The Vatican approval of blessing for same-sex couples has elicited opposition from episcopal conferences across Africa. And it has become pertinent to ask: Why do these bishops detest homosexuals? What crime have gays committed? Why are these clerics against the union of persons of the same sex? Following the authorization of blessing for homosexual unions, ten conferences of bishops from different parts of Africa have issued statements in defiance of the Vatican directive.

From Cameroon, the bishops declared: “Faithful to the constant teaching of Ecclesial Tradition which declares acts of homosexuality intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law (Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2357), we, the Bishops of Cameroon, reiterate our disapproval of homosexuality and homosexual unions. Consequently, we formally forbid all blessings of homosexual couples in the Church of Cameroon”. If I may ask: What do bishops in Cameroon know about the “Ecclesial Tradition” that the Vatican does not know? Why can’t these clerics abandon their ‘disordered’ and ‘mistaken’ idea of the natural law?

In the same vein, the bishops in Malawi stated: “We direct that for pastoral reasons, blessings of any kind and for same-sex unions of any kind, are not permitted in Malawi”. From Zambia, the bishops said: “To avoid any pastoral confusion and ambiguity as well as not to break the law of our country which forbids same-sex unions and activities, and while listening to our cultural heritage which does not accept same-sex relationships. The guidelines in Fiducia Supplicans are for further reflection and not for implementation in Zambia”.

Now, why should bishops in Malawi issue a counter directive? Was that necessary? The statement from the bishops in Zambia is a piece of pastoral confusion because of the conflicting signals. While the Vatican declaration sanctions love, the statement from the bishops signals hate and hostility. The bishops have demonstrated a lack of ‘listening to our cultural heritage’ because the African culture is dynamic and accommodative. More importantly, unlike the pope, these clerics have shown their inability to listen to the “signs of the times”.