NAIROBI, Kenya (LifeSiteNews) — Kenyan Bishop James Maria Wainaina of the Catholic Diocese of Murang’a has condemned LGBT activists and said he will oppose every law within Kenya and from without that attacks or undermines marriage.
“The LGBTQ threat is real and is capable of breaking down the family unit and the entire social fabric,” the bishop warned in a statement on the defense of the family.
Directing his comments to lawmakers in the Kenyan Parliament, he continued, “To address these threats to the family I urge our legislators to come out to strongly challenge any laws passed in Parliament or elsewhere that are against the integrity of the family institution and supporting the laws coming up in the Parliament that protect the family from emerging threats.”
“I reiterate our position, as the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, that marriage is desired by God and as such it is between a man and a woman,” he declared.
Wainaina also urged parents to be vigilant over the education of their children and any influences that might sweep them into LGBT ideology, warning they ought “to strive to be closer to their children, so as to identify and address any negative influence on them before it is too late.”
In a similar condemnation in March 2023, Bishop Jospeh Mbatia of Nyahururu denounced LGBT ideology as contrary to the natural order, right reason, and God’s design for human nature.
Mbatia’s condemnation came in response to a Supreme Court ruling allowing pro-LGBT groups to officially register with the government, with the right of association, a move the Kenya Bishops’ Conference also strongly condemned with a public statement.
The bishops’ conference declared that the ruling was “unconstitutional, unwelcome and should be withdrawn,” arguing that such groups had as their goal the promotion and normalizing of sodomy and same-sex unions.
They warned, “The aim of the LGBTQ+ association is promotion of homosexual actions and normalizing homosexual and same-sex unions. We, therefore, note that this ruling sets the platform for activism and pressure to further recognize homosexual actions and same-sex unions as acceptable and further infiltrate our processes of formation in our institutions.”
Expounding on the principle that marriage and the family are the foundation of society and are protected by the Kenya Constitution and extant law, the bishops continued, “We, therefore, state that this ideology is an attempt to undermine the family and cultural values which are rooted in the very nature of humankind. It also undermines the dignity of life which is at the core of our beliefs as a nation. This ideology is an attack on our faith systems.” Continuing, the prelates wrote:
Human sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity as a gift from God. However, our sexual identity cannot be defined merely by referring to sexual orientations.
We make reference to the Constitution of Kenya, Article 45 which clearly states that ‘the family is the natural and fundamental unit of society and the necessary basis of social order, and shall enjoy the recognition and protection of the State.’ We, therefore, remind the Government of its constitutional responsibility and moral obligation to safeguard and protect the family against the LGBTQ+ ideology and other threats. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to safeguard young people from such erroneous ideas about sexuality and marriage. It is for this reason that we remind all Kenyans that the Penal Code 1930 criminalizes same-sex acts as ‘gross indecency’ and ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature.’ This should be upheld by our judiciary in defence of life and the family.
The principles of respect and non-discrimination cannot be invoked to support legal recognition of same-sex unions. Differentiating between persons or refusing social recognition or benefits is unacceptable only when it is contrary to justice. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. At this point, we reiterate what is enshrined in the Constitution that marriage is between a man and a woman.
The proliferation of LGBT issues in the country resulting from the Supreme Court ruling has prompted Kenyan Christians and Muslims to issue a recent petition to Parliament urging an inquiry into what they perceive as orchestrated attempts to challenge laws prohibiting homosexuality and other “unnatural acts.” The petitioners argue that such efforts not only threaten the moral fabric of Kenyan society but also question the constitutional right to equality before the law.
In late December 2023, following the Vatican’s publication of Fiducia Supplicans, Kenyan Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru, the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Wote, Kenya, prohibited all clergy in his diocese from blessing same-sex “couples,” while also urging Catholics to reject in “totality” Rome’s document approving such blessings.
And in a February conference at the Catholic University of East Africa in Nairobi, Cardinal Robert Sarah, former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, said he is “very proud” that the African bishops have “completely” rejected Rome’s proposal to grant priestly blessings to couples in “irregular situations” and same-sex couples.
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