Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bissau (Fides Service)- “We fully support the pro-family demonstration taking place on June 18 in Madrid” said Italian missionary Fr. Dioniso Ferraro parish priest at Our Lady of Fatima church in Bissau, capital of Guinea Bissau. The demonstration with the slogan “Family is important. For the right to a mother and a father. For freedom”, is promoted by the European network of Family Policy Institutes with support from similar institutions all over the world.
“In spirit we will be there” said Fr. Ferraro “because also here in Africa we are aware that the family must be protected from attacks from many different sides”.
“In Africa the principal threat to the family is infidelity in marriage. Situations of infidelity and polygamy are serious threats to the family which should be a little domestic Church. The roots of these problems are both cultural and economic. In fact not only husbands are unfaithful but so are wives whose husbands are unable to provide enough for the family. These mothers “rely” on another man and this creates a situation of bigamy”.
The local Church strives to educate couples to be faithful to one another. In pre-matrimony courses we stress the importance to be faithful to prayer, work and partner. And we teach that the person must be faithful to prayer and to work in order to be faithful to the partner” Fr. Ferraro told Fides.
“However as yet Africa is not affected by the situations found in Europe and the United States which put the institution of marriage in crisis” Fr. Ferraro said. “For example to say that same sex unions are the same as a family is inconceivable for the African mentality. Many of my parishioners watch international news on television and seeing the news coming from Spain they are flabbergasted. Many have come to say: You must be mad in Europe, how can two men get married?”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/6/2005 righe 33 parole 379)
