Electronic Edition GHANA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY ESTD
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VOL. 82 NO. 32 Electronic Edition GHANA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY ESTD. IN 1938 SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 – SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020 PRICE GH¢2.00 Politics Of Insults Even in Times of Darkness, Not Good For God is There – Pope Francis Younger Generation Story on page 10 – Mahama Baptism Using Plural Pronouns See page 9 Formula Not Valid: Vatican See page 3 Catholic Bishops Express Concern about Students’ Unrest Story on page 3 ABHOR ACRIMONIOUS POLITICS – GCBC To Ghanaians By Angela Ofosu Boateng This call was contained in a Pastoral Letter issued by the GCBC on Monday, s the nation prepares for the August 10 and signed by its President, P r e s i d e n t i a l a n d Most Rev. Philip Naameh, who is also the AParliamentary elections in Archbishop of Tamale. December, the Ghana Catholic According to the Bishops, having Bishops' Conference (GCBC) has successfully conducted several elections urged Ghanaians to work consciously in the Fourth Republic, Ghana as a country towards peace building and abhor the should learn from the mistakes and Archbishop Naameh acrimonious type of politics now successes of the past in order to make the of Tamale, President of GCBC gaining currency in the country. Continued on page 3 2 THE CATHOLIC STANDARD Electronic Edition Sunday, August 16 – Saturday, August 22, 2020 CATHOLIC Tanzanian Priest Suspended for Going into Politics World News who sought nomination for the in the 2021 general elections Nkenge Constituency Assembly In 2006, the Bishop of ticket on Tanzania's ruling party, Uganda's Catholic Diocese of “Chama Cha Mapinduzi” (CCM) Kotido suspended Fr. Simon for the forthcoming October 28 Lokodo from active Priestly Ministry, after vying for a Catholic Priest from elections. The Tanzanian Priest has parliamentary seat in Dodoth Tanzania's Diocese of County. Similar fate befell Fr. Bukoba, who quit his joined his confrere, Fr. Charles A Onen from Uganda, who according Jacinto Ogwal who was suspended active Priestly Ministry to run to Uganda's Daily Monitor is by his Bishop of Uganda's Lira for a political seat in an Diocese in 2011 after he too had upcoming general elections, has among four candidates contesting for the Gulu East parliamentary seat expressed interest in vying for the been suspended by his Bishop. parliamentary seat in Otuke. “I am sorry to inform you “Thus, I suspend him from further directed, in the letter that Fr. Ildephonce Katundu wrote providing Priestly services in my copied to TEC Secretary General, me a letter to resign from the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba and Fr. Charles Kitima, that Fr. Priesthood of his own free will and wherever he may be,” said Bishop Katundu should “not be given Kenya’s Diocese Establishes leave to go unnoticed without any Bukoba, quoting Canon Law asylum in the residence of Priests discussion with me or my 285.3, which bars clerics from and Nuns.” Tree Nursery in permission,” Bishop Desiderius running for and occupying “Pray for the grace to enable Rwoma of Bukoba stated in a political positions. him to make sacred reflections that letter made public on August 3. Response to Laudato Si He added in the open letter, will ultimately help him one day However, he said, he did not addressed to members of the return and be one with us under approve of it. Tanzania Episcopal Conference Christ our Great Shepherd,” Bishop Rwoma revealed that (TEC) in reference to Fr. Katundu Bishop Rwoma pleaded. Fr. Katundu had in a July 24 that “So far he has no official According to a local media correspondence indicated his residence where he is known to report, Fr. Ildephonce Katundu got decision “to resign from the live. My efforts to contact him so zero votes during the party priesthood” and “run for the far have failed.” primaries held on July 11. He was Nkenge Constituency Assembly The 73-year-old Bishop has reportedly among 52 candidates (2020-2025).” ‘Tell Your Children, Husbands to Drop Arms’: Nigerian Bishop to Women *The model tree nursery by Kenya's Kakamega Diocese in response to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'. t a peace-building learn to forgive and see in one added that “the tensed Jukun-Tiv conference, organised to another the image and likeness of relationship seems like a stubborn he Kenya “Catholic Justice and Peace Commission” Aseek solutions to the God,” Archbishop Ignatius boil that refuses to go away." (CJPC) in the Diocese of Kakamega has initiated a 12,000 inter-ethnic violence between Kaigama said on August 6 at a He observed that “Land Ttree nursery project, in response