Catholic Church has a duty to speak on issues affecting human dignity – Bishop Gyamfi

Catholic Bishop Kwasi Gyamfi has defended the Church's involvement in national issues, emphasizing its duty to protect human dignity. The Church's mandate goes beyond spiritual matters to encompass moral issues and those affecting human well-being. "The Catholic Church deals not only with spiritual issues, it deals also with moral issues and anything that enhances human dignity," he stated.

Bishop Gyamfi clarified that the Church believes the human person is sacred, and thus it has a responsibility to speak out against actions it perceives as dehumanizing or undermining dignity. He dismissed accusations that these actions constitute political engagement, instead calling them efforts to enhance human dignity and promote community welfare.

When discussing the Church's call for qualified Catholic students to attend Catholic schools, Bishop Gyamfi warned against interpreting the demand as a quota system. He explained that Catholic schools aim to provide academic and skills training alongside moral and spiritual development, asserting that skills training and academic excellence alone are insufficient for the human person.

He emphasized that Catholic schools remain open to students of other faiths who share their values but cautioned that this should not lead to the dilution of the Catholic character and mission of the institutions. Bishop Gyamfi also highlighted the Church's past investment in education, noting that many of these schools were established before the state assumed responsibility for teacher salaries.

He stressed that the state's financial support for teachers does not transform these institutions into state schools, as they were founded with a unique educational philosophy blending academic excellence with human, moral, and spiritual formation.