Some 1,400 Catholics wearing rainbow attire and carrying crosses are taking part in the first officially recognised LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to Rome as part of the Vatican's Jubilee Year, organisers and attendees said.
The pilgrims, who come from about 20 countries, entered St Peter's Basilica through the Holy Door on Saturday in a procession that the church says symbolises reconciliation. They are scheduled to attend prayer vigils, masses and other events during the weekend, but will not have a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.
The Holy Door is opened only for jubilee years, typically once every 25 years, and its use this year is part of broader celebrations that the Vatican expects will draw some 32 million pilgrims. Organisers described the gathering as a milestone because it is the first time an LGBTQ+ pilgrimage has been officially recognised by Vatican authorities during such an event.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the advocacy group New Ways Ministry, which works with LGBTQ+ Catholics, said the visible participation of the pilgrims and the involvement of official church institutions were important for people to tell their stories within the church. "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," he told the National Catholic Reporter.
The pilgrimage follows a series of cautious shifts under Pope Francis, who remains a significant figure in the conversation despite his death in April and the election of his successor. In 2020, Pope Francis said "homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God... nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it." In 2023, he issued a decree that allowed priests, under certain circumstances, to bless same-sex and other "irregular" couples. That move prompted criticism from conservative Catholics, particularly in parts of Africa.
The Vatican later issued guidance saying such blessings should not be incorporated into regular Church rituals or associated with civil unions or weddings, and reiterated that the church's doctrine continues to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Pope Leo XIV, elected in May, has not publicly addressed the LGBTQ+ community or commented on the 2023 decree.
Organisers said the Rome events are intended as both a spiritual journey and an assertion of belonging for LGBTQ+ Catholics who often face exclusion within church communities. Pilgrims will take part in scheduled liturgies, prayer vigils and public processions over the weekend.
The pilgrimage occurs amid broader Jubilee Year festivities at the Vatican, which have drawn international visitors and prompted ongoing debates within the global Catholic community about pastoral outreach, doctrine and discipline. Church leaders and lay groups continue to navigate differences over pastoral responses to LGBTQ+ people while maintaining official teachings on marriage.
No Vatican official immediately responded to requests for comment about the pilgrimage and whether any institutional recognitions beyond allowing entry and participation in jubilee events were intended. The pilgrimage represents a notable moment in the evolving relationship between the Catholic hierarchy and LGBTQ+ faithful, even as official doctrine remains unchanged.