St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York celebrated a “Mass of Reparation” this weekend in atonement for a “scandalous” and “sacrilegious” event honoring deceased trans-activist Cecilia Gentili.
According to the rector of the cathedral, Father Enrique Salvo, organizers of the event approached St. Patrick’s under false pretenses, requesting permission to hold a funeral Mass for a Catholic who had passed away.
In reality, they sought to hijack the cathedral for a pro-trans demonstration, which The New York Times described as “an exuberant piece of political theater.”
The deceased was an Argentinean cross-dressing atheist who lobbied to decriminalize sex work in New York and was a major fundraiser for transgender causes.
An image of Gentili with a halo, surrounded by the Spanish words for “whore,” “transvestite,” “blessed,” and “mother” was placed at the foot of the altar for the Feb. 15 event, which was attended by some 1000 people, many of whom appeared in drag.
“At the service, many of those in attendance dressed as hookers, danced in the aisles, sang ‘Ave Cecilia’ when ‘Ave Maria’ was sung, and shouted, ‘St. Cecilia, Mother of All Whores,’” noted Catholic League president Bill Donohue.
The presider of the event, Father Edward Dougherty, repeatedly referred to Gentili with feminine pronouns, calling him “our sister,” while attendees referred to him as the “mother of whores.”
In comments to the New York Times, Jesuit Father James Martin, an outspoken LGBT advocate, also referred to Gentili as a “woman.” Martin said he had been invited to speak at the event but was “out of town.”
Cecilia Gentili attends the 2022 Center Dinner, the annual fundraising dinner for The LGBT Community Center, at Cipriani Wall Street on April 14, 2022 in New York. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
People attend the funeral of transgender community activist Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on February 15, 2024 in New York City. Gentili’s funeral was the first time that St. Patrick’s Cathedral held a funeral mass for a transgender person. Later the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York denounced the hosting of the funeral, saying it was unaware of the identity of the deceased when it agreed to host the service.(Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
Cathedral rector Father Salvo distanced himself from the event, insisting that the Cathedral parish only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral Mass for a Catholic, and had no idea the sacred space would be “degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way.”
“That such a scandal occurred at ‘America’s Parish Church’ makes it worse; that it took place as Lent was beginning, the annual forty–day struggle with the forces of sin and darkness, is a potent reminder of how much we need the prayer, reparation, repentance, grace, and mercy to which this holy season invites us,” he said.