The African cardinal’s comments came at a press conference, held on the sidelines of a meeting for the African members of the ongoing Synod on Synodality. Fielding questions from journalists, the 64-year-old Ambongo praised and welcomed a recent intervention by Cardinal Robert Sarah.
“I followed with much attention Cardinal Sarah’s address and I think what he said is true,” he stated.
“Fiducia Supplicans wasn’t primarily about cultural aspects; rather, it was best approached through the perspectives of theology, morality, the Bible, and the Magisterium,” stated the prelate, who serves as president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and is also archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sarah’s wide-ranging speech, given in Cameroon earlier this month, contained strong support for the Cameroonian bishops’ own rejection of the homosexual “blessings” that are espoused by Fiducia Supplicans.
You “have spoken for the whole Church ‘in the name of the truth of the Gospel and for the human dignity and salvation of all humanity in Jesus Christ,’” he said.
But Sarah also called on Africa’s synod members to use their voices in the synod to fight against the “misrepresentation of the dictatorship of relativism.” He warned that such relativism “aims to allow violations of doctrine and morality in certain places under the pretext of cultural adaptation.”
Indeed, the Guinean prelate listed as examples of this a number of the more controversial issues being pushed by differing activists within the Church, outlining them as part of the “dictatorship of relativism.”
It would like to allow female diaconate in Germany, married priests in Belgium, confusion between ordained priesthood and baptismal priesthood in the Amazon.
Sarah also critiqued some papal appointees to the Synod who are in favor of “female deacons”: “Some recently appointed theological experts do not hide their plans. And they will tell you with false kindness, ‘Rest assured, in Africa, we will not impose this kind of innovation on you. You are not culturally ready.’”
In a notable turn of phrase, Ambongo stated that the entire continent of Africa is “united” in its rejection of “blessings” for homosexual “couples.”
“The Church in Africa is united in communion, there is no division; I think that all over the world, people agree and in one accord with the Church in Africa,” stated Ambongo, who serves as one of Pope Francis’ close advisors on the C9 Council of Cardinals.
“This is the reason why we shall no longer talk about Fiducia Supplicans; it has been buried,” he declared.
He added that Fiducia Supplicans had even “played a part in trying to bring down this issue of Synodality” but added that now “we are coming back on track.”
While numerous African bishops had already rejected Fiducia Supplicans within days of it emerging, Ambongo led the continental move to declare on January 11 that the Catholic bishops in the continent will not be implementing Fiducia Supplicans’ homosexual “blessings,” saying to do so would contradict African culture, which is “deeply rooted in the values of the natural law regarding marriage and family.”
He subsequently revealed that this move came about through his direct collaboration with Pope Francis and Fiducia Supplicans’ author, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.
The African cardinal flew to Rome, where he worked with Francis and Fernández in drawing up the document, which was published on January 11. He stated that a private version was made for the Vatican archives, which was co-signed by Fernández – although the public version was signed by Ambongo only.
Revealing these details during a speech some days later, the Kinshasa cardinal told the crowd present that “in Africa, there is no place to bless gay couples.”
However, some division has emerged, with bishops in the north of Africa declaring shortly after Ambongo’s January 11 letter that they remained open to such “blessings” being offered in their regions.
The statement came from local bishops’ conference president Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, but Ambongo has continued his stance opposing Fiducia Supplicans unabated in the weeks following.
Indeed, Ambongo’s description of Fiducia Supplicans as having “been buried” in Africa is notable, since it remarks his continued and very public rejection of the text, despite being one of the pope’s close advisors. Just two weeks ago, he spent two days with Francis and the rest of the C9 Council of Cardinals, discussing various aspects of ecclesial life including the “role of women in the Church” and the Synod on Synodality.