By EFE
The Archdiocese of New York censored the funeral of a transgender activist at the iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, which took place last Thursday and drew a crowd of more than 1,000 people.
In a statement, the Rev. Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral, said Saturday that his office did not know that his “welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and misleading manner.”
The funeral for Cecilia Gentili, an activist and actress well known for her defense of sex workers, brought together more than a thousand worshipers, many of them transgender, who wore daring clothing and celebrated calls to protect reproductive health, according to the report. The New York Times newspaper.
A photo of Cecilia Gentile lies at the altar during her funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral on February 15, 2024 in New York City.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
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The conservative group that posted the video, CatholicVote, called the funeral “a parody of the Christian faith.”
Gentili identified herself as an atheist
.
In his statement on Saturday, Rev. Salvo said the cathedral was only aware that the activist's family and friends had requested “a funeral mass for a Catholic person.”
People attend the funeral of transgender community activist Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick's Cathedral on February 15, 2024.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
[The Vatican will allow transgender people to be baptized]
Gentili's family, in a message to The New York Times, accused the archdiocese of being hypocritical and hating trans people.
“The only deception present in St. Patrick's Cathedral is that it claims to be a place that welcomes everyone,” they said.
The activist, who was known for defending the rights of sex workers and people with HIV, even dedicated a play to her complicated relationship with religion.
In an interview in November with Interview magazine on the occasion of the premiere of her new work,
Red Ink
, Gentili explained that she felt so rejected by all Christian groups for being trans that she ended up abandoning her faith.