Don’t sack gays from churches — Anglican bishop

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Coast, Rt Rev. Victor Reginald Atta Baffoe, says Christians and Ghanaians in general should not cast out known gays from the church.

He said though the church did not support same-sex relationships and marriage, “we cannot cast them out”.

Rt Rev. Atta Baffoe was addressing the press as part of the first session of the diocese’s fourth synod which is underway in Cape Coast.
It is on the theme, “Towards a mission-oriented diocese in a contemporary society.” It is being attended by lay delegates, leaders of the guilds and societies and congregants from the various parishes in the diocese.

Rt Rev. Atta Baffoe said the church and the nation could not continue to pretend that gayism and lesbianism were not happening, and called for conscious efforts to get them on the right path of morality.

He indicated that it was important to guide them with the right reasoning and offer them counselling.

He called on parents, churches and the government to be mindful of the current challenges of parenting and strengthen and deepen family, social and moral values.

Economy must be bettered

Rt Rev. Atta Baffoe noted that the government must make efforts to ensure that the economy improved.

He stated that the increasing labour unrest and complaints from the labour front and Ghanaians were indications that Ghanaians were facing serious economic challenges.

“It is obvious that all is not well with the economy and the government must work to improve the situation,” he stated.

He said the current power crisis, petroleum prices and its attendant effects on businesses and the lives of ordinary Ghanaians were matters of great concern.

Rt Rev. Atta Baffoe called on the government to do all in its power to address issues related to the economy to help reduce corruption and ensure the judicious use of the nation’s resources.

Rt Rev. Atta Baffoe also urged all Christians to work together to keep the environment healthy and clean by adopting responsible environmental practices, saying, “We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation, including the use of the environment.”
He called on Christians and Muslims to co-exist peacefully in educational institutions.

He also urged the government to grant churches the authority to manage their educational units.

Educational contribution

He indicated that the diocese would build hostel blocks for boys and girls in the Academy of Christ the King School in Cape Coast to help ease the pressure on the facilities and to increase enrolment and access to education.