(LifeSiteNews) — German Cardinal Gerhard Müller became the latest high-ranking cleric to denounce the shocking LGBT pilgrimage held at St. Peter’s Basilica earlier this month.

During an exclusive interview with Vatican reporter Diane Montagna, Müller, who served as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Francis, denounced the so-called LGBT Jubilee pilgrimage as “just one example of an effort to take over the Church for anti-Christian interests.”

“They desecrated the temple of God, ‘making the Father’s house a marketplace’ (Jn 2: 17). The LGBT movement is absolutely against the will of God the Creator, who instituted marriage as a holy sacrament in Christ, and it is an absolute scandal that this occurred,” His Excellency declared. “They instrumentalize(d) and abuse(d) religious symbols to create propaganda for an anti-Christian ideology.”

The LGBT pilgrimage was held on September 6. On September 5, Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin posted a video on social media of a Mass celebrated for pilgrims at the Oratory of St. Francis Xavier in Rome by Father Sam Sawyer, S.J., the editor-in-chief of the Jesuit-run America Magazine.

The pilgrimage welcomed over 1,000 “LGBT Catholic” from across the world. Marching behind a rainbow cross, many attendees flew LGBT flags while holding hands with their same-sex “partners” and processing through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s.

As reported by LifeSite’s Vatican correspondent Michael Haynes, the procession was part of the Vatican’s official Jubilee pilgrimage and was listed on its website. The event was organized by “La Tenda di Gionata” (“The Tent of Jonathan”), a pro-LGBT group. Martin’s Outreach organization also assisted with it. Bishop Francesco Savino of Cassano all’Jonio, Italy offered Mass at Gesu Church for the pilgrims earlier in the day on September 6.

A number of conservative-minded clergy and influencers denounced the pilgrimage. Bishop Athanasius Schneider called on Pope Leo to make public reparation for it. Former U.S. Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano issued a series of X posts rebuking it as well. In one of them, His Excellency quoted the words of Blessed Catherine Emmerich, an early 19th century visionary who spoke of “a strange large church” where “there was nothing holy in it.”

“Vidi una strana chiesa che veniva costruita contro ogni regola… Non c’erano angeli a vigilare sulle operazioni di costruzione. In quella chiesa non c’era niente che venisse dall’alto… C’erano solo divisioni e caos. Si tratta probabilmente di una chiesa di umana creazione, che… pic.twitter.com/t2MkhsEq4W

— Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) September 7, 2025

In recent days, we have seen:

– LGBTQ+ chaplain James Martin received in audience by Leo
– the LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to St Peter Basilica, desacrated with rainbow crosses and sacrilegious slogans
– St. Peter’s Square desecrated by a vulgar massonic kermesse
– the… pic.twitter.com/j3Q1fyX7pQ

— Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) September 17, 2025

Müller told Montagna that it was “undoubtedly” a sacrilege for the pilgrimage to pass through the Holy Door.

“They abused the Catholic faith and the grace and symbol of the Holy Door — which is Jesus Christ — for the sake of propaganda, while living in open contradiction to the will of the Creator. They denigrated the Church of God by obscene gestures and by their lifestyle,” His Eminence said.

His Eminence also rebuked the pilgrimage’s coordinators for not having true care for the souls of the persons who attended it.

“If the motives behind these events were truly pastoral, the organizers would have sought to help everyone grow in repentance and union with Jesus Christ,” he remarked. “Blessing these couples is also a sacrilege and is completely opposed to the Word of God and Catholic doctrine. This ideology is not concerned with helping individuals who struggle with questions about their sexuality to live in conformity with the holy will of the Creator. Nor do its promoters care about eternal life or the salvation of souls. Rather, they promote an anti-Christian ideology that attacks the very concept of marriage and family — father, mother, and children.”

Montagna also asked Müller for his thoughts on Leo’s decision to welcome Martin to the Vatican for a private audience.

Martin had published photos of his meeting with Leo on social media, a move that was denounced by LifeSiteNews co-founder John-Henry Westen, among others.

This is the nightmare scenario I warned of at the start of Leo’s papacy. As I told Glenn Beck: a less bombastic pope could quietly cement a false new direction. The James Martin approach defies Christ, His Church, Scripture, and 2,000 years of tradition. https://t.co/VBt8gGOZu5 https://t.co/AU69G5Nbms

— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) September 1, 2025

“Both were aware that these photos would be misused to suggest the pope’s alignment with anti-Christian ideologies,” Müller said of the meeting. “Popes have sometimes received communist leaders, but no one ever believed that Pope John Paul II had anything in common with them; he spoke very clearly with them. Benedict XVI once met privately with Hans Küng, but not in a manner that could be instrumentalized, and certainly no one ever thought that Pope Benedict XVI would accept Küng’s theories. I believe that Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken clearly about the nature of Christian marriage, is very aware of what is happening and cannot easily be instrumentalized by anyone.”

Elise Ann Allen of Crux magazine conducted an interview with Pope Leo earlier this week. When asked about LGBT issues, he said, “I don’t have a plan at the moment … any issue dealing with the LGBTQ questions is highly polarizing within the Church. For now, because of what I’ve already tried to demonstrate and live out in terms of my understanding of being pope at this time in history, I’m trying not to continue to polarize or promote polarization in the church.”

At the same time, Leo seemed to not close the door definitively to the possibility of change on the matter in the future.

“People want the church doctrine to change, want attitudes to change. I think we have to change attitudes before we even think about changing what the Church says about any given question. I find it highly unlikely, certainly in the near future, that the church’s doctrine in terms of what the church teaches about sexuality, what the Church teaches about marriage, (will change),” he said.