Cardinal Sarah: Bishops, priests cannot shy away from ‘hard sayings’ on homosexuality
Cardinal Sarah, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments , issues both a stunning admonishment and an impassioned plea to his fellow bishops and priests in his foreward to Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay . He first delivers a strong rebuke calling attention to the fact that the Church teaches “ ... things in the Catechism about homosexuality that some members of the clergy choose not to quote, including the clear warning: ‘under no circumstances can [homosexual acts] be approved’ (CCC 2357). The respect and sensitivity to which the Catechism rightly calls us does not give us permission to deprive men and women who experience SSA (same-sex attraction) of the fullness of the Gospel. To omit the ‘hard sayings’ of Christ and his Church is not charity.” His warning about withholding the Gospel from those who deal with SSA comes at a critical moment in the life of the Church with the publication of Fr. James Martin’s new pro- L