The church must restore spiritual strength into society

Takoradi, July 12, GNA - Mr. Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, has said society was counting on the church to restore the almost-dead spiritual strength of the citizenry.

"The church has been the source of discipline in the nation's moral fibre for a very long time," he said. 93Today, however, the picture is different; the youth of today seem to have a different attitude towards the great spiritual teachings being preached from the pulpit.

Mr. Aidoo said this at the Eight Biennial Grand Convention of the Cape Coast Grand Commandery and Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Saint John International, at Takoradi, on Tuesday.

The convention under the theme: 93Seventy-five years of Knights of Saint John International in Ghana-Promoting the Mission of the Catholic Church".

The Minister expressed concern about the massive breakdown of law and order, saying, 93Our only hope is the church and so societies like the Knight of St. John International can be of immense benefit to the country."

Mr. Aidoo noted that, unfortunately, the church had also had its share of the massive breakdown of moral discipline in recent times through the invasion of a huge number of charlatans parading as men of God.

"A daily scan of the media platform would bring to the fore atrocities committed by supposed men of God; families have been divided by fraudulent financial deals, all manner of sexual aberrations with homosexuality and lesbianism capturing the frontlines of the media, which indeed is a major challenge to the church," he said.

The Most Reverend Matthew Gyamfi, Bishop of the Sunyani Catholic Diocese, urged the society to create and foster the feeling of fraternity and fellowship to improve the moral, mental and the social condition of the generality of people.

He noted that the inability of churches to effectively communicate their faith to the youth had resulted in the many vices such as indiscipline, homosexuality and lesbianism, the explosion of religious sects, rejection of religious practices and the constant breakdown of marriages.

Most Rev. Gyamfi, therefore, advocated a profound spiritual renewal for the youth saying, 93Make yourselves living and credible witnesses to the validity of the Christian message.