The Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, has firmly defended the right of mission schools in Ghana to maintain their religious identity and disciplinary principles, noting that “to have support from the government doesn’t mean we have transferred our ownership of the schools to the one supporting them.”
Speaking during his homily at the climax of the 25th Anniversary of Council 74 And Court 67 of the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall on Sunday, November 30, 2025 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Archbishop Kwofie addressed the ongoing discussions on mission schools, generated by recent statements from the Minister of Education who suggested that mission schools may be infringing on students’ constitutional and human rights.
Archbishop Kwofie said, “Ghanaians, as we know, like to stay amicably with one another. Mission Schools, from the time of their foundation, know what religious freedom is and what the purposes for their existence are.”
According to him, mission schools have their “ethos that cannot be compromised by any foreign values”, stressing that “mission schools are poised to deliver on discipline, academic excellence, and identity.”
While speaking, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie called for a “patient dialogue” and “communal discernment,” in line with the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s recent Advent Pastoral Letter and Pope Francis’ emphasis on synodality.
“Pope Francis told us we are a Church when we walk together hand in hand while courageously listening to each other. To listen attentively requires courage to hear everything palatable and also not so friendly that is said about you or to you”, he said.
He also added, “That is the way to enter into patient dialogue with one another. We enter into a patient dialogue to discern together. The result of every communication is to arrive at a common discernment towards better understanding.”
By: Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchgh.com
