Guardian

AN assurance has come from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), saying it will not support same-sex marriage in U.S. in spite of moves by the civil authority to legalise it in the country.

The Chairman, USCCB, Bishop Richard Pates, said the body had assured that the Catholic Church would always adopt the position of the universal Church on the issue of abolition of same-sex marriage.

The bishop gave the assurance recently when he paid a courtesy visit to the Secretary General, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja.

He stated that the Church in America was vehemently opposed to the legalisation of abortion and same-sex marriage and was doing everything possible to ensure that the tax-payers’ money was not spent to fund these programmes by the government.

He also called for collaboration between the Bishops’ Conferences of the two countries in the area of the protection of the dignity and rights of the human person in developing nations, particularly Africa. Pates noted that there was the need for the Church in Nigeria and other African countries to furnish the Church in America with more information to enable her take positive actions.

Pates, who is the Catholic Bishop of Des Moines Diocese, disclosed that he was in Nigeria on a fact-finding mission about the situation in the country, with particular attention on Christian-Muslim relationship, the Boko Haram insurgence and how the Church in America can assist the Church in Nigeria.

He expressed the concern about the country’s Bishops’ Conference on the attack on churches by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, pointing out that religion should be used to foster cordiality, love and harmonious living instead of violence and vengeance.

Earlier in his welcome address, Rev. Fr. Michael Ekpenyong briefed the visiting bishop on the Nigerian situation, pointing out among, other issues, the religious and ethnic crises going on in the northern part of the country.