The Christian Ecumenical Bodies of Ghana have refuted reports claiming that the clergy visited galamsey sites in the Eastern Region last Friday to pray against the illegal menace.
Speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday, 17 October 2022, the president of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) Rev Prof Paul Frimpong Manso, said they went to the sites solely on a fact-finding mission.
This comes after the pastors were severely criticised on social media over a viral video of them praying and singing praises at the sites for the illegal activities to cease.
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In response to the claims, Rev Prof Manso described such a conclusion as irresponsible.
He said as religious leaders, it was incumbent on them to begin every activity with a prayer, so they decided to commit the day’s activity into the hands of God when they got to the site.
“The purpose was not to go and pray. We mobilised ourselves to the site and when we went there the first thing we did was to pray then followed by other things. But irresponsible journalists and irresponsible politicians who have lost their moral conscience come and be saying ‘this is not what to do’.
“We prayed before we did everything and that is the logic. We went there to ascertain the facts ahead of our press conference [today]. We went there to convey the right message to Ghanaians. And the message is that galamsey is a disaster,” he added.
Among the clergy who visited the sites were the immediate past chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, Bishop Dr Paul Boafo, and the chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Ghana Apostle Eric Nyamekye.