Homosexuals must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity – Catholics Bishop

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) is asking Ghanaians to treat homosexuals with the utmost respect, compassion, and sensitivity as any individual deserves.

The conference believes the church teaches that the intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action, and law.
In a statement signed by the Sunyani Catholic Bishop and President of the GCBC, they stated that it was wrong to inflict physical violence or other types of violence on homosexuals just because they are homosexuals.
“Their being homosexuals does not mean that they should be treated like criminals.
The conference insists that homosexuals, also created in the image of God, must enjoy the fundamental human rights that all human beings enjoy,” he said.
He explained that human rights are intended to protect the dignity of a human person against a state society hence the need to afford them “the universal, inviolable and inalienable rights that are due to the human person as a rational being possessing a free will.”
He added that per 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,” he said.
This follows the introduction of the anti-gay bill by some key Members of Parliament (MP) including the MP for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George which is currently on the floor of the lawmaking body.
The anti-gay bill, officially known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, is a proposed law that has sparked significant debate both in Ghana and around the world.
The bill would make same-sex sexual relationships, including oral and anal sex, illegal, with penalties ranging from five to ten years in prison.
It also makes advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, promoting same-sex marriage or cohabitation, and providing support services to LGBTQ+ people illegal.
Also, the bill proposes that individuals or organisations who organise or participate in LGBTQ+ events, provide resources to support LGBTQ+ people, or produce or distribute materials promoting LGBTQ+ rights be punished.