Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie has called on Christians and Muslims alike to speak against an alleged planned conference of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Ghana.
The 5th edition of the Pan Africa ILGA conference on the theme “Sankofa: looking back to our roots- reclaiming our rights” which is scheduled to be held in Accra from July 27 to 31 for the LGBTQ community within the country was not well received by the public when news went viral in the media space.
The Archbishop is one of the many expressing worry over why Ghana is the country chosen to host such a meeting and has called on the citizens to uphold their religious values.
He made the call in a homily during a pastoral visit to the St. Bhakita Catholic Church at Lashibi, a suburb of Accra March 1, 2020.
“As Christians, we must be aware that our society is becoming more difficult and we must stand up and uphold our values as Christians. We have heard about the “sankorfa” of the lesbians and gays who are planning to have their maiden meeting here in our country, Ghana. “Why Ghana?” he questioned.
“If it is true, we need to speak against it because our values do not allow us to do that. For us Christians and Muslims, we have values and we must endeavour to up them no matter the circumstances of life, he added.
According to the Spiritan Archbishop of Accra, “the devil came with all the tricks but couldn’t succeed, whiles all these were going on, it was at the end of the temptations that the angels came to minister to him. Saint Luke in the scriptural text attests to the fact that “he left for a while”, meaning by that the devil will return at the opportune time to test him again.
He said the Jews held on to their faith and conviction and were willing to die just because they refused to eat pork, and expressed worry that “now, we lack conviction and freely engage in the vices of the world.” He, however, admonished Christians to fight the evil menace in our society by upholding the values of the Christian Faith and conviction should be our hallmark as Christians.
The activities of LGBTQ have been a concern to many Ghanaians, some of whom have spoken strongly against it including the various Religious leaders -the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Pentecostal Council, and Charismatic Churches.
However, one of such vociferous Ghanaian anti-LGBTQ activists is Moses Foh-Amoaning, a senior law lecturer and anti-gay rights convener, who has called on the Ghanaian government to deny visas to organizers of an impending conference on LGBTI rights in Accra.
Foh-Amoaning, who is the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family values said government needs to introduce a comprehensive plan to bar gay activities in the country.
Foh-Amoaning said: “We will also issue a statement to the South African government – because we hear they are based in South Africa – that they cannot misuse our national motives. You are even insulting us, by using ‘Sankofa.”
“It is illegal in Ghana. How can you have such a conference here in Ghana? It will not happen, trust me. In 2001 they said it will happen but did it happen? Even in those days, we were not organised. What makes you think now that we are organised, they can have it done when you know that the law prohibits it? You cannot promote it,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, a respected leader of the Islamic faith has vowed that his fraternity would join hands with the Christian community and all other faith-based groupings to stop the planned conference by the Pan Africa International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association scheduled for Accra in July this year.
The Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheihk Muumin Abdul Haroun described homosexuality as an “evil that must not be countenanced in any way because it is despised by God”.
“Wallahi tallahi we will not agree; we Muslims, Christians and the Traditional religion will all rise up; we will not allow them to even step foot here and not even the government can stand in our way; the country does not belong to them; it belongs to us so we decide who does what here”, he swore.
