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| Styles of Robert Sarah | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Robert Sarah (French: [ʁɔbɛʁ saʁa]; born 15 June 1945) is a Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 20 November 2010, he was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 February 2021, and is currently a Cardinal. Sarah previously served as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples under Pope John Paul II and president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum under Pope Benedict XVI.
Sarah has been a vocal advocate for the defense of traditional Catholic teaching on questions of sexual morality and the right to life, and in denouncing Islamic radicalism. He has called gender ideology and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) the "two radicalizations" that threaten the family, the former through divorce, same-sex marriage, and abortion, and the latter with child marriage, polygamy, and the subjugation of women.[2][3]
Sarah has been described as largely sympathetic to liturgical practices prior to the Second Vatican Council but also proposed that partisans of different liturgies learn from each other and seek a middle ground. In 2016, Sarah called for priests to face the same direction as the congregation while celebrating Mass (ad orientem), although facing the congregation had become the prevailing practice since the Second Vatican Council. His advice was seen by some as a direct challenge to Pope Francis, a claim that Sarah rejected.[4][5][6][7]
An advocate of traditional Catholic marriage doctrine in opposition to same-sex marriage, Sarah has denounced "Western homosexual and abortion ideologies", suggesting that both are of "demonic origin", and he has compared them to Nazism and Islamic terrorism.[citation needed] Sarah has been mentioned as papabile, a possible candidate for the papacy, by international media outlets such as Le Monde and by Catholic publications including Crux and the Catholic Herald.
- ^ 2 Corinthians 12:9
- ^ Pentin, Edward (12 October 2015). "Cardinal Sarah: ISIS and Gender Ideology Are Like 'Apocalyptic Beasts'". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; Goodstein, Laurie (25 November 2015). "A More Conservative Catholic Church Awaits Pope Francis in Africa". New York Times.
- ^ San Martín, Inés (6 July 2016). "Cardinal's call for eastward stance at Mass stirs debate". Crux. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- ^ "Hearts, minds and souls". The Economist. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Cardinal Sarah: Let's end the 'hateful divisions' and 'public humiliation' over liturgy". Catholic Herald. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ Pollitt, Russell (24 November 2016). "A Church Divided: Cardinals challenge the Pope". Daily Maverick (South Africa). Retrieved 1 August 2017.