The journey of vigils to overcome homophobia in Italy, Spain, France, Malta and in the Netherlands
Since 2007, all over the world Christian communities and LGBT Christians have been mobilising on 17 May, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), to remember the victims of homo/bi/transphobia violence so that our society and our churches know how to make room for everyone, to become “ever more sanctuaries of welcome and support for LGBT people and for every person affected by discrimination“.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2Cor 3, 17) will be the invitation that will unite, this year, from Sunday 15 May to Tuesday 6 June 2022, many ecumenical vigils and Sunday worships in which we will pray for the overcoming of homotransbiphobia that will take place in many Catholic parishes and evangelical churches scattered throughout Italy, Spain, France, Malta and Holland.
The long journey of the vigils, which will unite many cities and countries in Europe, will begin SUNDAY 15 May 2022 with several symbolic moments of this journey: with the vigil for overcoming homotransphobia that will take place; with the Sunday Worships for overcoming homotranssphobia held in Albano Laziale (Rome, Italy) by the Ecumenical Evangelical Community of the Evangelical Baptist Christian Union of Italy and in Rimini (Italy) by the Waldensian community of Rimini-Romagna-Pesaro-Urbino with Narciso e Boccadoro, a historic group of gay and lesbian believers from Romagna and Marche; in Naples (Italy) with the Evening Prayer Vigil for Overcoming Homophobia, Transphobia and Intolerance organised by Ponti da Costruire, the group of LGBT Christians from Campania, in the Catholic Basilica of St. Peter ad Aram which, according to tradition, holds the altar on which St. Peter prayed during his stay in the Neapolitan city; at the same time as the ecumenical prayer vigil in Amsterdam (Holland), which will take place in the imposing evangelical Gothic church of the Oude Kerk (Old Church), where Ivan Savchenko will give his testimony as an LGBT Christian from Ukraine, fleeing war and discrimination.
The vigils will multiply on 17 May.
In addition, on 19 May in Madrid (Spain) a VIA LUCIS of prayer will ‘light up the darkness’ and remember the victims of LGTBI-phobia and will stop at various symbolic places in the city; while in Milan (Italy) on 20 May a torchlight procession of prayer for the victims of homophobia and transphobia will start from the Waldensian Temple and end in the Catholic church of Santa Maria della Passione; while in the same hours in Seville (Spain) several LGBT Christians, associations and Catholic congregations in the city will hold a prayer vigil in the Catholic Parish of San Jacinto “por un mundo sin LGBTI-phobia” (For a world without LGBTI-phobia)
Once again this year we will be holding a vigil “for (remembering) those who have fallen, for those who demand rights, for those who want to be themselves, for those who want justice and a place in the world“, as recalled in the 2022 Vigils video made by Italian artist and graphic designer Alessandro Previti and the Christian association La Tenda di Gionata (Italy) and supported by the Faith, Gender and Sexuality Commission of the Baptist, Methodist and Waldensian churches (Italy), the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, the European Forum of LGBT Christian Group, Gay Christian Africa and the English ecumenical association OneBodyOneFaith. And will you join them?
For more information on the prayer vigils and other events for overcoming the violence of homophobia, transphobia and biphobia click here: https://www.gionata.org/category/in-veglia/. Will you join us? More information email at gionatanews@gmail.com
> WHERE WILL THE VIGIL TAKE PLACE IN ITALY, FRANCE, HOLLAND, SPAIN AND MALTA
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THE VERSE VIGILS OF PRAYER TO REMEMBER THE VICTIMS OF HOMOPHOBIA & TRANSPHOBIA 2022: 2 Corinthians 3:17 – where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom
