(LifeSiteNews) — On February 15 a scandalous Catholic funeral service took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. A transgender activist and prostitute, “Cecilia Gentili” (born a man), was celebrated at the Cathedral by hundreds of people dressed in scandalous clothing, praising him as “Mother of all Whores” and “Saint Cecilia.”
It was a mockery of God and of the Catholic Church.
The Cathedral later claimed it was not properly informed about who Gentili was and that a Mass of Reparation was offered for this sacrilegious event that had been well planned.
As it later turned out, Father James Martin, S.J., had been invited to the event – and thus could have warned the Cathedral.
This event comes only two weeks after clergymen and scholars had issued on February 2 a filial appeal to the bishops in the world asking them to oppose the Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans since its permission of blessings for homosexual and other couples “contradicts traditional doctrine.”
The filial appeal stated:
The fact is that a priest is imparting a blessing on two people who present themselves as a couple, in the sexual sense, and precisely a couple defined by its objectively sinful relationship. Therefore – regardless of the intentions and interpretations of the document, or the explanations the priest may try to give – this action will be the visible and tangible sign of a different doctrine, which contradicts traditional doctrine.
The document Fiducia Supplicans is a further eroding of Catholic doctrine and an opening up to the LGBT movement that opposes God’s laws.
A group of clergymen and scholars who had been signatories of this February 2 filial appeal have now come together in order to write an open letter (see full text below) and point out to the world’s episcopacy that Fiducia Supplicans invited the provocations and mockeries that took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and that such provocations will come to each parish should they not stop the implementation of Rome’s permission of blessing homosexual couples in the Catholic Church.
The signatories of this open letter are Donna Bethell, JD, Dr. Gavin Ashenden (former Anglican bishop and chaplain to the Queen, now a Catholic convert), Deacon Nick Donnelly, Dr. Jules Gomes, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, Dr. Janet Smith, Elizabeth Yore, Esq., LifeSite editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen and LifeSite’s Maike Hickson.
LifeSiteNews has now also launched a petition requesting that St. Patrick’s Cathedral be exorcised. It has already gained more than 9,000 signatures so far.
In God’s providence, this St. Patrick’s scandal might very well a wake-up call to the bishops in the world. If they do not stop Fiducia Supplicans now – both by forbidding such blessings in their dioceses and by urging Pope Francis to rescind the document – there is not a way to avert such sacrilegious events. They will come to each of our home parishes.
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has just issued a statement in which he insists that Fiducia Supplicans “leads to heresy” and “cannot be accepted.”
READ: Cardinal Müller: Fiducia Supplicans ‘leads to heresy,’ Catholics cannot accept it
The open letter also calls for the resignation of the author of Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, as well as for a public disciplining of the officiating priest at St. Patrick’s, Father Edward Dougherty.
Please see here the full text of the open letter to the bishops of the world:
Open Letter to All the Cardinals and Bishops of the World: Act Before It Is Too Late
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies,
As you are aware, many bishops, priests, and Catholic scholars have expressed strong opposition to the papally-approved Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans allowing for blessings of homosexual couples. On February 2, a group of priests and scholars addressed to you in public a filial appeal, urging you to forbid such blessings in your dioceses and to ask Pope Francis to rescind the document that undermines the deposit of the faith, biblical teaching, and the Magisterium.
That filial appeal – which was first published with some 90 signatories – has by now additionally been signed by Bishop Joseph Strickland, former Anglican bishop and now Catholic convert Dr. Gavin Ashenden, more than 100 priests and several hundred scholars (the final list is being prepared). We provide here a link to the text of the statement since it contains in detail the arguments against Fiducia Supplicans.
Since that filial appeal, an event has happened that will hopefully open the eyes of all Catholic church leaders in the world as to where Fiducia Supplicans will lead. At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the episcopal seat of the Archdiocese of New York City, on February 15, 2024, there took place a scandalous, grotesquely blasphemous and sacrilegious transgender funeral service of “Cecilia Gentili,” a well-known trans activist and prostitute. In 1972, Gentili was born a male in Argentina.
Obviously, Pope Francis’ secular and political stance promoting the gender ideology by allowing the blessing of homosexual couples by Catholic priests has empowered transgender activists who seized the moment and the setting at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to advance their agenda in one of the most iconic Catholic cathedrals in America. Their radical political movement was on full display in a shocking parody of a “Catholic funeral” for a transgender activist. From start to finish, the service derided the Catholic faith, blasphemed its hallowed space, and ridiculed a holy and beloved female saint, Saint Cecilia, one of the most famous virgin martyrs of the early church.
The hour-long service was fraught with crass and impudent antics, loud catcalls, and boisterous cheers. There was not one moment of prayerful devotion or piety. Despite ongoing outbursts, the congregation was never admonished by the officiating priest, Rev. Edward Dougherty, who seemingly encouraged the loud eruptions. At the beginning of the service, Dougherty complimented the attendees by stating, “Except for Easter Sunday, St. Patrick’s hasn’t seen such a well turned out crowd.” The congregation burst out in prolonged uproarious hoots and yells in response.
At certain points during the service, Fr. Dougherty could be heard laughing at the campy pranks. On the high altar of St. Patrick’s, transgenders were kissing during the remembrance speeches. One friend proclaimed Gentili as “this whore, this great whore” to a huge outburst of applause. The crowd and organizers of this funeral event turned it into a political pep rally complete with cheers, catcalls, and intentions for “gender-affirming health care.” At the end of the service, the crowd began to chant “the great whore, St. Cecilia, the Mother of All Whores.” This blasphemous chant filled the entire cathedral as Gentili’s coffin was carried down the aisle.
Father James Martin, SJ, Pope Francis’ collaborator and a promoter of the LGBT agenda in the Catholic Church, stated on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been invited by the organizers of this service to come and speak, but that he was unable to do so due to travels.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral has since issued a statement saying that they were not informed about the details of this funeral service and that they “had no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way.” The Cathedral has now offered “an appropriate Mass of Reparation.”
This, Your Eminences and Your Excellencies, is what will be coming into your parishes if you do not act now and stop the document Fiducia Supplicans and its implementation.
It will start with a priest coming together with a homosexual couple in a church for a blessing. People will gather to witness the event. There will be numerous occasions for political activists to abuse that moment to further blaspheme God and to mock the Catholic faith. This funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was a wake-up call. It was only the beginning.
We beg you, in the Holy Name of God, to fulfill your duties as shepherds of the Catholic Church to defend God’s honor and to protect the Catholic faith.
We entreat the entire Catholic episcopacy to demand the rescinding of Fiducia Supplicans and the resignation of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández. Fr. Edward Dougherty should be publicly disciplined and the Cathedral of St. Patrick must be exorcised forthwith.
Very respectfully,
Donna Bethell, JD
Dr. Gavin Ashenden
Deacon Nick Donnelly
Dr. Jules Gomes
Dr. Maike Hickson
Dr. Peter Kwasniewski
Dr. Janet Smith
Elizabeth Yore, Esq.
John-Henry Westen