On 6 September 2025, hundreds of LGBT+ Catholics, their families, and allies will gather in Rome for the Pellegrinaggio de La Tenda di Gionata e altre associazioni. They will walk together from Piazza Pia to the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica — a journey of prayer, blessing, and presence during the Jubilee Year.
For many, the walk from Piazza Pia to the Holy Door will be just a few city blocks. But for those making the journey, it represents years, sometimes decades, of faith lived in tension between identity and belonging. It is a way of stepping forward, physically and spiritually, into the life of the Church.
The Global Network of Rainbow Catholics is now an official partner of this pilgrimage, contributing resources to make the day possible.
It was a shared decision inside GNRC, as many see the value in helping provide the essentials for a dignified and prayerful walk. It is not about superfluous frills, it is not a party but a prayer moment, but providing water and some other item, not frivolous, but not small details. They can help the pilgrims to focus on praying, and not on thirst, and to bring something home, to remember the day.
We invest wisely, resources must go in meaningful actions, and for such an occasion, we believe that a visible, public expressions of faith and mutual support by LGBT+ Catholic groups, is worth investing in. Acts like this help create spaces where prayer, welcome, and presence meet, where walking together becomes something lived step by step, and showing unity helps us to build dialogue with the institutions.
Indeed partnering in this Jubilee is also a way to strengthen relationships for the future. It opens paths for new collaborations, locally, nationally, and globally, in building an inclusive Church and a more just world.
For society, it is a reminder that faith and inclusion are not opposing forces. In a world often divided into camps of “religious” and “progressive,” the sight of rainbow flags alongside rosaries can open new conversations. It shows that inclusion can grow from within tradition, and that prayer can be an act of both devotion and justice.
A pilgrimage ends at a door. My hope is that this act of solidarity helps open more than one.