COMMENT

THE Vatican has shocked the world by approving the blessing of same-sex couples by Catholic priests, a bizarre decision which amounts to subtle papal blessing of gay marriages.

This can be seen as victory for the homosexual movement which seems to have taken a firm grip on the Western society as well as threatening the African way of life steeped in hunhu/ubuntu.

No wonder the French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, is proud of his gay status and the US Congress is home to many openly LGBTQ politicians.

Not to be left behind, the British ‘boast’ a Parliament with the unenviable reputation of having the largest number of gay MPs in the world.

The West is so aggressive in its drive to see to it that homosexuality is approved as a norm worldwide.

This is why the US and the World Bank, an institution controlled by America, reacted angrily when Uganda passed an anti-LGBTQ law last year.

The US imposed travel restrictions on the East African nation, while the World Bank halted new loans in retaliation.

The capitalist West seems to be influenced by rich individuals in their attitude towards gays.

We, however, wonder why the Vatican, especially Pope Francis, appears so accommodating towards the cause of the LGBTQ people?

Right at the beginning of his papacy, when asked about a suspected gay priest, his “Who am I to be a judge?” comment stunned Catholics.

This is so because even if we refer to the Bible, there are verses which are very explicit about God’s unequivocal attitude towards homosexuality.

And yet the Holy Bible is the very heart of the Catholics’ religious dogma, with the Pope ‘gifted’ with the divine power to interpret it.

God’s abhorrence for homosexuality is evidenced by the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

If God could punish homosexuals, ruthlessly for that matter, why is it so difficult for Pope Francis to do the same?

Thus, Pope Francis’ brazen shift towards recognising homosexuality by approving their blessing is puzzling.

Where is this man of God getting his teachings from?

We are concerned by the pronouncements of the Vatican because the Catholic Church has such a massive following worldwide.

Some of these questionable decisions by the Pope are most likely to spill out of the confines of the Catholic empire.

This latest decision, which is seen as subtle condonation of LGBTQ practices, is a typical example.

Knowing Pope Francis’ established stance towards gays, the ‘terms and conditions’ he has attached towards the blessings leave us extremely suspicious.

We must not forget that Pope Francis’ latest authorisation has reversed the Vatican’s 2021 statement that equated the blessing of same-sex couples to blessing sin.

Why the sudden about-turn now?

  Our culture is uncompromisingly opposed to LGBTQ in all its forms.

We are afraid, as we have alluded to earlier, that Pope Francis might be submitting to the pressures of the homosexual movement.

It will be very unfortunate for such a supposedly spiritually upright  figure to be seen taking sides in such a cultural war.

It is, therefore, not surprising that most Catholic bishops in Africa, home to 265 million Catholics, have vowed not to implement the new Vatican policy.

This is a continent where 31 countries have laws criminalising homosexuality.

What remains very disturbing, however, is that the homosexual movement’s putsch is polluting TV channels with homosexual characters in children’s cartoons.

Our insatiable appetite for Western films and TV channels, passed on to our children, will eventually make Pope Francis’ conversion battle much simpler.