Bishop Paul Kariuki of the Catholic Diocese of Wote has prohibited any priests under his leadership from blessing same-sex marriages, just a week after Pope Francis urged priests worldwide to do the same.
This comes after Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo urged leaders in the archdiocese of Nairobi on Sunday not to bless same-sex marriages.
In a statement, Bishop Paul Kariuki explained why he will not follow the Pope’s direction, claiming that blessing such partnerships would set a dangerous precedent that he defined as intolerable.
“The word of God also strongly condemns such unions. The African cultural traditions equally detest it as it is dearly against transmission of life,” said the Bishop.
On Monday, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had authorized priests to bless same-sex couples, his most decisive step yet towards making the Roman Catholic Church more friendly to L.G.B.T.Q.
Catholics and more indicative of his vision of a more pastoral, less repressive church.
The Vatican has previously stated that it would not be able to bless same-sex couples because it would contradict the church doctrine that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman.
However, the new rule stated unequivocally that a blessing of a same-sex couple was not the same as a marriage sacrament, which is a formal ceremonial ceremony. It further highlighted that it was not blessing the partnership and that blessings should not be bestowed during or associated with the ceremony of a civil or same-sex union, or when “any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.”
The new rule was issued in a declaration, a rare and important Vatican document, by the church’s doctrine office and introduced by its head, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who stated that the declaration did not change “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage,” because it allowed no liturgical rite that could be confused with the sacrament of marriage.
Also Read: Nairobi Archbishop Defies Pope Francis’ Directive
