Sarah covered this story on Saturday. St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City held a massive funeral for a transgender activist and former sex worker who was an atheist. Reportedly, he was the first male to identify as “transgender” to have his funeral at the historic venue.
As Sarah noted, more than 1,000 friends and family showed up to the cathedral to honor Cecilia Gentili’s life. Reportedly, guests wore “unconventional” funeral attire, such as crop tops, thongs, and fishnet stockings.
At one point, guests mocked Saint Cecilia, by stating: “This whore. This great whore. St. Cecilia, mother of all whores!”
Yesterday, St. Patrick's Cathedral hosted the funeral of Cecilia Gentili, a transgender, atheist prostitute. Funeral was attended by hundreds of trans activists in thongs/fishnet/halter tops/fur. They celebrated the dead prostitute by mocking St. Cecilia, saying: "This whore.… pic.twitter.com/qMeUA0rfhK
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 16, 2024
This wasn’t the only instance where the Catholic faith was mocked during the funeral service (via Daily Mail):
A picture near the altar showed a haloed Ms. Gentili surrounded by the Spanish words for 'transvestite,' 'whore,' 'blessed' and 'mother' above the text of Psalm 25.
A mourner upstaged the priest at one point by singing 'Ave Maria' - but changing the lyrics to 'Ave Cecilia' before dancing through the aisles.
According to Time, Oscar Diaz, one of the funeral attendees who described Gentili as “their” “chosen mother,” said that “it felt appropriate to send her off in this way, to giver her her ‘sainthood.’”
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Time claimed that it was a “feat” that the cathedral hosted Gentili’s funeral, because it “symbolizes an institution that has isolated many queer folks from its doors.”
Reportedly, those who organized Gentili’s funeral chose the cathedral because it’s “iconic,” and made no mention about his lack of religious affiliation during the service.
Fox News noted that during the funeral service, they prayed for transgender rights and so-called “gender-affirming” health care.
Multiple outlets noted that Gentili turned to sex work when he arrived in the U.S. illegally in 2004 from Argentina. He was granted asylum eight years later.
Predictably, Gentili’s funeral garnered national attention and sparked intense backlash.
Now, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has come forward with its thoughts about the funeral service.
According to The New York Times, the Archdiocese said it was “outraged” over the “scandalous behavior” at the funeral and said it had been lied to about the identity of Gentili (Archdiocese of New York):
Thanks to so many who have let us know they share our outrage over the scandalous behavior at a funeral here at St. Patrick’s Cathedral earlier this week. The Cathedral only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral Mass for a Catholic, and had no idea our welcome and prayer 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.
New York Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling told The Washington Post that the statement was directed at many Mass attendees, specifically those who made the “mother of all whores” and “Ave Cecilia” remarks.
The funeral organizers’ response? Katia Perea, one of Gentili’s longtime friends, claimed that “there was no incident when anyone said anything disrespectful about the church or God or Jesus.”
Zwilling added that “the organizers, by their own admission, attempted to deceive the cathedral staff” about Gentili.
The church held a Mass of Reparation shortly after.
