President Akufo-Addo interacting with Msgr Henryk Mieczyslaw Jagodzinski at the Jubilee House
The Catholic Church in Ghana has started a new wave of campaign for government to give back all their development projects to them.
The issue was raised by President of the Catholic Bishop Conference, Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, when he called on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.
Together with him was the Apostolic Nuncio Msgr, Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński.
Most Reverend Gyamfi said the Catholic Church in Ghana is part of an international body that receives yearly support from donor agencies such as the Catholic Church in Rome, the Vatican Church in the US and Europe to assist in its development projects and that these donor agencies were seeking ownership of projects solely financed by them including schools, healthcare and as it happens in other countries.
“When these are not done, they (donors) tend to limit their support which is beginning to show in the monies they send to support projects undertaken here in Ghana”, he noted with worry.
Apart from that, he said when the donors are not very clear, “they also limit how much assistance they can offer to support the development projects.”
Apart from the Catholic Church’s cardinal aim of winning souls, Reverend Gyamfi said the Church also engages in social intervention programmes including education, health governance, Justice, peace, and social work among others, for which the Church is committed.
The Church has also pleaded with the government to intervene in the ‘exorbitant’ annual payments of resident permits by its missionaries who come into the country to help with the work of God and development projects and not transact business.
On the issue of resident permits by the Church’s missionaries in Ghana, Most Revered Gyamfi explained that the missionaries had not come into the country to transact business but rather to give to society.
“They come with money and resources and experience to help in remote areas and some cases are not even paid since it is sacrificial work.”
Yet, he said in acquiring their resident permits and maintaining them, “they are asked to pay and make contributions like probably any other businessman or woman pay annually for their resident permits.”
The Catholic Priest took the opportunity to announce the funeral and burial date of the late Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr which is scheduled for the 12th of January 2023 to the President.
In his response to the Church’s request, President Akufo-Addo said matters about the relationship between the Church and the State as raised were some of the possibilities of disagreements between the government o and the Holy Sea.
The President stated that he would need to be advised by the Foreign Ministry to proceed to formally engage the Church on the matter and a final determination made.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent