In a historic first, more than 1,400 LGBTQ Catholics and their supporters from about 20 countries gathered at the Vatican this weekend for an official pilgrimage, marking a milestone moment in the Catholic Church’s Jubilee holy year. Organized by the Italian group La Tenda di Gionata, which advocates for inclusivity within the Church, the pilgrimage included prayers, vigils, and a mass at the Church of the Gesu in central Rome before participants walked to St. Peter’s Basilica to step through the Holy Door.
For many participants, the event was both spiritual and symbolic. Yveline Behets, a 68-year-old transgender woman from Brussels who walked 130 kilometers with fellow pilgrims, described the experience as a step toward greater acceptance. “We are not just outsiders who are welcomed sometimes; we are part of the same family,” she said, wearing a rainbow shirt that reflected her message of inclusion.
Others echoed similar sentiments. Hugo, a 35-year-old from Quebec, described the pilgrimage as “a really important signal” for LGBTQ Catholics who have often felt excluded. He expressed hope that such gatherings would encourage more openness within the Church, though he acknowledged that many obstacles remain, especially for same-sex couples seeking blessings for their unions.
The pilgrimage comes at a delicate moment for the Vatican. Pope Francis, who died earlier this year, had initiated outreach to LGBTQ communities, including allowing blessings for same-sex couples—a move that drew sharp criticism from conservative bishops, particularly in Africa. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, has reaffirmed the Church’s traditional stance on marriage as between a man and a woman but maintained Francis’s decision on blessings, signaling continuity but also caution.
For families like that of Beatrice Sarti, an Italian mother accompanying her gay son, the pilgrimage highlights both progress and challenges ahead. “Many of our children no longer go to church because they are made to feel wrong,” she said, stressing the need for grassroots training of priests, seminarians, and educators to foster real inclusion. While the Vatican’s embrace of this pilgrimage is groundbreaking, participants say the journey toward full acceptance in the Church is still only beginning.
