new york — Archdiocese of New York condemns Funeral held for transgender activist and performer Cecilia Gentili This week at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Thursday in the pews of a historic Catholic church. It was packed with mourners for Gentili.she once professed to be an atheist in an off-Broadway show.
Many Catholics expressed anger at the funeral, saying it made a mockery of their faith, including in the words used in the eulogy.
In a statement released Saturday, Pastor Enrique Salvo said:
“We would like to thank the many people who have let us know that they share our outrage at the scandalous conduct at the funeral here at St. Patrick's Cathedral earlier this week. All I knew was that my friend was requesting a Catholic funeral Mass. I had no idea that our welcome and prayers would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceitful way. It makes matters even worse that such a scandal occurred in the 'Parish Church', and that it happened at the beginning of Lent, the annual 40-day struggle with the military. This holy season of sin and darkness is a powerful reminder of how much we need prayer, penance, repentance, grace, and mercy.
“At the direction of the cardinal, we celebrated an appropriate mass of reparation.”
Gentili's family told The New York Times that the criticism was “hypocritical” and that they will continue to celebrate Gentili's life.
