newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
Last week, a funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City for transgender activist and avowed atheist Cecilia Gentili. The funeral took place the day after Ash Wednesday, the holy day that marks the beginning of the church’s solemn Lenten season.
A video of the funeral quickly went viral online, including part of a friend’s eulogy, which hailed the deceased from the cathedral pulpit as “Saint Cecilia, the mother of all prostitutes”, and was heard by more than 1,000 people. There were cheers of approval from those in attendance.
The boisterous crowd included people wearing very minis, miniskirts, plush head coverings, fishnet stockings, and some dancing in the aisles. Her prayer card was accompanied by a photo of Gentili and described her as a “transvestite,” a “prostitute,” “blessed,” and a “mother.”
St. Patrick’s Church claims it was tricked into hosting trans activist’s funeral, why was it forced to pay huge compensation?
Gentili’s family gloated to The New York Times that it was the first funeral Mass for a transgender person at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They also revealed that they had not told cathedral staff anything about the lives or beliefs of their deceased relatives.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral leaders claim they were deceived. The pastor of the cathedral, Fr. Enrique Salvo issued a statement saying, “The cathedral knows only that family and friends are requesting a Catholic funeral mass, and that our welcome and prayers cannot be treated in such a sacrilegious and deceptive manner.” I never expected to be degraded in such a way.”
Reactions to this controversy, both for and against, have been large, abundant, and very superficial.
Let’s put the “anger” aside and get to the heart of the matter.
A funeral Mass is not originally a communal celebration of the life of the deceased. It is not the crowning of a saint. It is a prayer for sinners. All sinners. Yes, that includes transgender sinners.
In the Catholic Church, a funeral mass is a solemn prayer for the soul of the deceased. It is a prayer asking for salvation. It is a prayer asking for forgiveness of sins. The official Catechism of the Catholic Church states that at funeral Masses the Church prays that God the Father “cleanses the Son from sin and its consequences and welcomes him to the fulness of the Passover table of his kingdom.” There is. (CCC #1689)
This is serious. A funeral Mass is not originally a communal celebration of the life of the deceased. It is not the crowning of a saint. It is a prayer for sinners. All sinners. Yes, that includes transgender sinners.
For more FOX News opinions, click here
Some Catholics have expressed outrage that the church allowed the funeral to take place in the first place because “after all, she was transgender.” I can understand their anger, but I don’t understand their reasoning.
FILE — St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on March 17, 2021. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The problem with organizing the funeral was not that Cecilia Gentili was transgender. The problem was that neither she nor the people who requested her funeral on her behalf wanted the church to pray for her salvation and deliverance. They don’t believe what the church believes…they don’t believe about God, they don’t believe about sin, they don’t even believe about Catholic funerals.
During his lifetime, Gentili vocally expressed his distrust of God and rejected the idea that God needed forgiveness of sins. She was a famous defender of these beliefs. It is in bad taste and sacrilegious for her family and friends to use America’s most famous Catholic cathedral as a stage to mock the very nature of the funeral mass.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It also doesn’t help the next transgender person (or public sinner) who sincerely wants a funeral mass, even though they have good reason to do so.
No, we do not want our church to require a moral litmus test to determine who “takes” a funeral Mass and who “does not.” Not many people pass that test. However, is it too much to say that people who request a Catholic funeral really want a Catholic funeral?
For more information on Jonathan Morris, click here
