The Founder and Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries, Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee, has said that the Council of Trustees for the National Cathedral would not accept funding from the Gay Community in Ghana for the project.
A sod cutting ceremony was held for the construction of the Cathedral on March 6, 2017, with government providing seed money for its construction and calling for donations from the public to fund the project.
However, Rev. Joyce Aryee says it will be difficult to accept assistance from LGBTQ communities because they are part of the categories of people who wouldn’t inherit the kingdom of God as espoused in 1 Corinthians 6: 1-11.
In an interview with Kofi Adoma Nwanwani on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo morning show, the Reverend stated that “it will be difficult to receive funds from LGBTQ community…as a body, no, we won’t accept it”
She however, admitted that one cannot know the identities of people are LGBTQ oriented because someone may be married with children and still be a member.
The Founder, who is also a Professional Counsellor, believes that the most important thing is for God’s saving grace to redeem such persons.
“We are praying for God to save persons practicing it [LGBTQ] just as he saved the rest of us, for we are all sinners”.
The National Cathedral has been a subject of controversy since the Akufo-Addo-led administration made their intentions known to construct the edifice.
In 2019, the Secretariat of the Cathedral, led by Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, debunked claims that it has received a donation of $25 million from the gay community in Ghana.
The Salt and Light Ministries leader noted that the “100-cedis-a-month project” is not mandatory for Ghanaians but rather an initiative to get people who are willing to contribute to the edifice’s construction.