“Weed them out”: Catholic Archbishop Sounds Alarm over Homosexuality in West African Seminaries, Urges Action

He stressed that the Church’s position on homosexuality has not changed and remains grounded in the coherence of the Magisterium, the teaching of the Catholic Church.

According to the official teaching authority of the Catholic Church, a person who practices homosexuality or supports the gay culture should not be admitted to the Seminary or to Holy Orders.

Citing the Dicastery for Culture and Education’s November 2005 Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders, Archbishop Kwofie stated that “those who practice homosexuality” and therefore “present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture’” do “find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.” 

Aligning itself with the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education has, in the instructions, stated that the Catholic Church “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’”

“One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies,” the Vatican Dicastery stated in the instructions issued in Rome on 4 November 2005, Memorial of St Charles Borromeo, Patron of Seminaries.

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“Weed them out”: Catholic Archbishop Sounds Alarm over Homosexuality in West African Seminaries, Urges Action

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“This excerpt shows that the norms regarding sexuality and the gay culture in the Seminaries have not changed,” Archbishop Kwofie said at the event that brought together Rectors and other Formators from across West Africa under the theme, “Building on a Rock: A Solid and a Holistic Formation.”

The 2005 Instructions were reaffirmed in the document of the Dicastery for the Clergy, the December 2016 The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis).

At the regional conference set to end on January 17, Archbishop Kwofie recognized the apostolate of Rectors and other Formators. He assured them support, saying, “My dear people, you as Rectors in West Africa, you are given a responsibility in forming future Priests. This is an onerous task. We are behind you.”

Sabrine Amboka is a Kenyan journalist with a passion for Catholic church communication. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from St. Paul's University in Kenya.