Churches urged to speak out on problems of society
The founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil, has charged the Church not to remain silent over the ills of the society but constantly seek to find solution to the problems confronting the people.
“The Church is an active participant in the community and that is why we cannot be silent. The Church must participate and be part of the struggle, of the fears, of the hopes and of the desires of the people,” he said.
Pastor Otabil was speaking at the launch of a book at the British Council Hall in Accra entitled, “Understanding the Mass – Historical, Biblical, Theological and liturgical perspectives”, authored by the Catholic Bishop of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu.
The book
The 341-page book leads readers into what really the mass is in the Catholic Church by means of historical, biblical, theological and liturgical insights.
The launching ceremony was unique in the sense that it brought together otherwise divergent categories of personalities from the Catholic Church, the Protestants, the Pentecostal and the Charismatics as well as the Islamic community.
Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used for the construction of an Orthopaedic and Children’s Ward at the Pope John Paul II Medical Centre at Jamasi in the Ashanti Region.
Duty of the Church
Pastor Otabil noted that the problem confronting the society was that they wanted the Church to take care of the sick, the helpless and the needy, pointing out that “without questioning why the weak are weak, why the sick are sick and why the dying are dying, everybody is okay with the Church.”
“But we cannot just continue taking care of the society’s problems. We must question why those problems exist in the first place and that is our mission to the world as the Church,” he stressed.
Pastor Otabil said it was the responsibility of the Church to help the society by seeking to lift the people up from suffering to the point where the quality of life of the people was improved.
“If we shirk that responsibility, then we are shirking the centrality of our faith as Christians,” he admonished, adding “that was part of the burden as Christians.”
Commendation
The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante, who introduced the biography of the author, underscored the important role Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu played during the formative years of the Holy Trinity Theological Seminary while heading the Religious Department at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He said the capability of Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu was unquestionable considering his deep knowledge in his area of speciality.
Why the book
Explaining why he authored the book, Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu said most priests and bishops in the celebration of the mass gave examples and explanations that were not liturgically correct.
Unity in diversity
Speaking on the composition of the audience at the launch, the chairman for the occasion and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, commended Ghanaians for co-existing in spite of divergent views.
