In DocBook 1.78.0, there is a template matching for para[1], simpara[1], and formalpara[1] inside listitems, glossdefs, steps and callouts. (See fo/lists.xsl, line 311ff.)
This template simply creates a block, and a linkable ID to it. However, the para.properties attribute set is not added to the block, and that seems wrong to me – it prevented me e.g. from setting the correct orphans/widows attributes.
Bob Stayton explained this missing attribute on the list, see here. If that concern still applies, maybe resolving this via an xsl:if inside the attribute set is a better strategy..?
Fixed in [r9808], added missing para.properties
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Commit: [r9808]