Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Gay Catholic Priests Urged to Come Out
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:52:22 EST

PRESS RELEASE  FROM  SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER PRIDE 
COMMITTEE AND  METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF SAN FRANCISCO

GAY CATHOLIC PRIESTS URGED TO COME OUT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATED:  FEBRUARY 4, 2000
CONTACT:  TEDDY WITHERINGTON   415.864.0831
REV. JIM MITULSKI  415.865.2740
MEDIA COORDINATION:     ALLEN WHITE 415.280.0265

ROME MAYOR AND ITALY PRIME MINISTER 
PRAISED BY SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE PARADE DIRECTOR 
FOR REPUDIATING VATICAN HOMOPHOBIA 

GAY SAN FRANCISCO PASTOR CONDEMNS 
ROMAN CATHOLIC COVER UP AND INTIMIDATION OF 
PRIESTS DYING OF AIDS

GAY CATHOLIC PRIESTS URGED TO COME OUT

Teddy Witherington, Executive Director of San Francisco's Pride Parade and 
Celebration, and Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco Senior 
Pastor, Rev. Jim Mitulski, today urged gay Roman Catholic priests to come out 
and end the hypocrisy they are forced to endure.  This call for honesty comes 
as the Roman Catholic Church again find itself struggling with new gay rights 
issues in the United States and in Rome. 

The Kansas City Star reported last Sunday that Roman Catholic priests in the 
United States are dying from AIDS-related illnesses at a rate four times 
higher than the general population and the cause is often concealed on their 
death certificates.

Halfway around the world, the Vatican began a propaganda attack against World 
Pride Rome 2000, a world wide celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual and 
transgender pride from July 1 through 9, 2000 in Rome.  Planning began in 
1996 and on January 17, 2000 World Pride Rome received a $180,000 grant for 
cultural events from the Rome government. The Vatican then, unsuccessfully, 
began their attempt to force the City of Rome and the Italian government to 
cancel "World Pride Rome 2000." 

Italian newspapers ran headlines saying "Gays March on the Vatican" and "City 
of Rome Money Goes to Gays Instead of to the Poor and Homeless." On January 
28, Vatican Cardinal Angelo Sodano, second only to the Pope, complained about 
World Pride in the newspaper "Il Messagero."

Mario Baccini of the CCD Party, a Vatican spokesperson in parliament, called 
World Pride Rome a "moral and material slap in the face." She demanded 
Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema deny Rome's city council the right to 
coordinate the Celebration. The response came the very next day from Italy's 
Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini. "I don't think we can ban the march," he 
said.  "However, we must show openness and tolerance towards all citizens, 
whatever their faith or their orientation."   

World Pride Rome is one week after San Francisco's Pride Celebration Saturday 
and Sunday, June 24 and 25 in the Civic Center.  With the theme, "It's About 
Freedom," the 30th anniversary San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 
Transgender Pride Parade begins Sunday, June 25, 2000, 10:30 am from Beale 
and Market Streets.

"Gay priests infected with HIV and AIDS need to know of our parade: 'It's 
About Freedom," Witherington said.  "We invite our brothers who are gay 
priests, and everyone else who find themselves in a closet, to simply come on 
out." 

"We march in San Francisco and we will march in Rome because 'It's About 
Freedom,"  Witherington, who also is Co-President of InterPride, the 
International Association of Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride 
Coordinators said.  "We shall be spectacular and grand in both cities.  Yet, 
the actions of the Catholic Church remind us our commitment to remain 
vigilant must equal our passion to celebrate freedom." 

Mitulski, who pastors San Francisco's largest church serving the gay, 
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community said, "How a church deals with 
homosexuality determines how it will deal with AIDS.  The culture of silence 
around homosexuality has created a culture of silence around AIDS."  

"The Roman Catholic Church is a generation behind in dealing with AIDS.  They 
have no policy for providing compassionate care for priests infected with 
AIDS.  Instead, they created a sad and shameful tragedy causing needless 
suffering and death amongst its priests, its employees and their church 
members."

"I invite and I encourage every gay Roman Catholic priest to come out.  Come 
out and breathe the fresh air God has created for you.  I join those at San 
Francisco Pride who say 'It's About Freedom.'  To every Roman Catholic priest 
I say, the truth truly can set you free." 

The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and 
Celebration is presented annually by the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee, Inc.  Funding for the 
event is provided, in part, from a grant from Grants For the Arts of the San 
Francisco Hotel Tax Fund.  Further information is available at 
www.sfpride.org or by calling the San Francisco Pride Hotline: 415.864.FREE. 

Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, with over 500 members, is one 
of San Francisco's largest and most active churches. The church has served 
the spiritual needs of San Francisco's lesbian, gay, bisexual and 
transgendered community for over 30 years.  Co-Pastors are Rev. Jim Mitulski 
and Rev. Penny Nixon are Co-Pastors and Rev. Karen Foster is Assistant 
Pastor.