Akatsi (VR), April 11, GNA – The Keta-Akatsi Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church has held a consultative meeting with a section of chiefs from the Avenor Traditional Council for their contribution towards the worldwide preparation for the 2021-2023 synod in Rome.
The meeting, which saw Togbe Dorglo Anumah VI, Paramount Chief of Avenor Traditional Area and President of the Council, in attendance, was also aimed at strengthening the cooperation and collaboration of the two bodies for peaceful co-existence.
Togbe Anumah, in his welcome address, commended Bishop Gabriel Doe Kumorjie, the Bishop of the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese, for the initiative, which was a departure from the usual mode of gathering views for the synodal processes.
“I am reliably informed that this is a departure from the usual mode of gathering views for synodal processes and is borne of the wisdom of His Holiness Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, himself,” he said.
Togbe Anumah said it was refreshing to many, including the chiefs, that the Catholic Church, an important player in the social fabric of the nation, had decided to engage the traditional leaders, who were the custodians of the land and its customs, for their input.
The dialogue was the initial step in the creation of value and the starting point and unifying force in all human relations, “without which humans are fated to walk in the darkness of their own dogmatic self-righteousness,” he said.
Togbe Anumah said their goal as leaders was to build resilient families, which would serve as building blocks for building resilient societies against poverty, diseases, and drug abuse, among other things.
On education, Togbe Anumah commended the Catholic Church for the numerous roles played in that sector to building strong human resource base and communities.
He mentioned youth development as another area of focus to the Traditional Council, which would be looking forward to partnering other stakeholders to equip the youth with requisite skills to function effectively in society and eschew crime.
On health, he said the Catholic Church had established hospitals in 32 locations in the country as well as polyclinics and health centres and called on it to build a major hospital in the Akatsi South Municipality or the Avenor Traditional Area.
“The Avenor Traditional Council has vast lands, which can be made available to support any developmental activity by the Catholic Church,” he said.
“We, therefore, look forward to partnering the Church to spearhead an agenda of religious tolerance, peaceful mutual co-existence, the annihilation of xenophobia, women empowerment, and the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.”
Father Prosper Agboga Agbenyega, the Diocesan Coordinator of the Synodal Process, and Rev. Father Ignatius Edem Attipoe, Diocesan Director of Ecumenism, Keta-Akatsi Diocese, moderated the meeting.
In attendance also was Mama Yeasidi Ill, Paramount Queenmother of Avenor and some chiefs and queenmothers from the Traditional Area.
The synodal process, instituted by Pope Francis, aims to reorder the Church’s internal mechanisms for discussion and reflection to help shape a new way for understanding and articulating her internal self-understanding and mission of evangelisation.
GNA