Reverend Fr. Anthony Justice Englyshe who was 61, died on March 21, 2024, after a protracted illness.

Very Reverend Fr Samuel Ebuley Afful, 69, a priest at St Peter’s Parish Shama, also died in a fatal accident on the Tarkwa-Bogoso road on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

The late Fr. Afful was traveling with four other classmates to Enchi for their Annual classmate’s reunion where he met his sudden death.

The other classmates are Most Reverend Joseph Kwaku Afrifa-Agyekum, Bishop of Koforidua, very Rev. Fr. Francis Albert Amakye and Very Rev. Fr. Philip Tandoh.

Hundreds of mourners from all social classes thronged the Star of the Sea Cathedral in Takoradi to pay their last respect to the two priests who distinguished themselves in the service of God and humanity.

Among the mourners were seven bishops led by Bishop John Baptist Attakruh, the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese Bishop.

Hundreds of Catholic priests including the president of the Sekondi Takoradi Diocesan Priests, Fr. Emmanuel Dolphyne, Very Rev Fr. Francis Lemaire Vicar General of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese.

Also among the mourners were politicians, traditional rulers, catholic societies and the lay faithful across the Catholic Church of Ghana.

Father Anthony Justice Englyshe was born September 22,1963 at Nawule. He was ordained a priest for the catholic diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi on July 16,1994.

He started his seminary formation at St Teresa’s Minor Seminary at Amisano and entered St Peter’s Regional Seminary at Pedu to pursue his philosophical and theological studies.

After his theological studies, he was ordained deacon in 1993 at Austria and ordained priest at Our Lady Star of the Sea Cathedral in 1994.

Fr Anthony Justice Englyshe served the Catholic Church for 32 years but was active for 10 years and experienced

Born on November 13,1955 at Beyin, very Rev. Fr. Samuel Ebuley Afful was ordained a priest on July 10,1983.

He started his catholic formation as a mission boy to Fr Barker, where he felt his call to pursue priestly vocation. He served as a Diocesan Chaplain of the knights of Marshall from 2015 till his sudden death.

On January 15, 2018, he was appointed as the Parochial Administrator of Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Shama, a role he played faithfully till his demise.

Very Reverend Fr Samuel Ebuley Afful, was instrumental in the celebration of the 550th Anniversary Celebration of the planting of Cross on the shores of Shama by the Portuguese in 1471.

Several tributes captured, described the two priests as dedicated, faithful. Loyal and served the people of God sincerely with zeal and love.

In a homily, Very Rev. Monsignor James Margaret Mesu.

The solemn ceremony was officiated by Most Reverend John Baptist Attakruh, Bishop of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese in a sermon asked catholic faithful to continue to pray for the repose of the souls of the two late priests.

He urged all to live lives that would be pleasing God and be faithful in all their dealings.

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In March, the Vatican decreed that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex marriages. In response, more than 230 professors of Catholic theology in Germany – and other countries where German is spoken – signed a statement protesting the decision, the Associated Press reports.

In a statement, the group declared that the decree “is marked by a paternalistic air of superiority and discriminates against homosexual people and their life plans.”

Now, dozens of priests in Germany have vowed to defy the Vatican. “In view of the refusal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to bless homosexual partnerships, we raise our voices and say: We will continue to accompany people who enter into a binding partnership in the future and bless their relationship,” the group said in a statement.

A group of dissenting priests has also compiled a list of church services that will take place nationwide on or around May 10, where priests will publicly bless gay couples. Many of the services will be live-streamed. 

St. Marien-KircheNordstraße said they will hang a banner above the main entrance of the church: “You love each other? We bless you!”

“This is how it should be: We would like to celebrate and bless the gift of love with everyone ‘who love each other,’ all couples, friendships, love relationships. All who reflect the colorfulness of God’s love in their lives!” the church said in the description for their event, which will be held on May 9.

St. Gertrud Bochum Wattenscheid will hold an online church service via Zoom. The topic of the youth service: “Love is love … in all its diversity. And we celebrate.”

“A blessing service for all lovers – we don’t exclude anyone!” reads the description for the event at St. AntoniusHolsteiner Straße. 

While the Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect and can be blessed, gay sex is “intrinsically disordered.” 

Catholic teaching holds that marriage, a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of God’s plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Same-sex marriage is a sin, and God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him,” the Vatican said in a statement in March.

In their statement, the group of dissenting priests said they do not refuse blessing ceremonies. “We do this in our responsibility as pastors, who promise people at important moments in their lives the blessings that God alone gives,” the statement rads. “We respect and value their love, and we also believe that God’s blessings are on them.”

The group said they “do not accept that an exclusive and outdated sexual morality is carried out on the back of people and undermines our work in pastoral care.”

Birgit Mock, who is on the Central Committee of German Catholics, thanked the pastors who have signed the statement. “It shows how deeply you feel rooted in our church,” Mock said, adding that the group understands “sexuality as a positive force” and they “want to anchor this in church teaching.”

“Stop signs from Rome don’t help,” said Mock. “On the contrary: We need an honest theological discussion; we have to — finally — recognize as a church that sexuality is part of life. And not only in the marriage as man and woman, but in all loyal, dignified and respectful love relationships. Everything else is no longer up to date. And also does not correspond to our image of God.”

“We can trust that God loves us as we are created. And that he has long been ‘there’ in love relationships,” Mock said.

In March, a group of Austrian priests who have distanced themselves from the Catholic Church also criticized the Vatican’s decree.

The Austrian Priests’ Initiative, a group of priests leading a campaign of disobedience against the Vatican, vowed to continue to bless same-sex couples.

The initiative, also known as Pfarrer-Initiative, said in a statement its members “are deeply appalled by the new Roman decree that wants to prohibit the blessing of same-sex loving couples.”

“This is a relapse into times that we had hoped to be overcome with Pope Francis,” the group’s statement continues. “In solidarity with so many, we will not reject any loving couple in the future who wants to celebrate God’s blessing, which they experience every day, in a church-service.”