Some canonized saints ‘were probably gay,’ said the Vatican’s pro-LGBTI PR consultant in a 6 May Facebook comment.

Father James Martin made the statement after posting a link to a prayer service at an LGBTI Catholic gathering.

‘Another sign of welcome and building bridges,’ his original post said.

Some Catholic Facebookers did not agree with his view of the event, with one claiming ‘any canonized saints would not be impresssed’ by Martin’s stance.

The Jesuit preacher fired back with a statistically based argument: ‘A certain percentage of humanity is gay, and so were most likely some of the saints.’

‘You may be surprised when you get to heaven to be greeted by LGBT men and women.’

Martin: A fresh voice for Catholicism

The Vatican made waves when it appointed Martin to consult for their PR department.

That’s because the New Yorker and magazine editor-at-large preaches a more inclusive message than what one might expect from the Catholic church.

Case in point: Martin took to Twitter to voice his opinion on President Trump’s revocation of federal guidelines for protecting trans students in schools.

He said, ‘Trans students endure so many indignities already. They should be able to use whatever bathrooms they choose. It doesn’t hurt anybody.

‘It saddens me that a trans student cannot choose what bathrooms to use. A basic need. It’s an affront to their dignity as human beings.’

Another priest questioned Martin’s Catholic credentials after seeing the tweet, but the PR consultant had the perfect response.

‘I’m an actual Catholic priest in good standing who stands with the marginalized,’ he said. ‘Some charity is in order here.’

Gay saints have a history

Martin isn’t alone in his belief that some Catholic icons were also members of the LGBTI community — Gay Star News has covered this topic before.

Joan of Arc supposedly enjoyed sharing her bed with other young women.

Saint Francis of Assisi’s biography, written by a close friend in 1230, says ‘there was a man whom Francis loved more than any other.

‘He would often take this friend off to secluded spots where they could discuss private matters and tell him that he had chanced upon a great and precious treasure. There was a cave near Assisi where the two friends often went to talk about this treasure.’

And earliest records of Saints Sergius and Bacchus refer to the two Roman soldiers as ‘erastai,’ the Greek word for ‘lovers.’

Even if all of these stories are untrue, the church has about 10,000 saints, so Martin has a point: some are bound to have been LBGTI.