From: UfmccHq@aol.com Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:52:22 EST Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Gay Catholic Priests Urged to Come Out 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.