Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru of the Catholic Diocese of Wote has barred priests in the diocese from blessing same-sex couples in defiance of Pope Francis’ call to priests to bless such relationships.
In a statement on Wednesday addressed to all priests and religious men and women in Wote jurisdiction dated December 27, Bishop Kariuki said the Vatican decision seriously contradicts scripture and Catholic tradition on marriage and sexuality.
“The Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ‘FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS’ should be rejected in totality, and we faithfully uphold the Gospel teachings and Catholic tradition teachings on marriage and sexuality,” Rt. Rev. Kariuki said in the letter.
“Since this declaration totally contradicts what Pope Francis himself approved in 2021 concerning same-sex unions—that may in no manner be blessed because the Church cannot ask God to bless sin—I hereby prohibit all priests in the Catholic Diocese of Wote from blessing couples in irregular situations or same-sex couples,” Bishop Kariuki declared.
The prelate said the Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ‘FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS’ on the Pastoral Significance of Blessings released on December 18, 2023, did not give clear guidelines for the blessing of couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.
“In fact, what is disturbing in this declaration is that, on one hand, it directs the priests to bless these couples without specifying what exactly is being blessed, while on the other hand, it expressly forbids any ritual text that might specify it,” Bishop Kariuki added in the statement.
He said the Holy Father’s decision opens a new dangerous door that is totally unacceptable, for it gives the possibility of approval of quasi-ritual blessing formulae that will lead the Catholic Church to bless these couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples in a liturgical setting in the future.
Rtd. Rev. Kariuki noted that the decision would be “Worse more still, in this 21st Century, it will only support the propagation of the globalist and ungodly gender ideology.”
Bishop Kariuki said the Vatican should have made wider consultations before releasing such controversial declarations.
“I am of the opinion that Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez of the Discatery of Doctrine of Faith should have widely done enough consultation before releasing such a controversial declaration. His idea and thought that Cardinals and Bishops cannot prohibit what Pope Francis has permitted with Fiducia Supplicans is mistaken,” he added.
He went on to state that the Catholic Church teaches about family as a faithful, indissoluble, and fruitful union of love between a man and a woman.
Citing teachings from the Bible, Bishop Kariuki said that the clergy should avoid ambiguous gestures, expressions, and concepts that would distort or misrepresent God’s word and the teachings of the Church.
“We bishops, like Saints Peter and John, will say, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight for us to obey you rather than God’ (cf. Acts 4:19–20),” he said.
“For Pastoral reasons, I therefore exhort my priests to invite those couples to a life of conversion by the words of the Gospel “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:14–15). When a sinner repents, he or she changes his or her mind about sin, the Saviour, and salvation. This is exactly what these couples, like any other Christian, should look for in the blessings. Only a repentant sinner who has a firm intention to no longer sin again can receive blessings,” he noted.
