Cardinal Robert Sarah is a prominent Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church, renowned for his conservative theological views and influential positions within the Vatican hierarchy.
He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.
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Robert Sarah was made an Archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI.
He was named the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Francis in 2014.
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Early Life and Education
He was born on June 15, 1945, in Ourous, Guinea, to parents who were converts to Christianity from animism.
After completing middle school, he was obliged to leave home to continue his studies at the minor seminary in Bingerville, Ivory Coast.
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Following Guinea’s independence in 1958, he returned home, completed his studies, and was ordained a priest on July 20, 1969, in Conakry.
Robert was ordained a priest on 20 July 1969 in Conakry.
After his ordination, he earned a licentiate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a licentiate in Scripture at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem.
He speaks French, Italian and English fluently.
Robert Sarah Priesthood Journey
After the completion of his studies, he was nominated rector of the minor seminary of Kindia and served as parish priest in Bokè, Katace, Koundara, and Ourous.
Additionally, on 13 August 1979, he was appointed Archbishop of Conakry at the age of 34, making him the youngest bishop in the world, and was popularly known as the baby bishop by John Paul II.
He was consecrated on 8 December 1979.
Additionally, in 2001, he was brought to Rome, where he became Secretary, second in command of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, a department dealing mainly with developing countries.
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In addition, in 2010, he was appointed the first cardinal in the history of the Church of Guinea.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him president of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” in October 2010.
Moreover, on 23 November 2014, he was nominated Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
He was Prefect of the Congregation until 20 February 2021.
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His Stand on Major Issues
In 2020, Cardinal Sarah published a book firmly asserting that priestly celibacy must remain untouched and non-negotiable.
Further, during the time of his book’s release coincided with a critical moment when Pope Francis was deliberating on the contentious issue of clerical celibacy, particularly in the context of proposals to allow married priests in remote regions like the Amazon.
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