Pope Francis Calls Africa “Special Case” In homosexuality Context

In an interview that was released on Monday, Pope Francis stated that Africans were a “special case” when it came to the bishops’ and many other Africans’ opposition to homosexuality.

However, the Pope expressed confidence that those who were critical of his choice to permit blessings for same-sex couples would eventually come to understand it, with the exception of Africans.

Last month, blessings were permitted in a document known as Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust). This document has sparked intense debate within the Catholic Church, with African bishops putting up a particularly strong fight.

Francis seemed to acknowledge last week the backlash the document faced, particularly in Africa, where some countries have the death penalty or even prison sentences for same-sex relationships, and where bishops have effectively rejected the document.

“Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups,” Francis told Italian newspaper La Stampa. “A special case are Africans: for them homosexuality is something ‘bad’ from a cultural point of view, they don’t tolerate it”.

“But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide,” the pope said.

Priests “naturally take into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it” when bestowing blessings, he said.

During the interview with La Stampa, Francis expressed his lack of concern regarding the possibility of conservatives leaving the Catholic Church as a result of his reforms. He claimed that talk of a schism is typically spearheaded by “small groups.”