For the first time in Vatican history, more than 1,000 LGBTQ Catholics and their supporters are holding a pilgrimage, marking what organisers call a powerful sign of diversity and inclusion within the Catholic Church.
Around 1,400 participants from 20 countries gathered in Rome this weekend as part of the Church’s Jubilee holy year. The event was organised by La Tenda di Gionata (The Tent of Jonathan), an Italian group advocating for greater inclusivity in Catholic communities.
Though no private audience with Pope Leo XIV was scheduled, the pilgrimage is notable as the first LGBTQ event to appear on the official Jubilee programme. In previous years, LGBTQ groups had visited the Vatican, but not under formal recognition.
Among the pilgrims was 68-year-old Yveline Behets, a transgender woman from Brussels, who walked 130 kilometres of the Via Francigena route to reach Rome. “We are not just outsiders who are sometimes welcomed,” she said. “We are part of the same family.”
Carrying a rainbow-coloured cross, participants walked the main road to the Vatican before stepping through the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica, a ritual shared with millions of pilgrims worldwide. Hugo, a 35-year-old from Quebec, called the moment “a really important signal for us to feel more included,” adding that it may encourage Catholics “on the fence” to be more welcoming.
Still, full acceptance remains a challenge. The Catholic Church continues to hold that homosexual acts contradict its teaching on procreation, while many conservative groups oppose blessings for same-sex couples. Pope Francis, who died in April, attempted to open doors to LGBTQ Catholics, most notably with his 2023 decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples a move that drew fierce resistance, especially in Africa.
His successor, Pope Leo XIV, has upheld the teaching that marriage is a union between a man and a woman but has also maintained Francis’s decision on blessings.
Parents like Beatrice Sarti, from Bologna, say progress must begin at the grassroots. “Many of our children no longer go to church because they are made to feel that they are wrong,” she said. “That absolutely needs to change. The first step is training educators, priests, and bishops to see things differently.”
What You Should Know
The Vatican’s first-ever LGBTQ pilgrimage signals a historic, though cautious, step toward inclusivity in the Catholic Church.
While participants see the event as a milestone of recognition, debates over doctrine and acceptance — especially regarding same-sex blessings — remain deeply contested.
Pope Leo XIV has upheld traditional teachings but kept Pope Francis’s inclusive reforms, leaving the Church navigating between tradition and change.
