Rainbow Pastoral of the Diocese of Linz participates in "Linz Pride". "Blessing Ceremony for All Lovers"

Pride Month in June represents pride, tolerance, and self-confidence among LGBTQ+ people. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people protest against criminalization, stigmatization, and exclusion. Church involvement in this area is growing.

Mary- Pride your mantel wide, a parody of Maria, breit den Mantel aus- Mary, spread your mantel wide

Linz Pride: colorful, cheerful, peaceful, committed.

A highlight of Pride Month was the participation of the Rainbow Pastoral of the Diocese of Linz in "Linz Pride." 13,000 people participated in this colorful protest and parade on June 21st to advocate for equality, visibility, and against discrimination.

"I'm particularly touched that so many people seek us out as pastors for conversation, prayer, and blessing. I wish standing up for us was always as loud, colorful, and joyful as it is on days like these," says Agnes Schützenhofer from the Rainbow Pastoral of the Diocese of Linz and director of the project "Faithful, Solidared, Queer - Christian Churches Under the Rainbow." "Our place is where accompaniment and hope are needed," emphasizes Anson Samuel from the Catholic Youth.

On June 11, a "Pride Prayer" took place in the Ursuline Church. This service, like the participation in Linz Pride, was organized ecumenically. These services are held regularly.

Rainbow Weekend in Gallneukirchen

The first Rainbow Service in the Catholic Parish Church of Gallneukirchen took place at the end of May. During the procession, a large banner bearing the inscription "There's room for everyone under God's heaven" was carried into the church.

At this service, at the twilight get-together, in the parish café, and in the intercessions during the Sunday services, a sign of love, community, and respect was set. The Gallneukirchen Catholic Youth's Rainbow Weekend was attended by a total of approximately 250 people.

Source- Diocesan magazine

Below a summary of the activities from 2022.

Diocesan group aims to make a visible statement under the motto "There's room for everyone under God's heaven" - Call for participation on June 25th - Blessing and prayer ceremonies beforehand

On Saturday, June 25th, starting at 2 p.m., "Linz Pride" with church participation will take place for the eleventh time on the occasion of "Christopher Street Day." The "Rainbow Pastoral" of the Diocese of Linz announced this on its website www.regenbogenpastoral.at. "Christopher Street Day" commemorates the first uprising of homosexuals and transgender people against police brutality on New York's Christopher Street more than 50 years ago.

The Diocesan group wanted to create a "rainbow sky" with the slogan "There's room for everyone under God's heaven." Organizers said the church wanted to make a visible statement. Participants were encouraged to wear something blue, "since we'll be in the blue group." Participants were also welcome to bring their own banners, slogans, etc. "Be there," was the call.

The Pride Parade will start at the Volksgarten and proceed through Linz's city center, across Landstraße, across the Danube, and to the area between the Ars Electronica Center and Urfahraner Markt on the Danube. Starting at 5 p.m., the Pride Open Air will offer an interesting program with live acts, DJs, and information and discussion sessions from the participating organizations, before the celebrations continue at Pride Night at 10 p.m. at the Spielplatz Club.

Linz Pride sees itself as a visible symbol of the LGBTIQ* community, i.e., the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer movement in Upper Austria. After Vienna's Rainbow Parade, Vienna Pride, in which the Catholic Youth also participated, Linz Pride is the second largest queer parade in Austria, with a total of around 6,000 participants in 2021. It is organized by the Homosexual Initiative (HOSI) Linz and solidarity organizations in civil society to promote the acceptance of diversity and solidarity in society.

The Diocese of Linz is participating in this "important sociopolitical" initiative because "as believers, we are open to all people. We advocate for diversity and self-determination in human relationships," the organizers emphasized. Participation in "Linz Pride" is intended to send a conscious signal "that LGBTIQ* people are a natural part of our church community."

Participating church organizations include the Rainbow Pastoral of the Diocese of Linz (Diocesan Working Group for Homosexual Pastoral Care of the Catholic Action of Upper Austria - DAHOP), "BEZIEHUNGLEBEN.AT," Catholic Action Upper Austria (KAOE), Catholic Youth Upper Austria (KJ OÖ), Catholic Men's Movement in Upper Austria (KMB OÖ), Catholic Women's Movement in Upper Austria (kfb OÖ), and Green Anchor - Youth Church Linz.

In the run-up to "Linzpride," there will be a "Blessing Ceremony for All Lovers" in the Urfahr Parish Church (Saturday, June 18, 6 p.m.) and a "Pride Prayer" in the Linz Ursuline Church (Tuesday, June 21, 6:30 p.m.).

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