A significant moment in history transpired when a gay couple from Washington, D.C. participated in an LGBTQ pilgrimage to the Vatican, coinciding with the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee celebration.
Jim Sweeney and his husband, the Rev. Jason Carson Wilson, were among more than 1,200 pilgrims who entered St. Peter’s Basilica through its Holy Door, a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation.
This pilgrimage was particularly notable as it marked the first time the Vatican officially recognized an LGBTQ pilgrimage, as highlighted by DignityUSA in their press release.
“We’re really, really excited,” Sweeney, a member of Dignity Washington, said in an interview with the Washington Blade from Rome. “This is a first.”
His husband, Wilson, who is an ordained United Church of Christ minister and a former journalist, shared his excitement, calling the experience of being in Rome, the cradle of Catholicism, “amazing.”
DignityUSA President Meli Barber emphasized the pilgrimage’s importance, referring to it as “truly historic, even miraculous.”
“Many of us could not have imagined that LGBTQ+ Catholics, who have too often been unwelcome in our own church, will have a chance to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and to pray together there as part of a Holy Year event,” stated Barber, expressing hope for full inclusion within the Church.
This pilgrimage was held less than four months after the election of Pope Leo XIV, who succeeded Pope Francis following his death on April 21, 2025.
Pope Francis had initiated a softer tone in the Catholic Church regarding LGBTQ and intersex issues, although the formal teachings on homosexuality remained unchanged.
Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the doctrine that marriage is between a man and a woman, yet he has expressed a willingness to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. On September 1, he met with Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and founder of Outreach, a ministry supporting LGBTQ Catholics.
Martin conveyed Pope Leo’s desire to continue the approach of openness and welcome that characterized Francis’s papacy.
Sweeney articulated an expectation that Pope Leo will follow in Francis’s footsteps, with Wilson adding that he is “cautiously optimistic.”
“I just really am glad to see that we’re in the space, that we’re going to have this pilgrimage, and that LGBT people are going to be allowed to walk through the Holy Door, signifying that we are holy, that we are holy enough to walk through that door,” Wilson remarked.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate confirmed Brian Burch, the co-founder of an anti-LGBTQ Catholic group, as the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, by a narrow margin of 49-44 votes.
Burch, nominated by President Donald Trump, has previously criticized Pope Francis’s decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples.
Under Leo XIV, the Vatican’s stance on LGBTQ issues continues to evolve, particularly considering his American roots. In a 2012 address to bishops, Leo XIV had previously referenced the “homosexual lifestyle” and had been critical of media portrayals that, in his view, conflicted with gospel principles.
Activists within the LGBTQ Catholic community express cautious hope regarding his potential impact as pope. However, responses to his past comments suggest a strong desire for continued evolution in the Church’s acceptability of LGBTQ individuals and families.
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, who was present in Rome during Leo XIV’s election, noted the pope’s historical positioning and influence.
“We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues,” Duddy-Burke remarked.
As the newly elected Pope Leo XIV embarks on his journey, both the LGBTQ community and their advocates watch closely, hoping for a departure from previous doctrines toward a more inclusive Church culture.
image source from：washingtonblade
