According to a flier advertising the event, it was organized by Catholics for Change in Our Church (CCOC) in conjunction with various other groups including Pittsburgh parish LGBTQ ministries at St. Mary Magdalene and St. Joseph the Worker churches.
After word broke of the planned Pride Mass, a significant backlash erupted, culminating in Zubik’s letter, which was sent to priests, deacons, and seminarians of the diocese.
In his letter, Zubik stated that “neither I, as bishop of the diocese, nor President Ken Gormley of Duquesne University knew anything about the Mass until calls came in to our respective offices.”
“Many of the responses to the flier jumped to the conclusion that I gave approval to this event. I did not,” Zubik wrote.
“What we have learned is that independent sponsors, without the authorization of the pastors of the parishes listed, promoted the event with a flier that confused some and enraged others.”
Though distancing himself from the event, Zubik decried “many of the responses” to the Pride Mass as “threatening” and “not in keeping with Christian charity.”