Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, the founder and president of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, has chastised other clergy members for their extended silence about the anti-LGBTQ+ measure that Parliament passed in February of this year.
The lack of enthusiasm shown by the nation’s clergymen for the bill’s current status does not excite Dr. Lawrence Tetteh.
The measure has been passed, but it needs President Akufo-Addo’s approval before it can be put into effect. The President has, however, also stated that he will be unable to move forward with the bill until two ongoing lawsuits against it are settled before the Supreme Court.
Since then, Dr. Tetteh has threatened to march to the capital if President Akufo-Addo does not sign the law after the Supreme Court endorses its passage.
“I’ll march to the Jubilee House. I think it’s about time we make politicians know we voted them into power. The cowardice that Christian leaders and religious leaders have been reduced to is a shame and I’m embarrassed by some of our clergymen.
“As much as we are interested in our titles, in the big titles, and who we are and how long we’ve served, I’m yet to hear certain people speak against this matter. And for me, that is a shame. And so it starts from my home too,” he said in an audio recording sighted by 3News.
He stressed that the silence of the clergymen on the matter is too loud, noting that the attitude of some clergymen to impress certain people in power must end.
“It starts from the clergymen. It starts with the religious clerics. It starts from the home of the Chief Iman. It starts with the chairman of the Christian Council. It starts with the Apostolic leaders. It starts with the Apostolic Fathers. It also starts from the Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans. But also, beyond that, it starts from the charismatic leaders.
“We’ve been too quiet. And as much as we are grumbling, everybody wants to impress certain people, and that nonsense, for me, must stop,” he fumed.
The clergyman joins the list of religious figures and organizations, pressuring the president to enact the legislation.
About the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
The bill proscribes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
Persons caught in these acts face up to a three-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors facing a three- to five-year jail term.
President Akufo-Addo has stated that he would only take a decision on the bill after the suits against it are resolved by the Supreme Court.
