Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Michele Di Tolve, a longtime priest and seminary formator who participated last year in a discussion about sexual orientation and religious vocations, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Chioggia in northern Italy.
The Vatican announced the appointment on Sept. 16, transferring Di Tolve from his roles as auxiliary bishop of Rome and titular bishop of Orrea. He had also been serving as rector of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary.
Di Tolve, 63, was born in Milan on May 19, 1963, and ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1989. His decades of ministry have included parish work, Catholic education and extensive involvement in priestly formation.
According to the Holy See, Di Tolve served as rector of the Archiepiscopal Seminary of Milan and its four-year theological program from 2014 until 2020. Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Rome in May 2023, and he received episcopal consecration that September.
As an auxiliary bishop, Di Tolve held responsibilities involving the diaconate, clergy, religious life and consecrated virgins, while also serving as interim director of the Office for the Clergy and rector of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary. He additionally served as the Lazio Episcopal Conference’s bishop delegate for education, schools and universities, according to the Vatican.
His appointment to Chioggia has also drawn renewed attention to his participation in an April 2025 presentation of the book “Vocazioni felici: Integrare orientamento sessuale, affetti e relazioni,” or “Happy Vocations: Integrating Sexual Orientation, Affections, and Relationships.”
According to information published by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy and cited by LifeSiteNews, Di Tolve was among the principal speakers at the presentation at the Lateran Palace. The book, written by psychotherapist Chiara D’Urbano with a preface by Pope Francis, addresses affective and sexual development in the context of priestly and religious vocations.
LifeSiteNews reported that the book argues that priests and religious can pursue healthy vocational lives “through integrating the world of feelings and affections, beyond hetero-affective and homo-affective orientation.”
The subject intersects with longstanding Catholic teaching concerning homosexuality as well as Church norms governing admission to seminaries and Holy Orders. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” while also describing homosexual acts as contrary to the natural law and calling all Christians to chastity according to their state in life.
Church directives concerning priestly formation have separately stated that men who practice homosexuality, present “deep-seated homosexual tendencies,” or support what Church documents call the “gay culture” should not be admitted to seminaries or Holy Orders.
Di Tolve’s earlier leadership of the Milan seminary has also been the subject of criticism from anonymous sources quoted by the Italian Catholic publication La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, known in English as the Daily Compass.
One priest of the Milan archdiocesan curia was quoted as saying of Di Tolve’s tenure, “This seminary, he destroyed it,” adding that “you can’t count the people who grabbed the door and slammed it” behind them.
Another anonymous source characterized his tenure as “years of controls and of real persecution” and alleged that surveillance cameras installed at the seminary were used to monitor seminarians’ movements. The same source alleged that candidates approaching ordination were required to sign a document declaring that they were not homosexual.
The publication also quoted sources alleging inconsistency in Di Tolve’s treatment of seminarians. According to one account, “Several seminarians during his rectorship were dismissed or expelled in an ugly way,” while others described by the source as openly homosexual were reportedly permitted to continue toward ordination.
Those allegations were presented through unnamed sources, and the material provided does not include a response from Di Tolve to the claims.
Di Tolve now assumes leadership of the Diocese of Chioggia following the transfer of its previous bishop, Giampaolo Dianin, whom Pope Leo appointed metropolitan archbishop of Gorizia in May.
The appointment comes as Pope Leo continues to emphasize the responsibilities bishops bear in caring for priests, seminarians and the faithful entrusted to them. Speaking to newly appointed bishops on September 10, the Pope urged them to have “the heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd” and told them to give particular attention to their priests, encouraging bishops to “listen to them, encourage them, pray for them” and accompany them in their ministry.
For the Diocese of Chioggia, Di Tolve’s appointment brings a bishop whose ministry has been closely connected with priestly formation, education and clergy oversight — along with a record that has generated scrutiny over both his approach to seminary leadership and his participation in contemporary discussions surrounding sexuality and religious vocation.
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