ROME — Father Timothy Radcliffe, a gay rights activist who will be appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in December, blames opposition to homosexuality in Africa on “intense pressure” from outside influences such as American evangelicalism. denounced.
The Catholic Church must be open to everyone, no matter who they are, Father Radcliffe wrote in the Vatican newspaper this week. Osservatore Romano“Divorced and remarried people, gay people, and transgender people.”
“But in some parts of the world, welcoming homosexuals is considered scandalous,” he says. “Many Catholic bishops in Africa see this as an attempt to impose decadent Western ideology on the rest of the world.”
The priest said Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa, president of the organization representing all Catholic bishops in Africa, visited Rome in December 2023 and asked why African bishops have failed to accept the Vatican's holy book. He regretfully points out that he explained that. Fiducia Supplican This opens up the possibility of priestly blessings being given to gay couples.
“Never before had all the bishops on the continent repudiated a Vatican document,” Radcliffe writes. “Every attempt was made to quell the crisis.”
“Is refusing to celebrate homosexuality in Africa an example of acculturation or a refusal to be a nonconformist?” asks Radcliffe. “Inculturation for one person is the same as rejecting an incompatible gospel for another.”
Interestingly, when trying to explain why the African bishops refused; all at once Father Radcliffe's proposal to bless same-sex couples ignores either the Bible's teaching on homosexuality or the church's enduring doctrine that condemns homosexuality.
Instead, he suggests: “African bishops are under intense pressure from evangelicals with American funds. From the Russian Orthodox Church, with Russian money. And from Muslims, with funds from wealthy Gulf states.”
In other words, if African bishops reject the idea of blessing same-sex couples, it cannot be out of faithfulness to Christ and his gospel. It must represent a cave against external pressure.
If Father Radcliffe had taken the trouble to read Cardinal Ambongo's own account of the actions of the African bishops, things might have been a little clearer.
“There is no place in Africa to celebrate gay couples. Not at all,” said the cardinal. said.
Blessings are given to individuals, he said, “with the hope that the grace of blessing will aid their conversion.” “And when we bless homosexuals, we mean: 'Because your sexual orientation is against the will of God and because homosexuality is condemned by the Bible and the Magisterium, this blessing will change you. It's also saying, 'I hope this helps.'” The church. '”
“We cannot encourage sexual deviance. Let it happen in their homes, but not in our homes,” he said.
An open-minded reader may have difficulty understanding how such a statement, which faithfully reflects Catholic moral teachings, could mean a capitulation to Evangelicals, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.
Similarly, Bishop Martin Mutumbuka of Malawi's Karonga diocese told parishioners in his Christmas Eve address last year to “forget and ignore all this controversial and clearly blasphemous declaration.” Ta.
“Was this letter written to please homosexuals and their promoters?” asked Bishop Mutumbuka.
document Fiducia Supplican “It looks like heresy to us. It reads like heresy. And the effect is heresy,” he said.
“It's sad. The Catholic Church is as old as Christianity itself. There's never been anything like this,” he said. “But we have no choice. We cannot allow such an offensive and clearly blasphemous declaration to be implemented in our diocese.”
As Pope Francis, claimed He said those “vehemently protesting” the decision to allow same-sex couples “belong to a small ideological group”.
But he added that the case of the African continent was “special”. This is because, for the African continent, “homosexuality is “ugly'' from a cultural perspective.'' they won't tolerate it. ”
African bishops are “currently portrayed condescendingly as culturally conditioned.” answered “We fail to ask ourselves how much we are giving in to the pressures of the culture around us,” said Dr. Nina Heeleman, a professor of theology.
