OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (CNS) – One of Africa’s most senior Catholic leaders has denounced the imposition of “foreign ideologies” across the continent, and urged Africans to seek modernisation without succumbing to Western influences that erode family bonds.
“We are observing the spread of a mindset and policies that devalue the engendering of human life,” said Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, who also heads the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
“Such ideologies claim societies are poor because of their high birthrate. So, they propagate contraceptive methods, insidiously imposing them on women and young girls to avoid pregnancies and achieve a ‘demographic dividend’, in pursuit of some unknown happiness.”
In an Easter homily published on his church’s website, the 76-year-old cardinal said Christians had a right “to speak up for human life, without fear”, against “the imperialism of lobbies and associations which praise and seek to impose homosexual marriage, sexual freedom, divorce, etc..”
“Human life is sacred, and practices such as abortion and homicide are offences punished by excommunication,” said Cardinal Ouédraogo.
“The Church can make its contribution by calling a halt to this dictatorship of uniform thought and manipulated information, which deceives and compromises the life of entire generations by promoting a culture of death through abortion and euthanasia, contraceptive and anti-birth measures.”
Church leaders have frequently criticised population control programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, whose population is forecast to double by 2050 to around 2.5 billion, as well as efforts to link humanitarian aid with the promotion of contraception and abortion.
The continent’s fertility rate was 4.7 births per woman in 2018, the world’s highest, according to a May, 2020, World Bank report, while its most populous country, Nigeria, has 206 million inhabitants and a growth rate of 2.6 per cent.
In his message, Cardinal Ouédraogo said “responsibility to procreate and educate” remained “an essential purpose of marriage”, although the Catholic Church accepted natural methods of birth regulation as “expressing the dignity of life”.
He added that many African families lived in fidelity to Christian values which “constitute the foundation of the family institution, as well as the future of Church and humanity”, and allowed them to determine their “choices and commitments”,
“In Africa, as around the world, the family is the primary cell not just of a living ecclesial community, but also of society,” he said.
“However, we are witnessing important mutations in contemporary society, which contradict many family values, especially African ones. In adopting the positive values of modernity as active subjects of the world’s future, African Christian families should rebel against this.”
Photo: Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (CNS)
Very good man. Not ashamed to tell it how it is.
Bishops of Oceania have been remarkably tight-lipped about this important issue.
The west is committing suicide. It is simply yielding to a contraceptive culture. Even Pope Francis has been caught up in his reference
to Catholics who “breed like rabbits”.
The cold hard facts are that those who are fecund are the mainstay of society, and three, four, or more children should be the norm and not
the exception; which means that those who do breed will simply overtake any other culture, including Christianity.
Europe is dying because it is not breeding. French Catholics are pressured by Macron (who wants to tax more), and their future is at risk.
Its not just Notre Dame burning. Two churches are desecrated each day on average in France.
News media generally don’t print the painful nitty gritties, simply because society has been conditioned by motion picture, specifically
TV, and as screenwriters all know if they want to stay in business, the bottom line is “Don’t ever make the viewer feel bad”
This means take the easy road, take the soft option, and enjoy.
The cross which should be a significant part of Catholic activity generally is ignored, and the anthropocentric takes over from the Christocentric.
Sad, very sad. This means youth who are quick to pick up on such attitudes decide for a soft materialistic lifestyle, and building family is side-stepped
for a trip overseas, wining and dining, a second house at the beach, two cars etc.
Family building is a must, and should always be encouraged.
Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo is a very brave man.
Africa, particularly Nigeria is targeted.