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The Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, the Most Rev Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński, has described the election of Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin as the Speaker of Ghana’s 8th Parliament as a historic event that should guide future leaders.

He said the fact that a candidate of the opposition party had been elected Speaker of Parliament should send a clear message to the political class that Ghanaians wanted their leaders to work together in harmony in order to meet their hopes and aspirations.

The Most Rev Jagodziński made the remark last Friday when the Speaker of Parliament called on him at the Nunciature in Accra.

Peaceful co-existence

The Apostolic Nuncio urged the Speaker to continue to champion the need for the different faiths in the country to peacefully co-exist.

He commended the Speaker for his dedication to public service for the 28 years he had represented the people of Nadowli-Kaleo in Parliament, as well as the impact he had made when he served in the Executive arm of government.

Development

For his part, Mr Bagbin expressed gratitude to the Nuncio and the Catholic Church for taking a keen interest in matters of development in the country, particularly in the areas of education and health.

He assured the Nuncio of his personal commitment to promote the work of the International Catholic Legslators Network (ICLN) to spread the faith.

Christian Council

In a related development, the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rt Rev. Prof. J.O.Y. Mante, has commended Mr Bagbin for his strong moral stance on issues of national concern.

He also applauded the Speaker for his generous philanthropic activities over the years.

He said those qualities were enough assurance that Mr Bagbin would provide the needed leadership to steer the ship of the Ghanaian Legislature.

Courtesy call

Rt Rev. Prof. Mante said this when he led a delegation of the CCG and representatives of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference to pay a courtesy call on Mr Bagbin in Parliament.

The eminent clergymen were in Parliament to congratulate Mr Bagbin on his election to the high office of Speaker of Parliament and also engage him on a number of critical issues affecting the country, particularly the recent religious debates generated and the current status of legislative deliberation and advocacy against LGBTQI+ and its related activities in the country.

Rt Rev. Prof. Mante stressed the importance of religious tolerance and the need for the different faiths in the country to co-exist peacefully.

"We were alarmed at the debate going on in the public space about religious tolerance. We are all here for peace, we want to say to all Ghanaians,” he said.

Harmony

For his part, Mr Bagbin expressed gratitude to the CCG and the Catholic Church for their role in ensuring harmony in the country.

He stressed the need for the Church and the government to work as partners in the development of the country.

“There is a lot we can do to refine our governance system to take on board traditional and cultural values and norms. There is no state without the Church, and there is a lot the two can efficiently do together,” he said.

On the issue of LGBTQI+, Mr Bagbin acknowledged the current challenges in the country’s legal system and pledged to involve the Church and civil society to fine-tune the system and make it more definitive to serve the greater good.