The Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference (GCBC) has asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately shut down the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals, Transgender and Queer Individuals (LGBTQI) office in Accra.

A statement issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference said “We the Catholic Bishops of Ghana write to condemn all those who support the practice of homosexuality in Ghana.”

 

“We call upon the President of the Republic and Parliament to state unambiguously their position on the matter of homosexuality and its practice in Ghana. We also call on the Government of Ghana to close down the LGBTQI office space that was recently opened in Accra.

“We, the Catholic Bishops of Ghana, write to condemn all those who support the practice of homosexuality in Ghana. We also write to support the position of Lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning and the Coalition who for years has been championing the crusade against homosexuality. We also commend other individuals who have spoken in condemnation of this practice”, the statement said.

The Conference backing its position on the matter with the scripture on the practice of homosexuality said the bible describes it as “perversion and a pagan abomination” — citing Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, Gen 19:1-28, Rom 1:26-27, 1 Cor 6:9-10, and 1 Tim 1:10.

The Church, according to the Conference “sees the practice of homosexuality as being incompatible with the creation stories relating man and woman in Genesis. In the opening chapters of Genesis, the creation of the sexes by God is presented as having a twofold purpose: men and women are meant to come together in a one-flesh unity of life (Gen 2:24) and to beget children (Gen 1:28).

“Since sexual activity was seen to be ordered to procreation and the continuance of the human race, any form of sexual activity other than heterosexual intercourse is against nature and is a clear violation of right reason. To choose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity or for marriage is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of God’s sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life, and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living”.

The Council clarified that the Church does not condemn homosexuals or people who have “homosexual tendency” but it condemns “homosexual acts that homosexuals perform”.

It stated that homosexuals are created in the image of God and for that matter should enjoy the same fundamental right as everyone else such as the right to life, personal liberty and due process of law; to freedom of thought, expression, religion, organization, and movement; to freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, language, and sex; to basic education; to employment; and to property.

GCBC is calling on the government of Ghana not to succumb to pressures to legalize LGBTQIs rights in Ghana.

“Finally, we also urge the Executive and the Legislature never to be cowed down or to succumb to the pressure to legalize the rights of LGBTQIs in Ghana”.

Some Ghanaians and the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values led by its Executive Secretary Lawyer Moses Foh-Amoaning have been up in arms with government to immediately close the said office.

 

See the Full statement below

 

Meanwhile, Director of LGBTQI+ Rights in Ghana, Alex Kofi Donkor, has asked Ghanaians to look at issues relating to LGBTQI, as human right issues.

He told TV3’s Miriam Osei Agyemang on the Mid day news on Friday February 19 that persons who are identified as LGBTQI are verbally and physically attacked in the country.

This, he said, must stop because they have fundamental human rights that must be respected and protected by the society.

Explaining the reasons behind the setup of an LGBTQI office in Ghana, he said “We created an office space where we talk about issues which affect us as community and ways in which we can resolve the issues.

 

“Let me quickly say in this country a lot of times we do experience a lot of violence and abuse that are perpetuated towards people who are identified as LGBTQI or people who are perceived as LGBTQI persons.

“When these violence are perpetuated against such people it goes unattended to, people do that with impunity.”

 

Source: MyGhanaMedia.com