Pastor says he can clinch referendum to stop gay adoption

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Evangelical pastor Gordon-John Manché is claiming he can rustle up enough signatures for an abrogative referendum to be held, if MPs steam ahead with a civil unions bill that will legalise gay unions and gay adoptions.

The TV pastor took 40 of his followers from the River Of Love fellowship outside parliament this evening, where they unfurled a banner that read ‘God Loves Everyone, But Not Everything’, to petition MPs entering the House.

They presented 10,000 signatures, which Manché says were collected in four weeks, calling on MPs not to proceed with the civil unions bill. Manché gave a copy of the 10,501 signatures, which he said included atheists and gay persons who oppose the law. 

“80% of respondents to a survey say they are against gay adoptions,” Manché said, ostensibly referring to a survey held by the Catholic Church newspaper Lehen is-Sewwa.

According to a MaltaToday poll held in November 2013, only 26% of respondents were opposed to a new law that grants same-sex couples who form a civil union the same rights and obligations enjoyed by married couples. But 45% say they agree with gay unions without the right to adopt children.

“I am representing the majority of Maltese against these gay adoptions. The civil unions bill is practically gay marriage, and it includes a proviso that will allow gay couples to adopt children,” Manché said.

He said his petition was also signed by gay people who are against gay adoptions.

“Gay adoptions were never mentioned in Labour’s electoral manifesto, so it’s not legitimate that they are now introduced,” he said.

He suggested it would have been far better had civil partnerships, rather than “unions” at par with marriage, been introduced by the government.

Manche’ and his followers then gathered in a circle in St George’s Square and held prayers, with the worshippers loudly invoking God to guide MPs and insisting that “Malta belonged to Jesus.”

Warning that “Jesus Christ is against this law,” Manche’ said that MPs should not betray their oath of allegiance to the people and the Republic of Malta and its Constitution.