The former Majority Leader under the 8th Parliament said he is willing to debate anybody who thinks associating with the organisation is against Christian values.

Although the MP is a devoted Catholic, he is a member of the Freemasonry organisation. He noted that he is yet to receive any official communication from his church about his association with Freemasonry.

“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,” he said in an interview with Channel One TV on January 29.

The Effutu MP further stated that should the Church take a firm stance against his involvement, he would also take a decision on whether to remain a Catholic.

“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.”

Afenyo-Markin stated that unlike many Catholics who are afraid to declare their affiliation with Freemasonry, he is not.

“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.”

His remarks come in response to concerns raised by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference after he publicly stated during a parliamentary vetting that he is both a Catholic and a Freemason.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra in a statement after Afenyo-Markin’s declaration reaffirmed its stance that Catholicism and Freemasonry are incompatible, stating that no individual can be both a true Catholic and a Freemason.

In a recent statement signed by Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Church clarified that its teachings on Freemasonry have not changed and remain in line with the “Declaration on Masonic Associations” issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1983.

The document explicitly states that “Masonic principles are irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church” and warns that Catholics who join Masonic associations commit a grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.