Well, here’s a surprise: It turns out that, when Pope Francis’ progressive agenda meets traditional values, it doesn’t go over so well.
In a fairly unequivocal rejection of the Roman Catholic Church’s recent decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, a body of African bishops rejected the move, saying they “generally prefer” not to offer the extra-liturgical blessings, according to Catholic News Service.
The Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, or SECAM, made the decision public in a Thursday statement from Accra, the capital of Ghana, Voice of America reported.
“The Church’s doctrine on Christian marriage and sexuality remains unchanged,” SECAM’s statement said.
“For this reason, we, the African Bishops, do not consider it appropriate for Africa to bless homosexual unions or same-sex couples.”
The statement was a rejection of “Fiducia Supplicans,” a declaration issued by the Holy See in December. Catholic apologists remain divided over whether the tortuous document officially changes church policy toward same-sex couples or merely clarifies it — although it’s worth noting that mere “clarifications” by the Catholic Church don’t usually involve a lengthy document and a concomitant global media blitz.
However, in Africa — the continent where the Catholic Church is growing most rapidly — “Fiducia Supplicans” was not received with the same welcome that it was in more secular Western cultures.
For instance, as Africa News noted, Catholic bishops in Zambia said the document ought to be cause for reflection but not for implementation, particularly given the country has a law “which forbids same-sex unions and activities.”
The Zambian Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a Jan. 4 statement that when “there are laws that condemn the mere act of declaring oneself as a homosexual with prison and in some cases with torture and even death … a blessing would be imprudent.”
In its own statement a week later, SECAM said that implementation of “Fiducia Supplicans” would cause “confusion” and a “risk of scandal.”
Should the Catholic Church roll back these blessings?
The group also cited the Catholic Church’s own catechism, which defines “scandal” as “an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil.”
“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,” SECAM’s statement read.
“Furthermore, it remains very difficult to be convincing that people of the same sex who live in a stable union do not claim legitimacy of their own status. We, African bishops, insist on the call for the conversion of all.”
And, while the church contends the document doesn’t change any of its teachings regarding same-sex relations and marriage, the bishops said that the tortuous language in which it attempts to accomplish that feat “remains too subtle for simple people to understand.”
“Within the church family of God in Africa,” the statement read, “this declaration has caused a shockwave, it has sown misconceptions and unrest in the minds of many lay faithful, consecrated persons and even pastors and has aroused strong reactions.”
The bishops went on to note that the church in Africa “will continue to reflect on the value of the general theme of this document, apart from just blessing for couples in an irregular situation, that is to say, on the richness of spontaneous blessings in everyday pastoral care.”
The letter was signed by Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of SECAM. Africa News reported he met with Pope Francis prior to the letter to discuss the document and Africa’s response to it.
It’s worth noting that even in the West, “Fiducia Supplicans” has been a controversial document — so much so that conservatives have warned of a schism within the church over it. However, because the LGBT crowd has welcomed it, most of the coverage has been positive.
Finally, the media seems to be saying in unison, the Catholic Church is getting with the times and discarding those old-fashioned biblical teachings. Not that they’ll start treating Christianity with any more respect than they do when it comes to other, less fungible aspects of the faith, but at least “Fiducia Supplicans” is a step in the right direction for them. If only they’d go whole-hog and just turn mass into a meaningless social club with no moral dictums whatsoever, then all would be right with the world.
SECAM’s statement is a reminder that the West is, at least morally, an aberration. In the rest of the world, the sentiment behind “Fiducia Supplicans” simply doesn’t fly. Not only is it unbiblical, it spits in the face of traditional cultures. Expect more backlash of this sort in the months and years to come.
