Newspaper: Vatican plans LGBTQ pilgrimage in Holy Year

According to a press report, the Vatican is organising a pilgrimage for non-heterosexual people for the first time. As the Roman newspaper "Il Messaggero" reported on Friday, there is to be a pilgrimage for members of the LGBTQ community as part of the Holy Year 2025 on 6 September. Pope Francis has decided this despite resistance from the organising team.

During the Holy Year, the Vatican offers pilgrimages for numerous groups and organisations. However, the LGBTQ pilgrimage is not yet listed in the current online version of the programme.

According to "Messaggero", an evening prayer is planned for the evening of 5 September in the main church of the Jesuit order, Il Gesù. On the afternoon of 6 September, the pilgrims will pass through the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica before celebrating a Mass in Il Gesù. Bishop Francesco Savino, Vice-President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, will preside over the celebration.

Idea comes from LGBTQ chaplain

According to the newspaper, the idea for the offer for members of the LGBTQ community and their relatives came from a Bolognese Jesuit, Pino Piva, who has been working in pastoral care for non-heterosexual people for several years. After consulting with the organiser of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, and the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Francis made this decision. The head of the Jesuit order, Arturo Sosa, also approved the proposal. Among others, the founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius of Loyola, is buried in the church Il Gesù.

In the past, Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken and gestured favourably towards members of the LGBTQ community. Conversely, he caused anger with critical statements about "faggotry" among priests. The topic also caused controversy among participants at the Synod on Synodality General Assembly in October. (KNA)