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“This was coming from a man, a priest out of my home Parish that I have always felt very loved and welcomed in," said Connor Hakes. "All of the sudden I felt very ostracized.”
An Indiana man has been barred from singing at his grandmother's funeral at St. Mary's of the Assumption Catholic Church in Decatur due to a priest's suspicion that he was leading a "gay lifestyle."
The controversy stemmed from a photo of the man, Connor Hakes, at a Pride festival with friends. Upon seeing this photo, Father Bob J. Lengerich wrote a letter to Hakes-which he immediately shared on social media.
The letter details the Catholic Church's stance against, "divorced or remarried (with the benefit of a declaration of annulity), have openly supported abortion rights and are openly participating in unchaste same-sex relationships."
The letter also refers to Hakes' open support for LGBT people a "scandal" and goes on to tell Hakes that he is, "welcome to honour your Grandmother with a special tribute in song as long as it is outside of the Mass and outside of the Church, perhaps at the Funeral Home or Parish Hall during the viewing, at the cemetery after the committal and/or even at the luncheon."
Hakes spoke with Indiana's News Channel 15, and said the following: "This was coming from a man, a priest out of my home Parish that I have always felt very loved and welcomed in. All of the sudden I felt very ostracized."
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