Voting Labour is a sin: X Factor’s ‘ex gay’ Matthew Grech chooses far-right

Voting for Labour is a sin.

No, this is not a slogan from Malta’s torrid 1960s when the Catholic archdiocese was in an all-out war with Dom Mintoff.

They are the words of Matthew Grech, a member of the evangelist congregation led by Gordon-John Manché, who crossed swords with equality minister Helena Dalli last year over his remarks on X Factor Malta about homosexuality.

“As Christians, we must watch out for the leaven of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Malta Labour party. A vote for MLP is a vote that grieves our Lord Jesus Christ,” Grech said on Facebook, in which he called on followers to vote for the far-right Patriots party, as well as Christian-right party Alleanza Bidla.

“[Labour wants] to give women the right to kill their unborn children, they legalized homosexual ‘marriage’, they brought in the abortive ‘morning-after’ pill, they publicly harassed individuals who left the homosexual lifestyle, and threatened them with jail and police reports,” Grech, who calls himself a former homosexual after converting to Jesus Christ, said.

Grech has however denounced Labour’s equality drive, which saw the legalization of same-sex marriage, gay adoption, and gender identity rights for trans people.

“They used the word ‘equality’ to deceive the population and enforce new perverse laws in the country. They treated the boundaries of our nation as a means to gain more money (a.k.a. visa scandal), and so much more,” he said referring to Alleanza candidate Ivan Grech Mintoff’s role in promoting the allegations of an alleged whistleblower on the issuance of visas to Libyans.

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“They have sought to bring intimidation and oppression, and have not repented. But the tide is turning. God has raised Ivan Grech Mintoff, Rebecca Dalli Gonzi, Henry Battistino and Simon [Elmer] – Maltese politicians who carry the fear of God in their daily lives and have been actively fighting the corrupt system. Support them this election, and be an agent for change.”

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In 2018, Grech – a member of the River of Love Christian movement led by Gordon-John Manché – appeared on X Factor, and described homosexuality as a sin in comments aired before he went in for his audition. “I used to lead a homosexual lifestyle and then I found God,” he said, “For a long time, I stopped following my passions to follow Jesus. There can be love between two men or two women, yes. But only friendship love. Everything else is a sin.”

His comments raised a social media backlash as critics voiced their displeasure and disgust with Grech’s anti-gay remarks, and a reaction from the equality and justice ministries, which said the airing of his comments on television and YouTube were “dangerous and placed many vulnerable adolescents at risk”.