Rome —

The Church of the Gesù in central Rome was packed, as a procession with a cross in rainbow colors moved up the central aisle. The service marked the first officially recognized pilgrimage of LGBTQ Catholics to Rome.

Around 1,000 pilgrims gathered Friday in the 17th century baroque church to play music, pray and reflect, while on Saturday they processed to St Peter’s Basilica, entering through the basilica’s Holy Door, which symbolizes forgiveness and reconciliation. The door is only opened in the Catholic Church’s jubilee years, falling every 25 years, including 2025.

The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has

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