News circulating on social and mainstream media suggesting the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has legalized same-sex marriages in the Church is a deliberate ploy by some faceless individuals to collapse the church.

This according to Reverend Father Emmanuel Azulira of Our Lady Queen of Africa (OLA) Parish in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, is being perpetrated by some faceless individuals to reduce the numbers of the church aimed at ensuring its collapse.

Delivering a homely at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Kalbeo indicated that what was in circulation was the direct opposite of what the Holy Father had said

“There are attempts to reduce our numbers in the Catholic Church, and these are some of the ways, but it will never happen. I want to make it clear that Pope Francis never approved of man-and-man or woman-and-woman marriage. Never leave the Catholic Church and say because someone told you that the Catholic Church is now blessing man and man; Pope Francis never gave a direction like that anywhere. I pray that no one will leave the Catholic Church in the name of Jesus Christ,” he said.

It would be recalled that news had gone viral that Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage.

But while the Vatican statement was heralded by some as a step toward breaking down discrimination in the Catholic Church, some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it underscored the church’s idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships.

The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if the blessings weren’t confused with the ritual of marriage.