Dublin priest receives standing ovation after announcing he’s gay

A Catholic priest in Dublin reportedly received a standing ovation during Saturday night Mass after announcing to his church that he’s gay.

Father Martin Dolan, who has served the inner-city Church of St. Nicholas of Myra for the past 15 years, called on his congregation to support same-sex marriage in the upcoming Irish referendum, saying, “I’m gay myself,” IrishCentral reported.

“We are all very proud of Father Martin,” community youth worker Liz O’Connor told The Irish Sun. “Because he has admitted that he is gay, he doesn’t change the person that he was before it.”

A source within the Catholic Church said, “It was very brave. He said he was gay. That was it … no bones about it,” The Sun reported.

“He was just doing his service; it was part of his homily, and that’s it. If he feels strongly about something, Martin just says it,” the source said.

The Catholic Church is still in firm opposition to the same-sex referendum, which will take place in Ireland toward the end of May. Recent polls show that over 70 percent of the Irish are in support of gay marriage.