Israel pilgrimage: Gov’t not spending money – Minister

The deputy Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister, Paul Essien, has disclosed that the government is not making any form of financial contribution to a group of Christians embarking on a pilgrimage to Israel and the Vatican City.

The move to send over 200 persons to the Holy cities has been described by majority of the public as a misplaced priority on the part of government.

The Christian Council of Ghana has stated “it does not want tax payers to bear the cost”.

The Pentecost Church has also described the initiative as needless. The chairman of the Church of Pentecost Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah said the government should rather channel the resources into development.

“I don’t think government should sponsor people to travel,” Apostle Dr. Onyinah stated, adding “We’ve got so many things to do, the nation has so many challenges and the money of the nation should be used to develop the nation.”

But Mr. Essien in an interview on Morning Starr clarified that government is only facilitating the trip to Israel and the Vatican City and would not in any way spend the tax payer’s money on the pilgrimage.

According to the Member of Parliament for Jomoro, government is only ensuring the safety, security and accommodation of the pilgrims, adding “the state is not paying anything we are just facilitators.”

“We don’t want to see any religion have an advantage over the other, it is our core mandate to facilitate and not sponsor people for trips with state funds.”

Mr. Essien added that “a lot of Christians whom I can’t mention their names approached the ministry and they cut across the whole Christian fraternity.”