Courtney McGrailAttitudes to gay people in Africa are unlikely to change overnight, even though bishops have publicly defended the inherent dignity of people with homosexual tendencies, Accra’s Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle has said.
Claiming that negative attitudes against homosexuals have existed for “millennia” in Africa, the Ghanaian archbishop said “it would be a bit deceptive to think” that this would change quickly. “Give the countries time to deal with the issues from their own cultural perspective,” he said, adding, “Be patient with Africa. We're growing.”
Whilst the Church recognises homosexual activity as sinful, the archbishop stressed that every person’s dignity as a human being must be respected. “We must underline that the rights of all sons and daughters of God are to be upheld by the church everywhere and we are trying,” he said.