His Lordship, Most Rev. (Prof.) Godfrey Onah, Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, has cautioned that the growing influence of “confused and confusing gender ideologies” poses a direct threat to the very foundation of human society — the family. Speaking at the 12th edition of the Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organisation of Nigeria (LACMON) Family Convention at St. Gregory College, Obalende, Ikoyi, Bishop Onah urged Catholic men to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding the truth about human sexuality and the sanctity of marriage.
The convention’s theme was “The Family, the Vocations and Path to Love of God.” “Gender has become one topic about which one cannot speak anywhere in the world without rousing very strong sentiments, and sometimes even violent attacks,” the bishop said. “This is not just a cultural issue; it is part of a wide-ranging battle for the soul of humanity.”
From sex to gender: How the shift created confusion
Bishop Onah traced the historical change in language from “sex” to “gender” — once a harmless grammatical term — and how this shift paved the way for subjective and unlimited gender identities. While sex refers to clear biological and spiritual characteristics that make a person male or female, gender, he said, is now often defined by personal feelings rather than objective reality. This redefinition has led to the recognition of dozens — even hundreds — of possible genders, in stark contrast to the binary reality of male and female. “It is therefore possible, at least theoretically, for there to be as many genders as there are human beings on earth,” he remarked, calling this “a deliberate ambivalence” that destabilizes meaning and communication.
Undermining marriage and family
The bishop argued that once gender is detached from biological sex, marriage becomes vulnerable to redefinition — no longer necessarily between a man and a woman, or oriented toward procreation. “The family is the fundamental cell of human society. Anybody who wants to destroy society just needs to attack the family. But before attacking the family, this ideology attacks the source of the family: marriage,” he warned. In his view, promoting same-sex unions, gender fluidity, and gender transition for children — even without parental consent — all weaken the natural foundation of the family and blur the roles of father and mother.
The bishop argued that once gender is detached from biological sex, marriage becomes vulnerable to redefinition — no longer necessarily between a man and a woman, or oriented toward procreation. “The family is the fundamental cell of human society. Anybody who wants to destroy society just needs to attack the family. But before attacking the family, this ideology attacks the source of the family: marriage,” he warned. In his view, promoting same-sex unions, gender fluidity, and gender transition for children — even without parental consent — all weaken the natural foundation of the family and blur the roles of father and mother.
A philosophical and theological response
Drawing from Aristotle and Christian anthropology, Bishop Onah reaffirmed the inseparable unity of body and soul and the divine gift of being created male or female. “Our being male or female was not determined by us but given to us as a gift,” he said. “Every gift is cherished, protected, and developed — not redefined according to passing feelings.” He insisted that equality in dignity does not mean erasing the complementary roles of men and women in family life.
A wider cultural agenda
Bishop Onah linked gender ideology to other cultural trends — including contraception, abortion rights, and assisted reproductive technologies — which he said aim to separate sexuality from procreation and place human reproduction under technological control. He warned that such developments could ultimately replace faith in God with a secularist “religion” centered on humanity itself.
Call to Catholic men
The bishop urged Catholic men to take their leadership in faith formation seriously, beginning at home. He encouraged fathers and mothers to create daily spaces for moral and religious education, to instill values in their children, and to challenge dangerous ideologies both in Nigeria and abroad. “Do not be caught napping,” he told the LACMON members. “Otherwise, add artificial intelligence to gender ideologies, and the situation will be complete for a total absence of God’s intervention in our lives.” Despite his stark warnings, Bishop Onah ended on a note of hope: “All is not lost because we are here as disciples of Christ and messengers of the gospel of truth and love.”
