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3d ago

LGBTQ+ Pilgrims Join Jubilee in Rome, Pass Through St. Peter’s Holy Door

New Vatican signals point to pastoral openness without altering church teaching.

Una procesión se movilizó a la plaza de San Pedro.
Cientos de católicos arcoíris de todo el mundo cruzarán en peregrinación la puerta de la Basílica de San Pedro, en la Ciudad del Vaticano
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Catholics and their families who joined a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome, which celebrates a new level of acceptance in the Catholic Church, and who are crediting Pope Francis for the change, walk toward St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Mauro Scrobogna / LaPresse via AP)
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Overview

  • Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Catholics and family members, with roughly 1,300 registered from several countries, took part in an unprecedented Holy Year pilgrimage and passed through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.
  • Bishop Francesco Savino, vice president of Italy’s bishops, celebrated a packed Mass at the Church of the Gesù and urged the faithful to shed prejudice, declaring that nobody should feel excluded.
  • The pilgrimage was listed on the Vatican’s official Jubilee calendar, with organizers emphasizing that inclusion signified scheduling rather than endorsement or sponsorship.
  • Recent gestures from Pope León XIV included a publicized meeting with Jesuit James Martin, and Savino said he had the pope’s blessing to celebrate the pilgrims’ Mass.
  • Organizers asked participants not to wave pride flags, framing the event as a pilgrimage rather than a parade, though many wore rainbow symbols such as crosses, shirts and caps.