Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa has called on churches to pay attention to palaces in their areas of operation.
“The palace is not beyond redemption and just as other institutions have become centres of Christian worship for conversion and transformation, the chieftaincy institution must also not be left out,” the Rev Dr Opuni Frimpong said.
According to the cleric, chieftaincy is a form of leadership institution and different from traditional worship.
“Therefore, the Church must close that gap of being far away from the palace to ensure that such a key institution is not left behind, to strengthen their Christian faith,” Rev Dr Opuni-Frimpong said, adding, “traditional leaders also have souls.”
Rev Dr Opuni-Frimpong who is a Presbyterian Minister made the call at a breakfast meeting with traditional authorities at Oda, organized by the West Akyem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) as part of the church’s mission to the palace programme.
He observed that efforts made in other institutions to satisfy the spiritual needs of people such as the Educational, Health, Police, Military, Prisons institutions and through provision of chapels and chaplaincy must be replicated in the palaces.
“It should not be too much for churches to establish chapels within palaces, that way the gap between the church and traditional institutions would be bridged and ensure that chiefs and queens are not separated from Christianity.
He recalled that traditional leaders had played significant roles in the early missionaries’ work and in the Christian growth in Ghana “and therefore it can be the case that when someone is a traditional leader, he can’t be a Christian nor take part in active church activities”.
“The churches must assist Christian royals to provide leadership to their people and also remain Christians” he added
Rev Opuni-Frimpong is of the view that people must not feel disconnected from the church or Christianity by the simple fact that they are royals or traditional leaders.
Abokobi, a Ga community in Greater Accra, is a very good example of traditional leadership and Christianity where the chief of Abokobi is installed in the Presbyterian Church and in fact, happens to be a presbyter.
