• Some Ghanaians described his 'holy kiss' as a romantic kiss hence, should be sacked
• Others have asked Ghanaians to forgive the priest for his actions
Following a video gone viral of an Anglican priest, Reverend Father Baltharzzar Obeng Larbi kissing some students of St Monica’s College of Education in the Ashanti region, some Ghanaians have shared varied views on the subject.
Though some of the interviewees who spoke to GhanaWeb's Ernestina Serwaa Asante condemned the act, others saw no problem with the action of the priest.
While some applauded the Anglican Church for sacking the priest, another section thought the act was harsh.
In their view, the priest should have been counselled to end such acts in the church.
One of the interviewees said, "Left to me alone, the priest should go scot-free because the students are old enough to know what is good and bad. There is no need to sack him for what he did. I’m sure the priest is remorseful and has seen his mistakes in what he did so let’s forgive him. "
An interviewee with an opposing view said, "I can some elements of somebody who had something in his heart and the devil gave him the platform. Though God did it. They (the students) did well and they came in flying colours but he took advantage of that…by kissing those children. Though the bible talks about holy kiss. I think that one is not a holy kiss. Certainly, this one is not a holy kiss, it is a romantic kiss."
Another respondent also said, "This one is beyond holy kiss because watching the reaction of students when he kissed them, this one will laugh and to me, it is not good… To him(the priest), he may be thinking that what he did was good so they have to call him into order."
Meanwhile, Reverend Father Baltharzzar Obeng Larbi has apologized to the church and affected students.
He admitted that his conduct was wrong and has asked for forgiveness.
The Anglican Church, on the other hand, has set up a five-member committee to investigate the priest's act.
The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the Anglican Church and the school authorities on August 31, 2021.
The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education have also started an external investigation into the issue.
