Posted on 08/27/2015 5:53:35 PM PDT by markomalley
The Nigerian bishops won't budge in their firm stance against same-sex "marriage."
That's the latest word from Abp. Ignatius Kaigama, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria and leader of the Jos archdiocese.
He told a recent Catholic assembly in his archdiocese, "The culture of same-sex marriage is alien to our understanding of the family and should not be imposed on Nigerians."
These words were met with heavy applause.
The archbishop then shifted to Nigeria's Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which took effect in 2014. He is an ardent supporter of it, and at the time he lauded Nigeria's president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for signing it into law amid heavy criticism from other world leaders.
The archbishop said at the time that there's a "conspiracy of the developed world to make our country and continent the dumping ground for the promotion of immoral practices."
The act was widely reported to have made homosexuality itself illegal, when in reality it only made homosexual "marriages," civil unions and public relationships illegal, as well as gay activism.
At the assembly, Abp. Kaigama charged various international groups and media with deliberately misconstruing the Nigerian bishops' comments on the law, saying they "mischievously reduced our position to advocating severe punishment for gays and lesbians with long prison terms!"
"This is a deliberate distraction, and a wicked deviation from what is our primary concern," said Abp. Kaigama.
He noted that the main concern was simply "that marriage must be between a man and a woman in accordance with our cultural and religious norms."
Ultimately, according to Abp. Kaigama, the essential position of the Nigerian bishops is: "No to same-sex marriage" — or, "As we say in Nigeria, 'No shaking!'"
He also talks about how outside forces — specifically secularists and the media — are trying to take down the Church. Hence, he urges, the Church must fight against such opponents with conviction, especially at the upcoming Synod on the Family, so that the Faith won't be "lost or contaminated."
Archbishop Kaigama stood strongly in favor of traditional teachings on sexuality, marriage and the sacraments at last year's Extraordinary Synod, where those teachings were openly questioned inside and outside the Church.
"Whether you like it or not, the Catholic Church is a very powerful institution," he explains. "I believe there is a serious ganging up [on the Church] by others, secularists and the media and so on, who feel this giant has to be brought down in some way or the other."
The archbishop won't be attending this year's synod; however, he's not worried about his absence, given that other Nigerian prelates will be there.
He says, "You could wake up any bishop in Nigeria from his sleep and ask for his opinion on issues related to the family, and they'd all say more or less precisely the same thing, almost word-for-word."
"On these matters," Abp. Kaigama reassures the faithful, "we are absolutely of one mind."
Good. Stand tall men.
They need to do some reverse missionary work here in AMERICA- it would be SRO, I predict.
“As WND has reported, despite first lady Michelle Obama’s much-publicized Twitter campaign to #BringBackOurGirls, President Obama withheld weapons and intelligence support from Nigeria in its fight against the Islamists because Jonathan’s administration stood by the nation’s laws criminalizing homosexual acts and strictly forbidding same-sex marriage.”
From here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3290335/posts
I never thought I’d consider relocating to Africa of all places, but they do seem the only place that really has the guts to stand up to the leftist tidal wave washing around the globe, at least on social issues. Well, there is Eastern Europe, Russia, and parts of Asia to a degree also, but the Africans really seem to reject it in a no-nonsense way, so I think they will be the last to fold.
All Christians stand with the Nigerian Bishops. God bless EM.
Who would’a thunk it - Nigeria more civilized than the United States.
Alien, sick, and certainly unhealthy.
Yet there are people out there who actually defend this sickness and even promotes it. Only tells me that those who support their agenda and are not homosexuals are just as sick.
“It would be nice if there was that kind of moral clarity coming from the USCCB.”
Amen. The Archbishop here in Atlanta devoted two tepid sentences to the church’s position on same sex marriage in his response to the ruling. The rest of his letter strongly chastised Catholics to “be nice” over the courts decision and to not make waves.
Yes. Good for them.
The problem here is that leaders across the board surrendered their right of outrage. It is important to respond with outrage when a ludicrous idea is presented. But leaders decided that they would rather not be labeled “haters” and “homophobes” so they squandered their capital on stupidity like “I just want to say how much I love homosexuals...” Of course the left made dirty jokes out of that in secret. In public they just grinned as they stole win after win out of the hands of the side that had all the logic and facts but none of the courage.
May the people in Nigeria learn from our mistakes and weaknesses. You cannot negotiate. You must retain your outrage. It is not about love or hate. It is about right and wrong, truth and error, good and evil. The USA is under God’s judgment, deservedly. May God bless those who stay strong.
I’m amazed WND got it wrong, by reporting they crimininalized homosexuality. Or is homosexuality different than homosexual acts?
Don’t those backwards savages know homorevulsion is racist!
So, are they talking about, from another planet, or illegal aliens?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.