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Bernárd J. Lynch

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The Reverend Dr.
Bernárd J. Lynch
Church Catholic Church
Orders
Ordination 20 December 1971
by Eugene O'Doherty
Personal details
Born 1947 (age 78–79)
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
Denomination Catholicism
Spouse Billy Desmond
(m. 2017)

Bernárd J. Lynch (born 1947) is an Irish Catholic priest and psychotherapist based in London, renowned for his human rights work with HIV/AIDS and with the LGBTQIA community. He is a former member of the Society of African Missions and was ordained in 1971.[1][2]

Lynch is an "out" gay man. In 2006, he became the first Catholic priest in the world to have a civil partnership and married his husband in Ireland in 2017.[3][4]

Biography

Lynch attended the Christian Brothers' School in Ireland and began serving as an altar boy in the local Catholic church when only eight years old.[5] In 1965, Lynch joined the Society of African Missions (SMA).[5]

Lynch was ordained in Ireland in 1971.[5] He has worked for the rights of LGBT people for more than forty years starting with his work in Dignity USA (New York Chapter), the LGBT Catholic group.[6]

In 1982, Lynch founded the first AIDS ministry in New York City with Dignity USA (New York Chapter) as documented in the documentary films AIDS: A PRIEST’S TESTAMENT[7] in 1987 and SOUL SURVIVOR[8] in 1990.[9] Lynch publicly campaigned in support of Mayor Ed Koch's Executive Order 50 in 1984, which compels City contractors not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.[10]

Lynch publicly testified in favour of New York City’s lesbian and gay rights bill that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation in jobs and public accommodations, seeing it through to passage by the New York City Council in 1986.[11]

In 1988, Lynch was indicted for child sex abuse alleged to have occurred at Mount Saint Michael Academy in The Bronx in the mid 1980s. Lynch won total exoneration from Justice Burton Roberts in Bronx Supreme Court.[12][13] As alleged in the documentary film A Priest on Trial, Lynch's support for LGBT rights brought down on him a false prosecution perpetrated by Church and government officials.[14][15] He later moved to London and started a ministry for gay priests. He was expelled from the SMA order in 2012.[3]

Lynch faced a civil lawsuit, filed in 2019, in New York for allegedly sexually abusing another teen student at Mount Saint Michael Academy 40 years ago. The 57-year-old plaintiff, 16 at the time of the alleged abuse, said it occurred in 1978 and 1979.[16][17] In 2021, the lawsuit was dropped.[18][19]

In November 2022, it was announced that the National Library of Ireland has acquired the personal papers from Lynch.[20] The Fr Bernárd Lynch Collection represents the personal and public life of Lynch. Comprising letters, postcards, newspaper clippings, and legal testimonies, the archive spans more than 50 years.[21]

Personal life

In 2006, Lynch reportedly became the first Catholic priest in the world to have a civil partnership, after having his relationship officiated civilly in 1998.[4][22] He civilly married his husband, Billy Desmond, in 2017 in County Clare, Ireland.[23][17]

Honors

Lynch was honoured with the Magnus Hirschfeld Award 1988 for outstanding service to the cause of Irish LGBT civil rights.[24] In 2017, Lynch received a proclamation from the New York City Council honouring his more than 40 years of service to the LGBT and AIDS communities in the city.[25][26] Lynch received Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad for 2019, in the Charitable Works category. The awards recognise the contribution of members of the Irish diaspora in the world.[27] In 2023, Clare County Council hosted a Civic Reception acknowledging the remarkable influence exerted by Bernárd Lynch in his efforts in advocating for equal rights, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.[28] In January 2025, Lynch was given the Freedom of the City of London.[29][30] In February 2026, Lynch was included in Attitude 101 2026, the annual list of influential figures across the global LGBTQ+ community.[31]

Publications

  • Lynch, Bernard (1993). A Priest on Trial. London: Bloomsbury Pub Ltd. ISBN 0-7475-1036-9
  • Lynch, Bernard (1995). "A Land Beyond Tears". In O'Carroll, Ide; Collins, Eoin (ed.). Lesbian and Gay Visions of Ireland: Towards the Twenty-first Century. London: Cassell. pp. 212–20. ISBN 0-304-33227-5
  • Lynch, Bernard (1996). "Religious and Spirituality Conflicts". In Davies, Dominic; Neal, Charles (ed.). Pink Therapy: A Guide for Counsellors and Therapists Working with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Clients. Buckingham: Open University Press. pp. 199–207. ISBN 0-335-19145-2
  • Lynch, Bernard (2003). "Love's Endeavour, Love Expense". In O'Brien, Glen (ed.). Coming Out: Irish Gay Experiences. Dublin: Currach Press. pp. 260–68. ISBN 1-85607-904-X
  • Lynch, Bernard (2012). If It Wasn't Love, Sex Death & God. Winchester: Circle Books. ISBN 978-1-84694-918-0
  • Lynch, Bernard (2022). "An Appreciation of the Life of my Dear Friend, Michael Kelly". In Brown, Andrew (ed.). Into Your Hands: Essays Inspired by Mystic, Prophet, and Activist Michael Bernard Kelly. Melbourne: Clouds of Magellan Press. pp. 125–128. ISBN 978-0-6453531-6-7

