Ouagadougou, 21 December, 2023 / 8:49 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops in Burkina Faso and Niger have cautioned the people of God in their respective countries against “anxiety” amid controversies around Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican declaration on the possibility of blessing “same-sex couples” and couples in other “irregular situations”, which the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) released on Monday, December 18.
In their Wednesday, December 20 statement, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger (CEBN) weigh in on what they describe as the “turmoil and diverse interpretations that have followed the publication of this document.”
“We, your Bishops and Fathers of the Church Family of God in Burkina Faso and Niger, do not want to leave you in a state of embarrassment, incomprehension and anxiety, and so we urge you to remain calm and firm in the faith,” CEBN members say.
The Catholic Church leaders explain, “Catholic doctrine on marriage does not change, and the Church does not approve of irregular or same-sex unions.”
CEBN members pledge to release “a detailed statement” on the implementation of Fiducia Supplicans after “in depth” study of the document.