VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Reaffirming their constancy to the pope and the Gospel, Catholic bishops in Africa have launched a standard response to a latest Vatican declaration, saying they “typically want” to not supply blessings to same-sex {couples}.
The episcopal conferences throughout Africa “consider that the extra-liturgical blessings proposed within the declaration ‘Fiducia supplicans’ can’t be carried out in Africa with out exposing themselves to scandals,” mentioned the assertion launched Jan. 11.
“We, the African bishops, don’t think about it acceptable for Africa to bless gay unions or same-sex {couples} as a result of, in our context, this could trigger confusion and could be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities,” it mentioned.
Whereas recognizing the declaration, “Fiducia Supplicans” (”Supplicating Belief”) on “the pastoral that means of blessings,” doesn’t change church instructing about human sexuality and marriage, the assertion mentioned, the language it makes use of “stays too delicate for easy folks to grasp.”
“Moreover, it stays very tough to be convincing that individuals of the identical intercourse who dwell in a steady union don’t declare legitimacy of their very own standing. We, African bishops, insist on the decision for the conversion of all,” it mentioned.
The episcopal conferences throughout Africa “consider that the extra-liturgical blessings proposed within the declaration ‘Fiducia supplicans’ can’t be carried out in Africa with out exposing themselves to scandals.”
The message, titled “No blessing for gay {couples} within the African church buildings,” was signed by Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, or SECAM, and a member of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals.
The assertion was addressed to all “brothers and sisters within the Lord” and represented a synthesis of responses from the African bishops’ conferences to “Fiducia Supplicans,” signed by Pope Francis and printed by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Religion Dec. 18, 2023. The SECAM assertion “acquired the settlement” of Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the dicastery, it mentioned, and presents a consolidated abstract of the positions adopted by the completely different nationwide and inter-territorial bishops’ conferences throughout Africa in response to the Dec. 18 declaration.
The Vatican declaration firmly maintains church instructing that marriage is simply a life-long union between a person and a girl, nevertheless it permits monks in sure circumstances to present very temporary, casual, non-sacramental, non-liturgical blessings to “{couples} in irregular conditions and same-sex {couples} with out formally validating their standing or altering in any method the Church’s perennial instructing on marriage.”
“Throughout the church household of God in Africa,” the SECAM assertion mentioned, “this declaration has brought about a shockwave, it has sown misconceptions and unrest within the minds of many lay devoted, consecrated individuals and even pastors and has aroused sturdy reactions.”
Cardinal Fernández famous the sturdy opposition to the declaration in Africa in an interview Dec. 25 and mentioned the bishops there have been elevating a priority about “the inappropriateness of performing blessings that would simply be confused with a legitimization of an irregular union of their regional contexts.”
A number of African nations have legal guidelines that “penalize with imprisonment the mere reality of declaring oneself homosexual,” so it might be tough to think about a priest in these international locations giving a homosexual couple a blessing, he had instructed the Spanish newspaper ABC, and “it’s as much as every native bishop to make this discernment in his diocese or in any case to present additional steerage.”
The SECAM assertion repeatedly reaffirmed the bishops’ communion with and “unwavering attachment” and constancy to the pope and the Phrase of God.
It mentioned the bishops acknowledged the declaration doesn’t change church instructing, that it explicitly excludes the popularity of gay marriage and that it deems any ceremony or prayer that would blur the correct definition of marriage to be unacceptable.
But it surely additionally famous the Vatican declaration “affords the opportunity of these blessings however doesn’t impose them” and that some international locations want to take extra time to replicate on the declaration.
The Vatican doctrinal workplace mentioned in a follow-up assertion Jan. 4 that bishops could take a cautious method to the Vatican’s steerage on blessing same-sex or different single {couples}, however they need to not deny their monks the opportunity of discerning and imparting blessings on individuals who ask for them, as some bishops had forbidden monks of their diocese from imparting the pastoral blessings.
The Vatican workplace had mentioned some communities will need to wait till extra time is offered for examine and for catechesis and “prudence and a focus to the ecclesial context and to the native tradition might permit for various strategies of software.”
The SECAM assertion mentioned bishops in Africa “will proceed to replicate on the worth of the final theme of this doc, aside from simply blessing for {couples} in an irregular state of affairs, that’s to say, on the richness of spontaneous blessings in on a regular basis pastoral care.”
The bishops’ conferences in Africa reaffirm their dedication to proceed to supply pastoral help to all its members, particularly to {couples} in irregular conditions, they usually emphasised that “folks with a gay tendency should be handled with respect and dignity, whereas reminding them that unions of the same-sex are opposite to the need of God and due to this fact can’t obtain the blessing of the church.”
The bishops’ conferences “common want—every bishop remaining free in his diocese—to not supply blessings to same-sex {couples},” it mentioned.
Cardinal Ambongo referred to as on “Christian communities to not permit themselves to be shaken. His Holiness Pope Francis, fiercely against any type of cultural colonization in Africa, blesses the African folks with all his coronary heart and encourages them to stay devoted, as at all times, to the protection of Christian values.”
