Originally published at National Catholic Register
VATICAN CITY — An Italian association of LGBT Christians has said it has received official Vatican approval to make a pilgrimage to next year’s Jubilee in Rome, although the Vatican’s Jubilee organizers say they are neither supporting nor opposing the event while the figures behind it are declining to comment.
The association called La Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent) asked its members to “save the date” — Sept. 6, 2025, at 3 p.m. — and invited “all associations and groups dedicated to supporting LGBT+ individuals and their families to join us as we officially cross the Holy Door of the Jubilee at St. Peter’s Basilica.”
In the evening, the LGBT pilgrims, their parents and pastoral workers have been invited to a Mass at the Jesuit Church of the Gesù, the historic baroque church in central Rome, celebrated by the vice president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Msgr. Francesco Savino. The Gesù will also host a prayer vigil for the pilgrims the evening before.
Jubilee 2025, which begins with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24 and runs until Jan. 6, 2026, is expected to attract 32 million pilgrims to Rome from around the world
