The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text which contains dogmas and teachings of the Church, names “homosexual acts” as “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law,” and names “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered.”
While the Catholic Church does not consider “homosexual orientation” sinful in and of itself, it does have a negative view toward it. The text states, “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”
The fact that Catholicism does not consider the “inclination” sinful is very different from more fundamentalist Christian churches. It is one of the reasons that the Catholic Church has not officially approved of reparative therapy. The Catechism further states that “Homosexual persons are called to chastity.” However, the doctrine also specifies that “Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
It is on this basis that the National Catholic Secretariat has issued a statement, supporting the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values led by Lawyer Moses Foh Amoaning.
The statement makes allusions to the official position of the Church, on the subject of Homosexuality and the Biblical texts supporting the Church’s position.
“We the Catholic Bishops of Ghana write to condemn all those who support the practice of homosexuality in Ghana,” the statement said.
The Catholic Church has had a longstanding opposition to homosexuality and another topical issue, abortion, both of which are now legal in the United States and many western nations.
In Africa, South Africa, and recently Angola are among nations that have legalized homosexuality. The issue continues to cause divisions because it is seen as taboo to even discuss it in many African countries including Ghana.
LGBTQI rights groups are framing the issue as the main Human Rights issue of our time and have been urging society to treat them with respect and acceptance.
Speaking to TV3’s Miriam Osei Agyemang on the Midday News, Director of LGBTQI+ Rights in Ghana, Alex Kofi Donkor, asked Ghanaians to look at issues relating to LGBTQI, as human right issues.
He said that persons who are identified as LGBTQI are verbally and physically attacked in the country. That assertion is yet to be proven. Ghanaians may be against the legalization of same-sex relationships but it’s not been proven that homosexuals are subjected to violence or harm in Ghana.
