Same-sex marriage: Don’t be influenced by what’s happening outside Nigeria, Kaduna Catholic Archbishop warns

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Most Rev Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, has clarified a recent statement credited to the global head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, that the Church may bless same-sex marriage, saying the Pontiff was only talking about inclusion.
Archbishop Ndagoso, who clarified during an interview with journalists in Kaduna, said: “The Holy Father has been talking about inclusion.
“The point the Holy Father is making is about pastoral care, the pastoral care of those who live in this kind of situation. God doesn’t abandon us even while we are sinners, God didn’t wait for us to be righteous before sending His son Jesus Christ to save us.
“The point Pope Francis is making is that there are people who find themselves in this relationship. In their situation, should we as a church abandon them? Do you exclude them? Do you say you have nothing to do with them, will God do that to anybody?
“The point is that whether you are a sinner or whatever, God never abandons us in any situation we find ourselves in life.
“And, therefore, the Holy Father is talking about pastoral accompaniment, if somebody has done something that you consider wrong and you abandon the person, you create a barrier between you and the person, as a church representing God, when people find themselves in this kind of situation, we don’t abandon them, we accompany them to see how they will get to understand what God wants from them.
“The church cannot abandon people who find themselves in this kind of situation, the church needs to accompany them to see how to help them, hoping that someday the light of the gospel will strike them, but if you close the communication door, how then do you bring them close to God?
“The Pope made it clear that God created marriage between a man and a woman. Our position is clear regarding marriage, that it is between a man and a woman.”
The Archbishop further advised Nigerians not to allow what is happening elsewhere to influence them negatively.
“We should not allow what is happening elsewhere to influence us negatively. The scriptures are very clear, the relationship of this nature is between a man and a woman, anything to the contrary, I do not believe that and, therefore, we should stick to what we believe,” Archbishop Ndagoso added.