The Eroding stature of the Catholic Church in Contemporary Ghana-

A issue worth talking about

I write this article as my contribution to the upliftment of the sinking image and relevance of the Catholic Church in Ghana. I am not sure of the exact date the church was started in Ghana but I know this church has been very revered in the past because of the numbers it commanded of the Christian population in the country, the manner in which its priest conducted themselves, the social impact it had with its health institutions and educational facilities. All these many good things cannot be said to be in existence today and that is why am disappointed in the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and the leadership of the church in the dioceses across the country in general and in particular with the leadership of the church in the Sunyani Diocese. I will catalogue a few areas where I have noted grave concerns that appear to have been overlooked by the shepherds of the church.

Spiritual growth of the church

The Catholic Church’s worship has been pivoted around the celebration of the Eucharist (most commonly referred to as mass) which is the celebration of the body of Christ and sharing of the word (liturgy of the word).The passage of time and developing events influenced the introduction of charismatism into the church as the conservative Vatican I way of doing things became very unsustainable in the midst of growing Pentecostalism and charismatism. Today am happy some of the churches are trying hard to bring vibrant youth into developing their spirituality within the various sacraments handed over by the Apostles. The church has lost significant numbers to the charismatic and other churches and unfortunately it is the first church to be criticized or targeted by break away faithful all the way from the time of Martin Luther and King Edward V. The diminishing numbers of the congregation is also partly due to the non-fulfillment of most of the congregation .Some of the people do not understand the service and some too are greatly disappointed in the lack of spirit in the message delivered at mass. It is true that some of the priests do not give quality sermons and that is not restricted to the Catholic Church but does that make it an ideal situation to look at? Some priests have scandalized themselves in various amorous relationships with women and sometimes with reverend sisters to the extent that they lack the moral authority to condemn the very bodily sins the congregation suffers from. In some congregations it is openly a secret that the priest has a girl friend and it appears to be so normal .I beg to differ because the Catholic priest is expected to live a celibate life for the sake of the kingdom of God. This is an allegation the clergy and catholic fanatics will deny vehemently but I can write in all confidence I have seen some of these with my eyes. Some mission houses play host to some particular girls within the church community beyond allowable hours. Let anyone explain to me if the priests are above temptation and that all the girls who are so welcome there have genuine intentions. It is not common to see the priests’ authority challenged or condemned so the faithful who sometimes are displeased about these events don’t talk about them but rather keep them to the usual gossip circles

I am sure a lot of my fellows at church will vilify me for speaking tough on this issue but not even the Pope is more catholic than I am and am saying this to ignite debate in the church and not to destroy it. The numerous media exposure on some bad practices and involvement of priests in various scandals are not just signs of the end times but rather a call to the re-examination of lifestyle.

Lifestyle of the priest.

Apart from celibacy, the catholic priest vows to live in chastity and poverty. This is not to say they will become beggars from the day they are ordained. The catholic priest is not paid salary but is surely not a poor person. The congregation caters for their needs through monthly/weekly offertory presents during the Eucharist and they do live quite comfortably .The few things that are not brought unto the altar are catered for by the church finances. What we see lately is a flamboyant lifestyle by some priests. Some priests live individually in mansions (what happened to living together as the apostles used to do) .Why would a priest be living in a five-bedroom house alone? Is it for the comfort or what? Some priests live in big houses alone while other priests complain of accommodation in other quarters. Has the church looked at the burden of the cost of this lifestyle? Some priests build houses for family, some own businesses, taxis and the like .

In recent times a bishop has been accused of owning a property at Trasacco Valley. The veracity of that accusation is questionable but for those who have chosen to acquire property secretly, the question the church needs to ask them is who are they acquiring these property for-children sacrilegiously fathered or girlfriends unknown to their celibate vows.If only these were not at the expense of the congregation, I wouldn’t have any problem. Some priests decide which car they want to drive and the congregation buys for them. The congregation believes these are religious obligations and expect blessings from God and therefore they would do anything to make their priests comfortable but the use to which the money is put leave much to be desired. Some churches have pastoral councils which help the priests in managing the church administration including its finances but more often than not the priest have their way in decisions regarding the disbursement of the church money because the pastoral councils that assist them only have advisory capacities.

