Catholic to welcome gays as Bishop Zuza says ‘resist Western influences’

Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu Diocese has spoken against the campaign to allow same-sex liaisons in Malawi, expressing concerns with some Western influences as Vatican document states homosexuals have ‘gifts and qualities to offer’ in unprecedented step to ‘welcome’ gay people.

The bishop, who was the Malawian representative at the two-week synod on family issues at the Vatican in Rome, spoke about the importance of strong families in an interview on Vatican Radio’s English Service for Africa.

According to the Bishop, some organisations in Malawi are using money to entice mostly poor young people to adopt un-African lifestyles and unions at the expense of marriage between a man and a woman.

“In Malawi, these organisations are using money to influence young people to promote same-sex unions,” Bishop Zuza said.

“They are using our poverty to get their agenda fulfilled”

He said the Episcopal Conference of Malawi is keen to see that children in families are nurtured and that they adopt lifestyles that are truly African and Christian.

But as the global synod on the family entered its second week at the Vatican, the bishops released a midterm document summarising the closed-door debate taking place between nearly 200 bishops and lay officials.

While the church reaffirmed its opposition to marriage and same sex unions, the ground-breaking document said homosexuality prompted “serious reflection” and was an “important educative challenge”.

“Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing them a fraternal space in our communities?” the document asked. “Often they wish to encounter a church that offers them a welcoming home.

“Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?”

While reinforcing matrimony between a man and a woman, the bishops acknowledged that gay partnerships had merit, apparently taking their lead from Pope Francis whose “Who am I to judge?” comment about gays last year signalled a new approach.

“Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions, it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners,” they said.