A section of Kenyan Catholic bishops have come out to defend Pope Francis’ instructions on blessing same sex couples saying the communication was misinterpreted.
The subgroup noted that the Pope’s instructions got lost in translation, further stating that despite the approval by Pope Francis, the Catholic church still maintains its teachings on marriage.
These sentiments were echoed by the Archbishop of Kisumu, Maurice Muhatia.
“Our teachings from scripture and tradition declare that marriage is between a baptized man and a baptized woman. This has not changed. It was not changed by the document that came from Rome,” Archbishop Muhatia noted.
He further said the Catholic doctrines on marriage were not going to be replaced with new ones adding that the Catholic church did not approve of homosexuality.
“So let no one be confused about this, the teachings of the Catholic church cannot change in Favour of homosexuality,” Archbishop Muhatia stated.
However, Kakamega diocese Archbishop Josep Obanyi took a hard stand, cautioning priests under his jurisdiction against blessing homosexual couples in Kenya.
Also Read: Head of Catholic Church in Kenya Opposes Pope’s Order on Same Sex
Pope’s Instructions on Bishops Blessing Same Sex Couples
On Monday, December 18, the Vatican in a landmark ruling approved by Pope Francis stated that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples.
Notably, this is as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies.
The document, titled Fiducia Supplicans, effectively reversed a declaration the same body had issued in 2021, said such blessings would not legitimize irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all.
It should in no way be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage, it added.
Further, it denoted that priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and “should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing.
Also Read: Atheists Support Pope’s Decision on Same Sex Marriage
However, this ruling received pushback and praise alike in Kenya.
After the document from Vatican was aired, the Archbishop of Nairobi, Reverend Philip Anyolo, publicly defied the move.
In a statement on December 24th, he declared that such blessings would be scandalous to the faith and would contradict the teachings of the Church, the Bible, and African cultural traditions.
However, on the other side of the coin, in a presser, the Atheists in Kenya Society praised Pope Francis for blessing same sex couples.
The press statement released on December 25th noted that atheists welcomed the Vatican decision.
Likewise, the atheist’s community stated that blessing gay marriages sends a message to the religious community that gay rights are also human rights.
Additionally, the community noted that the Catholic head’s move to administer blessings to the same sex marriage is a game changing decision.
