From: UfmccHq@aol.com
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2000 16:57:57 EDT
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GAY MINISTER SEEKS MEETING WITH POPE DURING WORLD PRIDE 2000

NEWS RELEASE


GAY MINISTER SEEKS MEETING WITH POPE DURING WORLD PRIDE 2000

West Hollywood, CA - June 1, 2000 -- Rev. Troy D. Perry, Founder and 
Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches 
(UFMCC), has been asked to speak at World Pride 2000 in Rome, Italy, on the 
topic of religion and homosexuality. Rev. Perry was invited to speak at the 
celebration by the World Pride committee and he will serve on a panel 
discussion on the same topic of religion and homosexuality. World Pride 2000, 
a demonstration of Gay, Lesbian and Transsexual pride is scheduled to take 
place in Rome this July 1 – 9.

UFMCC is an inclusive worldwide fellowship of Christian congregations with a 
special outreach to the world's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered 
communities. Since its founding in 1968 by Rev. Perry, UFMCC has grown into a 
denomination of approximately 300 churches in 18 countries. Worldwide 
membership has surpassed 45,000.

Rev. Perry will be attending the Pride event and requesting to meet with His 
Holiness. If Rev. Perry meets with His Holiness while in Rome, it will not be 
the first time.  In 1987, Rev. Perry, along with Rev. Nancy Wilson, 
Vice-Moderator of UFMCC and Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church – Los 
Angeles, was invited to be a part of Pope John Paul II’s first visit to 
America.  They were a part of the 300 Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic 
clergy who processed in to the service with His Holiness at the Protestant 
service held in Columbus, South Carolina. Over 70,000 attended the service 
held in a large football stadium.

Currently, World Pride 2000 organizers have been in discussions with the 
city’s mayor about sponsorship of the event.  In a controversial move, Rome, 
Italy, Mayor Francesco Rutelli ordered the city to drop its sponsorship of 
July’s World Pride 2000 celebration, only to be forced by the City Council to 
keep the ten-day festival’s city funding intact. The funding is the U.S. 
equivalent of $145,000 - $170,000. Though the City Council may have forced 
Rutelli to reinstate the grant funds for Pride, Rutelli has stood by his plan 
to remove the city’s logo from all Pride events. 

The Vatican and right-wing politicians have demanded that World Pride at 
least be moved out of Rome because of the Church’s Jubilee Year, if not 
cancelled altogether.  World Pride 2000 has been planned since December 1996.

Support for World Pride 2000 is building in light of these obstacles. The 
president of Italy’s Jewish communities, Amos Luzzattto, has expressed Jewish 
solidarity with Pride organizers and reminded everyone that gays and Jews had 
suffered side by side in the Nazi death camps.  

While Rome Mayor Francesco Rutelli cited World Pride’s "lack of cooperation" 
as a reason for his recommendation for the city to drop its sponsorship of 
the even, organizers of the event heartily disagree and contend that each 
World Pride event was planned to try to avoid offense to the Church.


Rev. Perry states, "I am very disappointed that the Neo-fascist movement 
plays such a large role in the Italian government.  However, we will do as 
we’ve always done and we will not back off from this opportunity to educate th
e Italian government, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, about who we are. 
I look forward to approaching the Vatican about meeting His Holiness John 
Paul II while I’m in Rome to further His Holiness’ understanding of who we 
are as a people and who I am as a Christian."


CONTACT:
Maaza Mengiste
Communications Director, UFMCC
(310) 360-8640, Ext. 226 
mmengiste@ufmcchq.com
http://www.ufmcc.com