Religious leaders speak on Pope’s resignation
By Kwesi Yirenkyi Boateng
Rev. Dr. Deegbe & Bishop Lodonu
Most Rev. Prof. Asante
Following Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of his impending resignation by February 28, 2013, Catholics the world over have been entreated to pray fervently for the Church and its leadership for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to elect the right person.
The call was made by some Religious leaders in Ghana in a recent telephone interviews with the The Catholic Standard.
Rev. Dr. Fred Deegbe, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), urged Catholic faithful to pray for God’s will to prevail.
He said that the Pope’s decision to resign came as a surprise since his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, stayed on until his death, but however commended the Supreme Pontiff for taking such a bold decision.
With his announcement to resign, he said Pope Benedict has “opened a new page in the Catholic Church,” and called on the faithful to ask God for wisdom and grace to help the Church navigate through the transitional period.
On media reports that Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, is one of the Prelates to go into conclave to elect a new Pope, Dr. Deegbe, said it would be wonderful if he is elected as the new Pope and advised the faithful to pray for the will of God to be done.
He added that it would be sad if the appointment of the next Pontiff was reduced to mere regional or factional representation.
Sharing similar sentiments, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana and Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church in Ghana, noted that the announcement of the Pope’s resignation was shocking to him, but commended the Pope for setting a good example for world leaders.
Like Pope Benedict, he said world leaders must realise their limit with regards to their strength to lead their people and leave the scene for others to continue.
He described the Pope as a learned Theologian whom he highly respected for his depth of knowledge and contributions to the Church.
Although he was resigning, Prof. Asante said it does not mean the Pope was going away but noted that he would continue his active ministry, which he said was a good thing.
On the question of an African Pope, Prof. Asante contended that being an African, he would wish an African was elected Pope, but quickly added that “I agreed with Cardinal Turkson, who said it should be based on God’s will.”
He said Catholics should hold high their faith, since there was a leadership that had the Church at heart, urging them to pray to God to elect a leader to lead the Church.
The Chairman of the Christian Council further stated that the resignation of the Pope does not mean the end of the Church but a sign that the Church will grow from strength to strength.
Also, Most Rev. Francis A. K. Lodonu, Bishop of Ho, said he was surprised by the announcement and urged the entire Catholic population to keep praying for the Holy Spirit to direct the affairs of the Church at this crucial moment.
Saying that the Catholic Church relied on the Holy Spirit for the direction of its affairs, the Bishop prayed and hoped the Church shall emerge stronger during this transitional period.
Commenting on the election of an African Pope, Bishop Lodonu said they were not clamouring for the automatic election of an African and for that matter a Ghanaian Pope, but stressed the need for the Church to rely on the Holy Spirit for direction.