beth
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 19, 2012
- 3,879
- 6,356
Pope Francis has rejected gay marriages and also given hope to divorced and remarried Catholics.
Pope Francis rejected outrightly same-sex marriages in his post-synodal Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” translated in English as “Joy of Love.”
“We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability, but de facto or same-sex unions, for example, may not simply be equated with marriage. No union that is temporary or closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society. There is a failure to realise that only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life,” the Pope said.
However, he cautioned against discriminating and harassing families that have members with homosexual tendencies.
Family life
In his message, the Holy Father gives a detailed view of social issues affecting family life and encouraged his clergy to tolerate sinners as well as embrace saints. He asked the clergy to extend an olive branch to divorced and remarried Catholics which have long been barred from the highest sacrament of the church: Holy Communion.
He laid out the church’s warmest welcome in modern times to divorced and remarried couples, saying they should not be judged, discriminated against or excluded from church life. “... nowadays who is making an effort to strengthen marriages, to help married couples overcome their problems, to assist them in the work of raising children and, in general, to encourage the stability of the marriage bond?” he asked.
While delivering Pope Francis’ message in Kampala on Friday, Archbishop Michael August Blume, the Papal Nuncio to Uganda, said the Apostolic Exhortation is a fruit of two Synods of Bishops held in 2014 and 2015 in Rome, both dealing with marriage and the family.
Archbishop Blume emphasised the need to preserve family life as contained in the Joy of love and asked Catholics in Uganda to fight same sex marriages and abortion, which he termed as ideological colonialism.
“The family is the basic unity of society, the survival and happiness of each one of us depends on its strength and vitality,” Blume added.
Archbishop Blume invited Catholic couples and all those who wish to contribute to the good of the family to read a paragraph a day of the Joy of Love.
Archbishop of Gulu and Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) Chairman John Baptist Odama said the Pope underlines the Bible as the foundation for the church’s teachings about the marriage and family.
Archbishop Odama said there is need for more pastoral and compassionate approach to individuals, couples and families who find themselves in difficult and irregular situations. He added that pastoral leaders must overcome temptation to judge and condemn such people.
The Archbishop of Kampala, Rev Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who also is, the spokesperson of UEC said inappropriate use of technologies such as the internet has led to increase in children access to pornography, commercialisation of the body and promotion of same sex relationships, which are detrimental to institution of marriage and the family.
He also highlighted the inconsistency between faith professed and the daily life of many Christians who continue to live a double life which is evident in polygamy, adultery, cohabitation and fornication.
He also said children should be educated in sexuality as a way of social orientation to prepare them for future life, but with right understanding of sex whose main purpose is procreation.
Pope Francis rejected outrightly same-sex marriages in his post-synodal Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” translated in English as “Joy of Love.”
“We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability, but de facto or same-sex unions, for example, may not simply be equated with marriage. No union that is temporary or closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society. There is a failure to realise that only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life,” the Pope said.
However, he cautioned against discriminating and harassing families that have members with homosexual tendencies.
Family life
In his message, the Holy Father gives a detailed view of social issues affecting family life and encouraged his clergy to tolerate sinners as well as embrace saints. He asked the clergy to extend an olive branch to divorced and remarried Catholics which have long been barred from the highest sacrament of the church: Holy Communion.
He laid out the church’s warmest welcome in modern times to divorced and remarried couples, saying they should not be judged, discriminated against or excluded from church life. “... nowadays who is making an effort to strengthen marriages, to help married couples overcome their problems, to assist them in the work of raising children and, in general, to encourage the stability of the marriage bond?” he asked.
While delivering Pope Francis’ message in Kampala on Friday, Archbishop Michael August Blume, the Papal Nuncio to Uganda, said the Apostolic Exhortation is a fruit of two Synods of Bishops held in 2014 and 2015 in Rome, both dealing with marriage and the family.
Archbishop Blume emphasised the need to preserve family life as contained in the Joy of love and asked Catholics in Uganda to fight same sex marriages and abortion, which he termed as ideological colonialism.
“The family is the basic unity of society, the survival and happiness of each one of us depends on its strength and vitality,” Blume added.
Archbishop Blume invited Catholic couples and all those who wish to contribute to the good of the family to read a paragraph a day of the Joy of Love.
Archbishop of Gulu and Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) Chairman John Baptist Odama said the Pope underlines the Bible as the foundation for the church’s teachings about the marriage and family.
Archbishop Odama said there is need for more pastoral and compassionate approach to individuals, couples and families who find themselves in difficult and irregular situations. He added that pastoral leaders must overcome temptation to judge and condemn such people.
The Archbishop of Kampala, Rev Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who also is, the spokesperson of UEC said inappropriate use of technologies such as the internet has led to increase in children access to pornography, commercialisation of the body and promotion of same sex relationships, which are detrimental to institution of marriage and the family.
He also highlighted the inconsistency between faith professed and the daily life of many Christians who continue to live a double life which is evident in polygamy, adultery, cohabitation and fornication.
He also said children should be educated in sexuality as a way of social orientation to prepare them for future life, but with right understanding of sex whose main purpose is procreation.
