The Board of Trustees of the controversial National Cathedral project has responded to the presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills over comments made in his resignation letter.
According to the Board, the respected preacher, and all other members of the trusteeship, should appreciate that they will not always have their way in decision-making.
A press release issued on Wednesday, January 18, and signed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, said all the leaders have their own understanding of issues and must be respected.
With this admonition, it concluded by urging other members to accept and appreciate divergent views or resign from the trusteeship.
“These churches and their leaders not only have deep-seated theological differences, but also different understandings and approaches to the development of the National Cathedral.
“The challenge of such a group is that individual leaders, with a history of implementing their own organizational /denominational programs and vision, have to be part of a collective decision-making process where their preferences might not always prevail.
“Specifically, this means that no one leader can have all their preferences, methods, and approaches accepted. In this changed and unfamiliar context, some would prefer to leave the Trusteeship,” an excerpt of the release said.
The presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills resigned from the Board in August 2022.
In his resignation letter, the venerable Bishop aired his displeasure about some of the happenings on the Board.
According to the respected preacher, even though he was a trustee and attended all meetings until his resignation, he was not involved nor privy to discussions on the financial and technical issues concerning the project.
Also, amongst other issues of concern to him, the seasoned Bible teacher said weighty issues and decisions were taken by persons other than the Board of Trustees.
He said these reasons compelled him to resign from the Board even though he supports the building of the Cathedral.
“I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that.
If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees’ meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to.”
“On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a Government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions.”
The National Cathedral Project has been one of the controversial public issues since the project was commissioned.
Apart from the questions of accountability repeatedly raised by the Minority in Parliament, there have also been concerns about the project’s relevance in the face of the country’s current economic crisis.
There have also been conflicts of interest including possession of multiple identities among other suspicious dealings allegations against the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, who doubles as the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah has dismissed the allegations.
He explained that the amount paid on September 8, 2021, was a loan from a board member whose name he fell short of mentioning.