The declaration by the pope calling on catholic priests to advocate the catholic faithful to embrace same-sex marriage has continued drawing criticism with a priest saying it may end up splitting the church.
Father Emmanuel Bungei of St. Joseph the worker Catholic church said the declaration was quite confusing, especially for Christians in Africa who believe that marriage is meant between a man and a woman.
Speaking when he delivered a homily as the church marked the feast of the Holy family, the priest said blessing such a couple would mean that the church condones the practice yet it is against the preaching of the Catholic Church and the Bible.
The priest said God created man and woman to further the human race which he said is not possible when people of the same sex come together.
On his part Fr. John Muindi of St. Charles Lwanga Catholic church said blessing such a couple is the same as blessing sin terming it as a foreign concept which is not acceptable as it is against the beliefs of the African people.
Fr. Muindi said while he has no problem blessing the congregants as that is the work of a priest, he cannot solemnize same-sex marriage.
Fr. Bungei however said marriage can be complete without children saying children are a gift from God citing Abraham and Sarah who he said lived for long until God blessed them with their son Isaac in old age.
Noting that the Catholic Church considers the family to be the basic unit of the church, the cleric called on Christians to guard the family calling on each member to adhere to their roles saying while parents should provide and guide their children, children are supposed to respect their parents.
The priest said while problems in the family are normal, how to address them has become quite a challenge which has led to the breaking up of families.
“Instead of a couple sitting together to address their problems they resort to social media broadcasting their problems to the world. These days it is easy to know what is happening in families just by checking people’s status on WhatsApp, Facebook, and others,” the priest said.
He stressed the importance of families putting Christ at the center of their lives through praying together and seeking the Lord’s counsel whenever problems arise.
The priest called on parents to teach their children the virtue of giving saying this will ensure that they will also give to them in old age saying it’s in the family that great people in the society are molded.
By Alice Wanjiru
