The Anglican Priest at the centre of the widely-condemned public kissing of three Teacher Trainees at the St. Monica’s College of Education, Rev. Father Balthazar Obeng Larbi, has apologised for his actions.
Rev. Father Obeng Larbi, Chaplain, and lawyer of the all-female Teacher Trainee institution was seen in a viral video fully dressed in his cassock kissing three students in turns, in the full glare of a cheering audience.
In one instance, he was seen gesturing to one of the girls, who appeared very uncomfortable with the move, to take off her face mask before holding her head and giving her a kiss on the lips.
The Chaplain in a statement said his attention has been drawn to a video that has gone viral on social media and other media stations.
He noted that the three students seen in the video performed extraordinarily well and were therefore called to be appreciated by him. He said an attempt to add a ‘human touch’ resulted in the scene in the video. Reverend Father Obeng-Larbi has since apologised to the Archbishop, the entire Anglican Communion, the College, affected students and their families, and the public.
Many Civil Society Organisations condemned the actions of the Anglican Priest, with the latest being the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
FIDA-Ghana appealed to the media and individuals to be circumspect in the sharing the video to protect the identity of the girls as victims.
Meanwhile, the Internal Province of the Ghana Anglican Communion of the Anglican Church has already expressed its dissatisfaction about the matter and has initiated internal investigations.
Father Balthazar Obeng Larbi has since been relieved of his clerical duties.
