Defend family, bishops plead ahead of protests

Catholic bishops yesterday appealed to their faithful and people of goodwill to join nationwide demonstrations against same-sex relations planned for tomorrow to protect the family.

Episcopal Conference of Malawi(ECM) secretary general the Reverend Father Alfred Chaima said in a written response yesterday that family is an institution where a man and a woman are given room to exchange their God given love, and it must be protected.

Chaima, who is also Bishop-elect of Diocese of Zomba, said: “The police have been informed about the march. In any case, all of us expect peaceful demonstrations. There is no reason to expect the contrary.”

The Catholic bishops in the country are working with leaders of other faith groups in mobilising Malawians to protest against the promotion of homosexuality.

In a letter from ECM dated July6 2023 signed by Chaima and addressed to all priests and pastoral secretaries, among others, the bishops urged all Christians to defend the family by participating in the demonstrations.

The letter reads: “It is expected that at the end of that peaceful march, a petition shall be presented to relevant authorities. At the diocese level, we ask pastoral secretaries, parish priests and CCJP [Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace] officers to play a very active role, in close collaboration with the ECM secretariat and with leaders of other faith groups, in preparing for the march.”

The bishops claim to have said it many times that there was a need to do much more in supporting and animating families in society, especially, today when they face so many problems.

The peaceful marches will take place while the High Court of Malawi, sitting as the Constitutional Court, is hearing a petition to legalise same-sex relations.

Meanwhile, the Malawi Council of Churches, Muslim Association of Malawi and the Evangelical Association of Malawi have also joined the case in the High Court as friends of the court where same-sex relationships’ advocates want an interpretation of Section 153(c) of the Penal Code.

However, some civil society organisations have expressed concern over continued violence, stigma and discrimination directed towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) individuals in the country.

In a joint statement yesterday marking commemoration of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa and Centre for the Development of People head Gift Trapence said attacks of LGBTIQ community continue to undermine effective responses to human immune-deficiency virus among this group and to taint Malawi’s human rights record.

The court matter follows a constitutional referral of 2021 involving a Dutch national Jan Willem Akstar and a transgender woman Jana Gonani who are challenging the constitutionality of banning same-sex marriages Malawi.

Akstar and Gonani moved the Constitutional Court to declare the two pieces of legislation on same-sex relationships unconstitutional, arguing that they violate their right to privacy, dignity, among others.