Legacy

  • AIDS: A Priest's Testament (1987, Director: Conor McAnally, A Strongbow/ Green Apple Production for Channel Four, UK)[7][32]
  • A Priest On Trial (1990, Director: Conor McAnally, A Green Apple Television Production for Channel Four, UK)[14][15]
  • Soul Survivor (1990, Director: Conor McAnally, A Green Apple Television Production for Channel Four, UK)[8][33]
  • Falsely Accused (2023, Producer / Programme Director: Padraic Flaherty, Clare FM).[34] The documentary won Gold at 2023 New York Festivals Radio Awards.[35][36]

References

  1. Back to citation Bernard J Lynch Christian Alternative Books, John Hunt Publishing.
  2. Back to citation "'Sexuality, like priesthood, is a gift from God. Nobody would choose to be gay'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 "Biography". frbernardlynch. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Deegan, Gordon (27 January 2017). "Catholic priest from Co Clare marries long-time boyfriend". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 "Fr. Bernard Lynch". LGBTQ Religious Archives Network.
  6. Back to citation "New York and The Irish Emigrant: How Bernard Lynch was Silenced by The Church". In Dublin. 29 October 1987; Tivnan, Edward (11 October 1987). "Homosexuals and the Churches". New York Times Magazine; Horowitz, Adam (4 August 2020). "Fr. Bernard Lynch – Archdiocese of New York | Horowitz Law". www.adamhorowitzlaw.com. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  7. Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 "AIDS: A Priest's Testament (1987)". BFI. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  8. Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 "Soul Survivor (1990)". BFI. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  9. Back to citation "New York and The Irish Emigrant: How Bernard Lynch was Silenced by The Church". In Dublin. 29 October 1987.
  10. Back to citation Bird, David (25 June 1984). "Thousands Hold March to Back Homosexuals". The New York Times.
  11. Back to citation Bell, Charles W. (29 January 1986). "Clergy Forms Unit: Gay-Rights Bill Supported". Daily News.
  12. Back to citation Stanford, Peter (8 April 2012). "Father Lynch: 'The Vatican has told them to get rid of me'". The Independent. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  13. Back to citation Crowe, Maire (29 April 1989). "Priest Cleared on Sex Charges". Irish Voice.
  14. Back to citation occurrence 14.0 Back to citation occurrence 14.1 "A Priest on Trial (1990)". BFI. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  15. Back to citation occurrence 15.0 Back to citation occurrence 15.1 "A Priest on Trial (Original)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  16. Back to citation Celebrated LGBT priest Bernard J. Lynch abused Bronx Catholic school according to lawsuit By Priscilla DeGregory, New York Post, 20 November 2019.
  17. Back to citation occurrence 17.0 Back to citation occurrence 17.1 Horowitz, Adam (4 August 2020). "Fr. Bernard Lynch – Archdiocese of New York | Horowitz Law". www.adamhorowitzlaw.com. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  18. Back to citation "Press Release: Complete vindication of Fr Bernárd J. Lynch". www.wearechurchireland.ie. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  19. Back to citation Nally, Liamy Mac (10 September 2021). "Fr Bernárd Lynch - abuse lawsuit dropped". Association Of Catholic Priests. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  20. Back to citation Hunt, Conor (29 November 2022). "National Library acquires papers of HIV/AIDs activist Lynch". RTÉ. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  21. Back to citation "Personal papers of HIV/Aids activist Bernárd Lynch acquired by National Library". The Irish Times. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  22. Back to citation "Fr. Bernard Lynch | Profile". LGBTQ Religious Archive Network. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  23. Back to citation Deegan, Gordon. "Gay priest marries long-term partner in 'beautiful' ceremony in Clare". TheJournal.ie.
  24. Back to citation "Magnus Hirschfeld Awards Honours Supporters of Gay Community". Sunday Tribune. 1988.
  25. Back to citation Hamilton, Andrew (31 January 2017). "Clare's First Gay Marriage". Clare People.
  26. Back to citation Humm, Andy (16 February 2017). "New York Gay, AIDS Pioneer Bernárd Lynch Weds". Gay City News. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  27. Back to citation Hilliard, Mark (21 November 2019). "Higgins: Moral question of how Irish treat immigrants must be a concern | President made comments while speaking at ceremony honouring 12 Irish emigrants". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  28. Back to citation "Civic Reception held to recognise outstanding societal impact of Bernárd Lynch". Clare County Council. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  29. Back to citation Paul, Mark (17 January 2025). "Aids activist Bernárd Lynch now has 'permission to drive sheep over London Bridge' as he receives Freedom of the City". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  30. Back to citation Meskill, Tommy (17 January 2025). "Irish activist Bernárd Lynch receives Freedom of the City of London". RTÉ. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  31. Back to citation Staff, Attitude (13 February 2026). "Attitude 101 2026: Here are the 101 influential figures who made our list". Attitude. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  32. Back to citation "AIDS: A Priest's Testament (Original)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  33. Back to citation "Soul Survivor (Original)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  34. Back to citation ""Falsely Accused" – A Tribute Documentary To Bernárd Lynch". Clare FM. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  35. Back to citation "Winners Gallery: Falsely Accused". New York Festivals. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  36. Back to citation "Clare FM Documentary 'Falsely Accused' Wins Gold At New York Radio Awards". Clare FM. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
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