Father Michael Hughes, the pastor at St. Gertrude’s Parish in Oshawa (Ontario), has apologized for permitting the distribution of a flyer in the parish bulletin.
A local media report described the flyer as “anti-2SLGBTQ+”; it called for the removal of gay pride flags from Catholic schools and said that the pride flag “normalizes demonic behavior.”
“I recognize that much of the content was inappropriate and offensive and caused hurt and distress starting in our own parish family and reverberating out into the wider community,” said Father Hughes. “I should not have allowed it to have been circulated. I sincerely apologize for my actions.”
“While the insert in question was not created by the parish, the pastor had allowed for it to be distributed,” the Archdiocese of Toronto added. “We have reached out to the pastor and he highly regrets permitting this to be circulated and is preparing to apologize unequivocally to the congregation at all Masses on Sunday.”