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(LifeSiteNews) — It may be embarrassing for some of us to defend marriage and other pro-life issues at a family gathering, sometimes with accusations of being hateful and the like. Imagine, however, if, just by promoting the biblical view of marriage, you could face jail time. 

My guest today is Matthew Grech, a Maltese Christian and former homosexual who now faces criminal charges for sharing his conversion story and his views of so-called “conversion therapy” on Maltese television. 

Back in January, Grech, along with the hosts of a television program he was on, were called in by Maltese police for violating the country’s ban of promoting conversion therapy.

“I had to basically show up at the police station. I was accompanied by my lawyer, and we were given the names of those who reported us,” Grech relayed. 

“And one of them just stood out for me because I recognized the name and surname,” Grech continued. “And after a process, we discovered that these three people [that accused us] … are linked to the Maltese government, they’re linked to the Malta gay rights movement, and they’re also linked to the European Union. So we thought, ‘Wow, like we’re dealing with high up authorities here who are aiming at a citizen, a Christian citizen.’” 

Grech also told me that while he finds his current situation “bizarre,” he finds that it is necessary.

“You wouldn’t expect that to be happening in a European country, especially Malta with a… Christian legacy, and [St.] Paul the Apostle landing on our island. And it’s heartbreaking when you think about it. But such battles need to be fought in our time, and somebody has to be… willing to go through this.” 

While he is unaware of any examples of “conversion therapy” in Malta, Grech told me that what he and people from his church have been preaching the biblical view of marriage, and as a result have become the subjects of slander, hatred, and attacks. He also told me that he believes the law’s aim is to ban the Bible. 

“They’re trying to ban the word of God, because the Holy Scriptures themselves are very clear about homosexuality being a sinful practice,” Grech said. “And so … when you actually analyze the law and the way it is written in Malta, one would say, ‘Well, how long is it going to take for them to even now start talking about trying to ban the Bible, because in order for this to be fully effective, the Bible would have to be banned. How outrageous would that be?’”  

“The law itself is ideological, and it is religious because it has a belief system…” he stressed.  

“The people behind this law cannot claim to be non-religious. They very much are opinionated about the subject, and they would leave no room for any other opinion. So it’s very dictatorial. And so they’re trying to shut down the Christian faith, because the Christian faith is the main voice against sexual perversion and sexual immorality. And that’s the real agenda that is not being talked about. And that’s how it’s certainly feeling in Malta.” 

In spite of the charges leveled against him, however, Grech is hopeful about the battle that he finds himself in. According to him, while the political left is persecuting Christians and other opposing voices, and that the law could affect all forms of speech, he and the people with him “have the sense that God is the one who is fighting the battles for us.” 

Regardless of his optimism, he warns that “the darkness is definitely getting darker,” and that parents should be vocal about opposition to the leftist agenda in schools. “They can’t afford to be passive,” he told me. “They have to feel very much a part of the decision-making process wherever possible, even in Malta, because … we do see people coming up with initiatives to indoctrinate children towards this gender-free world. And if we’re not careful, if we’re not alert, this will come in like a flood and just sweep our generation with all of this immorality. 

The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.

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John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.

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