Fr. John McNeill

#FatherJohnMcNeill (September 2, 1925 – September 22, 2015): A psychotherapist, activist, WWII POW, and #Jesuit priest, Fr. McNeill worked tirelessly to build #LGBTQIA inclusion within the #CatholicChurch. He was commissioned in the 1970s to write a book in which he made his case for such inclusion in the Church, which was published in 1976 as #TheChurchAndTheHomosexual. In this work he argued that a loving same-sex relationship is just as moral and godly as a heterosexual one, was supported in the Bible, and should be affirmed by the Catholic Church. He came out shortly after its publication on national television (#TheTodayShow), which led to censure from the Church. The #Vatican ordered him not to speak or write publicly about LGBTQIA matters, and he obeyed for a decade while ministering to the LGBTQIA community privately. He continued work with #DignityUSA and #DignityNY, as well as created an #AIDS ministry in Harlem in the mid-80s with fellow priest #MychalJudge (the first casualty of 9/11). Soon after, the Vatican led by Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) published an official document “On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” which stated that the Church believed homosexuality was a tendency that led to moral evil and that homosexuals were “intrinsically disordered.” John McNeill continued his work with the LGBTQIA community and was thereby expelled from the Jesuits, though was still considered a priest with restrictions on what he was allowed to do in the Church’s eyes. He went on to continue working with Dignity, as well as an activist, and served as the Grand Marshall of the 1987 NYC Gay Pride March. He continued writing as well and in 2008 married Charles Chiarelli, his lover since 1965, in a ceremony in Toronto. He passed away in 2015, and his story lives on in the stories of Dignity, as well as in #BrendanFay‘s documentary about him #TakingAChanceOnGod. In this picture, he is second from the right. #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIAPride #Pride #LegendsOfPride #YouCannotEraseUs