Vatican Declaration on Blessings of Same-Sex Couples: Take from Webinar in Ghana

“Looking at the various pronouncements that the Pope had made concerning the matter, I knew that something like this was bound to happen, sooner or later. Only, I didn't know that it was going to be this soon,” Fransica said.

He added, “The document came as a surprise and I knew I needed to read more about it. After reading it, I tried to explain to the people what I understood from the document. But it seemed to be too late since by that moment, most of our Catholic brothers and sisters were not interested in reading any document. They had already made their conclusions based on the internet headlines. They had already started importing their own facts and truths about the matter.”

For Fransica, the way forward is to “open our mind to realize that the document is talking about many other groups of people including single mothers, people who are cohabiting, people who are in traditional marriages.”

“Let our minds not be clouded by this issue of same-sex marriages. There is a lot of information in the document. It would be unfair for us to throw it all away and only focus on the parts of same-sex relationships,” the Coordinator of CYNESA in Ghana added.

In his input, Dr. Kweku, the ADYFI member, echoed Fransica’s sentiments about the need to see other aspects of Fiducia Supplicans.

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He said, “As Africans, we are not looking at the declaration in our context. There are many issues about the document that concern us but we have chosen to focus on the issue of the same-sex couples. Many times, whenever these issues come up, the African shift to the homosexual part forgetting many other issues that really concern them.”

Dr. Kweku added, “In regard to the flow of information in the Catholic Church, lots of lay people assume it is the job of the priest to give them the information. As per synodality, we are all involved. As young digital faith influencers, we must come up with concise ways to effectively reach other people with reliable information.”

In the interview with ACI Africa ahead of the webinar, Dr. Kweku said that the December 18 Vatican declaration had elicited mixed reactions among Ghanaians.

“I don't know about other parts of Africa but most Catholic platforms in Ghana have been awash with the issue,” Dr. Kweku told ACI Africa, and added, “Even though we have varied opinions about the declaration, the cardinal point for us all must be what the Church teaches.”

He cautioned young people against jumping on heated debates about the Vatican declaration without first seeking to understand what it entails.

“Most of what I have seen is people wanting to be part of an argument. They look for the document, read a few parts of it and jump on arguments without taking time to understand it,” he said.

The Ghanaian member of the ADYFI further cautioned young faith influencers in Africa against fuelling the sensationalization of the declaration.

Instead, the young missionaries in Africa must read the declaration, understand it, and find a common ground in the teachings of the Catholic Church amid their varied opinions, Dr. Kweku emphasized.

In a heated engagement on the ADYFI WhatsApp page, one of the digital influencers expressed optimism that the webinar would give the Church in Africa a voice concerning the Vatican declaration.

The ADYFI member expressed optimism that from the webinar, “the universal church will know the mind of the church in Africa” on the matter concerning the declaration.

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The Vatican declaration underscores that such blessings cannot be offered in a way that would cause any confusion about the nature of marriage, which the document affirms is the only “context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning.”

“The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm,” DDF says in its December 18 declaration, and emphasizes that blessings may only be given “spontaneously” and not in the context of a formal liturgical rite.

In July, five Cardinals wrote to Pope Francis requesting clarification on the Church’s stance on same-sex blessings, among other issues. DDF latest guidance builds upon many of the themes that the Holy Father laid out in his response to the five Cardinals, which the Vatican published in October.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.