The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, says media reports claiming that the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, had approved blessings for same-sex couples, were untrue.

Kaigama made the clarification in his homily during the Christmas Mass he conducted at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Catholic Pro-Cathedral in Abuja.

He described the viral reports as a mischievous disinformation, which is part of an intentionally orchestrated falsehood by the enemies of the Catholic Church to cause confusion among its members.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Pope did not, and will never approve blessings for any intending same-sex couples because the position of the Church on this is very clear and has not changed.

“I am the representative of the Pope here, so if there’s any such approval or directive, I’ll be the first to know and relay the message to the brethren.

“The media reports on this issue is the handiwork of the enemies of the Church, who have been busy spending millions of dollars to bring down the Church, but to no avail because they cannot succeed,” he stated.

The bishop advised Christians not to lose hope or allow their faith to be shaken by the willful attacks against the Church by its enemies, stressing that evil can never prevail over good, just as darkness cannot overcome light.

The cleric prayed for Nigeria and its leaders to succeed and urged the Federal Government to step up security measures to stem the tide of crime in the country.