LAGOS, Nigeria – In Nigeria, where same-sex marriage is legally prohibited, Catholic Bishops in the country, against Pope Francis’ formal approval of letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples – a radical shift in policy aimed at making the church more inclusive, said the pope’s declaration contradicts the church’s teachings on marriage as an “exclusive union” of a man and a woman.
The pope’s message has created confusion among Catholic faithfuls in Africa, including Nigeria where many within the Catholic Church think it is evil while a few others are more liberal about it.
“God did not make a mistake by creating Adam and Eve” says Esezobor Divine-Favour.
“He felt it was imperfect or if he wanted the world to go in this certain direction in which the Pope wants it to go into, when He was asking Noah to choose two animals into the ark, He would have told him same sex, instead He said two, meaning different sex. The main purpose of creation was for procreation, to multiply. If we do same-sex marriage, how would that come to pass?” the Relations Officer said in some of views gathered by African News from the streets of Lagos, picked by Mediaage NG.
Human rights barrister, Liborous Oshoma said that the pope’s announcement ‘does not change the law in Nigeria.’ “The law in Nigeria today is that marriage under the act, whether it is conducted or contracted in church or in a registry, it is between a man and a woman. Liborous explained.