Same-sex Marriage: It Is Not Enough For Bishops To Rebel, Pope Francis Must Resign – Okonkwo

Labour Party (LP) chieftain cum actor, Kenneth Okonkwo has told catholic bishops to demand the resignation of Pope Francis over his stand on blessing same-sex marriage.

According to Okonkwo, it is not enough for the Bishops to rebel against the pronouncement, they must demand the resignation of the pope.

Speaking via a statement released on his account on the X platform on Friday, the lawyer said if the Bishops do not move for the Pope to step down, it will lead to an implosion of the Catholic Church just as it happened to the Anglican Church.

Naija News recalls Pope Francis recently caused controversy when he issued a groundbreaking decree permitting Roman Catholic priests to bestow blessings upon same-sex couples in specific situations.

The Vatican’s doctrinal office outlined that Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples, as long as these blessings do not form part of routine Church rituals or liturgies. Additionally, these blessings should not be conducted within the framework of civil unions or weddings.

According to the document from the Vatican, the approval of such blessings is not intended to legitimise irregular situations but rather to serve as a symbolic gesture indicating that God welcomes all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.

However, according to Okonkwo, the directive is unscriptural, and the time has come for the Pope to go based on the controversial directive.

He wrote: “It is not enough for some Catholic Bishops to rebel against the unscriptural pronouncement of Pope Francis that the Catholic Church should bless same sex marriage, time has come for the Bishops to demand that the Pope should step down. This is the only way to prevent the inevitable implosion of the church as it happened in Anglican church. God is very clear that such acts should not be once mentioned in the church (Ephesians 5:3). Now that the Pope has ill-advisedly not only mentioned the act of same sex marriage but asked Priests to bless them, time has come for him to go.”