Vatican Holds First LGBTQ Pilgrimage

In a first for the Vatican, more than a thousand LGBTQ Catholics and their supporters are this weekend holding a pilgrimage, in what they are promoting as an important sign of diversity in the Church.

The gathering, of some 1,400 people from around 20 countries, was part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee holy year. It was organised by La Tenda di Gionata (The Tent of Jonathon), an Italian association lobbying for greater inclusivity among the faithful.

Those taking part were not to have a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Even though LGBTQ groups have gone to the Vatican before, this is the first time such a pilgrimage has featured on the official Jubilee programme.

Yveline Behets, a 68-year-old transgender woman from Brussels, walked 130 kilometres (80 miles) with another 30 LGBTQ people along part of the ancient Via Francigena pilgrimage route to get to Rome.

She said she expected more “plurality” from the Church after experiencing difficulties with other Catholics, among whom, she said, she did “not always feel acknowledged”.

“One should not misuse the word ‘welcome’. We are not just some outsiders who are welcomed sometimes, or more regularly, we are part of the same family,” she said, wearing a t-shirt with the rainbow of the LGBTQ community.