The Parish Priest of Christ the King Parish in Accra, Rev. Fr. Dr. Ebenezer Akesseh has charged Christians to be citizens and not spectators in building a better Ghana.
According to him, it was imperative that the Christian community become active participants in building what he termed as “a beautiful Ghana” because it is a moral obligation that the church preaches.
Fr. Akesseh who is a Moral Theologian was the Keynote Speaker at the fifth Faith in the Public Sphere event organised by the Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI Ghana) at the Christ the King Parish in Accra.
The programme held on March 7, 2023 was dubbed: “Christians as Citizens, not Spectators.”
Speaking on the topic: “The Common Good” Fr. Akesseh emphasised the need for Ghanaians, especially Christians, to embrace the ‘common good’ as espoused by St. Thomas Aquinas.
“We must all be involved in constructing a beautiful Ghana for ourselves and the generations after us… We won’t get any acknowledgement if we only remain spectators,” he said during his address.
He noted that if Christians continue to remain quiet spectators they wouldn’t have answers when the next generation questions them about their contributions to building a better Ghana.
Speaking further, he emphasised that the Ghanaian society, which comprised of about 70% of Christians, must place societal goals above individual achievements if the nation would succeed.
In Fr. Akesseh’s view, in chasing one’s dreams as Ghanaians, individuals must consider the consequences of their actions on other members of the society which he defined as the ‘common good.’
“If we want to be citizens, not spectators, we must think through the demands placed on us by the common good.”
The Christ the King Parish Priest also underscored the need for the State and authorities to undertake economic activities and create the enabling environment to allow citizens achieve their aspirations and also protect the weak such as the disabled, children and women.
He added that “we must love our native land [Ghana] and if we love our native land, how do we express this love as citizens?”
The event was chaired by Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, the Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministry.
Other speakers at the forum included Lawyer Martin Kpebu, Hon. Dzifa Gomashie, MP, Ketu South; Lawyer Samson Lardy Anyenini; and Dr. Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, a research fellow at the University of Ghana and a member of the AJI’s Advisory Board.
