Franklin Graham: Mark Drakeford says he cannot stop US evangelist's event
- Published
Franklin Graham is the son of late preacher Billy Graham
Mark Drakeford said he "regrets" that a US evangelist will appear at a conference centre which is partly owned by the Welsh government.
Franklin Graham - who called gay marriage a "sin" - is due to bring his God Loves You Tour to ICC Wales, in Newport, on Saturday.
But the first minister said the decision to go ahead was the responsibility of the venue.
The centre is jointly owned by Welsh ministers and the Celtic Manor resort.
It cancelled an appearance by Mr Graham, who is the son of the late preacher Billy Graham, in 2020 because of his views on homosexuality.
ICC Wales said it had received assurances from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that Mr Graham "will not be speaking out against anyone, or any group of people".
Mr Graham said he was "not coming to Wales to speak against anyone".
In the Senedd, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said: "Mr Graham may be entitled to his homophobic beliefs but he is surely not entitled to be provided with a stage to air them at a convention centre that is 50% owned by the Welsh government."
He asked whether it sent out a message from Wales that "homophobia and hate are somehow still acceptable".
The first minister said: "I regret the fact that the event to which Adam Price referred is going ahead, but the decision is not one for the Welsh government.
"We do not run that centre and it's for those who are responsible for it to make those decisions.
"I'm sorry to see a person of those views given a platform to express them here in Wales and they absolutely do not reflect anything the Welsh government would be prepared to endorse or sanction."
Both politicians paid tribute to Jake Daniels, 17, who came out as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer, with Mr Drakeford calling him "a very courageous young man".
He said the Welsh government was working on a plan that "aims to make us a genuinely LGBTQ+ friendly nation".
In a statement Mr Graham said: "I'm not coming to Wales to speak against anyone, I'm coming to share a message of God's love.
He added it was "deeply concerning that public officials who are elected to represent their entire community would describe the traditional views that Christians have held for over a thousand years in Wales as 'hate'".
A spokesman for ICC Wales said it had "received assurance from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) that the content of the God Loves You Tour - UK will not breach any UK laws and that the Reverend Franklin Graham will not be speaking out against anyone, or any group of people, and that his message will be one of God's love and non-discriminatory."
- Published29 April 2022
