Ghana: Pastors declare national day of prayer against same-sex marriage

Some Christian clerics in Ghana have organised a national day of prayer against same-sex marriage and similar relations.

The one-hour-thirty-minutes prayer was organised by the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values in collaboration with the Christian Council of Ghana and other Christian bodies.

The programme tagged, “Homosexuality: a detestable sin to God,” held at the Church of Pentecost Burma Camp Worship Center on Sunday.

Ghana has been persistent in its fight against same-sex orientations in the country.

An LGBTQ+ centre was recently shut down shortly after it was opened.

It was gathered that religious groups, politicians, and anti-gay rights organisations called on the government to shut down the centre and arrest and prosecute those involved.

The National Coalition for Proper Sexual Rights and Family Values, a major group that brings together Christian, Muslim and traditional leaders opposed to LGBTQ rights, sought the shutdown of the centre, along with prominent church groups.

In a statement issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), the Secretary, Most Reverend Philip Naameh, said:

“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 have been championing the crusade against homosexuality.

“We also commend other individuals who have spoken in condemnation of this practice.

“We do this because the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to this abominable practice.”

Describing homosexuality as “being incompatible with the creation”, they, however, said the rights of homosexuals as persons should be respected.

“Homosexuals should enjoy the same fundamental human rights that all people enjoy. But what are these human rights? By human rights, we mean the universal, inviolable, and inalienable rights that are due to the human person as a rational being possessing a free will. Human rights protect, or are intended to protect the dignity of the human person against the state and society.

“Nevertheless, according to the Church’s understanding of human rights, the rights of homosexuals as persons do not include the right of a man to marry a man or of a woman to marry a woman. For the Church, this is morally wrong and goes against God’s purpose for marriage.

“We should point out that European Court for Human Rights has ruled that same-sex ‘marriages’ are not considered a human right, making it clear that homosexual partnerships do not, in fact, equal marriages between a man and a woman. The ruling was announced on 9 June 2016 in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. In the light of the foregoing, 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 LGBTQ office space that was recently opened in Accra.

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

“God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong!”