Who Is Robert Sarah? Age, Biography and Wiki
Robert Sarah, a prominent Guinean Catholic cardinal, was born on June 15, 1945. As of 2025, he is 79 years old. A revered figure in the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Sarah has made significant contributions to religious leadership and theological discourse. He served as the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2014 to 2021, until his retirement. His works include numerous books, and he is known for his conservative views on various ecclesiastical matters.
Occupation | Activists |
---|---|
Date of Birth | June 15, 1945 |
Age | 80 Years |
Birth Place | Ourous, French Guinea |
Horoscope | Gemini |
Country | Guinea |
Popularity
Robert Sarah's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Cardinal Sarah stands at an impressive height of 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm). Throughout his life, he has maintained a healthy physique, weighing approximately 160 pounds (73 kg). His commitment to personal health and spirituality reflects in his balanced lifestyle and active involvement within his community.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
While Robert Sarah is a respected religious leader, there is little public information regarding his family or relationships. As a cardinal of the Catholic Church, he abides by the vow of celibacy, which prohibits dating or having a romantic partner. Therefore, he does not have a boyfriend or girlfriend and has not been speculated to have any relationships outside of his spiritual community.
Johan Bonny, Bishop of Antwerp, complained that Sarah tried to silence any discussion of the pastoral care of gay Catholics in the discussion group he led at the Synod: "There was no way of discussing it in a peaceful way." Bonny said the Belgian participants found that the growing influence of the Africans prevented the pastoral solutions they fav
oured from getting a hearing.
When Krzysztof Charamsa, a theologian who lost his position at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when he revealed that he was in a homosexual relationship on the eve of the Synod, assessed the Synod's work, he singled out Sarah's language to challenge all the participants: "No one publicly said a word against those defamatory sentences
.
What kind of respect does that show to us all?"
Net Worth and Salary
Robert Sarah's net worth is estimated to be around $1 million to $3 million as of 2025. His earnings primarily come from his role within the Catholic Church, speaking engagements, and the sale of his published works. Despite his modest lifestyle, his influence and standing within the church bolster his overall financial stability.
Career, Business and Investments
Throughout his illustrious career, Cardinal Sarah has held multiple influential positions. He was first appointed as the bishop of Conakry in 1979 and later elevated to cardinal in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. His tenure as Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship positioned him at the forefront of discussing liturgical reforms and the proper conduct of worship services.
In addition to his ecclesiastical roles, Sarah is also an accomplished author. His books, which often tackle spiritual matters and church teachings, have garnered both acclaim and controversy, further solidifying his position as a prominent Catholic figure.
Social Network
While Cardinal Robert Sarah is primarily focused on his spiritual duties, he is known to engage with his followers through various social media platforms. He maintains an active presence on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, where he shares insights, spiritual reflections, and updates on his work. His official accounts boast a following that reflects his significant influence within the Catholic Church and among Christian communities worldwide.
On 1 October 2001, John Paul II named him secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, a post he held for ten years. He used the occasion of his departure from Guinea, when he was awarded the country's highest honour, to condemn the government of Lansana Conté.
He said that Guinean society was "built on the oppression of the insignificant by the powerful, on contempt for the poor and the weak, on the cleverness of poor stewards of the public good, on the bribery and corruption of the administration and the institutions of the republic".
Education
Cardinal Sarah pursued his education at the seminary in Conakry, Guinea, before furthering his theological education in France. He holds advanced degrees in theology and has been influenced by various theological traditions throughout his studies. His educational background has equipped him with the knowledge and insights necessary for his extensive work in the church.
He is a member of the Coniagui ethnic group in northern Guinea. In 1957, at age 12, he entered Saint Augustine Minor Seminary in Bingerville, Ivory Coast, where he studied for three years.
Because in 1960 relations between newly independent Guinea and the Ivory Coast were strained, he continued his studies briefly in Conakry, Guinea, at Saint Mary of Dixinn Seminary run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, until the radical government of Guinea expropriated Church property in August 1961.
After independent study at home, the Church negotiated a place for Sarah and some fellow seminarians at a government-run school in Kindia in March 1962 and then won the right to open a seminary, where Sarah earned his baccalaureate in 1964. In September of that year he was sent to study at the Grand Seminary in Nancy, France.
Again, deteriorating international relations, this time between Guinea and France, forced him to interrupt his studies, and he completed his theological studies in Sébikotane, Senegal, between October 1967 and June 1969.
From 1969 to 1974 he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in theology, except for the year 1971 which he spent at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem, where he obtained a licentiate in Sacred Scriptures.