The Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has reacted to different publications by Nigeria media attacking and condemning gays in Nigeria.

The Bishops made their position known in an article signed by Director of Social Communications, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Chris Anyanwu, in Abuja.

The article states that although the CBCN supports Nigeria government’s anti-gay rule, it does not seek the punishment or jailing of persons who are involved but to help them unto salvation.

It had been reported in the media that the Archbishop of Jos and the President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, said it was shameful, barbaric and madness to advocate for same sex marriage.

The article stated that this is untrue, adding that Kaigama only said same sex marriage contradicts Nigeria’s cultural and religious norms of marriage which are defined as the union of man and woman.

We are aware of many of such hateful campaigns of calumny by some persons against the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) because of their position that ‘same-sex union’ is alien to the Nigerian culture as well as against the natural law of creation.

For instance, the Gaystarnews, one of the leading gay movements online newspaper promoted the notion that Archbishop Kaigama and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria are supporting what they described as a “legislation to make participation in a same-sex marriage a crime punishable by 14 years imprisonment” and this is quoted in Wikipedia.

This is a blatant lie aimed not only to suppress the truth but also a vendetta by the gay rights lobbyists to demonise those they perceive are not supporting their mission to change the natural law of creation to suit their own whims and caprices. This is indeed uncharitable!

At different fora, Archbishop Kaigama has clarified the position of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on this matter. In his opening remarks at the 13th Annual General Assembly of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos Kaigama stated:

“The culture of ‘same-sex marriage’ is alien to our understanding of the family and should not be imposed on Nigerians. In wrongly reading the letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in January 2015 to President Goodluck Jonathan, some international organizations and the media instead of highlighting our biggest concern that marriage must be between a man and a woman, in accordance with our cultural and religious norms, mischievously reduced the CBCN position to advocating severe punishment of gays or lesbians with long prison terms! This is a deliberate distraction and a wicked deviation from what is our primary concern. In a recent statement, ‘Our stand on Marriage, Family and Human Society’, we re-emphasised our position: No to ‘same-sex marriage’. As we say, in Nigeria, ‘No shaking’.”

When the Daily Times journalist, Chijoke Kinsley in Jos on 25 August, 2015,  reported about the General Assembly, he deliberately chose to ignore the substance of the Archbishop’s address on pastoral developments and concentrated on the same-sex issue; attributing to the Archbishop words he never used at all when he (journalist) wrote: “The President of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has reiterated that it was shameful, barbaric and madness on the part of those calling for same sex marriage… He said the Bishops’ Forum in Nigeria had taken a stand to resist what he described as “un Godly and evil for anybody to abandon the standard of God as regards marriage.”

Archbishop Kaigama we know is a careful and pastorally-minded prelate who would not have used such words as: “shameful”, “barbaric”, “madness”, etc. to refer to anyone. These words were the mischievous imagination and fabrication of the reporter.

When therefore the federal government resisted the attempt to impose this culture on Nigerians by legislating against “same-sex union”, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria felt a sense of great relief and issued a statement to affirm Government’s decision.

Unfortunately, this has been mischievously and deliberately reported as the CBCN is asking government to jail people with different sexual orientations.

We hereby again emphatically deny that misleading position. The Bishops simply did their moral duty to prevent the spread of a culture (gay and lesbian) that is alien to us. In any case, since that legislation, no one has brought their attention to the fact that anyone has been convicted, persecuted or sent to jail. If there are any such people they should confide in us and see what the pastorally-charitable response from the Nigerian Bishops would be.

Janeth J