President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has again made a strong case for the construction of the National Cathedral despite some controversies over funding and timing of the construction.
According to him, there is no appropriate time for the building of such monuments.
In his justification, the President said where great Cathedrals have been built, the societies that housed them had not finished with the satisfaction of their major development needs such as hospitals, schools, bridges and roads.
Speaking in Accra at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the president noted that if one were to consider only developmental needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world.
He stressed that the construction of the structure will fill a missing link in the nation’s spiritual architecture and the cathedral will not only benefit Ghana but Africa in general upon completion.
Akufo-Addo, however, said the cost should be borne by the Christian community with the state’s support.
He noted further that the National Cathedral will serve as a fulcrum for propagating the Christian faith, unifying the Christian community, and serving as a tribute to religious liberty.
“My personal view has always been that even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.
"It will serve as a collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on Ghana sparing the nation of ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.
“Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been what can be called an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries, to complete," the President said.
Just as the building of the Temple of Solomon was an epoch-making event not only in Israel, but also in the whole world, President Akufo-Addo believes the building of the National Cathedral is an epochal event not only in Ghana, but also in the rest of Africa.
Background
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu MP, has accused the government of using state funds to build the Cathedral; adding that the Finance Ministry has released an unapproved amount of GH₵200 million of the taxpayers’ money to be used for the building of the project.
The National Secretariat of the cathedral has however dismissed these claims by the MP.
<<Print>>