Robert Sarah

Robert Sarah, born on 15 June 1945 in Ourous, Guinea, was ordained a priest in 1969 and became Archbishop of Conakry in 1979, at 34 the youngest bishop in the world at the time. He was later secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (from 2001) and president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum (from 2010), and was made a cardinal on 20 November 2010 (Holy See Press Office; Wikipedia). Pope Francis named him prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 23 November 2014; his tenure ended on 20 February 2021 (Wikipedia).

Liturgy. In 2016 Sarah proposed that priests celebrate Mass ad orientem (facing east), a suggestion reported as not in line with the wishes of Pope Francis (Wikipedia). After Traditionis custodes (2021) he said the Church "cannot declare war" on devotees of the older Mass (National Catholic Register/CNA). Journalist Diane Montagna reported his view that opposition to the traditional Latin Mass will die out with the "'68 generation" (Diane Montagna), and LifeSiteNews reported his reading that Francis wanted the older Mass celebrated "in the spirit of Vatican II" (LifeSiteNews).

The 2020 celibacy book. In January 2020 a book defending priestly celibacy was announced as co-written by Sarah and the retired Benedict XVI. Benedict's secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, said Benedict had not intended to be listed as co-author, and his name was removed as co-author (NCR). The publisher, Ignatius Press, maintained that the book was co-authored (Catholic World Report), and Sarah called claims that Benedict was not a co-author "defamation" of "exceptional gravity" (EWTN News).

Under Leo XIV. In May 2025 Pope Leo XIV named Sarah his special envoy for the celebrations of 25–26 July 2025 marking the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Anne at Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, France (Catholic Herald; EWTN News); an ACI Africa fact-check had earlier judged false a viral video claiming a different appointment (ACI Africa). Leo received him in a private audience on 22 September 2025; the content was not disclosed (Holy See Press Office; Catholic Culture). His writings are also debated by the Francis-supporting site Where Peter Is (Mike Lewis). See Leo XIV and the Latin Mass.