to Pope Francis' the Tiv and Jukun communities Wo m e n P e a c e - B u i l d i n g disputes are a common feature Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si, a CJPC official has told the ACI in Nigeria, the Archbishop of Conference in Nigeria's Nasarwa among neighbouring ethnic Africa. Abuja, Nigeria has underscored State. groups (and) arguments over “The establishment of this tree nursery is therefore our way of the role women can play to bring “You women stand a better boundary issues often result in acknowledging the prophetic voice of our Popes whose words are well an end to the conflict, urging serious breach of peace." chance and have the moral and captured in the Encyclical and also responding to the appeal made by our them to reach out to their emotional advantage of talking to "These refuse to go away current Pope to 'work together in building our common home'," Arnold “children, husbands or relations your husbands, children and perhaps because of what may have to drop the arms.” relations,” Archbishop Kaigama become an unofficial policy in Ambei of the CJPC told the ACI Africa on August 7. “ D e a r Ti v a n d J u k u n reiterated. Nigeria that States or Local The tree nursery project is propagating both exotic and indigenous women, please tell your children, A r c h b i s h o p K a i g a m a , Governments are associated with trees such as Cypress, Caliandra, Mahogany, African Cherry (Prunus husbands or relations to drop the however, acknowledged that particular ethnic groups, instead of Africana), Markhamia Lutea and Whistling Pine, the Programs Officer a r m s ; t h e y s h o u l d a v o i d “many efforts at peaceful emphasising the citizenship of all said. prejudices and stigmatisation, and resolution have been made,” but irrespective of ethnic identity,” the He added “We plan to further propagate bamboo, grevillea and Archbishop said in reference to some fruit trees, as we approach the last quarter of this year.” The disputes over land. seedlings nurtured at the nursery will be distributed to approximately According to a report 500 diocesan institutions for planting. p u b l i s h e d b y t h e N e w Established with a diocesan Lenten Fund and supported by the Humanitarian, members of the environmental charitable foundation, the “Global GreenGrants Fund, Jukun and Tiv communities have the nursery is expected to have at least 20,000 seedlings by mid- been hostile towards each other for September, Ambei said. several decades, with violent The second Encyclical of Pope Francis calls on all humanity to confrontations reported in 1959, 1964, 1976, 1991, 2001 and 2019. care for creation, a call that is captured in the subtitle of the document, ACI Africa “on care for our common home.” *Archbishop Kaigama with Tiv and Jukun women at the Conference. The Vatican office also noted that Pope Sends Aid to Lebanon immediately after the blast, the “Caritas Lebanon”, the “Caritas Internationalis” ope Francis has sent 250,000 euros donation sent through the Vatican Nuncio in and Catholic charity organisations from ($295,000) to Lebanon to help the Beirut “to meet the needs of the Lebanese around the world set to work, helping PCatholic Church and Catholic church in these moments of difficulty and everyone in need, providing medical care, charitable organisations there assist suffering.” shelter and distributing food and other people affected by the August 4 massive “This donation is a sign of His basic necessities. explosion in Beirut. Holiness' attention and closeness to the The explosion, which killed more According to the Dicastery for affected population and of his fatherly than 150 people and injured more than A man walks past rubble of damaged P r o m o t i n g I n t e g r a l H u m a n closeness to people in serious difficulty,” the 5,000, also destroyed homes, churches, Development, the funds were an “initial” Dicastery announced. buildings at Beirut's port area. monasteries and other buildings, CNS CNS photo/Aziz Taher, Reuters Sunday, August 16 – Saturday, August 22, 2020 Electronic Edition THE CATHOLIC STANDARD 3 Catholic Bishops and discipline. T h e y a l s o c a l l e d o n Ghanaian adults, especially, to ‘Abhor Acrimonious Express Concern show good examples to the youth, instead of encouraging things that about Students’ Unrest endanger their lives and those of Politics’ others. By Doreen Darko An August 3 online videos exposed nation has so far established as one of students of some SHS in Ghana destroying Continued from front page Africa's leading countries whose he Ghana Catholic Bishops' school furniture, smashing food bowls, impending December elections even democratic development is a shining path C o n f e r e n c e ( G C B C ) h a s school dining halls, attacking examination more successful.