed happiness for Benitez and welcomed him as a new member of the Church community.