Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin blasts priest’s anti-gay and transgender pulpit rant as ‘wrong’, ‘hurtful’ and ‘not the language of Christianity’ amid backlash 

• Fr Seán Sheehy gay and same-sex marriage supporting politicians will go to hell
• The priest also condemned abortion and supplying condoms to teenagers
• Micheál Martin said the Priest used language of exclusion rather than inclusion
• The retired priest doubled down on his claims, saying that it was the truth

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has described anti-gay and transgender comments made by a Kerry priest as ‘wrong’, ‘hurtful’ and ‘not the language of Christianity’.

Mr Martin is the latest in a string of Government politicians and members of the clergy to denounce the claim by Fr Seán Sheehy that gay politicians and those who support same-sex marriage will go to hell if they ‘don’t repent on sin and seek forgiveness’.

Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne has also apologised for Fr Sheehy’s Sunday homilies in Listowel that condemned transgenderism, abortion, same-sex couples, and supplying condoms to teenagers.

The Taoiseach said: ‘Those remarks were wrong, very disturbing, pretty hurtful to people generally, and in the LGBTQI community.’

Mr Martin is the latest in a string of Government politicians to denounce the claim by Father Seán Sheehy that gay politicians and those who support same-sex marriage will go to hell

He continued: ‘In my view the language used was not the language of Christianity, and certainly would seem to me to be the language of exclusion as opposed to inclusion. 

‘I think many people were taken aback by that.’

A spokesman for the openly gay Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said earlier this week that he ‘profoundly disagrees’ with Fr Sheehy’s views but ‘respects his right to express his religious beliefs freely’.

‘The Tánaiste does not believe that gay people will go to hell for being who they are, nor does he believe that any man or woman can make such a judgment,’ the spokesman said.

‘As Pope Francis said, “Who are we to judge?”’

Last Sunday, Fr Sheehy – deputising for Listowel parish priest Fr Declan O’Connell, who is on a pilgrimage – declared in his homily: ‘You rarely hear about sin, but it’s rampant, it’s rampant. 

Father Sheehy (pictured) condemned transgenderism, abortion, same-sex couples, and supplying condoms to teenagers

‘We see it in the legislation of our Government. 

‘We see it in the promotion of abortion. We see it for example in this lunatic approach to transgenderism.

‘We see it, for example, in the promotion of sex between two men and two women. That is sinful. That is a mortal sin and people don’t seem to realise it.

‘It’s a fact, a reality, and we need to listen to God about it because if we don’t, then there is no hope for those people.’

He later insisted that he stood by his remarks, explaining: ‘I do, because it is based on the scriptures and the teaching of the Church.’

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Bishop of Kerry said: ‘I am aware of the deep upset and hurt caused by the contents of the homilies in question delivered over the weekend.

‘I apologise to all who were offended. The views expressed do not represent the Christian position. The homily at a regular weekend parish Mass is not appropriate for such issues to be spoken of in such terms.’

Fr Sheehy appears to be aware of the storm of controversy his comments provoked, saying in church earlier this week that what he had said in the sermons was the truth.

It was reported that he got a round of applause from some church-goers, but that not everyone joined in.

Fr Sheehy is a retired priest, who spent most of his working life in the United States, returning to his native Co. Kerry in 2007 from his final post in Louisiana.

He was one of two priests assigned to Kerry parishes on a loan basis from their US dioceses, due to the chronic shortage of priests in Ireland.

Less than two years later, he provoked outrage and was forced to resign his post after providing a character reference for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman.

Fr Sheehy described the man as being always respectful of women, and maintained there was ‘not an abusive bone in his body’.

The priest was one of dozens of people who queued to embrace and shake hands with the convicted man before he was sentenced to seven years in jail.

The then Bishop of Kerry, Bill Murphy, issued a statement in which he said he wished to disassociate himself and the diocese from the actions and statements made by Fr Sheehy.

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