Management of health and educational facilities

Most catholic institutions which used to be epitomes of discipline have ceased to be so partly due to laxity in enforcement of the code of conduct that used to shape the old Catholic schools. Some of these institutions have been well managed by some very competent priests who have had the training to do so .However there are some which are not also being managed well at all. Bishops of the various dioceses hold in trust the church institutions on behalf of the congregation and the church at large. They are influential in key decisions in the management of the institutions. Some of the bishops have played this role so well that they have allowed competent managers to run these institutions while they support them .Invariably however some of the bishops have overused this power influencing appointments to key positions in the service some of which have not yielded good results.

If we take the case of the Catholic health institutions they are supposed to be the church ‘s way of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ on earth and therefore have strived in the past to charge low fees and be open to all people, cost not being an impediment to anyone who wants to visit them and they have made names for themselves .Recently some of the Church’s hospitals are reeling under bad management because some of the bishops have put several levies on the hospitals as if they were profit making outfits. These levies are payable to the Diocesan Offices to support the burgeoning lifestyle that is creeping into the church administration but are ultimately borne by the poor patient who is at the far end of the equation. In some cases because the professional administrators have resisted the increasing interference, priests or reverend sisters have been brought to do the whim of the presiding bishop because obviously they would not be able to challenge their bishop .I must admit some priests and reverend sisters have been fantastic in certain areas of management and am not about to suggest that they are bad administrators. But some of them lack the training required to do the work and they do mess up. The Sunyani Diocese hasn’t got a good story to tell when it comes to this. The two main hospitals in the Diocese’s control (St Mary’s Hospital in Drobo and Holy Family Hospital in Berekum) are gradually collapsing and the Bishop must be worried. The Diocese has lost the greatest numbers of health staff over the past decade (through resignation and transfers to the Ghana Health Service or other Regions) due to management problems and undue interference from the Bishop. The Bishop of the Sunyani Diocese is a fine brilliant man but he hasn’t got it all. It is time He allows some professionals to help him out in doing this job while he shepherds the church. Most of us who rejoiced at his selection as bishop are disappointed because he has not lived to be the person he was before the appointment. Should the church decide to talk to the congregation about all the issues I have raised it would realize it is not only restricted to the hospitals. The schools are all included.

The Bishop’s authority is unchallenged and it is not in the blood of his advisors to even contest what he decides. So goes for the authority level of priests in their various churches. I believe it is time the Church refines the power structure within and recognize that management of the church involves more than the spiritual aspect and the other stakeholders must have a say in everything that goes on including the lifestyle their priest lead because the church is financed by the congregation and its impacted by whatever its leaders do.

The Catholic University College was started in the Brong Ahafo Region a few years ago by the Catholic Church in Ghana with the intention to open campuses in Accra after the Fiapre campus had reached a certain population. I want someone to tell me what has happened to this noble idea. Divisions within the Bishops Conference which is not so visible physically has not helped to direct any concerted effort towards the university .With the kind of numbers the church has and the patronage it gets for its institutions, this university should have been one of the leading private universities in Ghana now .

The current Accra campus of the University at Tantra Hill (Catholic Institute of Business and Technology) is known to have been started by a business man obviously with the support of some priests. For a fact it hasn’t got the blessing from the main campus at Fiapre meanwhile it is supposed to serve as the Accra city Campus of the Catholic University at Fiapre .Is it the case of a house divided against itself. No wonder after close to ten years the university is still not on the calendar of preferred choices for even catholic students meanwhile it offers a good alternative for university education in a different environment far away from the hustle of the capital city.

I believe I have raised a well intended alarm for the leadership of the church to look at certain things that are contributing to the eroding relevance of the Catholic Church and losing appeal to the youth. As for the Sunyani Diocese I expect the Bishop to shine his eyes and listen to his people because some of the very priests who serve him share my concern. Leadership of the Church must be broadened and authority relaxed to reflect the changing times .

The Bishop Conference must check each other and ensure they are providing a Christ-like leadership for 21st Century y Church that is capable of meeting the spiritual, social and developmental needs of its congregation Yaw Owusu-Brefo is a catholic and will welcome any discussion that will improve on the issues raised in this article.

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