While some may disagree with the style and timing of Father Sheehy's controversial homily on sin, Bishop Raymond Browne's claim that ‘the views expressed do not represent the Christian position’ should raise eyebrows.
On the issue of gender theory and Transgenderism, Pope Francis has been unequivocal, comparing it to nuclear weapons.
"Let's think of the nuclear arms, of the possibility to annihilate in a few instants a very high number of human beings. Let's think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or of the gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation”.
In 2016, Pope Francis criticised Gender Dysphoria as ‘ideological colonisation’ and called it a sin against the Creator God.
“In Europe, in America, in Latin America, in Africa, in certain Asian countries, there are true ideological colonizations. And one of them – I say it clearly with ''surname and first name'' – is gender! Today, at school, children – children – are taught this: that everyone can choose their sex. And why do we teach this? Because the books are those of the people and institutions that give you the money. These are ideological colonizations, also supported by very influential countries. And that is terrible! Speaking with Pope Benedict - who is well and has a clear mind - he said to me: “Holiness, it is the time of sin against God the Creator!”. Clever! God created man and woman; God created the world this way, this way, this way…, and we are doing the opposite. God gave us an “uncultivated” state, so that we could make it culture; but then, through this cultivation, we do things that bring us back to the “uneducated” state! What Pope Benedict said, we must think about: “It is the time of sin against Creator God!” And that will help us.”
In 2018, on the flight from Dublin to Rome, Pope Francis suggested psychiatric help for homosexual young people and referred to it as ‘an error of fatherhood and motherhood’ to ignore these tendencies.
"I would say first of all pray, not to condemn, to dialogue, to understand, to give space to the son or the daughter.
When it shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years. Ignoring a son or daughter who has homosexual tendencies is an error of fatherhood or motherhood”.
In 2010, as a vote on same sex marriage approached in Argentina, he wrote:
“In the coming weeks, the Argentine people will face a situation whose outcome can seriously harm the family ... At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God.
At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts. Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God's plan. It is not just a bill but a "move" of the father of lies who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God”.
He has also criticised the contraceptive mentality which Father Sheehy mentioned:
"The family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life."
In March 2021, he said that ‘God cannot bless sin’ as he ruled out blessings for same sex couples.
While Bishop Browne may well have been within his rights to object to the tone or timing of the homily, it seems odd for him to disown words that echo both the pope and the Cathechism.
Likewise, after the attack on young priests by the Synod Steering Committee in recent months, it seems remarkable that as with the Synod on a whole, those who walk out or never attend in the first place get to dictate the decisions of the bishop.
Perhaps in Ireland’s restructuring of its dioceses over the coming years they should cut out the middle man and just appoint one at each of RTE, Newstalk and the Irish Times, because they seem to be the ones really in charge of the church.