Treat Criminal Acts as Criminal, Not Religious Matters – Catholic Bishops

President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Reverend Matthew Gyamfi, has cautioned against using religious freedom as a justification for acts that violate Ghana’s laws.

Speaking at a meeting with Parliament’s Chieftaincy, Culture and Religious Affairs Committee, Most Rev. Gyamfi stressed that freedom of religion does not give religious individuals or groups the right to act outside the law.

He said criminal acts must be treated as such, regardless of the religious context in which they occur. “It is not—they are supposed to follow the state law. So, don't treat certain matters as religion,” he said.

Most Rev. Gyamfi cited as an example a situation where an individual calls on others to kill another person. He argued that such a statement should not be treated as a religious matter but as an individual criminal act requiring appropriate action by the state.

“When somebody says, ‘Go and kill him,’ now, don't consider that as a religious matter. You should arrest the person. It's clear it's an individual act, not a religious act,” he stated.

He warned that wrongly framing such incidents as religious disputes could create unnecessary tensions between religious communities, particularly Muslims and Christians.

“It is not a conflict between Muslims and Christians. It is a criminal act committed by an individual, and an inciteful message being given by a wicked person who wants to create confusion in the country,” he said.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference President further criticised approaches that could give criminal conduct a religious dimension, arguing that such matters must be addressed within the framework of Ghana’s laws.

He urged authorities and the public to learn from history and exercise caution in dealing with religion, warning against actions that could have serious consequences for national cohesion.

“Please, we have learned of history, and we know what we talk about when we say these things,” Most Rev. Gyamfi said.

He stressed that Ghana had experienced both the benefits and negative consequences associated with religion and therefore urged the country to be vigilant.

“Why? We have seen it before. We have done it before. We have experienced the benefits and the negative sides of it before. Beware of religion,” he cautioned.

His comments come amid broader discussions on the relationship between religious freedom, individual conduct and the responsibility of the state to enforce the law without discriminating on religious grounds.

By Kukua Snead-Michaels