Rev Father Wisdom Larweh, the Priest in charge of Child Abuse and Clerical Sexual Abuse Cases at the Accra Archdiocese, has said that the alleged case of sexual abuse within its rank will be investigated.
He assured that these matters will not be swept under the carpet.
There seems to be uneasy tension among the Accra priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church as the attention of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra has been drawn to several cases of sexual abuse.
A letter intercepted by 3news.com purportedly being a reply to concerns raised by a member of the Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Dansoman assured of thorough investigations into the cases.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank you for being bold and championing this course (sic) and for bringing this to my notice with suggestions,” Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie stated in his reply dated Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
“I would arrange for you to meet with the Accra Archdiocesan Officer in charge of Sexual Abuse Cases to furnish him with all the information you have on this matter,” he stated.
It is unclear if the lady in question is a victim of sexual abuse.
But Most Rev. Bonaventure Kwofie assured that all the alleged sexual harassment cases will be thoroughly investigated “and those found culpable sanctioned appropriately”.
“We will also find ways and means to curb this menace and make the Church a welcoming place for all.”
He sought prayers “for me and for all priests as we strive to imitate the Good Shepherd, Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
“Taking these issues outcomes with a lot of courage, sometimes a lot of shame and embracement go with it. It takes a very strong person to step out and say I have suffered this or I have gone through this so, I need redress.
Rev Father Wisdom Larweh told Komla Adom on the mid-day news on TV3 Monday, October 11 that “I don’t think the church will on anybody ask anyone to discontinue this effort to unravel any situation of abuse or somebody suffering violence in the hands of any cleric of the church. I don’t think that this will be encouraged.”
He added “Just to assure the public that on any day if there are any of such situations kindly, do not hesitate to report them so that the church can take the matter up.
“We try as much as possible to do what we can, the church also has its own structures and we will exhaust this structure to ensure that abuse and violence are minimized as far as possible. We also need to educate our clerics to ensure they themselves know the implications and the ramifications that come to our attention.”