In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press New York Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan applauded former University of Missouri Tigers standout Michael Sam Sunday for admitting he was gay. If drafted, Sam would be the first openly gay football player in the NFL.
“Good for him,” Dolan told host David Gregory. “I would have no-- no sense of judgment on him. God bless ya. The same bible that tells us that-- that-- teaches us well about the virtues of chastity and-- and the virtue of fidelity and marriage also tells us not to judge people. So I would say, ‘Bravo.’”
In the past Nolan has compared same-sex marriage to incest, denied LGBT Catholics admittance to mass, and insisted LGBT individuals are entitled to friendship, but not marriage.
At a forum on marriage in 2011, Nolan equated New York’s civil same-sex marriage law, to communist dictatorships and argued that it would be “perilous” and “detrimental for the common good.”
Not everyone agrees with Dolan’s recent assessment.
“As a Catholic, I'm not happy about his comments,” Janene Ravet said, a member of St. Mary's Parish in Neillsville, Wisconsin. “I do not think he is saying 'bravo' for being gay, but for having the guts to come out. He prefaces it regarding to what the Bible says about 'chastity.' This means that even though a person is homosexual, they are called to chastity, as it would be a sexual sin to act on it.”
Sam has received national attend for his recent confessions. He recently declined an invitation to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.