IDAHOBIT: Catholic Prayer Services to End Discrimination and Violence, Part 1

This year, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) showed Catholic Church leaders exhibiting greater support for LGBTQ+ people, along with calls for greater inclusion within the Church. The day is observed each year on or around May 17 and serves as a focal point for Christian communities to gather in prayer, reflection, and solidarity with LGBTQ+ people who face violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

The vigils began with a small prayer service  in 2007 in Florence, Italy by the Catholic LGBTQ+ group Kairos. It was held in response to the suicide of a young gay Italian man who had endured years of homophobic bullying. It has since grown to over 60 vigils across nine countries in Europe and South America. This year, the vigils were united by the biblical passage Isaiah 43:1: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name.”

Over the next few weeks, Bondings 2.0 will be posting excerpts from some of the homilies and talks held at these vigils. We are doing so not only to recognize the excellent comments that were made, but also to inspire other Catholic LGBTQ+ ministries to start their planning for hosting similar events in their parishes on May 17, 2027.

It’s never too early to request a public appointment for a bishop or diocesan official. Catholic teaching explicitly condemns prejudice and violence against LGBTQ+ people, so church officials should have no doctrinal objection to such events.

 Let’s try to double the number of Catholic vigils in 2027!

—Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, New Ways Ministry

(We are grateful to Progetto Gionata, the blog of La Tienda di Gionata, an LGBTQ+ Catholic group in Italy, for having catalogued all these talks!)

Here are some excerpts from talks by clerical leaders of the church:

Archbishop Erio Castellucci

Archbishop Erio Castellucci, Archbishop of Modena-Nonantola and Bishop of Carpi: The archbishop offered a reflection rooted in John 20:19-23, where the Risen Christ appears to his disciples gathered behind locked doors. His homily emphasized solidarity through shared human woundedness:

“We are all mutual sinners — no one excluded. Each person carries the weight and the gifts of their own personal history, of their own experience, sometimes tiring and sometimes joyful, of their own choices and circumstances. Those who think they have arrived, looking down on others from whatever pedestal they place themselves on, end up falling into the greatest sin: the pride of the Pharisee who compares himself to the tax collector and claims his own superiority before God.”

Castellucci also invoked Pope Leo’s affirmation of Pope Francis’ well-known motto — todos, todos, todos (everyone, everyone, everyone) — reminding those gathered that all are welcome in the Church, and that we are all wounded, and have in turn wounded others.

Don Massimo Dellera at the vigil.

Don Massimo Dellera, a priest of the Diocese of Genoa, spoke in particular solidarity with transgender people, drawing on Isaiah 43:4 — “You are precious in my eyes.”

“I believe in a Catholic Church with open arms to welcome, with open doors to let people in — not to keep them out. A door through which we can all enter. And perhaps the only question you will be asked is: ‘What is your name?’ I ask because I like being able to call you by your name. Your name is beautiful, and it identifies you — including in your gender transition.”

Dellera’s reflection was made all the more striking by his willingness to a past problem with his own choice of words. After an occasion where he was corrected by someone who objected to his use of the word “inclusion,” he found himself persuaded on the way home:

“Someone once scolded me for using the word ‘include’ instead of ‘recognize.’ On the way home from that meeting, I reflected on it and agreed with that person. Inclusion means bringing in someone who is outside. Recognizing, on the other hand, means acknowledging a reality that already exists.”

Don Guerrino Franzoni,

Father Guerrino Franzoni, speaking at a vigil in Reggio Emilia, Italy closed his homily by paraphrasing a sentiment from Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano Laziale:

“I hope this prayer vigil against homophobia and transphobia will be the last — not because the journey has reached its destination, I know it is still long — but because the day when vigils like this are no longer needed will be the day when every person is recognized and respected for what they already are by virtue of their Baptism: a child of God, and our brother and sister in the one faith.”

A vigil  held at the Parish of Madonna della Strada in Cagliari, Italy gave voice to well over 100 documented attacks against LGBTQ+ individuals — ranging from physical violence to the denial of sacraments. Alongside prayers for the victims and a call for their oppressors to seek conversion and peace, the vigil concluded with this petition:

“O God, our Father, who created every human being in your image and entrusted us with the care of life, hear the cry of those who suffer from every form of violence and oppression. Free our hearts from hatred, from the thirst for revenge, and from indifference.”

—Matthew Gorczyka, New Ways Ministry, June 13, 2026