Treat Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill “under the Certificate of Urgency”: Ghana’s Catholic Bishops, Christian Council to Legislators

The Bill that was approved and adopted by the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in July 2024 seeks to criminalize the promotion and practice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ) behavior.

In August 2023, Christian leaders in the West African nation expressed support for the Bill after the U.S. Ambassador to the country raised concerns regarding the 2021 proposed legislation. 

Ambassador Virginia Palmer cautioned Ghana against passing a legislation that she said would be inconsistent with the “welcoming, tolerant society” that the country is. 

In the June 17 statement that the president of GCBC, Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, and the Chairman of CCG, Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe, cosigned, the two forums of Christian leaders also express concern about the growing influence of what they see as foreign moral ideologies, stressing the need to preserve traditional family values in both law and culture.

“We believe this will contribute to addressing corruption and unethical conduct that impede national development,” they say, adding that Christian-based moral education in schools and society is essential for national progress.

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GCBC and CCG members also reiterate their commitment to peace, non-partisanship, and the democratic process.

“We will continue our public education, Christian advocacy, and prayers for peace, harmony, and justice in Ghana. In so doing, we will continue to be non-partisan and be guided by the principles of the Holy Bible,” they say.

The June 18 statement also addresses other national matters, including the need to reinstate religious representation on the Ghana Education Service Council, finalize a church-government education partnership, conduct a forensic audit on the National Cathedral project, and reconsider proposals on electing Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) as part of Ghana’s ongoing constitutional review.

The church leaders express support for the proposed annual observance of July 1 as a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving in Ghana, adding that religious bodies—especially the Church—should play a central role in its organization and promotion.

“We wish to propose that the annual event should be led by the Religious Bodies with the Church taking a central role,” GCBC and CCG members say.

Calling for the reinstatement of Church representation on the Ghana Education Service Council, the Church leaders remind the government of the Church’s vital historical and moral contributions to Ghana’s educational development.

“We wish to call on the Minister of Education to put the necessary processes in place to reinstate the representation of Religious Bodies,” GCBC and CCG members say, and call for a formalized education partnership agreement between the State and Christian churches.

Drawing on the outcomes of the recent 2025 National Catholic Education Forum in Koforidua, the Church leaders insist that this partnership would “promote ethical and moral values in our schools and help curb corruption and unethical behavior.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.