The newly appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie, has called on all Catholic faithful in the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese to always remember him in their prayers as he goes out to minister in Accra.
According to him, he remains a “Sekondi-Takoradi boy” though the work of his ministry is taking him outside the diocese.
“Hold me dearly in your prayers and I will also hold you dearly in my prayers. Let Takoradi always remember that they have a son who is now the Archbishop of Accra,” he said in an interview with SekTadi Catholic TV.
The Diocesan Administrator of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese urged the Catholic Church in Ghana to celebrate the spirit of oneness that has come with his appointment.
He said the news of his appointment came as a shock, knowing that he has only spent 4-years as the Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese.
“It is not easy…I am still trying to manage the whole experience since I was informed about this but I believe that with time, I will get over that,” he stated.
Most Reverend Bonaventure Kwofie said he enjoyed his job as Bishop of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese as the Priests and the entire Catholic faithful worked together with him.
“The four years have been joyful. I have enjoyed my ministry as the Bishop here just because I have good people who are collaborating with me, anytime you call on them, they are ready to come and offer the assistance,” he noted.
“I believe so much in God’s providence and so I have no way to resist it. When I was informed that the Holy Father wants me to go to Accra, it wasn’t easy for me. I am still struggling through it but at the end, it is God who is at work so I am only praying that I am going to meet people who will welcome me in Accra,” he said.
“I throw myself to the wind…I open myself to God’s spirit to direct me the way he wants,” Most Reverend Bonaventure Kwofie encouraged himself.
His Holiness, Pope Francis named the Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese, Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie, as new Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra.
His appointment follows the transfer of Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle to the Central Region as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast which also follows the retirement of His Grace, Archbishop Matthias Nketsiah.
According to provisions of the Canon Law, Canon 418 (1) “Within two months of receiving certain notification of transfer, the Bishop must proceed to the diocese to which he has been transferred and take canonical possession of it. On the day on which he takes possession of the new diocese, the diocese from which he has been transferred becomes vacant.”
This implies that Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie will be the Diocesan Administrator of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese until he takes canonical possession of the Archdiocese of Accra. This then will make the see of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese vacant for a new Bishop to be appointed from Rome.
In Canon Law, the ultimate decision in appointing Archbishops rests with the Pope in Rome.
The process for selecting candidates for the episcopacy normally begins at the diocesan level and works its way through a series of consultations until it reaches Rome.
It is a process bound by strict confidentiality and involves a number of important players, the most influential being the Apostolic Nuncio, the Congregation for Bishops, and the Pope.
