Priests join Viborg Pride in rainbow T-shirts

A handful of priests from Struer, Viborg and Skive will join the Viborg Pride parade, DR reports. They say they want to celebrate diversity and highlight the rights and conditions of LGBT plus people.

One of the participating priests is Andreas Vinther Jensen from Skive Parish.

“The Church of Denmark has a major responsibility to show that we are a house for everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” he says.

The priests have left their clerical robes at the church and will instead take part in the parade wearing black T-shirts with the word “priest” written in rainbow colours.

Vinther Jensen acknowledges that some people in Denmark may find it provocative that priests are celebrating the LGBT plus community in this way. He says he has already noticed several negative comments on Facebook.

“Of course, you should listen to concerned voices, and I think it is important to engage in dialogue,” he says. “I am not sure that the Facebook comments section is the right place to do that.”

The parade begins at 11am on Saturday at Banegårdspladsen in Viborg. It will then pass through the town to De Frivilliges Hus, where the celebrations will continue. According to Viborg Stifts Folkeblad, organisers expect between 100 and 150 participants.