Every year, around the International Day Against Homotransphobia, Christian communities in many countries gather for the Prayer Vigils for the overcoming of homotransphobia (VESO). These vigils are simple and powerful moments of shared prayer, held in churches and community spaces, where LGBTQ+ people, families, pastors, and allies place real lives before God. They are not demonstrations and not debates. They are spaces of listening, remembrance, intercession, and hope, rooted in the conviction that faith cannot be separated from care for those who are wounded by exclusion and violence.
What makes these vigils deeply connected to one another, across countries, languages, and Christian traditions, is a single biblical verse. Each year, that verse becomes a common thread linking local vigils, Sunday services, and moments of prayer in very different contexts. It is a shared word that helps communities pray with the same breath, while remaining fully grounded in their own realities. Choosing this verse matters, because Scripture can either be used to justify harm or to open paths of healing and responsibility. Through the vigils, we clearly affirm that violence is never God’s word.
For this reason, the choice of the biblical verse for the Prayer Vigils of May 2026 is not decided by a small group behind closed doors. It is entrusted to the wider community. We are inviting you to take part in this shared discernment by voting for the verse that you feel speaks most truthfully to this journey of prayer, care, and commitment. It is a small gesture, yet it is a concrete way of saying: this prayer belongs to all of us.
Voting is open until Sunday, December 28, 2025, at midnight, and takes only a few minutes:
https://forms.gle/VK7fULmbVHRsnwF56
If you would like to learn more about how the Prayer Vigils take place, their history, and how communities participate in different countries, you can visit:
La Tenda di Gionata: https://www.gionata.org/inveglia/
Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC): https://rainbowcatholics.org/vigils
We hope you will take part in this choice and help shape the word that will accompany many communities in prayer in May 2026.