©️Imago/IGU
For the first time, an LGBT+ pilgrimage is officially included in the Jubilee calendar. More than 1,400 faithful from 20 countries crossed the Holy Gate of St Peter's Basilica this Saturday. The event, perceived as a signal of openness within the Catholic Church, nevertheless arouses debate and resistance in an institution still divided on the issue.
A new event at the heart of the Jubilee
On the occasion of the Holy Year, more than 1,400 LGBT+ Catholics and their relatives responded to the invitation of the Italian association La Tenda di Gionata. Gathered in Rome, they travelled through the main artery leading to the Vatican before crossing the Holy Gate, a symbolic gesture traditionally reserved for pilgrims. If LGBT+ groups had already visited the Vatican in the past, this is the first time that such a pilgrimage has been included in the official Jubilee programme.
Among them, Yveline Behets, 68-year-old transgender woman from Brussels, walked 130 km along Via Francigena to reach Rome. « We are not strangers exceptionally welcomed, we are part of the same family », she says at BFMTV's microphone, dressed in rainbow colours.
This event is part of the continuation of Pope Francis' welcoming gestures, which had paved the way for the blessings of same-sex couples in 2023, despite strong criticism, especially in Africa. But his successor, Pope Leo XIV, remained discreet on the issue.
W.A.
