LGBTQ
Thousands of LGBTQ+ Catholics gather for Vatican pilgrimage
Donning rainbow attire, 1400 Catholics, with a cross in their hands, visited Rome as their first officially recognised event for the LGBTQ plus community members to mark the Vatican's Jubilee Year.
The visitors, arriving from 20 different nations, attended prayer vigils, masses and other activities over the weekend.
However, they will not have any private audience with Pope Leo XIV.
His predecessor Pope Francis, who died in April, did not change the Roman Catholic Church doctrine regarding the LGBTQ+ community - but made overtures in a decree in 2023, BBC reported.
The community members reportedly entered through the Holy Doors of the St Peter's Basilica on Saturday.
The door opens only once in 25 years to mark the Roman Catholic Church's jubilee event.
The vice president of the Italian bishops conference, Bishop Franceseco Savino, was quoted as saying by the National Catholic Reporter: "The Jubilee was the time to free the oppressed and restore dignity to those who had been denied it."
"Brothers and sisters, I say this with emotion: It is time to restore dignity to everyone, especially to those who have been denied it," he said.
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