Dublin priest receives standing ovation after coming out

A priest in Dublin received a standing ovation from his congregation after coming out this week.

Father Martin Dolan, a priest at Church of St Nicholas of Myra, made the revelation during a mass where he called on the members of the church to support Ireland’s upcoming same-sex marriage referendum.

“We are all very proud of Martin. Because he has admitted that he is gay doesn’t change the person that he was before he said it,” a community youth worker told The Irish Sun. “I wouldn’t like to see him being moved for the statement he made. That would be horrendous.”

She continued: “He should be supported. He has done nothing wrong. If he’s moved, there would be uproar in this parish. He’s still the same man today. Martin has always been an advocate of people’s rights, and even spoke about the child abuse in the Church.”

The Catholic Church in Ireland is already campaigning for a ‘No’ vote, saying last month (December) that equal marriage would be a “grave injustice”.

Recently, Colin Farrell wrote an emotional open letter asking his countrymen to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum, saying that it was “insane” that his gay brother was forced to leave the country in order to marry his partner – read his letter in full here.

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