A high-ranking cardinal in the Vatican hierarchy took an unexpected shot Tuesday morning at the White House’s position on transgender use of bathrooms. The White House, however, would not comment.
Robert Cardinal Sarah, one of the top lieutenants of Pope Francis, surprised the 1,000-plus guests during his remarks at the annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. by entering into the “bathroom battle,” a recent and very heated issue in the U.S.
“Should not a biological man use a man’s bathroom?” asked Cardinal Sarah, who is prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican; declaring, “It is as simple as that.”
Coming days after President Obama issued guidelines regarding transgender use of public school bathrooms, Cardinal Sarah’s remarks drew prolonged applause from the prayer breakfast at Washington’s Marquis Marriott.
At the regular White House press briefing later on Tuesday, I read the cardinal’s remarks to Press Secretary Josh Earnest and asked for a response from the Administration.
“I haven’t seen his comments,” replied the President’s top spokesman.
Spokesmen for both the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington also said they had no comment on Cardinal Sarah’s comments on the bathroom issue.
Born in Guinea, Cardinal Sarah was nicknamed “the baby bishop” by Pope John Paul II in 1979 when he appointed him archbishop in his home country at age 34. Now 70, Cardinal Sarah oversees his church’s liturgy in celebration of Mass and has been mentioned as a possible successor to Pope Francis.
In his address to the prayer breakfast, Cardinal Sarah also warned that “the battle for the soul of America is spiritual” and admonished listeners to “be prophetic, be faithful, and pray.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
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