(LifeSiteNews) — “Catholic” members of an LGBTQ+ group marched in Rome’s recent Pride parade carrying a large rainbow-colored cross they call the “Cross of the Covenant.”
The ecumenical group, “Mosaiko – Movimento Cristiani Arcobaleno,” that is, “Mosaic – Rainbow Christians Movement,” claims that its mission is to provide “a space for meeting, sharing in faith, and fraternal fellowship among LGBT+ Christians.”
“We walked as rainbow Christians—proud of the faith we hold in our hearts and of every single color that speaks to the unique beauty of who we are,” wrote the group in an Instagram post which included several pictures of their participation in the Pride parade.
“On this very special day, the Cross of the Covenant marched alongside us: a rainbow cross accompanying us step by step” which they claimed is “a tangible sign of our presence and of a bond uniting heaven and earth in inclusion.”
According to a New Ways Ministry (NWM) report, Mosaiko uses the rainbow-colored cross during its prayer and meditation gatherings.
“Bringing it into the Pride parade was intended as a public sign that Catholic faith and LGBTQ+ identity are not in conflict but belong together,” enthused NWM, which further explained the organization’s peculiar interpretation of Scripture and its intent to force the legalizing of same-sex marriage and parenting in Italy:
LGBTQ+ Catholics’ presence at Pride reflects a twofold commitment. First, they seek to witness that neither God nor Scripture, when interpreted through a historical-critical approach, condemns people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Second, they want to support the civil rights that Italy still denies LGBTQ+ people, including marriage equality, equal parenthood rights, and full recognition of all the identities.
“We walk with our heads held high, unafraid, to bear witness to a Love that excludes no one and to cast out the fear of judgment,” the group added.
In 2023, LifeSiteNews reported that the Mosaiko group would meet with Pope Francis.
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In a press release prior to the Papal audience, the Mosaiko group wrote they will “present ourselves with feelings of conciliation, urging more meetings for a dedicated, inclusive journey so that everyone can feel like a child of a Church that welcomes not for what we should be, but for what we really are: Christians and witnesses of the same Gospel, in which everyone with their own identity, orientation and individuality can live in transparency and truth.”
They also called for an increased role of LGBT ideology in the Catholic Church’s daily life.
“Our desire is to make the Church take a more official and truly tangible stand in favor of a clear and inclusive ministry with no more description,” they wrote.
“We would like that in all corners of the world the dignity of LGBT + people can be recognized with respect and sensitivity even in those places where it is still a crime to make oneself visible to affirm one’s orientation and one’s gender identity.”
The Catholic Church teaches that the homosexual inclination is “objectively disordered” since God created sexual attraction for the purpose of drawing a man and a woman together to become husband and wife in marriage.
In a 1986 letter to bishops about how to care for persons with same-sex attraction, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — then led by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI — stated that “special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.”
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