President Akufo-Addo welcoming Most Rev. Philip Naameh (2nd right), President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference in Accra. Looking on is Archbishop Palma Buckle, Metropolitan Bishop of C.C.
President Akufo-Addo seems unfazed about the criticisms that have come his way from especially members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) over his government’s decision to provide land for the construction of a national cathedral.
The NDC has virtually described the decision as needless and a waste of national resources.
But the president thinks otherwise.
Speaking at the 125th anniversary celebration of the Accra Diocese of the Catholic Church at the Independent Square yesterday, he assured that “through Christ who strengthens us, the national cathedral will be built to the glory and honour of God” and capped it with a big “Amen!!” with a spontaneous response of an another “Amen” from the enthusiastic congregants amidst a rapturous applause.
He could not but asked the church for prayers for him and members of his government, “so that God will grant us compassion, courage, strength and wisdom to administer the affairs of this nation to the benefit of the Ghanaian people and the glory of God.”
President Akufo-Addo welcoming Archbishop Palma Buckle
That, he said, was because “we are determined to build a self-reliant Ghana which will look to the proper use of her own resources in providing a dignified standard of living for her people – a Ghana beyond aid.”
“I am encouraged by the words in Ecclesiastes 11:4, which says ‘If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never sow anything and never harvest anything’” whilst noting with emphasis that “Ghana will make it.”
He was confident that with God in the ship, his government would be able to implement all the programmes and policies being rolled out, which were once described as overly-ambitious and not feasible by some, be it Free SHS, ‘planting for food and jobs’, ‘one district, one factory’, ‘one village, one dam’ and the development of the country’s rail and road infrastructure to the benefit to the Ghanaian people.
The execution of these policies, he indicated, “will help lead us onto the path of progress and prosperity.”
As they celebrated 125 years of the Catholic Mission in Accra and renewed commitments to evangelism, President Akufo-Addo urged members of the church to, as it were, “remember always the last earthly directive our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave to us.”
Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Cape Coast and the Apostolic Administrator of Accra who was the lead celebrant, called for selfless services among Ghanaians to catapult growth and development.
He spiced up the celebration by singing the doxology in Latin (hymn sung in praise and honour of God).
The celebration, however, reached its crescendo when the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Group churned out incessant gospel praises that sent most congregants on their feet in praise of their Maker.
The anniversary programme, which started on September 21, 2017, also held a carnival in December 2017, held a candle-light procession in Accra, had Deanery Easter picnics, anniversary lectures, youth-focused activities, community outreach activities, anniversary crusades, exchange of pulpits, among other major programmes.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent