Ghana’s President Reaches Out to Catholic Bishops in Africa on National Cathedral Project

“I am hoping that the Christian community in Ghana, Africa and abroad, will rise up to the challenge, and join in the fundraising for the construction of the National Cathedral,” he told delegates of the 19th Plenary Assembly of SECAM who include over 120 Catholic Bishops coming from the eight regional associations of the continental symposium.

President Akufo-Addo who has been at the helm of the West African nation since 7 January 2017 explained, “Technology has transformed building methods dramatically, and I am certain that if the Christian community accepts the challenge, we shall construct this Cathedral quickly. Once completed, its value will be obvious to all.”

“My personal view has always been that, even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground,” he added.

In August 2021, Catholic Bishops in Ghana faulted the Akufo-Addo-led government for not consulting with Christian leaders in their proposal to have Ghanaians give a monthly donation of at least 100GHC (then US$6.00) as contribution toward the construction of a national interdenominational cathedral.

“Although Christians would benefit the most from the construction of the cathedral, they shouldn’t be expected to donate to support it,” the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Archbishop Phillip Naameh, was quoted in the 4 August 2021 report. 

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“It is not long ago that the Minister of Finance came up with the proposal and we felt that a certain minimum level of consultation should’ve been done with the churches in the country,” GCBC President said in reference to a July 2021 announcement Minister Ken Ofori-Atta made to launch the “100-cedis-a-month club” on 12 August 2021 as citizen contribution towards the construction of the Cathedral.

The Local Ordinary of Ghana’s Tamale Archdiocese added, “I think the modality for funding the project should've been different.” 

However, three months later, Catholic Bishops in Ghana lauded President Nana Akufo-Addo for his vision and commitment to build the National Cathedral. 

In their 12 November 2021 communiqué, GCBC members called upon all well-meaning Ghanaians to "contribute generously towards the building of the National Cathedral to the glory of God."

In his July 26 address, President Akufo-Addo who was invited as guest of honor assured the SECAM delegates that the funds raised for the building of the National Cathedral “will be treated with the sacred trust that they deserve, with transparency and accountability.”

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He expressed optimism that the Cathedral that is being constructed next to the parliament building in Accra “would fill a missing link in the nation’s spiritual architecture, by providing a formal space for the religious activities of the state,”

The National Cathedral of Ghana that is have a seating capacity of 5,000 people, the President said, will “serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith, unifying the Christian community, and serve as a tribute to religious liberty.”

While the initiative is being realized in Ghana, the Cathedral will have elements that reflect the African continent, the Ghanaian President said, highlighting the path breaking design, the Bible Museum of Africa, and the Biblical gardens of Africa.

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He said that the Cathedral will archive “the history and contemporary place of the church in Africa and the African Diaspora” as well as “the Bible translated into African languages.”

The National Cathedral of Ghana will “tell the story of the Church in Africa and the African Diaspora, and provide a convening platform for discussions on the role of faith in Africa’s transformation,” the Ghanaian President said, adding, “There will also be the Biblical Gardens of Africa, which will include the trees, shrubs and flowers of the Bible, and serve as a major resource for Christians all over the African continent.”

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“We intend also to engage the Vatican Museum and Library to see whether it will be possible to secure artifacts that will help to make this into a major resource center for African Christians,” he further said. 

“The Vatican has been known to provide such assistance in appropriate cases,” President Akufo-Addo told delegates of the SECAM Plenary Assembly who are meeting in Accra under the theme, “Ownership of SECAM: Security and Migration in Africa and its Islands”.

The Ghanaian President reflected about the challenge of security in Africa. He said, “The first responsibility that the state owes to its people is to establish its security and stability. Everything else grows out of a secure and stable state.”

“Much of the history of many of our countries has been characterized by civil wars since independence, but, in the past decade or so, the continent has also faced a different source of instability,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo lauded the initiatives that the Catholic Church takes to foster peace and humanitarian assistance as complements of other entities, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

“It is in this context that we applaud the efforts you have made to launch a Sahelian Peace Initiative to complement the efforts of ECOWAS, just as we continue to welcome the social services that your organizations, like the Catholic Relief Services, continue to provide in these sensitive areas,” he told delegates of the 19th SECAM Plenary Assembly.

Reflecting on migration in Africa, the Ghanaian President said that due to insecurity, the morale many young people has been derailed, and they have been compelled to seek solace outside Africa.

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“The absence of security and stability led to our young people losing confidence they could build successful futures in their home countries, and migration to Europe and America became the main aspiration of African youth,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued in reference to migration, “I doubt there will ever be a more depressing phenomenon than our young people thinking of and embarking on the perilous journey across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe.”

He made reference to the incident last month at Melilla border that connects Africa to Europe where at least 23 migrants were reportedly killed in their attempt to enter Europe, saying such tragic incidents need to be prevented.

“We have condemned the brutality, the African Union has issued the appropriate protest, but, the truth is, unless we create the atmosphere in our countries that would engender hope, that incident will simply be added to the long list of incidents in which young Africans are humiliated and lose their lives in their attempt to reach Europe,” the Ghanaian President said in reference to the June 24 tragedy.

He went on to express gratitude to the Holy Father for the “elevation of our worthy compatriot, Bishop Baaworb Richard Kuuia, and our fellow African, Bishop Peter Okpaleke, of Nigeria, to the enviable status of Cardinals of the Catholic Church.”