Ghana’s Catholic Bishops Call for National LGBTQ+ Dialogue–But to What End?

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for a more respectful national dialogue on LGBTQ+ issues, urging stakeholders to engage with “intellectual seriousness, mutual respect, and moral clarity,” in response to government leaders saying LGBTQ+ issues as not a national priority.  

On April 10, the Conference issued a pastoral and public statement concerning national conversation around family values, especially in regards to conversations around LGBTQ+ issues. They urged political leaders, religious authorities, and civil society to engage in dialogue that promotes unity rather than division, noting, “The tone of our discourse matters as much as its content.”

Catholic bishops of Ghana

According to Citi Newsroom, the bishops were responding in particular to comments made by President John Dramani Mahama and Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who previously dismissed LGBTQ+ matters as being unimportant to Ghana’s national priorities. 

In response, the bishops cautioned against downplaying issues that involve family, identity, and social values. “No enduring moral question can be dismissed without cost. To describe such a debate as a ‘waste of time’ risks alienating citizens for whom these issues are existentially meaningful,” the statement said. 

The Conference reinforced the idea that economic priorities and moral considerations are intertwined, arguing that strong family structures form the foundation of economic development. Additionally, the bishops emphasized that debates around marriage, family, and sexuality resonate deeply across Ghanaian society and are often framed as being central to conversations about national identity and social cohesion. 

In 2024 and 2025, the Ghanian bishops conference supported the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, a proposed anti-gay law that would impose severe criminal penalties on LGBTQ+ people and organizations which support them.

In the letter, the bishops reaffirmed their understanding of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman, with that union serving as the basis of family life. This principle, according to the bishops, is integral to Ghanaian cultural identity. At the same time, they condemned violence and discrimination, stating:

“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.”

The Conference called for wisdom, justice, and compassion amidst these sensitive national conversations and urged the protection of human dignity and the safeguarding of the family as a fundamental social institution. They also affirmed the Church’s commitment to contributing to national discussions in a way that promotes understanding and dialogue. 

On the one hand, this news does not necessarily bode well for LGBTQ+ Ghanaians. It seems that the bishops’ insistence that LGBTQ+ issues be prioritized in national discussions is not for the benefit of LGBTQ+ individuals, but for the sake of reinforcing traditional family values and presenting heterosexual marriage as integral to Ghanaian identity. In a sense, they argue that LGBTQ+ issues ought not be dismissed as unimportant, but rather LGBTQ+ identities must be acknowledged so they can be condemned as detrimental to the traditional family structure. 

At the same time, respectful dialogue on these topics–which the bishops emphatically call for– is of critical importance for LGBTQ+ people and those who support them. If indeed conversations around LGBTQ+ issues can be held that prioritize respect, dignity, and compassion, then perhaps progress can be made in the affirmation of the dignity of LGBTQ+ lives. 

—Phoebe Carstens, New Ways Ministry, April 16, 2026