Worshippers walk out after Irish priest says same sex relationships are 'mortal sin' and transgenderism is 'lunacy'
3 November 2022, 12:47 | Updated: 3 November 2022, 13:18
An Irish priest has been branded hateful after delivering a mass which branded same sex relationships as a 'mortal sin' and spoke of the 'lunacy of transgenderism.'
More than 30 parishoners walked out of the service after Kerry priest Fr. Sean Sheehy spoke. He has now been banned from saying mass as a result.
Fr. Sheehy preached that gay couples were sinful, and condemned the government for providing free contraception, claiming it "promoted promiscuity". In a video of Fr. Sheehy's service, he also criticised abortion and the trans community.
“What is so sad today is you rarely hear about sin but it’s rampant. It’s rampant,” Fr Sheehy claims.
“We see it in the promotion of abortion.
“We see it in the example of this lunatic approach of transgenderism.
“We see it, for example, in the promotion of sex between two men or two women. That is sinful, that is mortal sin and people don’t seem to realise it, but it’s a fact, it’s a reality.”
To those who left the mass, Fr. Sheehy responded by saying “There are people who won’t like what I’m saying, but the day you die you’ll find out what I’m saying is what God is saying…Those of you who happen to be leaving today, God help you."
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Irish Catholic priest in Kerry makes anti-LGBT and anti-abortion remarks in sermon
Bishop of Kerry, Bishop Browne apologised to "all those who were offended". Stating that the views of Fr. Sheehy "do not represent the Christian position", emphasising that the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is a Gospel of love.
Speaking to a local radio station in Kerry on Tuesday afternoon Fr. Sheehy said that the bishop had taken him "off all masses". He added that he believed the bishop was "muzzling the truth in order to appease people".
Fr. Sheehy previously gained notoriety in 2009, after queuing to shake hands with convicted sex offended Danny Foley. Foley was convicted of sexual assault, after being caught behind a skip, crouching over a semi-conscious woman covered in cuts and bruises.
Fr. Sheehy stood as a character witness for Foley and said "I just wanted to support him, just let him know he was not alone". The priest later denounced Foley's 7-year sentence as "extremely harsh" and claimed Foley was a victim of a "miscarriage of justice", stating that his only crime was engaging in a sexual act outside of marriage.
