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Cardinal Ambongo of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has sparked controversy with his scathing critique of Western morals.
Addressing a gathering of the Famille Chrétienne movement in Kinshasa, Cardinal Ambongo condemned what he sees as the West’s “decadent morals,” particularly its stance on family and children.
“As the West does not like children, they [Westerners] want to attack the basic cell of humanity which is the family” asserted Cardinal Ambongo.
Ambongo’s comments were made on January 16 and have circulated widely in Africa through social media.
Cardinal Ambongo pulls no punches in his criticism of Western values in the audio. He asserts that Western societies are “losing ground in terms of value” due to their aversion to children. “Little by little, they will disappear” assures the Congolese cardinal.
“We wish them a good demise” he says, eliciting laughter from his audience.
A decadent culture
The cardinal, who also serves as president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), insists that Africa refuses the “decadent morals of the West. It is a decadent culture, it is the cultural and moral decadence of a society; a society in decline.”
While acknowledging Africa’s own challenges, he insists that homosexuality is not prevalent on the continent, except in isolated cases. However, he calls for respect for homosexual individuals as “creatures of God.”
This is not the first time Cardinal Ambongo has voiced his concerns about Western influence. In a previous interview, he declared “The Church in Europe is dying” emphasising Africa as the future of the Church.
The audio recording also captures Cardinal Ambongo’s discussion regarding the SECAM statement rejecting the possibility of blessing same-sex couples on the African continent, a stance supported by Pope Francis.
Despite dissent from bishops in North Africa who believe such blessings could be permissible under certain conditions, Cardinal Ambongo maintains that such practices would lead to scandal.
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