First, welcome to the forum : )
I did not hear your Priest’s homily. Was he saying that individuals with same-sex attraction are a cancer or the push to normalize it is evil?
I define evil as something that is not of God or contrary to natural law.
When Pope Francis says, “who am I to judge” it is coming from his Jesuit spirituality, which emphasizes Christ’s mercy and tends to negate Jesus’ follow-up, which is, “go and sin no more.”
In Luke 6:36-37, Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
What God has revealed to me this past Advent, is that humility and shame are two different sides (responses) to the same problem (sin). Both of these are a response to an acknowledgement of sin. If one does not acknowledge sin in their life, then they might feel free from shame, but become puffed-up with ego (or pride), which is the opposite of humility.
If you continue reading Luke’s Gospel, verse 39 says, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” This is referring, namely, to someone who judges another, but does not acknowledge his own sins. Whether this is someone who judges those with same-sex attractions, but does not recognize “the wooden beam in [his] own eye” (verse 42) or someone with same-sex attraction who does not recognize his behavior as sinful and judges someone else for their sin. It works both ways.
Is same-sex attraction a sin? No. Is it disordered? Yes. Is acting on the attraction (i.e. engaging same-sex behavior) a sin? Yes, just as acting on disordered thoughts of other types is a sin.
Humility is acknowledging our sin(s) and turning towards God. Shame is when we acknowledge our sin(s) and turn away from God. And not recognizing our sin(s) is saying that we are “superior to [God]” (verse 40).
And God’s ultimate response to our sin is His Son, Jesus. Love incarnate.
I hope this makes sense. I do not think your contacting your Priest privately is out of order (refer to Matthew 18:15). It might allow him to clarify or expand upon what he was trying to convey. As long as we respond charitably, then we are not doing anything wrong.
I confess that there have been times when I disagree with how our current Pontiff conveys the Church’s teachings. There have been times when I have responded uncharitably (which is sinful and I have brought this to our Lord in Reconciliation). If Pope Francis were more accessible, it would have been ideal for me to address my concerns directly with Pope Francis, but I don’t know if you know this; he is a busy man.
Sometimes I think he is humble to a fault, while other times I think he is puffed-up with ego, but who am I to judge. We will all have to answer to God for “what we have done and what we have failed to do…” We Pray these contrite words in humility during the Sacred Liturgy.
Pray for your Priest. Pray for me. And I will Pray for you both. Thank you for being a part of this community.