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.
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This was a gross event of celebrating Sin! I was hopeful that our new Pope would be against such events. How can they expect our good Catholic people to abide in such terrible acts, Wake up my good Bishops and do not allow this to go on. The gates of hell are wide open for all that put up with such terrible things.
I was so hopeful for the Catholic Church when Pope Leo 13th was named. Unfortunately I am now gobsmacked at the Pope’s recent behaviours re LGBT acceptance, meeting with Fr Martin and the ridiculous Blessing of the block of ice in further promotion of climate change! Has the Pope sold us out to the One World Religion??
Pope Leo the 14th is our new pope. Pope Leo the 13th is the one who gave us the St. Michael the Archangel prayer.
I’m so sorry about this affront to the very heart of Jesus’ teachings. That a publication pretending to represent His Holy Church stoops to such blatant hatred and bigotry toward some of God’s children, about ALL of whom He said “Let them come unto Me,” is the only desecration on display here. Shame on those who have committed this sin of rejection and blasphemy.
Jordan Blake’s recent column claims that the LGBTQ+ pilgrimage through St. Peter’s Basilica “defiled” the Holy Door. That accusation misunderstands both mercy and the nature of pilgrimage itself.
A pilgrimage is not a parade of the perfect. It is a journey of the broken — of sinners seeking grace. To walk through the Holy Door is to admit one’s need for God’s mercy. The LGBTQ+ pilgrims did precisely that.
To label their presence a “provocation” confuses reverence with exclusion. The Church’s holiness does not depend on who stands at the door, but on the One who keeps it open. As Pope Francis reminds us, accompaniment is not approval of sin; it is participation in mercy.
If the Holy Door means anything, it is that grace is not rationed. The scandal is not that LGBTQ+ Catholics entered the basilica. The scandal would be if the Church turned them away.
They weren’t turned away! They were allowed to go. Not allowed to brush Ishtar’s blanket of evil sin graffiti style all over the door.
To have sinful thoughts, to act in them- all grave sins. Jesus is our rescue. We don’t push our personal beliefs on Him!
I’m shocked if you are Catholic/Christian and actually find this acceptable.
When you enter church, you ask with humility and repentance in your heart for your sins, not flags and banners announcing your pride in your inherently sinful nature. This is no different than sitting in the church during service while reading a Playboy magazine or stealing money out of the collection plate, and then announcing your self proud of your actions and that you regret none of them.
God loves us all, and all are welcome if THEY also love God and his word. God accepts our failings, but He will not accept us being proud of them or wearing them as some sort of badge of honor.
Pope I love but lgbtq is not right. It’s against the God’s teachings. And against the Bible.
SO why the colors if they are in repentance. The Lord also said if they won’t listen dust off your feet off and move on
Could someone please explain what abominations these pilgrims committed in the church? Did they throw paint or worse? Did they break anything? Did they desecrate the altar or the vessels used at it? All this report says is that some people felt offended. By what?
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors, not judge them. In John 8:3–11, the Pharisees brought Jesus a woman caught in adultery to condemn her according to the law. Jesus, however, responded with compassion and a call to repentance. He told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11, ESV). Jesus did not condone her sin, but neither did He reject her. Instead, He offered her a path to a new, sin-free life.
I am a convert to the Catholic church, and I recently came back to the Mother church after having lapsed for some years. I made a good confession recently and started praying rosary , at least occasionally. I had been a heretic and had been attacking the is church from the outside. However , I would never in my wildest imagination done anything so blatant and egregious as this. This so called pilgrimage is a direct assault on the dignity and chastity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is also an offense to the Holy Spirit. It wounds Jesus Christ deeply and it blasphemes God. Yes, we are to love our brothers and sisters and accept them. But we cannot tolerate nor condone their sins, especially sexual sins and sins of impurity that are knowingly and willingly committed by them in the guise of pride, and the falsely assumed right of free expression of love and affection. This is not love is nor acceptance. This is behavior that jeopardizes the life of the eternal soul! Christ came to forgive but he also came to condemn the sins that people do. Hell is real. Lucifer was cast down from Heaven for his pride, and he seeks the ruination of souls. Therefore we must pray for God’s mercy. We must ask our priests and Bishops to stand with us against evil. That is the only correct response to this affront. We must stand united as practical Catholics when the true Faith is attacked. May God have mercy on our mortal souls in this troubling time of perdition and evil in the world.
To those who claim they crossed the holy door on pilgrimage, how do you explain the presence of LGBT slogans, rainbow flags, same-sex couples holding hands, gay propaganda T-shirts, colorful crucifixes, etc.? Don’t tell me they were there humbly asking for forgiveness. They used the jubilee to amplify their propaganda, and sadly, church officials are falling into their trap.
And we wonder why we are so confused with our new Pope,he needs to come forward and speak, yes hate the sin not the person. He needs to be clear on the LBGTQ…God help us all…
It appears that the pope is not for Christ alone- but for globalist agendas. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Catholic Church must unify and condemn his actions and lack therof in holding true to the churches true teachings