News
“Say no to pregnancy before marriage”
The Chairman of the Family Life Committee of the St. Augustine Catholic church at Ashaiman, Mr Peter Mensah Tweneboah, has advised the youth especially single ladies not to fall for calls from men to get pregnant before they marry them.
“Do not fall for men who say pregnancy before marriage because it is wrong” he said.
Speaking with The Spectator on the sidelines of the first edition of a ” Marriage Focus Programme” organised by the Family Life Committee of the church, Mr. Tweneboah described the practice which was gradually becoming common in the country as wrong in the eyes of God.
He observed that some young ladies had fallen for that proposal of pregnancy before marriage and had ended up as frustrated single mothers because the men did not honour their side of the “contract”.
“If you want to know whether a person could bear children or not, go to the hospital to check” he said.
The Chairman said it was even wrong to make child-bearing a condition in marriage because not all marriages would bear children which was not the ultimate in marriage.
He advised the youth to let the word of God be their focus when choosing their life partners because marriages built on the word of God were more likely to stand trials and temptations which included childlessness or delay in bearing children.
“We have all heard the story about Abraham and Sarah who had their children in their old ages. They focused on God and that was why they were able to go far” he explained.
Mr. Tweneboah said pregnancy before marriage amounted to fornication which could lead to contracting sexually transmitted diseases and that those waiting to get married should rather take it to God in prayer instead of taking the easy way out.
The Family Life Committee of the Catholic Church is a Committee that is in charge of singles, pre-marital and post-marital counselling in the various Catholic churches aimed at the development and sustainability of the family.
Addressing participants at the programme under the theme “Communication in Marriage”, the Chairman said the church could only continue to grow if marriages were strong and husbands and wives communicated effectively with each other as well as played their various roles as expected of married couples.
He said it was sad that despite technology, many couples were still not taking advantage of it to improve their day to day communication and could go for days without talking to each other whether they lived together or apart.
He charged couples to eschew complacency and assess their marriages from time to time to know where they fell short and work at them because some relationships which were good had gone bad and even looked irreparable.
The Secretary to the Committee, Mr. Suluvan Ayuuba also said because a couple came from different backgrounds and no human was perfect, there was bound to be challenges but that should not cause relationships to be strained and urged couples to study each other and know how to make life better.
A Member of the Committee, Mr. Emmanuel Adzakpa noted that when communication was poor it bred unccessary suspicion, tension and even affected the prayer lives of the couple.
He said this also went a long way to affect children in such homes who may even take advantage of the communication gaps between their parents to misbehave.
Another Member of the Committee, Ms. Innocencia Dadzetor highlighted the need for patience and forgiveness in a relationship because it was key to grow healthy marriages.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman
News
GBBF assistant treasurer, Aurora Commodore-Toppar eyes GOC Treasure slot at Elective Congress on Saturday
The Assistant treasurer of the Ghana Basketball Federation (GBBF), Madam Aurora Commodore-Toppar, has set her sights on becoming the next assistant treasurer of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) at the upcoming Elective Congress on Saturday.
The daughter of the former Chief Executive Officer of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mr. Emmanuel Martey Commodore-Mensah, will be vying for the position against Bernard Quartey of the Ghana Boxing Federation and Edward Patrick Nii Lante Banerman of the Handball Association of Ghana.
Having had her nomination approved by the GOC’s Electoral Commission, the well-seasoned banker, with over 15 years of rich working experience, believes she is well-suited and positioned to help structure the finances of this esteemed organisation.
In a chat with Spectator Sports, the captain of the bronze-winning 2024 University of Ghana basketball team at the 11th African University Games in Zaire, Nigeria, revealed her commitment to effective and accurate financial management, growth, and development of all associated sports federations.
She said, “I am committed to the growth of the GOC, and I want to offer my financial knowledge to aid in ensuring that the GOC operates with the highest standards of financial governance and set-up.”
According to her, the mission is to help promote the GOC’s agenda widely, and having served for over two decades in sports—especially basketball—in various capacities and roles, she believes this experience will help protect the GOC’s finances.
“If elected as assistant treasurer, I will do my utmost, together with the treasurer, to manage the GOC’s finances, including accounting and financial reporting among others,” she added.
According to her, “Accurate financial record-keeping has been a problem across the board; I will help eradicate this issue.”
Aurora Commodore-Toppar stands for transparency, hard work, and an inclusive work culture, she further added.
The former Aburi Girls’ Secondary School basketball team captain has played pivotal roles in improving sports in the country—especially basketball—including being a member of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 2023 Africa Games, an LOC member for the recently concluded Hoop Rave SHS competition, a project lead for FIBA’s “Her World, Her Rules” initiative, chair for the 2024 Fetu Afahye Basketball Tournament, and founder of the Stomp De Yard Basketball Tournament, among others.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
News
113 Cardinals hold 3rd General Congregation in Rome
The 113 Cardinals present in Rome held the third General Congregation on Thursday morning, and announced who will deliver the two pre-conclave meditations.
The Cardinals decided that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández will celebrate the Mass on the sixth day of the Novemdiales, instead of Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
They agreed that Fr. Donato Ogliari, O.S.B., Abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls, will deliver the first meditation on Monday, and that Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher Emeritus of the Papal Household, will deliver the second meditation at the beginning of the conclave, whose starting date has not yet been decided.
The Cardinals began a conversation about the Church and the world, deciding to hold the next General Congregation on Friday morning at 9:00 AM.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists that 61,000 people have paid their respects to the late Pope Francis as of 1:00 PM on Thursday, adding that St. Peter’s Basilica should close at midnight on Thursday, unless large crowds are still queuing to enter.
Following the Pope’s funeral on Saturday, April 26, a Rosary will be held in front of the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Saturday at 9:00 PM.
Mr. Bruni said the burial service for Pope Francis will take place in private.
Starting the morning of Sunday, April 27, the faithful may begin to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Marian Basilica.
