LGBTQ+ Jubilee pilgrimage marks new chapter for Catholic Church

VATICAN - For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, a significant religious celebration has been dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community as part of the Jubilee Year 2025. 

This historic moment saw more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies from all over the world participate in a solemn pilgrimage on Saturday, September 6, walking along the iconic Via della Conciliazione toward the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The procession, marked by prayer and hymn-singing, was not only a demonstration of faith but also a symbol of visibility and hope.

LGBTQ+ pilgrims hold hands as they pass through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica during a pilgrimage tied to the Catholic Church's Holy Year, at the Vatican, September 6, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Notably, the event included the presence of priests, nuns, and family members—parents and siblings—who accompanied the pilgrims in a moving show of solidarity and support.

A two-day spiritual journey

This pilgrimage is the culmination of a two-day spiritual event for the LGBTQ+ faithful. 

The observance began on the evening of September 5 with a vigil held at the Church of Gesù in Rome. 

The following morning, a Holy Mass was celebrated at the same church, presided over by Monsignor Francesco Savino, vice president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

The powerful statement from the organizers, La Tenda di Gionata, captured the spirit of the occasion, according to Euronews. 

“We will cross the Holy Door... a time of liberation, of hope, of mercy, where, even there and precisely there, we will feel awaited, called by name, desired, loved — in that House which is for everyone”.

Aside from the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica, four other Holy Doors were identified.

Last December, Pope Francis opened a special Holy Door for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, the first time a pontiff did so. The Holy Door was at the chapel of Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome.

A Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome was also opened on January 5 this year by Cardinal James Michael Harvey.

The other Holy Doors are at St. John Lateran Basilica and Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

A Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year occurs every 25 years and is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. It involves the opening in Rome of four special "Holy Doors," which symbolize the door of salvation for Catholics. This Jubilee, dedicated to the theme of hope, will run through Jan. 6, 2026, Reuters reported. —KG, GMA Integrated News