“Against ideological colonialism”

“We try to respect the views of others, so they should respect ours!” Philippe Ouédraogo, the archbishop of Ouagadougou, elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis in February 2014, spoke his mind at the last synod on the family, which took place in Rome in October. In front of his peers from around the world, he denounced the attitude of Western countries wanting to condition development aid to African countries on their positions towards birth control, gender issues and homosexuality. Cardinal Ouédraogo called this a “new ideological colonisation”, a phrase Pope Francis repeated on his trip to the Philippines in November. The prelate, who was born in Konéan and holds degrees in philosophy and theology, also called on the Church and wealthy countries to give Africa more support. Concerned with human dignity and the collective good, he is a critic of income inequality in Burkina Faso.