What is a Jubilee? These Catholics just became the first LGBTQ+ people to participate
For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, a group of out LGBTQ+ people proudly participated in a pilgrimage during the Vatican's Jubilee events.Over 1,300 LGBTQ+ people and their families crossed through the Holy Door of St. Peter on Saturday, carrying a rainbow crucifix and wearing shirts with rainbow hearts. The event marked the first time an LGBTQ+ group's pilgrimage has been included in the church's official agenda.“It is necessary to get rid of prejudices," Monsignor Francesco Savino, Bishop of Cassano all’Jonio and vice president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, said during mass at St. Peter's Basilica, according to La Tenda di Gionata, the group that organized the pilgrimage. He added, "No one must feel excluded. I insist, no one should feel excluded.”What are Catholic Jubilees?Jubilees are celebratory years of remission and universal pardons that typically occur once every 25 years and usually involve a pilgrimage to a sacred site. Those who travel to Rome can pass through "Holy Doors" that open at four basilicas within the city.Anyone can perform a pilgrimage, as the journey to a holy place is thought to lead to personal transformation. Most are not considered a major event on the church's Jubilee calendar, which would include the opening of the basilica doors and prayer services for other groups such as the Sick and Health Care Workers, Youth, People with Disabilities, and more.Who are the LGBTQ+ Catholics that made pilgrimage? La Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent) is an Italian association for LGBTQ+ Christians that arranges pastoral events —spiritual retreats, community meetings, pilgrimages, and more — for "all who are interested to help LGBT people and their families feel welcome in their Church, but also to foster in our Christian communities listening and to get to know each other."The group celebrated when their event was initially included in the calendar for the Catholic Holy Year, which began on Dec. 24 and runs through Jan. 6, 2026, calling it "a unique opportunity to stand united and bear witness to the beauty of a Church that embraces everyone without exclusion."What is Pope Leo's stance on LGBTQ+ rights?Pope Leo's views on the LGBTQ+ have not been widely reported, though he has so far taken Pope Francis' approach of preaching compassion without changing church teaching on marriage equality or the ordination of women. He did not attend the pilgrimage of LGBTQ+ Catholics. Leo lamented at a meeting of bishops in 2012 that Western news media and popular culture fostered "sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel," according to The New York Times . He specifically mentioned the so-called “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.” Leo also said in a private meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps in May that the family is “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman,” the Associated Press reported.
Mark
For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, a group of out LGBTQ+ people proudly participated in a pilgrimage during the Vatican's Jubilee events.
Over 1,300 LGBTQ+ people and their families crossed through the Holy Door of St. Peter on Saturday, carrying a rainbow crucifix and wearing shirts with rainbow hearts. The event marked the first time an LGBTQ+ group's pilgrimage has been included in the church's official agenda.“It is necessary to get rid of prejudices," Monsignor Francesco Savino, Bishop of Cassano all’Jonio and vice president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, said during mass at St. Peter's Basilica, according to La Tenda di Gionata, the group that organized the pilgrimage. He added, "No one must feel excluded. I insist, no one should feel excluded.”
What are Catholic Jubilees?
Jubilees are celebratory years of remission and universal pardons that typically occur once every 25 years and usually involve a pilgrimage to a sacred site. Those who travel to Rome can pass through "Holy Doors" that open at four basilicas within the city.
Anyone can perform a pilgrimage, as the journey to a holy place is thought to lead to personal transformation. Most are not considered a major event on the church's Jubilee calendar, which would include the opening of the basilica doors and prayer services for other groups such as the Sick and Health Care Workers, Youth, People with Disabilities, and more.
Who are the LGBTQ+ Catholics that made pilgrimage?
La Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent) is an Italian association for LGBTQ+ Christians that arranges pastoral events —spiritual retreats, community meetings, pilgrimages, and more — for "all who are interested to help LGBT people and their families feel welcome in their Church, but also to foster in our Christian communities listening and to get to know each other."
The group celebrated when their event was initially included in the calendar for the Catholic Holy Year, which began on Dec. 24 and runs through Jan. 6, 2026, calling it "a unique opportunity to stand united and bear witness to the beauty of a Church that embraces everyone without exclusion."
What is Pope Leo's stance on LGBTQ+ rights?
Pope Leo's views on the LGBTQ+ have not been widely reported, though he has so far taken Pope Francis' approach of preaching compassion without changing church teaching on marriage equality or the ordination of women. He did not attend the pilgrimage of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
Leo lamented at a meeting of bishops in 2012 that Western news media and popular culture fostered "sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel," according to The New York Times . He specifically mentioned the so-called “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”
Leo also said in a private meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps in May that the family is “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman,” the Associated Press reported.
