Controversy and criticism from the Church over the funeral of an Argentine trans activist in a New York cathedral

The Archdiocese of New York questioned the funeral of Cecilia Gentilithe Argentine trans activist who died two weeks ago and was farewelled at the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. “Sacrilegious and deceitful”this is how the archdiocese of New York described the ceremony held last Thursday, which attracted a crowd of over a thousand people and in which the actress was defined as “the mother of all whores”.

In a statement, the Rev. Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral, said his office did not know that “its welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and misleading manner.”

Cecilia Gentili’s funeral brought together more than a thousand worshipers, many of them transgender, who wore extravagant clothing and called for protection of the group’s reproductive health and rights, which some of the attendees reportedly said. The New York Times.

In a video that went viral on social media, one of the participants is heard referring to Cecilia, in Spanish, as “this whore, this great whore, the holy Cecilia, the mother of all whores”as the audience bursts into applause.

The conservative group that posted the video, CatholicVote, called the funeral “a travesty of the Christian faith.”

Gentili declared herself an atheist. In his statement released Saturday, Reverend Salvo said the cathedral only knew that the activist’s family and friends had requested “a funeral mass for a Catholic person.”

The response of the trans activist’s family

The Gentili family, in a message to The New York Timesaccused the archdiocese of hypocritical and hates trans people. “The only deception about St. Patrick’s Cathedral is that it claims to be a place that welcomes everyone,” they said.

“We brought precious life and extreme joy to the Cathedral in a historic challenge to the hypocrisy and anti-trans hatred of the Church. The funeral of Cecilia Gentili, which filled the pews as the Cathedral can only do during the Easter service and funerals of the NYPD, was a reflection of the love he had for his community and a testament to the impact of his tireless advocacy,” Gentili’s entourage indicated.

The activist, known for defending the rights of prostitutes and people affected by HIV, even dedicated a theater show to her complicated relationship with religion.

In a November interview with Interview magazine at 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.