The President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Reverend Professor Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has asked the leadership of religious bodies not to rush the President into taking a decision to reopen churches in the wake of the increasing numbers of the COVID-19 cases in the country.
“We would have wished that the churches are opened because they can serve as agent for education and sensitisation for the COVID-19, but if the President, in his own wisdom thinks it is not safe to reopen churches, he should be given all the cooperation, as part of the efforts to deal with the challenge, the President placed a ban on all social gathering including church services,” he noted.
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso mentioned three things could have happened if the churches had been opened which included increased numbers because it was already increasing, could have made a number stable or it might have played no significant role, they might have even probably decreased the numbers.
He explained
that he was glad religious bodies had not been operating until now but that
should not be the status quo forever because if the churches are given the
chance, provided they obey the precautionary measures and hygienic protocols,
they could have done something.
“Those who come to church are the same people
who go to the market, the same people who flood certain places, the same people
who go to funerals, there are some guidelines for the people even though they
are observing the guidelines which is increasing and I believe that the church
could have been an agent of educating, sensitising, teaching, assisting and
supporting the frontliners in making issues happened.
“Nevertheless, should the President feel or
should he think that it is still not right, he has got the mandate and no
church should stampede him, or try to feel that by all means we should attend,”
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso said.
-3news.com
