Ousted Newton priest cheered at gay pride service

A Catholic priest preached yesterday at the main worship service associated with Boston's gay pride week, setting up a potential conflict with a church hierarchy that has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of the growing acceptance of gay relationships in Western societies.

The Rev. Walter H. Cuenin, a longtime advocate of outreach to gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church, did not criticize or dispute Catholic teaching during his remarks, and he quoted several times from a 1997 document issued by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which declared that ``the teachings of the Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended."

However, the symbolism of a Catholic priest appearing at a gay pride worship service is likely to raise eyebrows at the chancery. In 2000, Pope John Paul II called a gay pride parade in Rome an ``offense to the Christian values," and last year, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, issued a document declaring that men who ``support the so-called `gay culture' " should not be admitted to Catholic seminaries. Benedict has been a leading opponent of same-sex marriage, which is legal in Massachusetts and celebrated by Boston's gay pride march, which took place yesterday after the prayer service.

Cuenin, who spoke at the 29th annual interfaith pride service at Old South Church in Copley Square, explained his decision to appear in his remarks from the storied pulpit. The congregation, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, was formed in 1669 and boasts a long history of association with social change -- including the American Revolution -- and an active ministry to gays.

``I told a friend of mine, about a month ago, that I was going to be here today, speaking at the gay pride interfaith service, and she said to me, `What's a Catholic priest doing at a gay pride service?' Cuenin said. ``My response was, `Why wouldn't a Catholic priest be here?' In the tradition of my own Christian faith, it seems to me, as I read it, that Jesus was always with those who were often the target of hatred and persecution."

Cuenin, who has been a frequent target of criticism by conservatives and the church hierarchy, was given an award at yesterday's service for his outreach to gays and lesbians and was greeted with two sustained standing ovations, before and after he spoke, by a congregation that numbered about 400. Episcopal Bishop M. Thomas Shaw , who delivered the benediction, said, ``it is a special honor to be here with you, Walter Cuenin."

Organizers said they believe Cuenin is the first Catholic priest to preach at the pride service, which claims to be the longest-running such service in the country. In his remarks, which he acknowledged having crafted carefully, his only call for change came when he said, ``we hope for a new beginning."

``Today, as always, we weep inside for the ongoing prejudice that exists," he said. ``We weep for so many religious communities that turn their backs on people who want to be a part. We weep for all who have died."

Cuenin, Catholic chaplain at Brandeis University, is one of the most well known, and controversial, priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, and he has had multiple run-ins with the church hierarchy. In late 2002, Cardinal Bernard F. Law banned all church agencies from holding meetings at Cuenin's parish, Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton; at the time, Cuenin was a leader of a group of priests that ultimately decided to call for Law's resignation over the sexual abuse crisis. Then, in 2005, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley forced Cuenin's resignation from the Newton parish over a disputed allegation that Cuenin had financially mismanaged the church.

During his time as pastor in Newton, Cuenin welcomed a significant minority of gay and lesbian families to Our Lady's. He allowed parishioners to promote participation in Boston's gay pride parade in the parish bulletin, though he never joined them in the march. In 2002, he also submitted a statement to the Legislature opposing a ban on same-sex marriage; a position that put him at odds with the state's Catholic bishops.

The Catholic Church declares homosexual acts to be ``intrinsically disordered," and the church has in recent years led the opposition to same-sex marriage and to adoption by same-sex couples. Cuenin yesterday alluded to, but did not spell out, the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality.

``Without disputing the right of any religious tradition to maintain its views on homosexuality, there can be no doubt that all communities are required, called by God, to make sure that gay people are treated with respect and that their rights are protected," Cuenin said. ``In my own tradition, as a Catholic, the teaching of the church on homosexuality is clear. But what is not so clear is the mandate of the church to reach out and welcome all gay people into the churches of this land."

Archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon declined yesterday to comment, saying he had not seen Cuenin's remarks.

After the worship service, many of those at the church marched in the annual gay pride parade through a steady and chilly downpour in the Back Bay and South End. Performers danced under umbrellas atop moving floats, and many of the marchers wore slickers, ponchos, and other raingear as they gamely tossed colored beads to a shivering, soggy crowd of spectators.

As has become common in recent years, a substantial fraction of the marchers were from religious congregations and organizations -- 38 of the 162 delegations registered this year. Most of the congregations were affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, but also signed up to march were delegations representing the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts conference of the United Church of Christ, as well as two Jewish synagogues, a Presbyterian congregation, a Quaker meeting, two pagan organizations, and several others. The only Catholic organization registered was Dignity/Boston, an association of gay Catholics who are not allowed to gather on Catholic Church property.

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com. Globe correspondent Emma G. Fitzsimmons contributed to this report.