A 63-year-old priest married a 12-year-old girl, selected to be his wife at the age of six, in Ghana. The priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the child on Saturday at a customary ceremony in Nungua, Krowor.

While reporting the story, Hindi media Aaj Tak has termed the priest as Pujari in a post on X. “63 saal ke pujari ne 12 saal ki ladki ko banaya dulhan, shadi ki aad me diye gaye ajeeb tark (63-year-old pujari  made 12-year-old girl his bride, strange arguments given in the name of marriage), ” Aaj Tak posted on X on Tuesday.

Notably, Pujari is a term specifically used for Hindu priest.

Meanwhile, as the priest faces backlash from outsiders, community leaders in the area have said that people do not understand their customs and traditions, which saw the young girl being told to prepare for wifely duties and boost her ‘sex appeal’ with perfume she had been gifted; Daily Mail has reported.

Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, a prominent community leader, was quoted by Daily Mail as saying that the girl’s marriage to the priest is “entirely based on tradition and custom.” He further explained that the girl commenced the required rituals to become the priest’s wife at the age of six, but this process did not hinder her education.

The ceremony took place despite the legal minimum age to get married in Ghana being 18 years old.

Images of the wedding ceremony, which was attended by dozens of community members, show the young girl in a white dress and a matching headpiece. During the ceremony, women speaking in the local language Ga allegedly told the girl to dress teasingly for her husband.