Pope Francis has conveyed his personal greetings, best wishes and blessings to the people of Ghana as the country marked 60 years of Independence on March 6, 2017.
He particularly greeted His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Political and Civic Authorities, the various Religious Bodies and the Catholic faithful.
“I bring the Pope’s greetings, his Apostolic Blessing and his fervent wish that your nation continues to move forward in peace and stability, on a path of development that may become a model of unity and progress with respect for human rights and the environment whereby all its people can prosper and even the most vulnerable will not suffer marginalization or neglect.”
His Eminence Giuseppe Cardinal Bertello, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, re-echoed the Holy Father’s felicitations at an Ecumenical and Inter-Faith Prayer Service as part of activities to mark Ghana’s 60th Anniversary of Independence.
The Cardinal was in Ghana as Pope Francis’ Special Envoy for the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Ghana and the Holy See and that of the 60th Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence on March 6.
The Service at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra on March 4 was presided over by Cardinal Bertello, during which Ghana was re-consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It was attended by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and his Spouce, Rebecca; Professor Mike Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief of Staff, Ms. Fremah Opare and other Government functionaries.
“Mr. President, dear brothers and sisters of Ghana, it is my honour to transmit the personal best wishes and sincere congratulations from the Holy Father, Pope Francis, on the 60th Anniversary celebration of your independence and the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic relations with the Holy See,” said Cardinal Bertello.
According to Cardinal Bertello, it was his fervent hope and that of the Holy Father that the importance and beauty of the re-consecration of Ghana to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will always be remembered as a guiding light and a permanent blessing for the country and its people.
The Cardinal said it was heart-warming to see the progress Ghana has made in the sixty years especially in the consolidation of its democratic institutions the growth of diverse potentialities and the establishment of diplomatic relations with other nations, making it an important contributor for the preservation of peace in areas of conflict.
