The Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Alfred Agyenta, has decried the return of many Christians to what he describes as the ancestral cult.
This, he believes, does augur well for the Christian faith and requires urgent attention by all stakeholders.
According to the Bishop, the Church cannot be satisfied with its current numbers, as many people are waiting to receive Christ into their lives.
“The call to evangelization is ever more urgent than before. We cannot be satisfied with our present numbers. God’s mercy for the salvation of his people is ever on offer, and there are still a lot of our brothers and sisters who are waiting to receive it, and we must work towards this.”
He also lamented how some Christians owe dual allegiance to the church and the African ancestral worship. The Bishop noted the worrying trend of people taking pride in returning to the ancestral cult.
“It may surprise you to know that today, we are witnessing a growing number of Christians or Catholics who, after so many years of being Christians, are returning to the ancestral cult. The form of worship that the early missionaries decried when they arrived in Bolga 100 years ago. People are beginning to take pride in getting back to the ancestral cult, and we must ask ourselves what we are doing as a church that people, after so many years, are getting back to worshiping the ancestors,” he decried.
Most Rev. Agyenta made these comments during the climax of the centenary anniversary of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish in Bolgatanga over the weekend.
History has it that the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish traces its roots back to the days of colonialism that came with the spread of Christianity across many parts of Africa.
In a bid to establish the church, on February 1, 1925, the Regional Superior of the White Fathers and others, including Father Barsalou and Fr. Chanterau, explored the possibilities of establishing the church in Nangodi and Bolgatanga.
Per the archives of the church, due to population dynamics, permission was granted by the then-Governor of the Gold Coast in 1926 for the commencement of the church in Bolgatanga.
100 years on, the church, which has since become a part of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocese, has led to the transformation of lives, the education of many, and the creation of jobs through its humanitarian ventures, and equally led the charge for the restoration of peace in some conflicting areas.
Despite this, the Bishop is deeply concerned about the number of people reconverting to the African Traditional faith, as he calls for self-introspection by the church.
“The worst form of this challenge is the dual allegiance that some Catholics, and for that matter, Christians owe by having one foot in the traditional religious practices and another in the church. This is something that does not serve the purpose of being committed to Christ.”
Touching on the current theme by the government, which seeks to reset the country, Bishop Agyenta called for a reset of the mind and behavior.
