Matthew Grech

Matthew Grech, a Christian charity worker, is facing prosecution in Malta for sharing his testimony of finding faith and leaving behind homosexuality.

Matthew Grech is a trustee of Core Issues Trust, a group which supports people seeking help for unwanted sexual attractions. Having found faith in Jesus himself, Matthew also left behind a life of homosexuality – although for him, this happened without any formal counselling or therapy. As a result, Matthew often shares his testimony online and in the media, and helped to found X-Out-Loud, a branch of Core Issues Trust.

However, in a case believed to be the first of its kind, Matthew is now facing criminal charges for sharing his testimony of change on Maltese media outlet, PMnews Malta. After his interview with them, which was broadcast online, Matthew received a prosecution order accusing him of advertising ‘conversion practices’. If convicted, he could face a five month prison sentence and/or a 5,000 euro fine.

Matthew commented on his case: “I was shocked when the police called me out of the blue and said they were summoning me for interrogation.

“I am determined however, to raise awareness on the danger and harm that ‘conversion therapy’ bans are and will cause, not just to churches and society in Malta, but all around the world.

“I am committed to keep sharing my testimony because I don’t want other men and women to go through what I went through in my upbringing and adolescence. I don’t want them to be victims of unwanted sexual feelings. I don’t want them to be robbed of the biblical side of the story around sex, sexuality and marriage. I don’t want the masses to believe ‘born gay, cannot change’, and allow that to go unchallenged.”