Catholic Priests in Ghana Advocate for Health Insurance Scheme in Dioceses

On sabbaticals and annual leave, the Clerics say, “Where it is possible, priests who have served a stipulated period of time could be allowed to go on sabbatical with the appropriate incentives.”

On their part, the Diocesan Clergy in Ghana say they will foster a healthy lifestyle, including going for regular medical check-ups, exercising, maintaining a good diet, and resting well.

NUGCDPA members also promise to be “each other's keeper … to live harmoniously together, to visit and support each other regularly and avoid unhealthy competition, for a true brother is not a competitor but a gift for a shared ministry.”

They further resolve to practice Priestly fraternity by sharing goods, praying, and socializing together.

Practicing fraternity is important “for these moments are times for regeneration and recreation for total well-being,” say the members of the association.

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NUGCDPA members convened in the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua for a meeting under the theme, “A Synodal Church and the Welfare of the Diocesan Priest in a Changing World.”

In the statement signed by NUGCDPA President, Fr. Thaddeus Kuusah, the Diocesan Priests in Ghana say they have identified three dimensions of Priests’ welfare. 

They say an important part of the Clergy’s welfare “is his total commitment in serving the people as his vocation demands.”

“It is incumbent on the church to provide sufficiently for the priests' welfare, that includes material and emotional well-being, for ‘...the laborer deserves his wages’ (1 Tim 5:18), especially Priests on retirement, Priests who are sick and those in austere places of ministry (cf. Canon 281# 1),” they add. 

The Diocesan Clerics in Ghana say that the Church should also have structures and mechanisms in place to ensure that Priests' welfare is adequately funded and sustained.

In the statement, members of the association comprising Priests from the 19 Catholic Dioceses in Ghana say they have also resolved to practice servant leadership by journeying, collaborating, and empowering the Laity to use their talents, time, and treasure in and for the benefit of the Church.

Further, the Catholic Priests say they will “build good human relationships with the laity to generate more interest in the Church's life and motivate them to own the church to contribute to her growth and development.”

They speak to the concern about the dwindling population of Catholics in Ghana, saying that by working with the Laity, they will be able to “build strong Catholic communities ready and willing to participate in the mission of the church in order to stem the declining Catholic population in the country.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.