'Sin is rampant': Priest's rant about LGBTQ community and abortion forces bishop to apologize
KERRY, IRELAND: An Irish priest has kicked up a storm by voicing his ultra-conservative views in a recent sermon. Fr Seán Sheehy from Kerry, Ireland, on Sunday, October 30, reportedly made disparaging comments about the LGBTQ community and called abortion a sin. At St Mary's Church in Kerry town, he apparently said, “You rarely hear about sin but it’s rampant. It’s rampant. We see it for example in the legislation."
Sheehy also went on to state, “We see it in the promotion of abortion, we see it and in the example of this lunatic approach of transgenderism and in the promotion of sex between two men and two women. That is sinful. That is a mortal sin.”
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As per reports, nearly 30 people attending the service left the church after Sheehy began his delivery in which he also shared, “Those of you who happen to be leaving today, God help you is all I have to say. God bless you who are here and worshiping God. God bless all of you. God is also telling me and you today, ‘look, you have a responsibility to seek out those who are lost, you have a responsibility to call people to an awareness of the fact - sin is destructive. Sin is detrimental and sin will lead us to Hell.”
“There are people who won’t like to hear what I am saying but the day you die, you will find out what I am saying is not what I invented, it’s not what I came up with. It’s what God is saying and the day you die you will find out that’s the truth. Our prayer for people is that it won’t be too late for people,” he added.
Sheehy’s words sparked a lot of outrage, which forced Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne to issue a statement declaring the clergyman’s words “do not represent the Christian position”. “I am aware of the deep upset and hurt caused by the contents of the homilies in question delivered over the weekend. I apologize to all who were offended. The views expressed do not represent the Christian position,” Browne wrote on the Diocese of Kerry’s website.
He also noted, “The homily at a regular weekend parish Mass is not appropriate for such issues to be spoken of in such terms. I regret that this has occurred while a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land is taking place. The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a Gospel of love and ever proclaims the dignity of every human person. It calls on us all to ever have total respect for one another.”
Browne concluded, “This fundamental Christian teaching was beautifully proclaimed in the Book of Wisdom at Mass last Sunday, and in the second reading, and the Gospel of the Beatitudes at Mass today, November 1st, the Feast of All Saints.”
However, the director of an LGBTQ+ charity, ShoutOut, has slammed the priest. Speaking with The Irish Mirror, Ruadhán Ó Críodáin said, “To us, it’s very disappointing and I think it’s quite frightening for any parishioners who would have been in that Mass. I think it might have come as quite a nasty shock. I think we’ve come a long way in terms of the views that are articulated by many communities of faith by people within the Catholic church … and we’ve come a long way in working to repair the damage that has been done."
“So it was disappointing to hear such harsh comments made about the LGBTQ+ communities, especially towards young people and especially towards Trans people," he added. "It was heartening to see the Bishop stand up and apologize for those comments because he was right in saying they don’t reflect the views of most Christians today.”