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Catholic Church Set To Approve Same-s*x Marriages

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2023

Pope Francis has suggested he would be open to having the Catholic Church bless same-s*x unions.

In 2021, the Vatican decreed that the Catholic Church would not bless gay marriages because God “cannot bless sin”.

But late Monday, the Vatican published a letter by Pope Francis addressed to a group of cardinals who asked him for clarity on the issue.

Though the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PSN, chose to maintain a dignified silence on the issue, an official of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, CSN, who chose to remain anonymous, the Pope’s emphasis on ‘pastoral charity’ suggests a willingness to address the pastoral needs of same-s*x couples and extend understanding and support to them.

However, the Pontiff reiterated that the church only recognised marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but could open the door for blessings of individuals in same-s*x unions.

The pope said “pastoral charity” required patience and understanding, adding that priests should not become judges “who only deny, reject and exclude”.

He said a blessing requested was a plea for God’s help to live a better life, even in situations that were “not morally acceptable”.

The religious leader said priests should not only treat people as sinners because they might not fully be at fault for their situations.

Pope Francis suggested that blessing gay unions should not become an official rule but should be decided case by case “because the life of the church runs on channels beyond norms”.

He wrote: “The Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: an exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to procreation.

“Only this union can be called marriage. Other forms of union realise it only in a partial and analogous way so they cannot be strictly called marriage.

“For this reason, the Church avoids any type of rite or sacramental that might contradict this conviction and suggest that something that is not marriage is recognised as marriage.

“However, in our relationships with people, we must not lose the pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes.

“The defence of objective truth is not the only expression of this charity; it also includes kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement. Therefore, we cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.

“Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey a mistaken concept of marriage.

“For when a blessing is requested, it is expressing a plea to God for help, a supplication to live better. Although there are situations that are not morally acceptable from an objective point of view, the same pastoral charity requires us not to simply treat as sinners other people whose guilt or responsibility may be mitigated by various factors affecting subjective accountability.

“Decisions that may be part of pastoral prudence in certain circumstances should not necessarily become a norm. Not everything that is part of practical discernment in particular circumstances can be elevated to the level of a rule.

“Canon law should not and cannot cover everything, as the life of the Church flows through many channels other than normative ones.”

In 2020, Pope Francis called gay Catholics “children of God” and gave his endorsement to same-s*x civil unions.

Catholic secretariat aligns with Pope — Official

Reacting to the issue last night, an official from the CSN, who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, said: “The Pope’s emphasis on ‘pastoral charity’ suggests a willingness to address the pastoral needs of same-s*x couples and extend understanding and support to them.”

This, he noted, aligned with Pope Francis’s previous calls for a more merciful and inclusive church.

Despite the Pope’s compassionate stance, the official was quick to stress that this did not signify a change in the Church’s traditional teachings on homosexuality.

“Pope Francis also emphasized that the Catholic Church still considers same-s*x relationships ‘objectively sinful’ and does not recognize same-s*x marriage,” the CSN official clarified.

“The Pope’s role is to guide and interpret Church teachings, and any potential changes or developments in the Church’s stance on same-s*x relationships would require careful consideration and consultation within the broader framework of Catholic theology and doctrine.”

The Pope’s nuanced approach to the issue, as interpreted by the CSN, suggests a shift away from an exclusive focus on denial, rejection, and exclusion.

Related Topics:Catholic Church Pope Francis same sex

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UK Police Arrest Asylum Seeker Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed

Published

7 hours ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

The UK police on Sunday arrested an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, whose crimes had sparked anti-immigration protests, after he was accidentally released from prison in an embarrassing blunder by British authorities.

London’s Metropolitan Police said officers arrested Hadush Kebatu in the north of the capital on Sunday morning, nearly 48 hours after he was mistakenly freed around 30 miles (48 kilometres) away.

Kebatu, 38, had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman, but was reportedly due to be deported when the Prison Service error occurred on Friday.

His high-profile case earlier this year in Epping, northeast of London, sparked demonstrations in various English towns and cities where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

Commander James Conway, who oversaw the manhunt for him, said “information from the public” led officers to the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of London, where he was found.

“He was detained by police but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service,” he added.

Kebatu is now expected to be deported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was “appalled” by the “totally unacceptable” mistake that saw him freed rather than sent to an immigration detention centre.

The Telegraph newspaper said he was wrongly categorised for release on licence and handed a £76 ($101) discharge grant.

Police had appealed Saturday for Kebatu to turn himself in, after reports emerged that he had appeared confused and reluctant to leave the prison in Chelmsford, eastern England.

A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return several times in a “very confused” state, only to be turned away by staff and directed to the railway station.

The driver told Sky News he saw Kebatu outside the jail, asking, “Where am I going? What am I doing?”

“He was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed,” the driver said.

The father of Kebatu’s anonymous teenage victim told the broadcaster that “the justice system has let us down.”

Police arrested the asylum seeker in July after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her.

He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

He was staying at the time at Epping’s Bell Hotel, where scores of other asylum seekers have been accommodated, and which became the target of repeated protests.

AFP

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Madagascar Revokes Ousted President’s Nationality

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8 hours ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Madagascar’s new government has stripped ousted president Andry Rajoelina of his Malagasy nationality in a decree published Friday, 10 days after he was removed in a military takeover.

According to AFP, the decree means that Rajoelina, who was impeached on October 14 after fleeing the island nation in the wake of weeks of protests, would not be able to contest future election.

The decree published in the official gazette said Rajoelina’s Malagasy nationality was revoked because he had acquired French nationality in 2014, local media reported, as photographs of the document were shared online.

French broadcaster RFI said it had confirmed the decree with the entourage of the new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.

The decree cited laws stipulating that a Malagasy who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses their Malagasy nationality.

Rajoelina’s French nationality caused a scandal when it was revealed ahead of the November 2023 elections, nearly 10 years after it was granted.

It triggered calls for him to be disqualified but he went on to win the contested polls, which were boycotted by opposition parties.

The 51-year-old politician fled Madagascar after army Colonel Michael Randrianirina said on October 11 his CAPSAT unit would refuse orders to put down the youth-led protest movement, which security forces had attempted to suppress with violence.

Rajoelina said later he was in hiding for his safety, but did not say where.

Randrianirina was sworn in as president on October 14, pledging elections within two years.

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Kamala Harris Hints At Running For President Again

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8 hours ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Former US vice president Kamala Harris said in a British television interview previewed in Saturday that she may “possibly” run again to be president.

Harris, who replaced Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate but lost to Donald Trump, told the BBC that she had not yet decided whether to make another White House bid.

But the 61-year-old insisted she was “not done” in American politics and that her young grandnieces would see a female president in the Oval Office “in their lifetime, for sure”.

“I have lived my entire career a life of service, and it’s in my bones, and there are many ways to serve.

“I’ve not decided yet what I will do in the future, beyond what I am doing right now,” Harris told the British broadcaster in an interview set to air in full on Sunday.

The comments are the strongest hint yet that Harris could attempt to be the Democratic Party nominee for the 2028 election.

The interview follows the release of her memoir last month, in which she argued it had been “recklessness” to let Biden run for a second term as president.

She also accused his White House team of failing to support her while she was his deputy, and at times of actively hindering her.

AFP