SPAIN'S first-ever openly-gay priest has died at the age of just 55, according to his family.
Father José Mantero, based in Valverde del Camino in the far south-western province of Huelva, bravely defied the conventions of the Catholic Church and jeopardised his entire career when, in January 2002, he announced he was homosexual.
A time when being open about one's homosexuality was a risk in any walk of life even in the western world, José Mantero graced the front pages of newspapers all over the country, where he was quoted as giving thanks to God that he was gay.
The result of this was that the Diocese of Huelva suspended him from the priesthood.
Since then, Father José broke off his ecclesiastical activity and became very critical of the Church as an institution – as seen in his blog, The Gospel According to Saint Mantero – even though he never lost his faith and remained devoutly Christian.
His last-ever blog post was on July 11 this year, titled Our Sex, which art in heaven.
José's family has not revealed the cause of his death at such a young age.
His popularity, among atheists and Christians alike, was never in any doubt – scores of residents in Valverde del Camino have visited the family and the crematorium since hearing of Mantero's death.
