‘I am gay’ – Catholic priest comes out to parishioners, gets standing ovation

A Roman Catholic priest in Wisconsin says he feels “liberated” after coming out to his church and the world  as a gay man.

 The
Rev. Gregory Greiten, who serves as the pastor of Milwaukee’s St.
Bernadette Parish, received a standing ovation when he opened up about
his sexuality to his parishioners this past Sunday.

“I am Greg. I am a Roman Catholic priest,” he reportedly told the congregation. “And, yes, I am gay!”
Greiten
further detailed his journey toward self-acceptance in a lengthy column
published in the National Catholic Reporter on Monday.

“A
few Roman Catholic priests around the world have mustered up the
courage to break through the wall of silence and speak the truth about
their sexual identity,” he wrote. “I pledge to you that I will no longer
live my life in the shadows of secrecy. I promise to be my
authentically gay self. I will embrace the person that God created me to
be.”

He continued:

“This fire
burning deep inside my heart, I will no longer contain. I will not be
silent any longer; the price to pay is way too great. I must speak my
truth. I have lived far too many years chained up and imprisoned in the
closet behind walls of shame, trauma and abuse because of the homophobia
and discrimination so prevalent in my church and the world. But rather,
today, I chart a new course in freedom and in integrity knowing that
there is nothing that anyone can do to hurt or destroy my spirit any
longer. First steps in accepting and loving the person God created me to
be.”