St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan, says it was tricked into hosting a raucous funeral for a transgender activist and atheist who was hailed as “Saint Cecilia, the mother of all whores.” The New York Times reports that the Archdiocese of New York said in a statement that it was outraged by “the scandalous behavior” at Thursday’s sendoff for Cecilia Gentili, who died at the age of 52 after years of advocating for sex workers and those with HIV. We “had no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way,” the church’s statement said, adding that a special “mass of reparation” was held afterward. The Gentili family responded with its own angry statement, slamming the church for its “hypocrisy and anti-trans hatred,” and the funeral organizer said they had kept the details of Gentili’s life secret from the cathedral out of fear they would be blocked from holding it in the iconic location.
