(5 Sep 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rome – 5 September 2025
1. Various of Catholic faithful from LGBTQ+ communities walking with rainbow cross walking down aisle of church
2. Man holding fan reading "Pride"
3. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Andrea Mattei, LGBTQ+ faithful:
"The cross represents lives, souls, stories of thousands of pilgrims who today gather here in Rome for a historic event. We are Christians, part of the LGBTQ+ community and in here there are hopes and dreams. I don’t know what else to say. So many stories, so many. All the dreams and desires of everyone, of thousands of pilgrims. But together it is something that has been going on for centuries to arrive here at something like this."
4. Wide of faithful in church
5. Close of rainbow cross reading (Italian): "Peace"
6. People applauding
7. T-shirt reading (Italian): “Here I am”
8. Nuns at vigil
9. Man praying
10. Faithful during vigil
11. SOUNDBITE (English) John Capozzi, faithful:
"Rome is beautiful. I love being here. Being part of this jubilee is special in my faith, growing in my faith, and I’m moving towards back into the church, when we’re part of the church again, and I’m just excited about it because I’ve been a life-long Catholic and I find the jubilee is special. Now when the doors opened by Pope Francis and with the new Pope, I feel more accepted and more pardoned. I feel safer, not even so much about acceptance, but just feel safer to go back to church."
12. Woman with rainbow fan
13. Group with rainbow cross
14. Man next to empty seat with sign reading (Italian): “For the pilgrims who couldn’t participate because they are persecuted”
++NIGHT SHOTS++
15. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Alessandra Bialetti, faithful:
"We’re making a piece of history. This is the first time that something like this has happened in the Church. So our happiness is the joy of being truly recognized within the Church as people without labels, without cataloguing."
16. Man wearing t-shirt reading (Italian): “In love there is no fear”
17. Entrance to church
18. Wide of church exterior
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of Catholic faithful from LGBTQ+ communities around the globe gathered at a church in Rome Friday night for a vigil ahead of their jubilee at the Vatican.
The Holy Year pilgrimage of LGBTQ+ Catholics to the Vatican is a sign of continued acceptance of their community in this new pontificate.
"We’re making a piece of history. This is the first time that something like this has happened in the Church,” said Alessandra Bialetti, who stood at the back of the packed church in the center of Rome.
“Our happiness is the joy of being truly recognized within the Church as people without labels, without cataloguing," added Bialetti.
The event began with a group of faithful who had followed the ancient pilgrim’s Francigena road to Rome carrying a rainbow painted flag down the central aisle to the altar.
Andrea Mattei, who held the cross, trembled with emotion as he explained the significance of the cross:
"The cross represents lives, souls, stories of thousands of pilgrims who today gather here in Rome for a historic event. We are Christians, part of the LGBTQ+ community and in here there are hopes and dreams. I don’t know what else to say. So many stories, so many. All the dreams and desires of everyone, of thousands of pilgrims. But together it is something that has been going on for centuries to arrive here at something like this."
Leo’s position on LGBTQ+ Catholics had been something of a question.
AP Video shot by Isaia Montelione
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