One of many cardinals who’s reportedly within the working to succeed Pope Francis has described homosexuality as an “abomination.”
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the archbishop of Kinshasa in Congo, made the remark in a Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar assertion in response to Francis’s 2023 resolution to permit monks to bless same-sex {couples}.
“Throughout the church household of God in Africa, this declaration has triggered a shockwave, it has sown misconceptions and unrest within the minds of many lay trustworthy, consecrated individuals, and even pastors and has aroused sturdy reactions,” wrote Ambongo within the Jan. 11, 2024, assertion he signed. “The African Bishops’ Conferences emphasize that individuals with a gay tendency should be handled with respect and dignity, whereas reminding them that unions of individuals of the identical intercourse are opposite to the need of God and subsequently can not obtain the blessing of the church.”
The assertion notes a number of Biblical passages that “condemn homosexuality, notably Lv. 18:22-23 the place homosexuality is explicitly prohibited and regarded an abomination.”
“Along with these biblical causes, the cultural context in Africa, deeply rooted within the values of the pure regulation concerning marriage and household, additional complicates the acceptance of unions of individuals of the identical intercourse, as they’re seen as contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically corrupt,” it reads.
Ambongo, who’s president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, in 2024 mentioned homosexuality “doesn’t exist” in Africa exterior of “a number of remoted instances.” La Croix, a French Catholic newspaper, reported he made the remark throughout a rally that passed off exterior of Kinshasa.
Actualité, a web based Congolese newspaper, reported Ambongo reiterated his opposition to homosexuality and same-sex unions in his 2023 Christmas message.
“Similar-sex unions are usually not accepted in our church,” he mentioned. “Though homosexuals ought to be handled with respect, compassion, and sensitivity, homosexuality stays an ethical dysfunction opposite to pure regulation and our African tradition.”
Jérémie Safari, govt director of Rainbow Dawn Mapambazuko, a Congolese LGBTQ rights group, criticized Ambongo when he spoke with the Washington Blade.
“This cardinal could be very homophobic; very, very homophobic,” mentioned Safari.
Francis died on April 21.
The Vatican’s tone on LGBTQ and intersex points softened beneath the Argentine-born pope’s papacy, although church teachings on homosexuality didn’t change.
Francis, amongst different issues, described legal guidelines that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations as “unjust” and supported civil unions for gays and lesbians.
Francis final August met with two African activists — Clare Byarugaba of Chapter 4 Uganda and Rightify Ghana Director Ebenezer Peegah — on the Vatican final August. Francis in 2023 visited Congo and South Sudan.
Juan Carlos Cruz, a GLAAD board member who survived clerical intercourse abuse in Chile, is among the many a whole bunch of 1000’s of people that attended Francis’s funeral that passed off on the Vatican on April 26. Transgender folks have been amongst those that greeted Francis’s coffin at Rome’s St. Mary Main Basilica earlier than his burial.
The conclave to pick out Francis’s successor will start on Might 7.
The Related Press notes Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the previous archbishop of Manila within the Philippines; Archbishop of Bologna (Italy) Cardinal Matteo Zuppi; and Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary) Cardinal Peter Erdo are amongst those that are thought of potential Francis successors.
“He [Erdo] has been reluctant to take positions on a number of of the federal government’s insurance policies that divided society in Hungary, akin to public campaigns that villainized migrants and refugees and legal guidelines that eroded the rights of LGBTQ+ communities,” mentioned the AP.
New Methods Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ Catholic group, in an April 21 assertion mentioned it hopes “our loving God, who’s a God of justice and equality, will proceed to bless us by extending Francis’ welcoming and inclusive message within the subsequent papacy.”
Anti-LGBTQ Catholic figures provided a far completely different view.
Doug Mainwaring — described as a “marriage, household, and youngsters’s rights activist” — on Monday described Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah as “the one conclave participant to counter LGBT ambiguity and lies of Francis hold forth” in a put up that LifeSiteNews, an anti-LGBTQ Canadian Catholic web site, printed.
“There is only one cardinal about to enter the conclave who’s crystal clear, fearless, and uncompromising with the reality with regards to pastoring these of us who expertise same-sex attraction and gender confusion: Cardinal Robert Sarah,” wrote Mainwaring.
Mainwaring additionally highlighted anti-LGBTQ feedback that Sarah made in his 2019 ebook.
“I feel that the primary victims of the LGBT ideology are the individuals who expertise a gay orientation. They’re led by its militants to cut back their complete identification to their sexual conduct,” Sarah wrote, in accordance with Mainwaring. “I urge Catholics who’re tempted by homosexuality to not let themselves be shut away on this jail of LGBT ideology. You’re a youngster of God by baptism! Your home is within the church, like all Christians. And if typically the non secular fight turns into too laborious, fraternal charity will assist you.”
Catholic League President Invoice Donohue on April 22 urged the cardinals to contemplate an African counterpart to succeed Francis.
“If the cardinals resolve to decide on somebody who’s a traditionalist, they will do no higher than to look to Africa. It’s house to essentially the most sensible orthodox clergy on this planet,” mentioned Donohue. “If the cardinals wish to select somebody extra like Francis, they may look to Europe.”
