October 27, 2008 | Sex & Society

When the (gay) saints go marching in

London's LGBT Catholics plan to recognize "those Saints in the Catholic Church calendar who have a special place in LGBT history" at next month's Feast of All Saints. The special Mass will be held at the Soho Catholic church, and is being organized by the Soho Masses Pastoral Council.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus, two Roman soldiers, will be among those honored at the event.

"Recent attention to early Greek manuscripts has revealed that Sergius and Bacchus were openly gay men and that they were erastai, or lovers," the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch in Richmond, Virginia, says. "After their arrest, the two saints were paraded through city streets in women's clothing, treatment that was meant to humiliate them as officers in the Roman army. They were then separated and each was tortured.

"Bacchus died first and appeared that night to Sergius, who was beginning to lose heart. According to the early manuscripts, Bacchus told Sergius to persevere, that the delights of heaven were greater than any suffering, and that part of their reward would be to be re-united in heaven as lovers."

The Soho Masses Pastoral Council was granted permission in early 2007 to hold Masses while offering spiritual support to LGBT Catholics.

Hey, not all churches preach intolerance!