Ecumenical Service in Ghana to Seek God’s Intervention against Homosexual Tendencies

“Homosexuality is not a one religion issue as it cuts across Christians, traditionalists and also Muslims,” he said, adding that an invitation has also been extended to traditional leaders and the Muslim community in Ghana. 

The event has been organized against the backdrop of controversy over homosexuality in the West African nation, a matter that has caught the attention of members of various entities, including Catholic Bishops in the country.

In February, the Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning, condemned homosexuality and called for the shutdown of new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) offices in Accra.

However, the leadership of the European Union (EU) in the country condemned the lawyer and asked that he respects and tolerates LGBTQI individuals. 

In their February 19 statement, members of the GCBC expressed their solidarity with Foh-Amoaning and opposition to LGBTQI initiatives in the country “because the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to this abominable practice.”

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Catholic Bishops in Ghana also called on the leadership of the country to “state unambiguously their position on the matter.” 

On February 20, the leadership of the Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) accused the Bishops of inciting violence against homosexuals.

Reacting to the claims by the leadership of IDNOWA, the Catholic Bishops, in their February 25 statement, clarified, “What the Church disapproves of are homosexual acts which she considers as intrinsically immoral.” 

“The inherent immorality of homosexual acts makes it impossible for the church to accept public advocacy and promotion of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle,” said the Catholic Church leaders in Ghana. 

The Bishops’ stance on homosexuality in the country was supported by members of the Catholic Laity Council in Ghana who said it was “not fair” that some individuals and groups like the IDNOWA “have misconstrued some of the statements made by GCBC on this controversial issue.”

Making reference to the February 25 clarification letter by GCBC members, Fr. Kofi told ACI Africa during the March 17 interview, “We do not hate these people. It is the practice that we are against.”

“We rebuke the practice and not the people,” Fr. Kofi said, adding that “the practice (homosexuality) can only be defeated by showing love to the people not condemning them.”

In the interview, the Clergy of Ghana’s Ho Diocese also expressed the hope that more people will be part of the crusade against homosexuality.  

The scheduled ecumenical prayer service comes days after Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), answered “negative” to the question, “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?”

In the response published by the Holy See Press Office, the Prefect of CDF, Jesuit Luis Cardinal Ladaria indicated that Pope Francis “was informed and gave his assent to the publication” of the same feedback.”

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Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.