‘Philly Jesus’ kicked out of cathedral

FILE PHOTO: The self-proclaimed “Philly Jesus” was kicked out of a cathedral Tuesday during the installation service of a new archbishop.

Credit: Luis Ascui/Getty Images

Credit: Luis Ascui/Getty Images

FILE PHOTO: The self-proclaimed “Philly Jesus” was kicked out of a cathedral Tuesday during the installation service of a new archbishop.

The self-proclaimed “Philly Jesus” was kicked out of a cathedral Tuesday during the installation service of a new archbishop.

Michael Dennis Grant, who said he has attended Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in the past, was escorted off the property in handcuffs after officers told him to leave and he refused during the installation ceremony of Archbishop Nelson Perez, WCAU reported.

"They took me, they dragged my feet," Grant told KYW-TV. "Took my ankles and dragged my hands like military style like I was a terrorist. I was so embarrassed. All I did was sit in front of the Holy Sacrament."

Grant believes he was profiled because of what he was wearing: a white robe.

"There were all these other types of people. I see people with their white robes on. I looked like I was a part of them," he told WCAU.

He was issued a citation for trespassing, WCAU reported.

This is not the first time he has had interacted with officers.

He was previously arrested after a confrontation with police after accepting money for photos in Love Park in 2014, WCAU reported. He was also arrested in 2016 for trespassing at an Apple Store.

"I forgive you for trespassing against me," Grant said in a video. "But Jesus said, 'Hater's gonna hate.' He said that in John chapter 15, verse 18. Jesus said, 'If the world hates you, remember it hated Me first.'"

Grant got clean of a heroin addiction and took on the "Philly Jesus" persona about seven years ago after finding religion during a court-ordered treatment program, WCAU reported.

"Even though I don't identify as any particular denomination in the body of Christ, I am a sincere child of Christ," he told WCAU.

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