Catholics warned of condom ‘preachers’

Catholics have been told to be wary of the faithful advocating use of condoms through the media to win backing from the majority.

Talking to worshippers at Holy Ghost Cathedral in Mombasa on Saturday, Father Joe Babendreier said the “Billboard Debate” was not about accepting condoms, but meant to cause division within the church.

“What the Catholic for Choice (CfC) in New York is doing is to attack the church with the hope of causing disharmony among its followers,” he told the worshippers.

After being a priest in New York for 10 years, Fr Babendreier said, those behind the Billboard Debate were out to destroy the Catholic faith throughout the world.

According to him, CfC had used more than Sh1.118 billion ($13 million) between 2002 and 2012 to put up billboards in major cities of the world aimed at changing the church’s stand on sexual issues.

Their mission, the priest said, was not about condoms but campaigns to not only legalise abortion but also gay marriages among church-goers.

“CfC knows the Catholic Church is the only constituent left with the authority to stop them, that is why it is using unorthodox ways such as billboards and television adverts to reach out for you,” Fr Babendreier added.

With reference to scripture, Fr Babendreier told the gathering to adhere to Catholic teachings that were clear on the issue of sex orientation, marriages and social life.

And while reacting to President Obama’s appeal for gay rights, John Cardinal Njue criticised the US leader for urging the African nations to give gay people equal rights.

Mr Obama made the remarks in Senegal after meeting President Macky Sall on the first leg of his African tour that would take him to South Africa and Tanzania.