Pope Francis stated that Africans perceive homosexuality negatively from a cultural perspective in an interview with Italian newspaper, La Stampa, that was published on Monday, January 29, 2024, according to a Reuters report.

In December 2023, a Vatican document, Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), conveyed the decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, sparking widespread debate in the Catholic Church and across the globe.

The Vatican, however, clarified that the blessings should not be included in regular church ceremonies or linked to civil unions or weddings, while emphasising that it holds marriage to be between a man and a woman.

In Monday’s publication, the Pope was quoted as saying, “Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups. A special case are Africans: for them homosexuality is something bad from a cultural point of view, they don’t tolerate it.

“But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide,” he said.

Commenting on places where same sex unions are strongly resisted, particularly in Africa where it can result in severe consequences such as imprisonment or even capital punishment, Pope Francis called for caution in line with the environment.

He explained that priests should “naturally take into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it.”

Already, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has announced that Catholic churches within the country will not perform blessings for same-sex unions as that would go ”against God’s law, the teachings of the Church, the laws of our nation, and the cultural sensibilities of our people.”

According to the bishops, there was a misinterpretation of Pope Francis’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex marriage. They explained that “asking for God’s blessing is not dependent on how good one is. Imperfection is the reason for seeking God’s grace.”