Priests urged to join in the fight against corruption

Very Reverend Fr. John Boakye- Mensah, Parish Priest of Asokre Catholic Church on Sunday called on Catholic priests to boldly talk about the moral decadence and corrupt practices that have engulfed the country.

He said Priests by nature had been deployed by God to save the world from condemnation and would be failing in their duties if they turned a blind eye to the negative issues in the country.

Rev. Fr. Boakye who is also the Dean of the Mampong Asewase Deanery of the Archdiocese of Kumasi Catholic Diocese, made the call in a sermon to mark the 25th Priestly Anniversary celebration of Reverend Fr. Samuel Affum Asantey, Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at Amanful, a suburb of Cape Coast.

Father Asantey was ordained a priest in July 1988 and spent 15 years of his priesthood with the Amanful St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

Fr. Boakye said the time had come for the Catholic Church and priests to join in the fight against bribery and corruption, adding that, times were hard, making people suffer to the extent that most people could not even afford their basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing.

He said another canker that had taken a toll on the church and society was the desire for people to make quick money and also fast track everything in life, thereby making them engage in all kinds of vices including consulting so called spiritualists.

He also lamented the lack of truth and sincerity in the society, stressing that people no longer tell the truth but rather resort to all manner of fabrications, adding that, the Ghanaian has now grown inpatient and wanted everything to be fast tracked.

He said God was a patient God and would do what was right in his own time.

Father Boakye paid a glowing tribute to Fr. Asantey for accepting the call of God for the past 25 years, and advised him to take stock of his life and make amends in areas he had fallen short.

He noted that it was not easy to be a priest as it involved a lot of challenges including name calling, insults and in some cases physical abuse, and urged him not to discriminate against anyone in the church, but should be all loving, caring and humble.

Father Boakye thanked God for the life of Fr. Asantey, stressing that his priestly work had encouraged and inspired a lot of people in the church and described him as a courageous, sincere and a bold person who took his work seriously.

Father Asantey thanked the congregation for the support and assistance given him in his priestly ministry, which he said had helped him to grow both spiritually and physically.

Members of the Church through individual contributions bought Father Asantey a four wheel drive vehicle as his anniversary gift.