The BEST Catholic LGBTQ+ News Events of 2025

Bondings 2.0 closes out 2025 with our list of the ten BEST Catholic LGBTQ+ news events, as voted by you, our readers and supporters.  It has been another banner year, as attested by this list of ten events, which stand in for the dozens of other “good” news stories we reported on in the last 12 months.

The following list are the ten items, in descending order, which received the most votes from our annual readers’ poll. There’s also an additional item, proposed by two of our poll respondents.

At the end of the list will be some notes of commentary about patterns or significances we saw in these ten items.  You are invited to offer your own insights in the “Comments” section of this post.  Also, let us know about any news event that you think we missed.

Yesterday, we reported on the ten WORST Catholic LGBTQ+ news events.  We always save the list of BEST for December 31st to close out the year on a positive note.

The Ten BEST Catholic LGBTQ+ News Events of 2025

1. Over 1400 LGBTQ+ pilgrims from around the globe convene in Rome in September for a pilgrimage to the Holy Door at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica.
2. Father James Martin SJ meets with Pope Leo, reporting that the new pontiff will continue in the spirit of Pope Francis regarding LGBTQ+ issues.
3. In an interview with a Catholic journalist, Pope Leo affirms that LGBTQ+ people are welcome in the church.
4. Transgender individuals are part of the official honor guard during Pope Francis’ funeral.
5. Catholic parents continue standing up for LGBTQ+ equality, including by protesting the firing of a gay teacher from a Catholic school, and by withdrawing their children from a Catholic school which barred admission to the children of a same-gender couple.
6. Cardinal Wilton Gregory apologizes to Dignity/Washington, an LGBTQ+ Catholic community of DC, for being ostracized by local Catholic institutions.
7. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, softens criticism of gender ideology by acknowledging that some people are “outside the norm” of the gender binary and that their struggle “can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide.” These situations “must be evaluated with great care,” he added.
8. The National Catholic Reporter newspaper appoints openly gay and married man as Executive Editor.
9. The Roman Catholic Church in Germany continues as the global church’s undisputed leader in LGBTQ+ equality, including providing LGBTQ-affirmative guidelines for Catholic schools, formalizing the administration of blessings for people in same-gender relationships, and many more pro-LGBTQ+ statements.
10. Catholic institutions–e.g., the Marianist Community and All Saints Parish, Syracuse, NY– oppose Trump administration orders against transgender people by issuing public statements.

Readers Suggstion for Best News

Two people mentioned Gio Benitez’s and Rachel Maddow’s return to Catholicism.

It is no surprise that the LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City was voted the number one news event.  The event was a landmark in the Catholic Church’s growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people.  Perhaps more importantly, it was a powerful witness of the faith of LGBTQ+ Catholics and their eagerness to be part of the church’s mainstream. We published 14 articles on the preparation, participation, and reflection on the event.  There is no telling what great positive effects this event will continue to have in the future.

According to many other publications, the number one Catholic news event overall for 2025 was the election of Pope Leo XIV.  I remember the days following the election how nervous so many in the Catholic LGBTQ+ community were, wondering if the new pope would follow Pope Francis’ accepting footsteps.  We got that answer in September when Fr. James Martin, SJ, met with the pope and reported that Leo would be welcoming, as Francis had been.  That message was reiterated in October, when an interview with Leo was published, and he sent a message of welcome again.  So, it is also not surprising that the number two and number three events on our list were exactly those reassurances.

In the number four position is the fact that transgender people served as honor guards at Pope Francis’ funeral, a fitting touch for a pope who did so much to include LGBTQ+ in the Catholic family.

It is very positive.  that the top four most positive news stories all involved the highest level of the church: the Vatican.  That bodes well for the future.

Items 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 all involve a variety of church levels from the grassroots activities of Catholic parents to parishes and religious orders, to the Catholic press, to Vatican offices, and to regional bishops.  That shows that the church is changing at all levels–and in a very positive direction.

Let’s build on this positive momentum as we prepare to enter 2026!

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, December 31, 2025

What trends and insights do you see in these results?  What items do you think should have been included on this list?Share your ideas in the “Comments” section of this post!