Ouagadougou: The father of the Burkinabè Catholic Church, Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, reiterated the opposition of African bishops for the blessing of homosexual couples proposed in the Fiducia supplicans declaration signed by Pope Francis, Sunday , in his homily at Easter mass in Ouagadougou.

‘Stop new ideological colonizations’. ‘Stop the dictatorship of single thought.’ ‘Stop the culture of death.’ On the question of blessing homosexual couples, Cardinal Ouédraogo gave a clear-cut speech as an Easter homily delivered at the Notre Dame de Yagma sanctuary, north of Ouagadougou and published by the site Lefaso.net.

‘For us African Christians who have left traditional religion to embrace the Religion of the One God revealed in Jesus Christ, it is certainly not to adopt and live the cultural defects of Western societies which set themselves up as masters and governors of the world’ said Cardinal Ouédraogo.

With biblical passages and canonical references in support, Cardinal Ouédraogo recalled that marriage
is naturally between a man and a woman and therefore ‘Unions of people of the same sex are contrary to the will of God and cannot therefore receive the blessing of the Church”, citing the position of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SEEAM) on the subject

“With all due respect to certain detractors of Africa, said the cardinal to the faithful, this position of the African Episcopate is courageous and lucid, respectful of biblical Revelation and the culture of African peoples. The doctrine must be clearly stated and proposed.

Pastorally, people with homosexual tendencies and couples in an irregular situation must be treated with respect and dignity, while reminding them that same-sex unions are contrary to the will of God and therefore cannot receive the blessing of God. ‘Church”.

Cadrinal Philippe Ouédraogo further recalled that ‘In his speech to families in Manila (01/16/2015), our Holy Father Pope Francis urged us to be ‘attentive to new ideological colonizations, which see
k to destroy the family…’ ‘. And during his pastoral visit to Kinshasa in 2023, he warned against the economic and cultural colonization of Africa.

What do we not see with fear? Billions of dollars and euros are invested in the production and distribution of condoms and contraceptives. Furthermore, in the euphemism of ”sexual and reproductive health and rights”, programs are imposed on poor countries as sine qua non conditions for access to financial development aid. It is the same with ”the perspective of Gender”, of homosexual marriage, of the drama of abortion, of euthanasia… we cannot also ignore the tragedy of the manipulation of pharmaceutical and food products which insert substances chemicals in order to make them sterile and slow down population growth.

It is a real dictatorship of the culture of death. So stop new ideological colonizations. Stop the dictatorship of single thought. In their legitimate and objective specificity, the rights of peoples and nations are nothing other than fundamen
tal human rights to be promoted and respected. (cf. Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, GOD ALONE IS ENOUGH, Dialogue and truth, P.175).

For us African Christians who have left traditional religion to embrace the Religion of the One God revealed in Jesus Christ, it is certainly not to adopt and live the cultural defects of Western societies which set themselves up as masters and governors of the world.

What remains of the empire and Greco-Roman civilization?

The Church must distance itself from its European cultural straitjacket and stick to its Redemptive Mission in announcing the Good News to all nations (CF Mt 28:19). For us Christians, only Jesus Christ and his Gospel will save the Church and the World!

May our Church, prophetically, remain firm in faith, unwavering in hope, faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel. May she have the courage and wisdom to affirm and propose all the Treasure revealed for the life and salvation of the World.

Burkinabè society as a whole is opposed to homosexuality. The
active forces of the 13 regions, consulted in mid-2023 on the reforms to be considered for the country, proposed to prohibit and penalize homosexuality which they consider contrary to morals, traditions and practiced religions.

The teacher and political leader, Laurent Bado, who considers homosexuals as “sick people to be treated” criticized the Catholic Church for its desire to adapt the faith to Western thought, culture and morality in his latest book entitled ‘a Catholic Christian asks questions’

Source: Burkina Information Agency