Irish priest receives standing ovation from parishioners after revealing he's gay

A serving Catholic priest, Reverend Martin Dolan, on Saturday, January 10 came public as gay during a mass and received a standing ovation from his parishioners.

Reverend Martin Dolan has been a serving Roman Catholic parish in Ireland for 15 years before coming public with his sexual orientation.

Dolan was standing at the pulpit during a Saturday mass at Dublin’s Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra when he began encouraging parishioners to support the legalisation of same-sex marriage when he made the unexpected announcement; “I’m gay myself.”

To the surprise of Revered Martin Dolan, his parishioners gave him a standing ovation according to a report by .

“We are all very proud of Father Martin. Because he has admitted that he is gay doesn't change the person that he was before it,” one of the parishioners told The Irish Sun.

Though the Catholic Church does not formally ban gays from the priesthood, it requires all clergy to take a vow of celibacy.

Catholic leader, Pope Francis has often spoken of the need for the church not to marginalise gay people. "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord? You can't marginalize these people," the pontiff famously addressed the question of homosexuality in the priesthood in 2013.

Ireland is preparing to hold a referendum on legalizing gay marriage in May.