Video: A Roman Catholic Priest in Milwaukee gets a standing Ovation from his parishioners after he declared himself as Gay

 

In Milwaukee a Roman Catholic Church priest finally declared himself as gay saying he could no longer hide under the shadows of secrecy and that he wants to stand out as gay.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Rev. Gregory Greiten disclosed his sexual orientation on Sunday at St. Bernadette Parish and he was congratulated with a standing ovation from his parishioners. He said

“I am Greg. I am a Roman Catholic priest,” he reportedly told the congregation. “And, yes, I am gay!”
He also said that it is very difficult for priest to come out as gay so therefore he wants to set the pace by being their role model and also to help them break the silence of gay men in the clergy so he could reclaim his own voice.
 
"I will embrace the person that God created me to be," Greiten wrote. "In my priestly life and ministry, I, too, will help you, whether you are gay or straight, bisexual or transgendered, to be your authentic self — to be fully alive living in your image and likeness of God.

Greiten wrote that he has decided to stand with the "few courageous priests who have taken the risk to come out of the shadows and have chosen to live in truth and authenticity."

The church's silent stance on gay priests perpetuates toxic shaming and systematic secrecy, Greiten wrote. The church needs healthy role models for priests who are struggling to come to terms with their sexual orientation, he said.
 
According to an archdiocese spokeswoman, Greiten met with Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki before coming out.

"We support Father Greiten in his own personal journey and telling his story of coming to understand and live with his sexual orientation," Listecki said in a statement Monday. "As the Church teaches, those with same-sex attraction must be treated with understanding and compassion."