Cardinal Dolan applauds football player for ‘coming out’, but didn’t back homosexuality: diocese
NEW YORK CITY, March 10, 2014 – The Archdiocese of New York has told LifeSiteNews that Cardinal Timothy Dolan's decision to congratulate a homosexual football player for coming out of the closet did not mean the cardinal “was unconcerned about Church teaching on homosexual activity.” During an interview Sunday on NBC's " Meet the Press " focusing on the "Francis effect" in the Church, host David Gregory asked the cardinal about the decision of Michael Sam, a 24-year-old senior at the University of Missouri and defensive end, to announce that he is a homosexual. “Good for him,” Cardinal Dolan replied. “I would have no sense of judgment on him. God bless ya.” He added that “the same Bible that tells us, that teaches us about the virtues of chastity and the virtue of fidelity and marriage also tells us not to judge people. So, I would say, ‘Bravo.'” The cardinal's reaction was more exuberant than that of Michael Sam Sr., the player