Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru of the Catholic Diocese of Wote, in a statement on Wednesday addressed to all priests and religious men and women in Wote, said the Vatican declaration Fiducia Supplicans 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.

“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 full text of this firm and clear letter is below:

Date: 27 December, 2023

TO ALL PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF WOTE

Dear sons and daughters, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ at the same time wish you all Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year 2024. Happy Feast of Saint John, The Apostle and Evangelist.

Many of you, in the recent past, have asked me to give a clear way forward concerning Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situation and the Same-Sex couples" as contained in the Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith "FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS" on the Pastoral Significance of Blessings released on 18* December, 2023.

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez of the Dicastery of Doctrine of Faith should have widely done enough consultation before releasing such a controversial declaration.

First, I exhort all the priests and religious men and women to take adequate time to study keenly the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans - on the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings. Second, while is true that the declaration Fiducia Supplicans does not change the Catholic Doctrine on marriage and sexuality it however, 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 situation and same-sex couples in a liturgical set up in the future.

Dear sons and daughters allow me to echo the words of Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Ukrainian Catholic Prelate who said that blessing of a priest always has an Evangelical Catechetical dimension and therefore can in no way contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about family as a faithful, indissoluble, and fruitful union of love between a man and a woman, which our Lord Jesus Christ raised to the dignity of the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony.

Cardinal Shevchuk affirms that pastoral prudence urges us to avoid ambiguous gestures, expressions and concepts that would distort or misrepresent God's word and the teaching of the Church.

I hereby prohibit all priests in the Catholic Diocese of Wote from blessing of couples in irregular situation or same-sex couples: For "It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage... as is the case of the unions between persons of the same-sex.

I am of the opinion that Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez of the Dicastery 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. We Bishops, like Saints Peter and John, we will say "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight for us to obey you rather than God." (ct. Acts 4,19-20)

Since this declaration totally contradicts what Pope Francis himself approved in 2021 concerning same-sex unions - that may 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 of couples in irregular situation or same-sex couples: For "It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage... as is the case of the unions between persons of the same-sex. The presence of such relationships of positive elements... cannot justify those relationships and render them legitimate objects of ecclesial blessings" (Cf. 2021 DDF). 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, For Pastoral reasons, | 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).

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 traditional teachings on Marriage and sexuality.

Repentance is metanoia in Greek and it simply means a change of mind. However, we often speak of repentance as a turning from sin. When a sinner repents - he 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. For only a repentant sinner who has a firm intention to no longer sin again can receive blessings. Therefore, to bless couples in an irregular situation or the same-sex couples who are not ready for conversion directly and seriously contradicts the Scripture Teachings and Sound Magisterium. Worse more still, in this 21* Century, it will only support the propagandist of the globalist and ungodly gender ideology.

In conclusion, 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 traditional teachings on Marriage and sexuality.

Your Servant in Christ Jesus

Rt. Rev. Paul Karijuki Njiru

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of WOTE - KENYA

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