Kayode Aliyu, a pastor of the Cherubim & Seraphim (C&S) Movement Church Worldwide, Daki-Biyu District, Kubwa branch, says the permission by Pope Francis for priests to bestow blessings upon same-sex couples “is a sign of the end time.”

Corroborating Aliyu’s remark, the senior pastor and leader-in-charge of the church, special apostle Alex Ogundipe, said the message was that “we are in the last phase of the world.”

Pope Francis was reported to have, on Monday, granted permission for priests to bestow blessings upon same-sex couples.

However, the head of the Roman Catholic Church emphasised that such blessings should not be incorporated into routine church ceremonies or associated with civil unions or weddings.

However, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria said that Catholic Churches in the country would not bless same-sex unions, saying blessing same-sex unions is against God’s law, the teachings of the church, and the law of the country.

On Wednesday, they made this known in a statement released and signed by the conference president, Lucius Ugirji and the Secretary, Donayus Ogun.

Meanwhile, while delivering a sermon titled ‘End Time Survival: The Strategies to Survive the End Time’ on Sunday in Abuja, Aliyu gave 18 factors to identify the era.

Preaching from the books of Genesis 6:11-18, Mathew 24:1-14 and 2 Timothy 3: 1 to 5, the clergyman said, “Many shall be lovers of themselves, covetousness, boasters, blasphemers, disobedience to their parents, unthankful, without natural affection, etc.”

Emphasising people without natural affection and love for one another, Aliyu said God instituted marriage between a man and a woman, and not between man and man or woman and woman.

Giving biblical allusion from Romans 1:18-28, the pastor said, “If we fail to know God, God will give us over to a depraved mind so that we do what ought not to be done.”

According to him, a church said blessings should be administered to same-sex couples, though part of the church in Nigeria has gone against that; this is a sign of the end time.

Mr Aliyu said the Christians needed a gift of discernment of spirit at this time.

According to him, to survive the end time, you need a discerning spirit based on God’s word.

“For end-time survival, you don’t need prophesy. A husband can deceive a wife, and a wife can decide her husband,” he said.

The cleric, who called on the Christians to deal with those 18 factors listed in the message, urged everyone to be baptised in the Holy Spirit.

“If you have the fruit of the spirit, it will destroy the works of the devil in you,” he said.

(NAN)