Unlike other Catholics, the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has said he is not afraid to espouse his association with Freemasonry.
He says there are so many Catholics who are members of the Freemasonry but cannot come out to declare their involvement.
The lawmaker has defended his membership in the sect, refuting claims that the organization is anti-Christian.
His comments come on the back of concerns raised by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference after publicly confessing his association with Freemasonry as a Catholic.
Afenyo-Markin came out as a Freemason prior to the NPP’s flag bearer race in 2024, and also during the vetting of ministerial nominees in January 2025.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in a statement signed by its President, the Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, who is also the Bishop of Sunyani, reiterated the Catholic Church’s stance on Freemasonry, saying they are incompatible.
“The Church has always maintained that Freemasonry is incompatible with the teachings of Christ and the Church.”
The release had followed an earlier one issued by the Accra Archdiocese of the Catholic Church where it said no true Catholic can claim association with Freemasonry since the two do not go hand-in-hand.
Meanwhile, the Effutu legislator, in an interview on Accra-based Channel One TV Wednesday, January 29, 2025, indicated that he is not afraid to talk about his association with Freemasonry, the reason he came out to speak about it.
“I’m a committed Catholic. I’m ready to discuss the fraternities that I join. If I was afraid, I wouldn’t have brought it up. There are many Catholics who are Freemasons and are afraid to talk about it,” he indicated.
He also disclosed that he was ready to have a conversation on the issue should he be given the opportunity to. Afenyo-Markin pointed out that the church has not extended any invitation to him on the matter yet, and should the opportunity be given, he will talk about it.
“Freemasonry is not anti-Christ. If nothing at all, at the highest level of Masonry, you must profess Christ. People don’t know and people say things. But I’m ready for that debate. I have not been written to. If I receive a delegation from my church leaders for a conversation, we will have a good conversation.”
The Effutu MP further stated that should the Church take a definitive stance against his involvement, he would then decide whether to remain a Catholic or join the Anglican Church.
“My church first. The church doesn’t force people; the church shows compassion, listens, and shows love. My Archbishop, Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, has not written any letter to me. I have been seeing letters flying, but nobody has written a letter to me personally.”
‘I have no regrets’ – Asantehene on 25 years membership of Freemason
