In a historic first, the Vatican this weekend welcomed more than a thousand LGBTQ Catholics and their supporters for a pilgrimage, marking a milestone in efforts to promote diversity within the Catholic Church.
The gathering, which drew around 1,400 participants from 20 countries, was organised as part of the Church’s Jubilee holy year by La Tenda di Gionata (The Tent of Jonathan), an Italian association advocating for greater inclusivity among the faithful.
Although LGBTQ groups have visited the Vatican before, this was the first time such a pilgrimage was officially included in the Jubilee programme.
Voices from the Pilgrimage
Among the participants was Yveline Behets, a 68-year-old transgender woman from Brussels, who walked 130 kilometres along the historic Via Francigena with 30 others to reach Rome. She expressed hope for deeper recognition from the Church.
“One should not misuse the word ‘welcome’,” she said. “We are not just some outsiders who are welcomed sometimes—we are part of the same family.”
Another pilgrim, Hugo, a 35-year-old from Quebec, described the event as a crucial sign of belonging:
“This pilgrimage is a really important signal for us to feel more included,” he said. “If everybody got to know everyone else, a lot of barriers would come down.”
Events and Symbolism
On Saturday morning, hundreds attended Mass at the Church of the Gesù in central Rome, following a Friday evening prayer vigil. Later, as millions of pilgrims before them, the group walked up the main road to the Vatican and stepped through the Holy Door into Saint Peter’s Basilica.
A Long Road Ahead
Despite growing visibility, participants acknowledged challenges remain. The Catholic Church has traditionally considered homosexual acts contrary to its teachings, and debates continue around blessing same-sex unions.
Pope Francis, who died in April, had sought to open the Church’s doors to the LGBTQ community, including his 2023 decision allowing priests to bless same-sex couples—a move that faced strong resistance, especially in Africa. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, has reaffirmed traditional Church teaching on marriage but has upheld Francis’s decision on blessings.
For families like Beatrice Sarti’s from Bologna, the pilgrimage was also about hope for change. Walking alongside her gay son, she stressed the need to transform attitudes at every level of the Church.
“Many of our children no longer go to church because they are made to feel that they are wrong. That absolutely needs to change,” she said. “The first thing to do is train educators, seminarians, priests and bishops—starting at the grassroots.”
