Catholic Church celebrates 85th anniversary

The Most Rev Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, has said leadership "is divinely ordained and society must accord those who occupy such positions utmost respect". He said people should be careful when talking about personalities in leadership positions because community or national leadership in the form of traditional, political and religious offices had all been put in place through the infinite wisdom and purpose of God for the well-being of humankind. The Bishop admitted that leadership in general had its associated weaknesses and shortfalls, citing scandals of bribery and corruption as well as double or multiple sale of land by some individual circular leaders. That, he said, did not mandate the populace to speak evil of Presidents, Kings, Chiefs, Ministers of State and anyone in leadership position and "we must be cautious we criticize our leaders constructively". Most Rev. Gyamfi was speaking at a thanksgiving service at the Christ the King Cathedral in Sunyani to climax a one week celebration of the 85th anniversary of the church's existence in Sunyani Municipality. The anniversary, under the theme "85 years of Catholicism in Sunyani - Go and Bear Enduring Fruits", was marked with a number of activities including a durbar. The Most Rev. Gyamfi called for the elimination of immorality and social vices like stealing, armed robbery, fornication, adultery, undermining, back-biting, character assassination and all forms of bribery and corrupt practices. Awards were presented to deserving members of the church, 10 of them posthumously.