African bishops pledge to protect, defend family

July 27, 2016

Africa’s bishops gathered in Luanda, Angola, from July 18 to 25 and issued a message pledging to “protect and defend” the family “against all that could destroy its integrity.”

“Marriage binds a man and a woman together,” the bishops stated. “The Lord proclaims this true nature of marriage, which in the mind of God, excludes divorce (Mt. 19: 3-12) … Marriage is open to life and procreation, as means of renewal of the society and the Church; therefore it cannot concern persons of the same sex.”

“We urge all the member States of the African Union to resist all pressures from governments and organizations who want to impose anti-family policies on Africa,” they continued. “We are grateful to governments who, in the name of moral values and our culture, have dared to oppose such policies.”

The bishops cited “urgent challenges” that “destabilize the life of families and couples,” including:

the precarious conditions and poverty, social exclusion, impact of the new information and communication technologies on family life, gender ideology, monoparental family, divorce-remarried couples, contraception, sterilization, abortion, polygamy, dowry, widowhood rites, migration consequences of war and conflict situations, internal family crises, belief in witchcraft and absence, at times, of one of the couples due to studies and work.

 

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Further information:

• Final message (SECAM)