The recent “LGBTQ+ pilgrimage” through St. Peter’s Basilica on September 6th was not a harmless gesture of inclusion. It was an affront to the dignity of the Catholic Church, a spectacle masquerading as piety, and one that demands a fierce and public reaction from every faithful believer.
The facts we cannot ignore
- The event drew over 1,000 participants who entered St. Peter’s through the Holy Door — the very portal symbolizing grace and reconciliation during a Jubilee year.
- Participants carried placards and slogans, wore apparel critical of Church teaching on sexuality, and in at least one instance engaged in behavior deemed “crudely obscene.”
- A Mass was held in the Church of the Gesù in Rome as part of the event, lending it liturgical cover.
- The pilgrimage was listed on the official program of Jubilee events, which implies implicit Vatican approval or at least tacit toleration.
- In response, a coalition of bishops—Athanasius Schneider, Joseph Strickland, Marian Eleganti, and Robert Mutsaerts—led a public act of reparation at the Catholic Identity Conference, condemning what they called the “abominations perpetrated in the Eternal City.”
- The reparation text accused participants of “using … the Holy Door and St Peter’s Basilica as a platform to advocate for the legitimisation of sodomy, fornication, and other sins against the Sixth Commandment.”
- The act also expressed sorrow for “the complicity of the authorities of the Holy See” in permitting events contrary to Catholic moral teaching within sacred precincts.
Why this was not a pilgrimage — but a provocation
A pilgrimage is a journey of the soul, marked by humility, repentance, conversion, and communion with God. This episode bore none of those marks. Instead it bore all the hallmarks of protest:
- It boasted slogans and symbols intended to broadcast dissent, not devotion.
- It turned the sacred sanctuary of the basilica into a stage — the annunciation of political identity rather than spiritual conversion.
- It manipulated one of the Church’s most sacred symbols, the Holy Door, to amplify a message diametrically opposed to the Church’s perennial teachings.
To allow such an act — especially under the guise of Jubilee — is to distort the very meaning of “Holy Year.” Rather than sanctifying sinners, it flaunted sin in the face of the Church’s teaching.
The scandal of silence
Perhaps the most disturbing part is the near-total silence from Church leadership. The Vatican allowed the pilgrimage on the official calendar and, even afterward, seems to have declined to issue a forceful public correction. Commentators observed that the Vatican response has been akin to “see no evil.”
That silence is not neutrality. It communicates acquiescence. In the face of a blatant affront to doctrine and sacred space, silence becomes a violation.
What Catholics must do — and fast
This moment calls for more than passive disapproval. It demands:
- Vigils and reparation — Catholics must gather in prayer, fasting, and public acts of penance, united with the bishops who have already taken up this cause.
- Clear catechesis — We must reinforce the Church’s teaching on sexuality, the dignity of the human person, and the sacramental order, lest confusion take root.
- Demand accountability — It is incumbent upon the faithful to ask: Who approved this event? Who signed off the calendar? Who allowed slogans and protest to masquerade as pilgrimage?
- Refuse normalization — No more euphemisms. This was not pastoral outreach. It was an assault. We must reject any language or gestures that treat it as merely “progressive dialogue.”
No faithful Catholic can accept that a “pilgrimage” conducted in this way is anything but an outrage. When the House of God is used as a platform for defiance, not contrition, it ceases to function as a sanctuary — it becomes a stage.
We must not pretend that this was a harmless gesture of inclusion. We must not let it fade into the liturgical calendar unchallenged. The time is now: with prayer, with courage, and with moral clarity — let us reclaim the holiness of our sacred spaces and our faith itself.
Your support brings the truth to the world.
Catholic Online News exists because of donors like you. We are 100% funded by people who believe the world deserves real, uncensored news rooted in faith and truth — not corporate agendas. Your gift ensures millions can continue to access the news they can trust — stories that defend life, faith, family, and freedom.
When truth is silenced, your support speaks louder.
