This is the moment a Ghanaian priest is seen trying to give “holy kisses” to young female students on stage as they get cash and certificates for doing well at college.

Ghanaian radio personality and influencer Zionfelix, 30, said the priest in the footage is the Chaplain of Saint Monica’s College of Education in the town of Mampong in the southern Ghanaian region of Ashanti.

After footage of the cleric was widely circulated on social media, the news site YEN said their checks confirmed that the man is Reverend Fr Baltharzar Obeng Larbi, know around campus as ‘Father Ricky’.

The college chaplain is also reportedly a lawyer and member of the Ghana Bar Association.

In the footage, filmed on Sunday morning (15 August), the priest is seen kissing three young women on stage in a chapel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The third woman seems reluctant to remove her face mask and receive a kiss from Father Ricky, and he can be seen pulling her towards him and attempting to kiss her as she tries to shrug him away.

The students were reportedly receiving certificates and cash sums during the service and the priest decided to give away some kisses too.

Other students filmed the scene and shared the images on social media with some posts going viral.

As a result, the Anglican Church of Ghana said in a statement on 17th August that they are aware of the video and are “saddened by the news”.

The statement continued: “The priest would be dealt in accordance with the norms and values of the Anglican Communion where morality is extremely revered in the church.”

The Anglican Church of Ghana also said that the students in the footage will receive counselling for any harm caused by the viral incident and subsequent church probe.