Catholic Archbishop: We Thank God For Nigeria's Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Nigerian Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama was appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1995. Yesterday New York City-based Sahara TV interviewed him about Nigeria's super-criminalization of homosexuality. Here's how they recap the clip below:

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, joined SaharaTV's Rudolf Okonkwo to explain his reasons for supporting Nigeria's recently enacted Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. "We thank God that this bill was passed," said Archbishop Kaigama, speaking from Nigeria. Although in support of the new law, Archbishop Kaigama also sympathized for the gay community and noted that they should not be discriminated against. "As a priest and by my Christian values it not a crime to be gay or heterosexual," said Kaigama. "I will treat [a gay person] with great understanding and love, with great compassion," he said.

At the 2:30 mark the interviewer brings up the eleven gay men that are facing stoning to death in the northern Nigerian state of Bauchi. Kaigama responds: "That would be...they have extra-judicial abilities (in Bauchi). I don't imagine that just simply because somebody is gay he or she will be arrested or maltreated. I don't think that is acceptable. I think the constitution is clear about this. The legislation is very, very clear against gay unions." He later says, "It is not a crime to simply be a gay person."

The archbishop is either deeply uniformed or is simply lying.