A significant controversy has emerged following the funeral service of notable LGBT activist Cecilia Gentili at the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Gentili, an atheist and transgender activist, passed away on February 6 at the age of 52. The service, which drew a large crowd of LGBTQ activists, was organized without revealing Gentili’s transgender identity to the church administration, leading to subsequent outrage and a call for reparations from certain segments of the Catholic community.
Father Edward Dougherty officiated the service, in which, according to reports, he made no reference to Gentili’s background. The crowd, filled with glittering miniskirts, audacious outfits, and banners, was described as a “mockery of the Christian faith” by CatholicVote, who relayed videos from the funeral on social media platforms.
The Archdiocese of New York did not respond to inquiries about whether the church was aware of Gentili’s background, with spokesperson Joseph Zwilling telling the New York Times that the cathedral does its best to accommodate any request for a funeral coming from a Catholic.
Ceyenne Doroshow, the event’s organizer, revealed to the Times that she purposely kept Gentili’s transgender identity a secret whilst planning the funeral. Father Enrique Salvo, the pastor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, issued a statement expressing outrage over the “scandalous behavior” at the funeral and confirmed the cathedral’s knowledge only extended to the request for a Catholic funeral.
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