By Arnold Neliba
ACCRA, JANUARY 12, 2024 (CISA)-Based on a synthesis of the responses of the African Episcopal Conferences on Pope Francis’s declaration Fiducia Supplicans, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has reiterated that the directives cannot be carried out in Africa.
“…we, the African Bishops, do not consider it appropriate for Africa to bless homosexual unions or same-sex couples because, in our context, this would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities,” reads a January 11 statement signed by President of SECAM Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo OFM Cap.
Fiducia Supplicans loosely translated to ‘Supplicating Trust’ is a 2023 declaration on Catholic doctrine that allows Catholic priests to bless couples who are not considered to be married according to church teaching, including same-sex couples. The document was issued on December 18, 2023 by the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis and continues to elicit reactions globally.
According to the African bishops, as voiced in the SECAM statement, the language of Fiducia Supplicans remains “too subtle” for simple people to understand.
“The constant teaching of the Church describes homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered” and contrary to the natural law. These acts, considered as closing the sexual act to the gift of life and not proceeding from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity, must not be approved under any circumstances,” it reads referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Though in communion with the Pope, the arguments of African bishops, he says are “based above all on the word of God. They cite passages which condemn homosexuality, notably Lv 18:22-23 where homosexuality is explicitly prohibited and considered an abomination.”
Also forming the basis of the argument against the document is the cultural context in Africa which he says is “deeply rooted in the values of the natural law regarding marriage and family, further complicates the acceptance of unions of persons of the same sex, as they are seen as contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically corrupt.”
Amidst the global debate, Cardinal Ambongo said that bishops in Africa have reaffirmed their commitment to pastoral care and assistance to its members encouraging the clergy to welcome and provide pastoral care to couples in irregular situations.
“The African Bishops’ Conferences emphasize that people with a homosexual tendency must be treated with respect and dignity, while reminding them that unions of persons of the same-sex are contrary to the will of God and therefore cannot receive the blessing of the Church,” he stressed.
While calling on Christian communities not to be shaken, Cardinal Ambongo in his concluding remarks, he recalled words by Pope Francis who is, “fiercely opposed to any form of cultural colonization in Africa, blesses the African people with all his heart and encourages them to remain faithful, as always, to the defense of Christian values.”
