Pope Francis has announced a special jubilee pilgrimage for members of the LGBTQ+ community, marking a historic first for the Catholic Church, according to reports in Italian media.
The event, scheduled for September 5, 2025, will include a vigil service hosted at the Jesuit Church of the Gesù in central Rome.
This unique initiative is part of the broader Jubilee 2025 celebrations and represents a gesture of inclusion by the Vatican, despite the Church’s longstanding teaching that considers homosexual acts to be “intrinsically disordered.”
The pilgrimage is being organized in collaboration with Jonathan’s Tent, an Italian pro-LGBTQ Catholic group founded in 2018 by Father David Esposito. The organization seeks to bridge the gap between faith and homosexuality, fostering dialogue and reconciliation within the Church.
“Any initiative aimed at welcoming LGBTQIA+ people and overcoming the obstacles they encounter in fully exercising their rights, including those of a spiritual life, can only be welcomed by us with applause and enthusiasm,” Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay, said.
Last month, Pope Francis sparked controversy among Catholics by appointing pro-LGBT Father Roberto Pasolini as the preacher of the Papal Household. Father Pasolini replaces Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who held the role for 44 years.
In his new position, Father Pasolini will deliver sermons during Advent and Lent to the Pope and the Roman Curia.
Concerns about Father Pasolini stem from past statements in which he speculated about same-sex relationships in biblical narratives. In one instance, he encouraged imagining a homosexual relationship between Jonathan and King David, saying, “We can imagine it, we can think about it, we can like to think about it, but it is not written.”
Similarly, he suggested that the Roman centurion’s concern for his servant could hint at a romantic bond, rhetorically asking, “Why was he so dear to him? Was he working well?… Maybe there was a relationship between the two of them.”
Pasolini went further, suggesting that homosexuality might have existed “within the circle of the disciples, between Jesus and the disciples, Jesus and Lazarus,” citing strong expressions of love in scripture, such as when it is written that “Jesus loved Lazarus.”
