Christians should love gay people as they are children of God, says Catholic priest
Fr Ambrose Kimutai of Segemik Catholic Parish in Kericho. He has called for tolerance for gay and lesbian people in Kenya, warning that statements from senior clerics that isolate them will make them run away from church. PHOTO | TIMOTHY KIMEI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Fr Ambrose Kimutai warned top clerics against making statements that would isolate the gay people and make them run away from church.
- He accused some church leaders of being out of touch with the reality that same-sex relationships were flourishing.
- “As a church, we are called to love all people regardless of their sexual orientation," he said.
- Fr Kimutai added that his views over same-sex relationships should not be seen or interpreted as being against the teachings of the church.
A Catholic priest has asked Christian leaders to accept that Kenya has a considerable population of gay people and whom people should learn to live with.
The outspoken Segemik Catholic Parish priest, Fr Ambrose Kimutai, warned top clerics against making statements that would isolate gay people and make them run away from church.
Instead, Fr Kimutai said, Christians should love homosexuals as they are “children of God”.
He observed that last weekend’s decision by the citizens of Ireland, a predominantly Catholic nation, to overwhelmingly vote in favour of same-sex marriage, was a sign that the ground had shifted and that the Church needed to change its attitude and approach to emerging issues.
In a referendum last Friday, 65 per cent of Irish voters backed same-sex marriage, making Ireland — where a majority of the population still profess the Catholic faith — the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage through popular vote.
Fr Kimutai accused some church leaders of being out of touch with the reality that same-sex relationships were flourishing and called on them to “step out of their ivory tower”.
“Kenya is a secular country, not a Christian state, as there is no official state religion.
While I am not in support of gay marriage, I believe that it is the responsibility of the church to preach inclusivity instead of sowing seeds of hatred in the minds of its followers,” said Fr Kimutai.
CARDINAL NJUE CONDEMNED PRACTICE
The priest spoke two days after Cardinal John Njue, the archbishop of Nairobi, condemned gay relationships.
While speaking to Christians in Kericho on Sunday, Cardinal Njue condemned the practice, calling it “rubbish”.
“If you are a woman or a man, be proud of who you are. You must uphold that dignity because you have no apologies to make to anyone or worry about anything and do not go with the rubbish that is being propagated,” said the cardinal.
“God created two people, a man and a woman to continue with His work of creation.
“Let us fight same-sex relations as much as possible because the heritage we are leaving behind if we allow it to take place is horrible,” he added.
But Fr Kimutai said that it was wrong for the Catholic Church to preach about the never-ending love of God, yet at the same time refuses to accommodate homosexuals who are also children of God.
“As a church, we are called to love all people regardless of their sexual orientation.
“This is the only way we can try to win them back to the Church.
“We must read the signs of the times and change our approach by adopting a palatable language that they will understand,” he said.
Fr Kimutai added that his views on same-sex relationships should not be seen or interpreted as being against the teachings of the church, adding that he was simply making his contribution to the raging debate.
