A Roman Catholic priest in Milwaukee is finally living his truth after coming out in front of his congregation on Sunday.
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According to the New York Post, Rev. Gregory Greiten was met with a standing ovation after revealing his true self to his parishioners, saying, “I am Greg. I am a Roman Catholic priest. And, yes, I am gay!” He also explained his decision to disclose his sexual orientation in a column that came out the following day, adding that he was breaking the silence of gay men in the clergy.
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He wrote, “I will embrace the person that God created me to be. 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.”
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Greiten also condemned the church for its silence and stance on homosexuality, saying, “By choosing to enforce silence, the institutional church pretends that gay priests and religious do not really exist. Because of this, there are no authentic role models of healthy, well-balanced, gay, celibate priests to be an example for those, young and old, who are struggling to come to terms with their sexual orientation.”
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“This only perpetuates the toxic shamming and systemic secrecy,” he said.
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Greiten revealed that he wanted to be an example to those who are still hiding from their true selves or hiding their true selves from God in following the lead of a “few courageous priests who have taken the risk to come out of the shadows and have chosen to live in truth and authenticity.”
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While it remains unclear if Greiten will be able to keep his position, Milwaukee’s archbishop released a statement of support in the wake of Greiten’s recent revelation.
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“We support Father Greiten in his own, personal journey and telling his story of coming to understand and live with his sexual orientation. As the Church teaches, those with same-sex attraction must be treated with understanding and compassion. As priests who have made a promise to celibacy, we know that every week there are people in our pews who struggle with the question of homosexuality,” Listecki said in the statement.
