Ouagadougou: The bishops of Africa and Madagascar are preparing a unique response, 'valid for the entire Church of Africa', following the possibility granted by Pope Francis to bless homosexual and irregular couples.In a letter signed on December 20, 2023, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SEEAM), asks the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences to send him their opinions, in order to 'draft a single declaration synodal, valid for the entire Church of Africa,' reports Vatican News.He asked that the opinions of the various episcopal conferences reach his secretariat before the end of January 2024.As a reminder, the possibility offered by Pope Francis on December 18, 2023, to hurt homosexual and irregular couples, outside the liturgy, sparked strong reactions on the continent.According to the president of SECAM, there is a need for the African episcopate to express itself clearly in order to give precise guidance to the faithful.Ho wever, let us note that several episcopates have already spoken out.The episcopates of Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana have banned the blessing of people of the same sex.The bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger, the Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Cardinal Jean Pierre Kutwã and the South African episcopate have asked their faithfulness to wait for details.The bishop of Maradi (DRC), André-Giraud Pindi Mwanza, asks priests to first request authorization from the diocesan bishop when they are contacted by same-sex couples wishing to be blessed.For the Kenyan bishops, in blessing a person, we are not blessing the immoral acts they are committing, but we are hoping that the prayers offered for them can bring them back to the path of conversion.Also, they ensure that the Pope's declaration is not a recognition of homosexual marriage and that the blessing mentioned differs from the 'sacramental blessing Source: Burkina Information Agency