Apostolic Nunciature marks 40 years’ diplomatic relations with Ghana.         

The Apostolic Nunciature in Ghana in March 3, 2017, held a reception to commemorate its 40 years of diplomatic relations with Ghana.

In attendance were members of the Diplomatic Corps, former President Jerry John John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, traditional rulers, as well as Papal knights and dames.

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, represented the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In an address, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, the Most Rev. Jean Marie-Speich, acknowledged the relations between Ghana and the Holy See.

 

Significant role

He noted that the Catholic Church had played and continued to play significant roles in the development of the country.

The church, he said, had done a lot in the areas of health, education and peace-building.

He said the Catholic Church in Ghana possessed more than 4,600 basic and secondary schools, colleges and Universities in which only 25 per cent of the students were Catholics.

Most Rev Speich also noted that the Catholic Church owned more than 27 per cent of the health structures in Ghana, between clinics, hospitals and dispensaries.

“I can give you many other realities, but giving statistics and numbers, is useless and not really Catholic. We have to give account only to God. The contribution of the Catholic Church in Ghana cannot be reduced in numbers, because we deal with persons, persons with wonderful dignity regardless of their origins, tribes and religion,” he stated.

Peace

He underlined what he said was the fantastic works done by the Catholic Church as member of the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace and as member of the National Peace Council.

Most Rev Speich cited the role of the Catholic Church in reconciling the Nkonya and Alavanyo communities in the Volta Region, the Konkombas and Nanumbas in the Northern Region and the initiatives of the Satellite Peace-Building Center in Tamale, and of the Centre for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies in Damongo.

He described the Catholic Church as connatural to the Ghanaian society, stressing that “She is a wonderful part of it and a bridge builder trying to overcome human weaknesses, useless and unhealthy differences in the utopia of contributing to building up a society which is expressed in the Ghanaian motto, more just and free. “

 

According to him, negotiations for diplomatic relations between the two countries started when Mr Edward Akufo-Addo was President, although diplomatic relations became actualised when General I. K. Acheampong was Head of State.

Forty years down the line, the Most Rev. Marie-Speich said, the relations were being celebrated when Nana Akufo-Addo,  Mr Edward Akufo-Addo’s son, was president.

For his part, Mr Dzamesi acknowledged the work of the Catholic Church in resolving the Alavanyo-Nkonya conflict when he was the Volta Regional Minister.

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