The Bishop of Kerry has apologised for "deep upset and hurt" after a priest there used a sermon to criticise abortion, gay marriage and transgender people.
Fr Seán Sheehy, who was filling in for the regular parish priest, told people gathered in the church on Sunday: "What is so sad today is you rarely hear about sin, but it's rampant.
"We see it, for example, in the legislation of our Governments, 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 and two women: that is sinful, that is mortal sin, and people don't seem to realise it."
The Catholic diocese of Kerry has apologised for "deep upset and hurt caused" by homilies in Listowel over the weekend. The priest critised abortion, gay marriage and transgender people. Bishop Ray Browne said: "The views expressed do not represent the Christian position... https://t.co/Vn5YHbEcGm
— Jack Quann (@jqbilbao) November 1, 2022
The comments resulted in a number parishioners walking out of the church.
One of them was Del O'Sullivan and she told The Hard Shoulder she could not believe it.
"I have never heard the likes of this before... he was preaching about the love and compassion of God," she said.
"Then [he] started to talk about our gay community and our transgender community.
"It took him about 10 minutes to get there, and I decided I had had enough so I got up and I walked out."
'One of them was in tears'
She said a number others followed her out minutes later.
"Three women came out very upset; I asked one of them how she was, she said she wasn't from the parish but she had come for an anniversary mass and she had no idea of what she had to face," she said.
"The other two were much younger women, and they were upset because it was their father's anniversary - they were leaving and one of them was in tears.
Fr Sean Sheehy on the altar of St Mary's Church in Listowel, Co Kerry"I know for a fact that Fr Declan, who is away on a pilgrimage, would not tolerate that kind of thing happening.
"I was very angry myself the way he was speaking, I just felt we had left that all behind us in the 1960s.
"I'm touching 80 years myself, and I have no time for any of that and I wouldn't stand for it."
'How dare he'
Del said she believes Fr Sheehy's views are based on ignorance.
"It was his approach to gay people and transgender people, I imagine he knows very little about them," she said.
"I think anybody who knows any gay people, or transgender [people], sees the love that is there in their relationships - and how dare he call it a mortal sin."
She added: "He was preaching about compassion and love of God, yet he was showing little compassion at all to members of our society.
"I was completely stunned by it, completely stunned."
In response to Fr Sheehy's comments, Bishop Ray Browne said: "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. I regret that this has occurred while a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land is taking place," he added.
Listen back to the full interview below:
