The Parish Priest of the Our Lady Queen of Africa (OLA), Reverend Father Lawrence Azure, has clarified Pope Francis’s stance on same-sex blessings. Contrary to some media reports, Father Azure emphasized that the Pope’s intention was not to advocate for the formal blessing of same-sex couples but rather to extend the Church’s merciful blessings to individuals in moments of need.
Father Azure explained that Pope Francis’s remarks were centered on offering compassion and mercy to those who may find themselves in challenging circumstances related to their sexual orientation.
The Pope, according to Father Azure, emphasized the importance of providing support and understanding to individuals without necessarily endorsing same-sex unions within the Catholic Church.
“What the Pope said was that, as Priests, when gay couples come to us for blessings, we should not hesitate but give them our blessing. What this means is that, we should give them the blessing of mercy, not when a man and a man or a woman and a woman wants to solemnized their marriage, wants us to bind them as husband and wife, no. The blessing the Holy Father is asking us to give to the gay couple or whatever, is that, when they come and ask us to pray for them to come out of that situation, who are we to refuse to bless them to come out of certain situations? The church’s teaching of marriage is between a man and a woman and it has not changed”, he clarified.
The Parish Priest of OLA made this clarification at the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Sherigu during the 24th mass to usher in the birth of Jesus Christ.
This clarification comes in response to the misinterpretation of Pope Francis’s comments, which led to some media outlets reporting that the Catholic Church wants formally bless same-sex couples.
Rev. Fr. Azure reiterated that the Catholic Church adheres to its traditional teachings on marriage while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of compassion and understanding for all individuals, irrespective of their sexual orientation.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Sherigu|Bolgatanga
