The Supreme Court is expected to give its judgment on the construction of a National Cathedral today, January 23, 2019.
James Kwabena Bomfeh, the plaintiff, is against the construction of the religious edifice, arguing that Ghana is a secular state and it was therefore wrong for the state to be “excessively entangled in any religion or religious practice.”
However, the government has defended the decision.
Majority of Ghanaians are against the construction of the national Cathedral in Accra, a poll results released in October 2018 revealed.
64.31 percent of respondents are strongly opposed to the construction of the cathedral across all demographics, an apparent departure from the President’s assertion that a Christian majority in the country was an indication of support for the idea.
The poll conducted by iPoll Ghana also revealed that opposition was strongest among the young and the highly educated, which suggests a broader demographic shift in how religion is perceived and experienced.
However, president Akufo-Addo has emphasized the National Cathedral must be built to the glory of God.
“By the Grace of God and through Christ who strengths me and my government, all the programmes and policies being rolled out which were once described as overly ambitious and not feasible by some, whether it is the free Senior High School, Planting For Food and Jobs, One District One Factory, One Village, One Dam, and the development of Rail and Road Infrastructure, amongst others will be implemented for the benefit of the Ghanaian people. And through Christ who strengths us, the National Cathedral will be built to the Glory and Honour of God, Amen,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
Meanwhile, top Christian leaders in the country have backed the decision.
The founder and Head Pastor of the Action Chapel, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams, has expressed dismay at the seemingly opposing concerns by Christians as regards to the building of the National Cathedral.
Archbishop Duncan Williams said some Christians are opposing the intervention because it is not their political party that is building it.
Speaking to his congregation on Sunday he said “You know the people fighting it? Not other religions, but it’s us, Christians. It’s us, Christians fighting it. And some of you are fighting it because it is not your party and your President that is building it so you must oppose it. Some of you love your political parties and are more loyal to your political parties than you are to the bible and the cause of Christ.”
