Cathal BarryA Dominican priest accused of preaching a “vitriolic” sermon against gay people has apologised for any “pain and upset” he may have caused.
Fr Terence Crotty, OP of St Saviour’s Dominican Priory in Dublin admitted he “deeply regrets” that a homily in which he described gay people as “intrinsically disordered” had caused “pain and upset”.
A Dominican spokesperson told The Irish Catholic that “it was never his intention to cause hurt or offence”.
Patrick Donovan, a gay member of the congregation, had written a letter of complaint to Dominican Provincial Fr Gregory Carroll about the sermon, which he claimed was a “vitriolic rant”.
Mr O’Donovan said he was “deeply offended” by the homily, alleging that Fr Crotty had described gay people as “by their very nature intrinsically disordered”.
He also claimed that the priest had said gay people “have very little purpose” in God’s “greater plan” and that there was “no such thing as a homosexual gene”.
The sermon was read at Mass at the end of June on the same weekend as the Dublin Pride Parade in the priory on Dublin’s Dorset Street.
Responding to the complaints in a letter seen by this newspaper, Provincial Fr Carroll praised Mr O’Donovan for his “courage” and said he was “saddened to read of the hurt and pain” that the homily had caused.
Fr Carroll revealed that he had met with Fr Crotty and suggested a meeting could take place between both parties.
It is understood that Fr Crotty had referenced the Catechism of the Catholic Church during his homily.
The Church’s key teaching document states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered”.
However, the document says that gay people “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity”.
“Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” the Catechism states.