Help restore nation to former glory — Bishop Louis

Efforts have been made by Most Rev. Dr. John Kobina Louis, an auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra,by calling on all stakeholders to assist in bringing Ghana back to its former state of glory.

“Therefore, let us all, the Executive, Judiciary, Legislature, traditional leaders, religious leaders and general citizenry arise and rebuild our nation, with the help of God,” he stated.

At an ecumenical service organized by the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Accra, he was preaching on the subject of “A Tale of the River Ghana,” which was based on Prophet Ezekiel 47:1, 6–13.

Constitutional democracy

According to Most Rev. Louis, Ghana’s constitutional governing model just grazes the surface of actual democracy. It’s comparable to unlawful surface mining, or galamsey. The Constitution’s support for our democratic galamsey makes it legitimate, which is the only distinction.

However, the Constitution itself is rife with errors. Furthermore, the issue of disloyal and self-centered politicians remains,” he said. “The waters of the River Ghana have gradually become muddy, contaminated, and life-threatening as it meandered through the harsh terrain of history, especially in the last thirty years,” he noted.

Traditional deficiencies

“That is, the custodians of our time-tested and cherished values have not been able to safeguard some of them because of monetary and other selfish gains,” he said, drawing a comparison between the shortcomings of Ghana’s traditional leadership and some deforestation efforts.

Religious deficiencies

He said that the River Ghana had been contaminated by false teachings, superstitious practices, and false prophecies in some churches, particularly those founded by self-seeking individuals.

He said that the river in Ezekiel’s vision could be described as progressive, as from a shallow stream, its volume increased immensely as it flowed towards the ocean, just as God created the River Ghana to be progressive in its development.

“The river in Ezekiel’s vision was life-giving, as it made fishes and plants flourish. By, implication, then, it provided food and medicine for humans. Similarly, Ghana was meant to sustain the existence of its water bodies and vegetation, as well as the life and health of its inhabitants,” he said.

“Furthermore, the river in Ezekiel’s vision flowed into the sea, making the larger body of water wholesome. Similarly, Ghana was meant to positively influence the continent of Africa.

“This, our first and most visionary President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, understood so well. Thus, from the onset of our independence, he would declare: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.”