THE Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, the Most Rev Jean Marie Speich, has asked the leadership of the Catholic Church to wake up and wage a crusade against the abuse of power and corruption in the country.
He said the leadership of the church in Ghana had become so silent and over-clerical, noting that the voice of the church on national issues had been minimal.
The Most Rev Speich made the call when a delegation from the Knighthood Forum, made up of members of the Knights and Ladies Marshall and the Knights of St John International and Ladies Auxiliary paid a courtesy call on him at his residence in Accra.
The 12-member delegation was led by the President of the Knighthood Forum, Justice Sir Dennis Adjei.
Fishes in the aquarium
The Most Rev. Speich compared Ghanaian Catholics to “fish in an aquarium”, adding that some Catholics were only concerned about their stomach.
“Catholics are too docile,” he said, and urged them on to take up their rightful place in all spheres of life.
He asked Catholic bishops in particular to show more interest in happenings around them, since they had been called by Christ to stand up against immorality.
The Nuncio also charged the Catholic knights and ladies to develop their respective youth groups, such as the cadets and juniors, by offering them proper guidance, instead of neglecting them.
“There should be greater emphasis on the use of social media, especially Facebook, to reach out to the youth who need direction and support,” he added.
Regarding Catholic schools, he said, “We’ve lost them, especially in situations where the head and the PTA chair are both non-Catholics.”
The Most Rev Speich suggested to the Catholic leadership to hand over those schools to the state and start new ones, since the schools did not pursue the objectives of the church.
The Nuncio was also critical of what he described as “an unseen hand” at the Catholic Standard to censor his (Nuncio’s) stories.
Ekow Paintsil
The Leader of the Knights of Marshall, Supreme Knight, Sir Kt Ekow Paintsil, said the purpose of the visit was to properly introduce themselves to the Nuncio.
He said the call by the Most Rev Speich was what the Catholic Church needed to hear in order to carry out their tasks and obligations with clarity.