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Marriage based on lies will not last – Catholic Priest
A Catholic Priest at the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ashaiman, Reverend Father Tapera Muserere (SVD), has advised persons intending to marry not to do so with an ulterior motive or under compulsion.
He explained that it was important for a person to come freely with his or her choice of partner to the church but should remember that “the church does not force people to marry”.
“If your marriage is based on lies, you will cry tomorrow ” he said delivering a sermon at the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ashaiman on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time under the theme “Marriage and Family Life”.
Rev Fr. Muserere said marriage was a covenant and a contract, therefore, if a person was brought to the Church for the wrong reasons or based on lies for marriage, it had serious implications.
“You fooled the person, you didn’t tell him or her the truth. That means that marriage was not a covenant in the first place” he stressed.
The Catholic Priest said there had been instances where people who had been previously married traditionally failed to disclose this to their partners who only found out after their marriage had been solemnised.
He said others who had children also failed to disclose that information to their potential spouses for fear that they would be rejected.
These reasons according to him were not justifiable in any sense and were enough grounds for nullification of the marriage.
Rev Fr. Muserere said truth was key for a successful marriage and a marriage which was based on lies could never survive.
He advised singles to pray over their potential spouses and ask God to give them spouses who would love them and they could do same to be able to stick together in thick and thin.
He said for those who were already married but living unnaceptable lives and hiding behind the excuse “that it was the work of the devil” should have a change of life, be disciplined and rather ask God for strength instead if being comfortable hiding behind the so-called devil.
He charged all married couples to pray to God to intervene in whatever challenges they might be going through and ask Him to strengthen them for the rest of the journey ahead because every marriage had its own challenges, and needed the help of God. END
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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