Pastor of St Patrick’s Cathedral condemns service for Cecilia Gentili after she was celebrated as being ‘mother of all whores’
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York City has condemned a funeral service for transgender activist Cecilia Gentili at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral after congregants cheered her for being celebrated as “the mother of all whores”.
The packed funeral took place on Thursday, 10 days after the Argentinian-born Gentili, 52, died at her Brooklyn home.
Gentili was an activist and actor known for her advocacy on behalf of sex workers, as well as a self-professed atheist, drug addict and author of Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist. Her cause of death has not been revealed.
The archdiocese condemned the funeral, saying some mourners behaved scandalously at the service, which featured a turnout closer in number to the midtown Manhattan cathedral’s jam-packed Easter mass than a normal Thursday, with many transgender congregants lavishly dressed for Gentili’s send-off.
The archdiocese released a statement on Saturday saying it had “no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way”. The pastor of Saint Patrick’s, Enrique Salvo, said the church was not aware of Gentili’s background or beliefs when it booked the service.
Before the service was held, the archdiocese had described it as a routine event and had been informed that Gentili was a transgender activist.
