A Chicago priest, on Jan. 31, publicly came out in the pages of the Washington Post. The priest, Michael Shanahan, is listedas pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, according to reports.
The Post article discussed priests living closeted lives. According to reporter Michelle Boorstein, Shanahan initially wanted to remain anonymous, but knew that coming out might have a meaningful impact on LGBT people or their family members. His name is revealed in the final sentence of the article.
Archbishop Blase Cupich, on Feb. 1, released a statement that said, "We support all our priests as they live out the promises they made on the day of their ordination."
The Chicago Archdiocese has been embroiled in legal disputes with employees dismissed after marrying a same-sex partner. Shanahan described conflicting feelings about those matters.
"I have a problem with Monday-morning quarterbacking," he said. "There's always stuff you don't know about why people are fired ...But where do you draw the line? There are all kinds of folks not in line on morality stuff."
Chris Pett, a spokesman for the LGBT Catholic organization Dignity/Chicago, said Shanahan's coming-out "is a very positive kind of sign," since it's an instance "when an individual recognizes that, as a committed celibate priest, he's able to express his identity and feel that that's [both] a point of freedom for him and an opportunity to maybe put a face on our community ...so people understand that you can be who you are, and that you can be faithful to your community, gospel and ministry, and live with a level of integrity."
Pett added, "I'm hoping he has the support of his community and his parish, and the rest of the Archdiocese."
Washington Post's article is at wapo.st/1POvHZJ .