Pope Francis has addressed criticism over his consent to priests to bless same-sex couples, saying the pushback from African bishops was “a special case” influenced by culture.
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), an association of Catholic bishops on the continent had opposed the pope’s decision to approve nonliturgical blessings for gay couples, describing such blessings as inappropriate.
But in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, published Monday, Francis said critics of his declaration “belong to small ideological groups” except Africans whom he said were “a separate case” because “for them, homosexuality is something ‘bad’ from a cultural point of view (and) they don’t tolerate it.”
Regarding criticisms of the document, the Pope noted that “those who vehemently protest belong to small ideological groups.”
With the Pope’s approval, the president of the African bishops said on January 11th that blessings for same-sex couples wouldn’t be carried out on the continent where many countries criminalize homosexuality.
The Bishops of Northern Africa said they will bless people in irregular situations as long as the blessing doesn’t create confusion for the concerned or others.