Anglican Church honours Asantehene
The Anglican Church has conferred the Cross of St Augustine, the highest honour of the church, on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his services to the Anglican Communion.
The honour was conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justin Welby, as part of activities marking the 18th Plenary Session of the Anglican Consultative Council scheduled from February 11 to 20, 2023.
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Accompanying the cross was a citation which extolled some of the achievements and assistance the Asantehene had extended to humanity.
The Cross of St Augustine, also known as the Lambeth Award, is presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury to members of the Anglican Church who have made significant contributions to the church.
Presentation
Presenting the cross to the Asantehene, Archbishop Welby said the honour was in recognition of Otumfuo's consistent support for the cause of the Anglican Church and the country as a whole.
“Within the Anglican Church, the highest award we give is the Cross of St Augustine, who brought the Gospel to England in the year 597,” he said.
Citation
As contained in the citation, Archbishop Welby said, Otumfuo generously provided support and guidance for the church, stressing that the Asantehene’s efforts had had a tremendous impact on the growth and development of the church.
“A most needed notable example is the establishment of the Anglican National Secretariat in Accra.
“In particular, His Majesty established the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation, which seeks to solve problems in five areas aiming to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: education, health, sanitation, clean water and entrepreneurship.
“His Majesty also supported the Otumfuo Education Fund, the Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge, the Otumfuo Mobile Learning Project, the Otumfuo Mobile Dental Project, the Otumfuo Teachers Awards and many others,” he said.
Appreciation
The Asantehene expressed his gratitude to the Archbishop of Canterbury for the recognition and honour done him.
He pledged his continuous support to the church and to use his position to help in the development of the country.
He said his position was that of a servant, adding: “I have always told my people that it was not by might or power but through the wish of God that I came here.”
“I’m also mindful that authority and power should not be used to abuse or threaten people or be used as the be-all-and-the-end-all.
“I always remind myself that I am here to serve these ones that are here; what benefit can they get from where I sit? That is what informs me to come up with policies and directions that will be to their benefit,” he added.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was accompanied to the event by the Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa, the Most Rev. Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, and a host of bishops from Ghana and other countries.
