Ghana: The Catholic Church in Ghana celebrates Grandparents and the Elderly

Gabriel Asempa Antwi - Accra.

In a homily at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Legon, Bishop Anthony Narh Asare, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Accra, called on young people to cherish the presence of grandparents and the elderly and accord them the needed respect as prescribed by Ghanaian culture.

A wealth of experience

Bishop Asare drew linkages between the rich Ghanaian culture and traditions, Scripture, and the Church’s example through the World Day for grandparents and the elderly instituted by Pope Francis. He explained that, by virtue of their age, older people have a wealth of experience, which the youth should tap into.

The Bishop commended the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Archdiocese for attending to the needs of the elderly. He entreated younger persons not to abandon the elderly but to make time to visit, learn from them, listen to their advice, and internalise the counsel from them into their lives.

“God never abandons his children, even when they advance in age and power declines from them,” said Bishop Asare. Later, the Bishop prayed and blessed the grandparents and elderly in the Church. He further urged the faithful gathered to make the Word of God central to their lives.

Intergenerational conflict is a fallacy

Quoting Pope Francis, Bishop Asare criticised proponents of what is described as an intergenerational conflict between the young and elderly.

Pope Francis, in his message for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, speaks out about the problem of intergenerational conflict, calling it “a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of conflict.” The Pope said the thinking was “a distorted perception of reality. It assumes that the survival of the elderly puts that of the young at risk, that to favour the young, it is necessary to neglect or even suppress the elderly. Intergenerational conflict is a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of a culture of conflict,” Pope Francis said.

For his part, Bishop Asare called upon Ghanaians to revisit the Ghanaian cultural value system, which holds the elderly in high esteem and accords them dignity and respect.

Need for national policy

As part of the celebration, St. Vincent de Paul Society treated the elderly and grandparents to a special meal sponsored by Menscook and music, which got many of the elderly dancing.

In Ghana, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been calling for a special national policy for the elderly to be enacted. This policy would provide for the care and rights of the elderly in Ghana.

Apart from lobbying for policy change, the Society has established a Day Care Centre for the Elderly at Tema Community Two. It is a centre frequented by older persons to socialise and seek care for themselves.