The Church of Jesus, in the center of Rome, was crowded while a procession with a cross in the colors of the rainbow advanced through the central corridor. The ceremony marked the first officially recognized pilgrimage of LGBTQ Catholics to Rome.
About 1,000 pilgrims gathered on Friday (5) at the 17th century Baroque church to play music, pray and reflect, while on Saturday (6) they sued to the Basilica of St. Peter, entering the Holy Gate of Basilica, which symbolizes forgiveness and reconciliation. The door is only opened in the Jubilee years of the Catholic Church, which occur every 25 years, including 2025.
The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of Jubilee events, happens while gay Catholics expect to continue the bold path of its predecessor to host a group in the church that in the past, has faced alienation and sometimes severe treatment. During his 12 -year pontificate, Pope Francis repeatedly stated that LGBTQ Catholics should be received as “children of God” and took historical measures by authorizing blessings for same -sex couples and asking the decriminalization of homosexuality in Africa.
“I think this is opening the church for many more people, for whole families, and it’s such a welcoming experience,” said Cory Shade of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CNN as he walked alongside hundreds of pilgrims towards St. Peter’s Basilica.
Before the Sabbath procession, the pilgrims gathered for a mass in the church of Jesus, celebrated by a senior Italian bishop, Francesco Savino.
The hopes that Leo will continue Francisco’s legacy increased earlier this week, when he met Reverend James Martin, a New York -based priest, a highlighted author and defender of LGBTQ Catholics, who had a close relationship with the late pontiff. Martin leads a LGBTQ group of the United States in the pilgrimage to Rome. Jesuit as Francisco, Martin had a private audience with Lion in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, a gesture widely interpreted as a sign of support for his work.
Confirming this interpretation, Martin told the CNN After Friday’s ceremony: “The message I heard from Pope Leo is that he will continue Pope Francis’ legacy in his ministry with LGBTQ people, which is a ministry of opening and welcoming.”
Similarly, Michael O’Loughlin, leader of the LGBTQ Outreach Catholic Group, told CNN that the pilgrimage was a “huge moment” and that LGBTQ people are “cautiously optimistic” that Pope Leo will continue what Francis began.
Some believe that the LGBTQ pilgrimage in Rome would not be happening if it wasn’t for Francis.
Francis Debernardo, executive director of the New Ways Ministry, a US organization that defends the rights of LGBTQ people, was in Rome during the Jubilee year of 2000, which also marked the early WorldPride events. He noted that the events were condemned by the then Pope John Paul II and said that “ancient rhetoric” came from parts of the Vatican at the time. “Twenty -five years later, LGBTQ Catholics are being received by the Santa door to the Vatican,” he told CNN. “It’s a big change.”
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sex is allowed only between a married man and woman. The official principles of the Church describe homosexuality as “intrinsically disordered” – an expression that some Catholics would like to see modified – but also claim that gay people should be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity” and that all “unfair discrimination” should be avoided.
Although Francis has never changed the official teaching, he substantially changed the church’s approach to gay people, starting with his famous answer “Who am I to judge?” when asked about your opinion about gay priests. In another example, Francis expressed support for civil unions for same -sex couples, which was previously contrary to the doctrine of.
In 2012, some LGBTQ people were concerned about a speech of the then Reverend who criticized the “homosexual lifestyle” and the sympathetic media retraction about “alternative families composed of same -sex partners and their adoptive children”.
However, when asked about these statements in 2023, the newly named Cardinal Prevost said that “we are seeking to be more welcoming and more open and say that all people are welcome in the church” and that Francis has made it clear that no one should be excluded “simply based on the choices they do, whether life, work, way of dressing or anything.”
Still, the acceptance of LGBTQ people remains a controversial theme among Catholics, with profound disagreements about same -sex blessings and marriages, as with most Christians.
Juan Pablo O’Connell collaborated with the report
