Parliament decides on the regulation of churches

General News on Thursday, May 30, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-05-30

In the course of next month, Parliament will review and prescribe rules for church activities in Ghana.

This follows a directive from the President, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, on mixed committees Youth, Sports and Culture and Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, after the House discussed on Wednesday the proliferation of churches at the expense of human rights and justice. the use of working hours for church activities.

The chair said the joint committee was to report to the House in a month.

The President said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a state where we all know that priests keep people in camps to heal them, and when they get worse, they rush them to health facilities. Yet they can not be held responsible for wrongdoing. what kind of unbridled freedom can it be?

And in fact, in England and elsewhere, if you bring a personal circumstance, the doctor or nurse is legally responsible for reporting the circumstances to the police and steps will be taken, so is that developing a nation.

"So, we may want to think about whether some of these things should also be clearly established so that when people rush in a hurry, the law applies accordingly in suspicious circumstances.

"We expect these committees to work seriously as we receive a full commitment from both sides of the House on this particular issue."

In a statement, Ekow Hayford, MP for the Mfantsiman constituency in the central region, called on the state to take strong action against quackery pastors, who violate human rights, prompting a debate among lawmakers on the regulation of the activities of the Church.

He also called for the creation of an independent body responsible for managing the church administration and the discussions motivated the directive of the president, who also disapproved of the holding of religious services during the hours working.

For Professor Oquaye, such church activities should be limited to Saturdays and Sundays or after working hours from 8 am to 5 pm.

He said: "It is dishonest that somebody is using you and that you use the hours that he pays you to go elsewhere; whether it be a church or otherwise to go and worship.

"There are times to worship, Saturdays and Sundays are there, evenings are there, but certainly not working hours, otherwise we can not grow as a people."

In his statement, Mr. Hayford called for the creation of an independent, law-abiding, policy-neutral body to investigate and monitor church activities, while wishing the media screen broadcast content and be cautious about the "Men of God" that appear on their platforms.

The legislator cited cases of fake pastors distributing lotto numbers, selling props at exorbitant prices, among other things, as things that should be condemned.

The public, he warned, should be vigilant and cautious in identifying the religious group and churches with which they are badociated.

Mr. Ebenezer Nartey, MP for Ablekuma Central, did not know how some pastors had cheated church members to buy bottled water until GHC 2000, when these same people could not allow a fraction of that money. l & # 39; hospital.

In addition, the noise of some churches had become a nuisance for peace and quiet, especially on weekends, explaining that "they hold a lot of nights and you can not sleep.

He congratulated the Catholic, Presbyterian and other missions that have contributed immensely to the development of human resources through the establishment of educational institutions.

Mr. Sam George, MP for Ningo Prampram, however, advised the House to be cautious because the Constitution allowed freedom of religion.