After living together for seven years in a seemingly accepting community
in New York City, Edward DeBonis and Vincent Maniscalco decide to get
married. But unlike many other gay couples who formalize their relationship
in a domestic union, Vincent and Edward, both devout Catholics, will settle
for nothing short of the "Holy Sacrament of Marriage."
Determined to celebrate their relationship on their terms, the couple
presses on with the preparations. Several months of elaborate planning
begin. From dance lessons to bachelor parties, floral bouquets to custom-made
cake decorations, no detail is overlooked.
However, their efforts and search to find a Catholic Church where they
can perform the ceremony are to no avail.
For Edward, who grew up as an altar boy, and Vincent, who was baptized
at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Little Italy and who attends Sunday
Mass regularly, getting married outside the Catholic tradition is not
an option. The couple books St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan,
converts it to suit a Catholic mass and invites Rev. Raymond Lefebvre,
a gay Catholic priest, to perform the ceremony.
But the real complications are yet to come.
Invitations to the wedding provoke previously supportive family members
to voice their true feelings. Fears of going to hell for receiving communion
from a gay priest and the possibility of being kicked out of their local
church for participating in the ceremony rise to the surface as the wedding
day approaches.
The couple’s request to The New York Times to announce their wedding
in the weekly "Styles" section throws the newspaper into disarray.
Publishing the first Catholic gay wedding announcement presents the editors
with numerous controversial questions: Is a gay priest a real priest?
Can a gay union be called a wedding? Can a gay couple be considered Catholic?
As America stands on the verge of legal acceptance of gay and lesbian
unions, "Saints and Sinners" explores the social, political
and religious aspects of same-sex marriage and examines its effect on
American society.
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"...this is a winning look at two charming individuals!"
—
New York Magazine
"...a straightforward and earnest documentary that weighs in with
intelligent insights on the recent controversy over gay and lesbian unions.”
—
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
"Five stars! One of the most effective, intelligent, mature and
romantic love stories to come across the screen recently is, of all things,
a documentary!"
—
Film Threat
