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The Deputy Minister in Charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as ‘unfortunate’ remarks by the Head of the Catholic Bishop Conference, Bishop Osei Bonsu.

Bishop Osei Bonsu in response to President John Mahama’s comment on the former Guantanamo detainees; that Ghanaians should show compassion on the two said even though there is the need to show compassion, ‘compassion must be balanced with common sense’.

"My Christian compassion is there and we need to be compassionate for people in need and try to help people but we have to balance compassion with common sense. If you know that somebody is a risk to the nation, you can't say that because of compassion we are going to take him. Then we may as well open our prisons and let out all the criminals” he said.

A lot of government communicators have taken the Bishop to the cleaners for making such a comment.

Speaking during a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji, Hon Ablakwa asked the Bishop to retract his remarks.

“The comment from the Bishop Bonsu was most unfortunate …that he expects the President to balance compassion with common sense? It is not right for a Bishop to speak to the President that way….i thought his language was unfortunate…he should think about it and retract it”

According to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, there is the need to have compassion on the Gitmo ex-detainees because God had mercy on Saul who a ‘terrorist’ and later got converted and became Paul.

“… Saul (in the Bible) who later became Paul was a terrorist…he was killing people…he was on his terrorist enterprise when he met … if you read Acts 9:1-31 and I am surprised the leadership of the church, Bishop Bonsu has forgotten all about these” he added.