'Religious tension, collective responsibility'

The Christian Council of Ghana has noted that a response to religious tension must be a collective responsibility of all and sundry to ensure peace, unity and national development.

The Council said religious tensions which had become a source of concern, had led to the destruction of property and loss of lives, and called for religious tolerance to promote peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths.

Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary of the Council said this on Wednesday at the launch of the Interfaith Harmony Week in Accra on the theme: “One Nation, Many Faiths”.

The programme slated for September 28 to October 4, is aimed at promoting peace and unity in the country.

It will also provide the platform for people of all faiths to engage in activities to promote peace, unity, religious tolerance, and national development.

Some of the activities lined up for the Week include symposium, lectures, interfaith panel discussions, debates for students, choral music, games and musical concert for the youth and thanksgiving service.

Rev Opuni-Frempong said the recent religious clashes in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Central African Republic, Kenya and Nigeria had further aggravated the need to deepen religious harmony in the country.

He said the Council was guided by the teachings in Roman 12: 18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”, hence the motivating factor in promoting interfaith harmony.

He stressed that the Week was not only limited to religious groups, but chieftaincy institutions as well, adding that the Council had been actively involved in some historic cultural festival celebrations such as Homowo, Hogbetsotso and Akwantukese.

Dr Opuni-Frempong said the Council in celebrating the festival with the various Ga Traditional Councils, was organizing a thanks-giving church service for the people of Osu, Sempe, Ngleshie Alata, and Ashaiman to climax the Homowo festival.

Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Communications, noted that no meaningful development could take place when people of different faiths lived in acrimony and there could not be a society without interfaith cohesion.

He said there was peaceful relation between the various religious groups where religious leaders had led their followers to respect people of other faiths by their own examples which had become a source of pride for many.

Dr Boamah said the Ministry would work closely with other state agencies to get them join the Council, through the provision of resources and human capital to ensure that the programme was celebrated effectively to achieve the intended objectives.

Representatives from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana, and the office of the Chief Imam, gave their assurances of participating in the programme.