President Akufo-Addo speaking at the function
President Akufo-Addo has given assurance that neither he nor his government would legalise same-sex marriage in the country.
Speaking at the 2018 synod of the Global Evangelical Church in Accra yesterday under the theme, “effective discipleship – the cross and our commitment,” the President said, “Let me assure that this government has no plans to change the law on same sex marriage. We have no authority and we will not seek any authority to do so.”
He stressed the need for absolute dependence on Christ.
Some donor countries have mounted pressure on several African countries to legalize homosexuality in recent times.
“The public looks on as some of the churches appear to forget about the poor and venerable in society and concentrate on being outrageous. It’s not surprising that there are calls for taxes to be imposed on church incomes. When you step out of the charity sphere, out of education and out of healthcare, you are putting yourself in the line of the tax net,” he noted.
On his part, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Cyril Fayose, in his address, commended the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison, for the sweeping reforms and the exposure of corrupt practices in the banking sector.
He, however, called on the security agencies to conduct further investigations beyond what the Central Bank has done to serve as deterrent to others.
Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Reverend Dr Setorwu Ofori, said the vibrant church accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and believes in the full manifestation of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The church has membership of about 135,000 congregants, 289 Ministers in active service and 870 congregations spread throughout the country.
It also has branches in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, Norway, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Kenya, with missionary efforts in other countries.
The church has a Synod, which serves as its ‘Parliament.’
The Synod Committee, a representative council, serves as the decision-making body of the church. There is also an Executive made up of two clergies and two laities.
The clergy occupies full-time positions and sees to the administration of the Church while the laity assists in decision-making and the execution of specialized duties.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent