YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – A leading African archbishop has refuted claims that cultural factors are the primary reasons behind Africa’s emphatic rejection of issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and the ordination of female deacons.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon’s Bamenda archdiocese addressed this topic during the August 23 session of the ongoing weekly synodal discussions, organized by the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM).

Issues around gay relationships and the ordination of female deacons and priests are some of the hot-button issues being discussed around the ongoing multi-year Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis extended to 2024.

“When we went to the Synod, it was clear that Africa had to take responsibility for its own destiny. We knew we had to make our voice heard in the first phase of the Synod,” Nkea said.

He explained that making Africa’s voice heard was “not talking purely from a cultural background.”

The archbishop said Africa was talking “from the background of the traditions of our fathers and from the background of the teachings of the Church.”

“In presenting our points at the Synod, therefore, we did not want to be seen as presenting points of Africa because of the culture from which we came. Our stand had nothing to do with culture; it was about fidelity to the truth; fidelity to what Christ taught. It was about fidelity to what the Apostles handed down to generations,” he said.

Read the rest: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2024/08/archbishop-says-africas-opposition-to-lgbtq-rights-not-cultural-but-biblical/