Last Thursday, a historic funeral was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan to lay to rest Cecilia Gentili, a trans activist and artist.
Archbishop of New York, a Roman Catholic diocese, has spoken out against the ceremony, saying it was duped into hosting it.
A Mass of Reparation was celebrated on Saturday at the church. According to the Archdiocese of New York, cathedral employees were only aware that the family and friends were asking for a funeral Mass for a Catholic. They had no clue that their hospitality and prayers would be insulted sinfully and misleadingly.
The Washington Post reports that activist Ceyenne Doroshow, who contacted St. Patrick’s to coordinate the funeral, explained her decision to have the service at the site by citing Gentili’s long-running feud with the church and its treatment of the people Gentili championed.
The charity organization CatholicVote has written to New York State Attorney General Letitia James to ask her to investigate the funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral earlier this month.
The funeral service for 52-year-old transgender campaigner and ex-sex worker Cecilia Gentili drew criticism for the irreverent behavior of the attendees, who openly mocked Catholicism and celebrated lifestyles in first opposition to Catholic teachings.
Billy Porter performed a rendition of “This Day” for the over a thousand worshippers in attendance. Several mourners took the occasion to urge for more “gender-affirming” medical treatment during the funeral.
Because they claim they never deceived the cathedral into holding the gathering, Gentili’s family wanted an apology from the archdiocese for shortening the service.
After the clergy decided not to have a Mass—a decision that was backed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York—the funeral concluded an hour early.
It is “simply not true,” according to Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society. They still claim the church’s leadership was not pressured or fooled into holding the service.
