Priests at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City were surprised by the “irreverence and disrespect” that occurred during a funeral for a transgender activist last week, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in his first public comments on it.
“We didn’t know the background. We don’t do FBI checks on people who want to be buried,” Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said during his podcast Tuesday.
He said cathedral staff try to be welcoming when someone requests a funeral.
“All they know is somebody called and said, ‘Our dear friend died. We’d love to have the funeral at St Patrick’s Cathedral. It would be a great source of consolation. She’s a Catholic. It would be a great source of consolation for us, her family and friends.’
And, of course, the priest at the cathedral said, ‘Come on in. You’re more than welcome,’” Dolan said.