Catholic Bishop Warns Government

THE METROPOLITAN Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, Most Rev. Thomas Kwaku Mensah has cautioned government and Ghanaians not to be complacent with the successes of the previous five general elections of the country. According to him, government, as a representative of the people, had a sacred duty to protect the peace and integrity of the nation by putting in place proper structures and mechanisms to avert any trouble that could result from next year�s elections. Speaking at a mass service to climax the silver jubilee of the Christ the King Parish at Ahensan in Kumasi, Archbishop Mensah indicated that since women and children were mostly affected by conflict situations everywhere, the Catholic Church could not sit aloof for such incidents to befall the country. He therefore charged government not to place its interest above the welfare of the people it leads, as good governance was the prerequisite of a peaceful and just society. The credibility of the country�s elections which would eventually bring about peace, he noted, must be protected against all odds by all stakeholders including the Catholic Church that also has a responsibility to seek the welfare of the entire society, he noted. He reaffirmed the Catholic bishops� support to the call for a verification mechanism in the biometric registration for the 2012 general elections, and the scrapping of the Computerized Schools Selection and Placement System. According to Most Rev. Mensah, in as much as the Catholic bishops never sought to undermine government with the issuance of the communiqu� at the end of the bishops� recent retreat in the Western region, they also did not err in adding their voices for proper mechanisms and structures to be put in place. He called on politicians, especially Members of Parliament, to be honest at all times and allow the citizens to make their own conscientious decisions. The Ahinsan Catholic Church was founded in 1955 by some dedicated Christians who migrated from the coast land to settle in the community. The church began as a prayer band with members holding meetings from one house to the other. It became a parish in 1986 from which time its name was changed from Saint Joseph to the present name �Christ the King Parish� after the late Reverend Father Augustine Murphy, a Spiritan Catholic Missionary Priest was posted there. With over 650 congregations, Christ the King Parish has produced seven Reverend Fathers, three Reverend Sisters and two Reverend Brothers.