"Moral Issues Matter": Catholic Bishops Replies Mahama on LGBTQ Debate
- The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has criticised comments by President John Mahama and over the anti-LGBTQ+ bill
- The Bishops warned that downplaying the debate risks undermining issues they consider central to Ghana’s moral and cultural fabric
- They have therefore urged government, Parliament and other stakeholders to engage in the discussion respectfully and constructively
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The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has weighed in on the raging debate about the importance of the passage of the LGBTQ+ bill, sparked by President John Mahama.
President Mahama recently stated that the anti-LGBTQ+ bill is not a major concern for most Ghanaians.
Source: UGC
His Minister in charge of Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, reiterated this sentiment and suggested that the debate was a waste of time.
However, in a statement issued on Friday, April 10, 2026, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference expressed its disappointment with the comments made by the President and his Minister for Government Communication.
In a publication by Citi News, the Catholic Bishops said the President’s and his Minister’s comments risk diminishing the importance of issues that many Ghanaians consider fundamental to the country’s moral and cultural fabric.
According to them, moral questions tied to identity and social structure cannot be treated as secondary concerns in Ghana’s development agenda.
They therefore cautioned politicians against downplaying the national conversation on family values.
National development, they argue, cannot be sustained by economic policy alone, stressing that values form what they described as the “invisible architecture” that underpins stable societies.
The Conference urged stakeholders, including government, Parliament, religious leaders, traditional authorities, and civil society, to engage constructively and with mutual respect.
“The tone of our discourse matters as much as its content,” the statement noted, adding that national conversations should build trust rather than deepen division.
“The family, in quiet ways, is a nation’s most efficient social welfare system,” the statement said, cautioning that weakening its moral foundation could undermine long-term development.
Source: Facebook
Bagbin directs Parliament to schedule Anti-LGBTQ Bill
Meanwhile, Ghana's Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has directed the Business Committee to schedule the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025, popularly known as the anti-LGBT bill, for consideration in the next sitting of the House.
The bill, sponsored by some members of Parliament, seeks to criminalise LGBTQ activities in Ghana.
Speaker Bagbin's directive follows a Financial Impact Analysis report, which showed that the bill does not impose any financial burden on the consolidated fund, as required by the Constitution.
According to a Citi Newsroom report, Speaker Bagbin, in a formal communication to Parliament on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, said the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025 meets the relevant provisions for it to be laid before the House for consideration.
“The bill has gone through all the processes in accordance with the Standing Orders of the House. I therefore direct that the bill be scheduled by the Business Committee to be presented to the House for consideration,” he said.
Lincoln University withdraws Mahama's honorary degree
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Lincoln University had canceled honorary doctorate for President Mahama over concerns about anti-gay legislation.
The Ghana Embassy confirmed concerns raised about Mahama's stance on human rights and family values.
Mahama was in New York addressing the UN on the Transatlantic Slave Trade as a crime against humanity.
Source: YEN.com.gh
