Abuja, 17 March, 2021 / 6:02 pm (ACI Africa).
Christian leaders in the West African nation of Nigeria have hailed Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) for clarifying that the Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions, terming the move “godly and timely.”
On Monday, March 15, Vatican’s CDF responded “negative” to the question, “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?”
In the clarification published by the Holy See Press Office, the Prefect of CDF, Jesuit Luis Cardinal Ladaria said that Pope Francis “was informed and gave his assent to the publication” of the response.
“Our joy knew no bound when we learnt that the decision of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), rejecting the same-sex union or marriage was endorsed by Pope Francis. It is one decision too many,” representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said in their Tuesday, March 16 statement.
The Christian leaders, among them, representatives of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, say they agree with the Holy Father that the “godly and timely decision” is “not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite.”