Prez Mahama describes Pope Benedict as man of courage
President John Dramani Mahama has described Pope Benedict XVI as a courageous man for taking the bold decision to resign.
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He said he received with shock the Pope’s decision to resign.
"I admire his courage. Not many people in his position will say because of their deteriorating health they will resign," he said.
President Mahama gave the commendation yesterday when members of the Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.
The members, led by the Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam and President of SECAM, Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, were at the Flagstaff House to invite the President to their conference in Accra.
The conference is to be used to launch a pastoral journal on good governance and democracy.
The SECAM seeks to promote the Catholic Church as a family of God in Africa and preserve and foster communion, collaboration and joint action among all the Episcopal conferences of Africa.
President Mahama said the Catholic Church, by virtue of being one of the churches to have arrived in Ghana, had made a significant impact on the country.
For instance, he said, the church's contribution to education was massive, making admission to Catholic schools competitive because of the high academic performance and discipline in those schools.
He expressed the hope that the Catholic Church would continue to be a dominant denomination in the country.
The President commended the various religious faiths for co-existing peacefully in the country, in line with the Constitution which guaranteed freedom of worship.
Cardinal Pengo congratulated President Mahama on his victory in the 2012 elections and commended Ghana for its democratic growth.
He prayed for Ghana and Africa's democracy and rule of law to be strengthened for the benefit of their people.
Story by Musah Yahaya Jafaru