The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has dismissed government’s claim that the council is in support of its decision to facilitate Christian pilgrimage to Israel and the Vatican.
In an interview Wednesday on Morning Starr the deputy Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Paul Essien hinted of the Christian Council’s support of the move.
He told Morning Starr host Francis Abban that there was a meeting between the ministry and the Council and all the other Christian bodies regarding the initiative and that they all agreed the ministry should facilitate the trip for Christians who wish to embark on the religious trip.
But in a sharp rebuttal on the same show, the General Secretary of the Council, Rev Dr. Opuni Frimpong dismissed the deputy Minister’s claim.
According to him, the Minister Kofi Dzamesi raised the issue of facilitating Christian pilgrimage at a closed-door meeting with the Council, but they rejected the idea.
“…It is true that the Minister paid us a visit in a closed-door meeting. It is true that in the meeting he raised that issue. I don’t remember but I wouldn’t want to discuss details of that meeting but we have never made any commitment that we will participate in that. As at now we are not part of that,” he told Francis Abban.
He said the Council’s rejection of the initiative was as a result of “deep reflection” they had as a body on similar offer made to them by the former administration under the NDC.
“Whatever the new administration is offering us, as we will not accept the offer from the former administration under NDC, we cannot be part of the same offer coming from the new administration of the NPP,” he noted.
The move to send over 200 persons to the Holy cities has been met with fierce rejection by majority of the public.
Religious expert Dr. Ben Willie-Golo condemned the decision as “reckless” Wednesday, arguing government has no business in organizing trip for Christian pilgrims and it should be an individual choice and not a state sponsored decision.
“I think this is…just a kind of reckless talk. For me I heard it over the radio and I thought look, excuse me to use the word bunkum. It is a reckless talk. I mean it is unnecessary,” he stated on Morning Starr.
