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 President Akufo-Addo shaking hands with Sheikh Nuhu Osman Sharabutu (2nd left), Chief Imam, at the ceremony.  Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
President Akufo-Addo shaking hands with Sheikh Nuhu Osman Sharabutu (2nd left), Chief Imam, at the ceremony. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO

Catholic Church holds inter-faith prayer service

An ecumenical and inter-faith prayer service was last Saturday held at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, to rededicate Ghana to the sacred heart of Jesus.

It was led by the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, and the President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State, His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, who is the Pope’s envoy to Ghana’s 60th anniversary celebrations and the 40 years diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Holy See.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his wife, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo; the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye; the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Theodora Wood; ministers of State; the Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharabutu and traditional rulers were in attendance at the one-and-a-half hour ceremony.

Representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, the office of the Chief Imam, the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church took turns to pray for the peace and inter-religious co-existence of families, the security services and the country as a whole, and also for the repose of the souls of past heroes and heroines of Ghana.

Consecration

The reconsecration prayer service was to rededicate and set Ghana and Ghanaians apart for God.

In his reflections, His Eminence Cardinal Bertello said it was the prayers and blessings of Pope Francis that had enabled Ghana to continue to move forward in peace and stability, on a path of development that might become a model of unity and progress with “respect for human rights and the environment whereby all its people can prosper and even the most vulnerable will not suffer marginalisation or neglect”.

He said he was delighted to observe the progress Ghana had made in 60 years: the consolidation of its democratic institutions and the growth of diverse potentialities and the establishment of diplomatic relations with other nations.

He commended the representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Anglican Communion, Presbyterian Church, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, and the Inter-faith  Religious leaders – from the Office of the National Chief Imam and Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission — for taking part in the rededication ceremony.

Science and technology

“Our times are characterised by multiple advancements in science and technology, but they are also filled with disparity and insecurity for the future; it is a time capable of achieving innovations and great things for humanity, yet incapable of eradicating extreme poverty, which forces entire multitudes to emigrate in search of a better life,” he said.

He stressed the need to turn to God with a humble heart to ask Him for wisdom, knowledge, courage, rectitude and the capacity for discernment to recognise what had to be accomplished and find the strength to do so.

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