MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – St. Patrick's Cathedral is claiming it was tricked into holding a funeral for a transgender activist, and that the service made a mockery of the Catholic faith.
A funeral mass was held for 52-year-old Cecilia Gentili last week. She was known for advocating for transgender people, sex workers and people with HIV before her death earlier this month.
More than 1,000 people filled the pews to honor her. Church officials said they're outraged over Gentili's "scandalous behavior," and that when the request came in for the service, they claimed they only knew it was a request for a Catholic funeral.
The New York Catholic League said the funeral was held under false pretenses and that it didn't know Gentili was transgender. The group issued a statement saying that transgender activists "defiled" the cathedral, saying:
"At the service, many of those in attendance dressed as hookers, danced in the aisles, sang Ave Cecilia when Ave Maria was sung. Those who support defiling St. Patrick's Cathedral are rank anti-Catholic bigots who look, talk and act like deranged men and women."
New York Catholic LeagueA pastor at the nearby St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, which is LGBTQ-friendly, shared a post on Facebook Sunday, saying:
"Pro Tip: It is good pastoral practice to reach out to the family of the deceased directly to express condolences and to plan a funeral liturgy - and by all means google the name of the person to learn as much as you can about their life. Beyond that all I can say to our neighboring parish is: Welcome to LGBTQ Ministry."
Fr. Eric AndrewsCardinal Timothy Dolan ordered a mass of reparation at the church.
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