Last week, Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri, the Founding Editor of GhanaCelebrities.Com noted in an article that the Government of Ghana’s direct or indirect role play in the building of a national cathedral goes against the wall of separation of the State and the Church.
He said: “The wall between the State and the church, defined by the constitution of Ghana is thick but the incumbent NPP government does not seem to give a hoot—and the government is jumping the wall to help the church with our supposed limited State resources.”
Since the government of Ghana is keen on getting married to the church, James Kwabena Bomfeh, a former Youth Organiser of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), aka Kabila has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court to restrain the government from ‘building’ a national cathedral.
James who was earlier in court on the same issue wants an interlocutory injunction to restrain the construction of the controversial 5,000-seater Cathedral.
In his lawsuit, Kabila wants the Supreme Court to restrain government or any of its representatives “from being involved in or taking any steps towards the construction of the Ghana National Cathedral, including the demolition of residences of justices of the Superior Courts.”
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He further asks the Apex court to prevent the government from commencing “any civil works for the construction of the Ghana National Cathedral; and/or taking any action, measure or step preliminary or incidental to the construction of the Ghana National Cathedral.”
Though it’s said that the funding for the project is to be sourced from individuals within the Christian community, the government of Ghana seems to be spearheading it.
The government’s decision to demolish buildings including residences of judges to make way for the construction of a national cathedral points to the fact that, the government is somewhat the builder–leaving us with the question, why is a government supposed to be separated from the church in bed with it?
In the writ, Mr Bomfeh seeks “a declaration that the decision of the Government of Ghana to purposely endorse, assist, aid, partly sponsor, and/or support the construction of a National Cathedral near the State House of Ghana, for Christian interdenominational church services amounts to an excessive entanglement of the Republic of Ghana and religion and therefore unconstitutional”.
On the back of the separation of government from the church, Mr. Bomfeh soughts another redress, “a declaration that the setting up of a Hajj Board by the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the purpose of coordinating, supporting and/or aiding Ghanaian Muslims to embark on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca…” is unconstitutional
Source: GhanaCelebrities.Com