The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has rejected suggestions that national discussions on family values and LGBTQ+ issues are inconsequential, while urging President John Dramani Mahama to honour his earlier commitment to assent to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill if passed by Parliament.
In a statement dated April 10 and signed by Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the bishops responded to recent public remarks attributed to the President and the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
Concerns over public remarks
The bishops referenced reports that the President, speaking at the World Affairs Council, described LGBTQ+ matters as “not the most important issue we face as a nation.” The Minister was also cited as saying such issues are “not a major priority for Ghanaians” and characterising the debate as a “waste of time.”
“Even if intended to prioritise urgent socio-economic concerns, such descriptions risk conveying that certain moral questions may be set aside as inconsequential,” the bishops said. “Yet no question that touches the structure of human identity, family life, and social continuity can be trivial. Nations do not live by bread alone.”
Ethics and development intertwined
The Conference dismissed what it termed a false divide between economic priorities and moral considerations, arguing that strong family systems are closely tied to improved educational outcomes, lower crime rates and enhanced economic mobility.
“To weaken the moral ecology of the family is to erode the very conditions that make sustainable development possible,” the statement read.
The bishops reaffirmed two principles: the inherent dignity of every individual, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, and the responsibility of society to uphold the family as founded on the union of a man and a woman.
“No individual, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, may be subjected to violence, hatred, or unjust discrimination. Such acts are moral failures and social wounds. We condemn them without reservation,” they said.
Call to honour presidential assurance
On the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, the bishops recalled the President’s earlier public assurance that he would assent to it if duly passed through constitutional processes.
“Democratic integrity rests, in part, on the fidelity of leaders to their publicly stated commitments. Should Parliament complete its deliberations and pass the Bill, we urge the President to honour this assurance,” they said.
They also acknowledged that some provisions of the Bill have raised legitimate concerns, calling for thorough parliamentary scrutiny and possible refinement.
Call for respectful national dialogue
The bishops urged stakeholders—including the Executive, Parliament, religious bodies, traditional authorities and civil society—to engage in constructive dialogue marked by respect, intellectual depth and moral clarity.
“The Church remains committed to participating in this dialogue, not as one who imposes, but as one who proposes, confident that truth, when patiently articulated, has a quiet persuasive power,” the statement added.
