I Will Petition Pope...Bishop Osei Bonsu Is Using Catholic As Conduit For Politics - NLP Gen. Sec.

Interim General Secretary of the newly formed political party, New Labour Party (NLP), Listowell Nana Kusi-Opoku has threatened the President of Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, Most Rev. Bishop Joseph Osei Bonsu for asking President Mahama to use 'common sense' concerning the Gitmo ex-detainees issue.

According to him, he is giving the Head of the Catholic Bishops' two hours to render an apology to President Mahama or he will petition Pope Francis that Bishop Osei Bonsu has turned the Catholic Institution in Ghana into a political arena to do the bidding of a political party.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference has dismissed President Mahama’s call for compassion on the Gitmo ex-detainees, insisting that compassion needs to be balanced with common sense.

“The argument for compassion here does not hold. Certainly the bible talks about compassion. We need to be compassionate to people and so on but compassion goes with common sense as well,” The bishops said.

The argument of the Catholic Bishop follows President Mahama’s call on Ghanaians to show compassion to the two ex-detainees who were held for fourteen years in Guantanamo bay.

The interim Chief Scribe of the NLP on Okay Fm’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show reminded the head of Catholic Bishop to realize that there is no common sense in Christianity as that explains why God sent his only son to die for mankind.

He bemoaned politics has taken root in Christianity in Ghana to the extent that Bishops who are supposed to be role models for the youth to do good are rather leading the political crusade to attack the government.

He asserted that Most Rev. Bishop Osei Bonsu should first address the many issues in the Catholic institution before attacking President Mahama on the decision to house the two Gitmo ex-detainees.

“I am sure he didn’t listen to the President or he turned a deaf ear to the President’s explanation for accepting the ex-detainees. The explanation the President gave calmed tempers and raised security assurance…if he wants to remove his Bishop robe and wear a political suit, there are so many political suits for him to choose, but for him to tell Ghana’s President to use common sense, he has insulted him,” he chided.

He added that “I am urging the Catholic to get this man to apologize to the President; I am giving him less than 2 hours, if he does not render an apology, I am going to petition the Pope because he has put on a political suit as a head of Catholic Bishop Conference…he is using his Catholic office to do politics and being pushed by some politicians to insult the president”.

He stressed that Most Rev. Bishop Osei Bonsu has on several occasions been seen speaking against the NDC government and the President.