Some 1,400 Catholics wearing rainbow colours and carrying crosses took part in what organisers called the first officially recognised LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to Rome, processing through St. Peter's Basilica's Holy Door as part of the Roman Catholic Church's Jubilee celebrations.
Pilgrims from around 20 countries attended prayer vigils, Masses and other activities across the weekend, organisers said. They were not given a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May and has not publicly addressed the LGBTQ+ community or his predecessor's 2023 decree on blessings.
The procession through the Holy Door is rich in symbolism: the door is opened only once every 25 years to mark a jubilee and the act is meant to signify reconciliation. The Vatican is expecting some 32 million pilgrims during the Jubilee year, drawing large crowds to Rome and the Vatican's religious sites.
The pilgrimage follows gestures by Pope Francis toward greater pastoral outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, while stopping short of doctrinal change. In 2023, Francis issued a decree that allowed priests to bless same-sex and other "irregular" couples under certain circumstances, a move that drew criticism from conservative members of the Church, particularly in parts of Africa. Vatican guidance clarified that such blessings should not be incorporated into regular Church rites or equated with civil unions or marriages.
Francis, who died in April, had previously said in 2020 that "homosexual people have a right to be in a family" and that they should not be made "miserable" or cast out. Still, the official teaching of the Church continues to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
"Not only are LGBTQ people marching and walking to say that they're part of the Church, but official Church institutions are welcoming them and helping them to tell their stories," Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, said in remarks reported by the National Catholic Reporter. New Ways Ministry advocates for LGBTQ people within the Catholic Church and has helped coordinate aspects of the pilgrimage.
Organisers said the event combined devotional activities with opportunities for participants to meet, pray and share experiences. While some see the pilgrimage as a sign of growing acceptance and pastoral outreach, tensions remain within the global Church between calls for inclusion and efforts to uphold established doctrine.
The Jubilee year, centered on themes of mercy and reconciliation, has already brought large numbers of faithful to Rome and is likely to continue generating debate about how church institutions engage with diverse communities across the world. The pilgrimage marks a notable moment in that conversation, bringing visibility to LGBTQ+ Catholics within the context of one of the Church's most symbolic rites.