Which church would manage the National Cathedral when completed? – Rev Fr Joseph Blay asks
The purpose of the National Cathedral, per President Akufo-Addo, is to serve as a point of convergence for the Christian community to worship, pray and promote deep national discourse on the role of the faith in nation-building.
But does this guarantee the smooth progression of the construction of the building? Or does it suggest that the general public supports the president’s plan?
According to Reverend Father and anti-galamsey campaigner Dr. Joseph Blay, Ghana is a multi-faith state, hence his concern is that should the cathedral be completed, which church would be entrusted to manage it.
He asked this question on JoyNews’ AM Show on Thursday, in response to a query regarding his reaction about the construction of the cathedral.
The Reverend Father told host Benjamin Akakpo that after the cathedral has been built, “there must be a church, a particular church that is going to minister and take care of it.”
Rev Blay cited the example of the Yamoussoukro basilica that President Houphouët-Boigny of Cote d’ Ivoire erected to illustrate his point.
He explained that because the majority of Cote d’Ivoire’s Christians are Catholics, the basilica was put in their care.
“When Houphouët-Boigny built the basilica, he was a Catholic, and he entrusted it to the Catholic Church so that you have one denomination that is in charge of its spirituality.”
The Reverend Father used this allusion to emphasize how difficult it might be to choose a church to be in charge of maintaining the cathedral once it is built, because Ghana is a multi-faith nation with numerous Christian denominations.
He also expressed concerns about the spirituality of the national cathedral, pointing out that many different religious practitioners will use it.
“If we are building a national cathedral, which is meant for different religions, the question is: what will be the spirituality of this cathedral?… In terms of Ghana, it is a multi-Christian country, so we have different people who will be going there. So, in the case of the national cathedral, what is going to be the spirituality of it?
“And then some are even proposing that if it is something natural, then anybody claiming to be a Christian or having a different faith can also have the right to go there and practice his faith, which begs the question, what will be the spirituality of the national cathedral?” he said.
Source: Ghana News
