ROME – An Africa cardinal who recently led the continent’s bishops in rejecting blessings for same-sex couples has now taken to task the timing of the Vatican document that opened the door to such a move, calling it “damaging” to the synodal process convened by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that because the 18 December release of Fiducia Supplicans, which authorised non-liturgical blessings of persons involved in same-sex relationships, came between the two Synods of Bishops on Synodality, it created the misleading notion that the document was the fruit of synodal discussions.
“The timing, the moment when this document was published, was damaging for the synodal process,” Ambongo said on 25 January. He was speaking at a press conference during the January 24-26 joint meeting between representatives of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The 64-year-old cardinal, who also serves as president of SECAM, said the timing of the document’s release “brought discredit to the synod, to synodality”.
He explained: “In the first session, the synod dealt with all these issues, but the synod did not decide. So the publication of this document, between the two sessions of the synod, was seen by most people as if it was the fruit of the synod, when it had nothing to do with the synod.”
Ambongo highlighted that many people already saw the synod’s first session as at least indirectly signifying “approval of homosexual couples and homosexuality”, which, he added, goes against both African culture and the fundamental teachings of the Catholic faith.
During the joint meeting with their European counterparts, several bishops from Africa made it clear that, in their view, the synodal process should not allow the universal Church to modify doctrine in order to “create room for all”; most observers took this as another reference to the controversy over same-sex relationships.
Father Rafael Simbine, SECAM Secretary General, said, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ extends his invitation for discipleship to all. However, all who respond to become his disciples are to follow him not on their own terms but on the Lord’s terms and standards. Jesus’s call to discipleship involves the challenge to ongoing conversion of turning away from a sinful life to embrace a life of holiness.”
Since it appeared, Fiducia Supplicans has generated widely contrasting reactions. Some Catholic bishops in parts of western Europe, for instance, welcomed the decision, describing it as a milestone in the effort to include LGBTQ+ believers in the life of the Church.
In Africa, however, resistance to offering blessings to same-sex couples has been overwhelming. In a collective statement issued 11 January, members of SECAM, led by Ambongo, summarily rejected the idea.
“We African bishops do not consider it appropriate for Africa to bless homosexual unions or same-sex couples, because this would cause confusion,” they said.
While the statement declared there will be “no blessings for same-sex couples in the African Churches”, it also emphasised the need to not discriminate against people based on their sexuality:
“The African bishops’ conferences emphasise that people with homosexual tendencies 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,” the statement said.
In a recent interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Pope Francis said that, overall, opposition to Fiducia Supplicans has come from “small ideological groups”, while emphasising that Africa is a “special case”.
“For them, homosexuality is something ‘bad’ from a cultural point of view, they don’t tolerate it,” the Pope said. “But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the declaration Fiducia Supplicans by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide. It invites us to welcome people and to entrust them, as we entrust ourselves, to God.”
Ambongo stated in his 25 January press conference that SECAM’s earlier 11 January statement rejecting the Vatican directive has calmed anxious Christians in Africa.
“I am happy to note that since the publication of my message on Jan. 11, calm has returned to Africa and communion has returned with Pope Francis,” he said.
Photo: Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo attending a Mass for peace, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, 28 January 2024. A mass for peace in the Great Lakes region was organised by representatives of the Catholic churches of the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi, during which Ambongo criticised the leaders of the three countries, accusing them of inciting “division and war”. Armed clashes involving the armies of the three countries have been taking place in eastern Congo for several months, resulting in hundreds of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. (Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP via Getty Images.)
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