{"id":17774,"date":"2024-09-24T15:38:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T15:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774"},"modified":"2024-09-24T15:38:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T15:38:55","slug":"confusion-rocks-sumbrugu-catholic-church-as-worshippers-lock-church-doors-in-demand-for-priests-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774","title":{"rendered":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Catholic Church of Sumbrungu, a town in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga, was thrown into disarray Sunday morning in a manner the worshippers may not even remember what the under-pressure priest said in his sermon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The church, St. Francis of Assisi Rectorate, usually holds two masses in sequence on Sundays because its flock population, estimated to be more than 500 by some members, is larger than the church hall.<\/p>\n

St. Francis of Assisi Rectorate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But before the first mass could start at 7:00 a.m. some aggrieved worshippers had arrived on the church\u2019s premises and locked all the doors leading into the worship hall with new padlocks.<\/p>\n

They also pasted some placards on the doors, some of which read: \u201cFr. Peter Ayorogo, take your belongings and go away. You don\u2019t belong here again\u201d; \u201cFr. Peter Ayorogo, you have milked the church enough\u201d; \u201cFr. Peter Ayorogo, 24 years of disservice rather than service\u201d; and \u201cFr. Peter Ayorogo, enough is enough\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The placards gummed to a door<\/strong><\/p>\n

A crowd of people, who had arrived for the first mass one after the other from around 6:30 a.m. onwards, gathered outside, unable to enter the building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They stood on the premises, expressing shock at the sight and talking in groups among themselves. Among the church members were notable figures including the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Bolgatanga, Rex Asanga, former MCE of Bolgatanga, Edward Ayagle, and former headmaster of the Bolgatanga Senior High School (Big Boss), Francis Avonsige.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A long wait ended by a hammer<\/strong><\/p>\n

A number of them, while waiting to see what would happen next, moved closer to the doors, read the placards and photographed them with their mobile phones.<\/p>\n

The longer the wait lasted, the bigger the crowd became and the more tension grew. Later, a black car, driven by a middle-aged man, appeared on the premises and went past the crowd to the priest\u2019s mission house behind the church building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Members of the church taking photographs of the notices<\/strong><\/p>\n

At 6:59 a.m. Rev. Fr. Peter Ayorogo, who has led the church as a priest for 24 years, stormed out of the mission house in a cassock. He apparently had been informed about the happening, and had taken a decision.<\/p>\n

He walked at the pace of a very angry man towards the church building. A young man, believed to be a carpenter, walked closely behind him with a big hammer in his right hand and a red chisel in his left.<\/p>\n

The priest seemed to have told the young man what to do with the hammer before they came out together from the mission house.<\/p>\n

They stopped in front of one of the doors. The priest did not say anything. He only pointed at the padlock, stepped back, and the young man began to hit it. He hit it ten times, as a silent crowd watched from behind them, and the door gave way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Confusion breaks out<\/strong><\/p>\n

The church has been seriously divided for a long time concerning how the priest has run the affairs of the church for 24 years.<\/p>\n

This division has been in the public domain and it is a matter that has been before the Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, Most Rev. Fr. Alfred Agyenta, for about four months.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, Most Rev. Fr. Alfred Agyenta<\/strong><\/p>\n

While some of the church members want the priest removed, saying he has soiled his cassock with some grievous scandals, some are strongly backing him, saying he has not done anything wrong and deserves to remain in charge because he, according to them, has the interests of the church at heart.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Some members of the church<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the padlock was broken and the door gave way, the waiting crowd walked in with mixed feelings and sat down. And the mass began.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks at the mass, the priest still looked furious as he pointed out that his detractors plotted the obstruction the church had just witnessed. That was expected. But a disruption nobody anticipated inside the church broke out soon afterwards.<\/p>\n

About 15 minutes into the mass, some members of the church suddenly rose from their seats, went forward and began to say there would be no mass until their concerns were addressed and until the bishop arrived to address them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A scene during the disruption<\/strong><\/p>\n

Things turned chaotic as some of the congregants stood up in support of the priest and condemned the other group for disrupting the mass. The two sides raised their voices at each other as the priest, faced by eight altar boys, folded his arms with a sad look.<\/p>\n

Tempers erupt again<\/strong><\/p>\n

This disruption went on for about five minutes, ending after those who were on the priest\u2019s side convinced the protesting members it would be unfair to disturb a spiritual encounter for which people had prepared and journeyed from their homes.<\/p>\n

The agitated members did not take part in the mass. They walked out and remained there, waiting for the bishop. But minutes later, they returned to the busy hall, holding some documents.<\/p>\n

They asked the priest to explain to the church why he sacked the church\u2019s catechist, Michael Nyaaba, the previous day and provide answers to some accusations contained in those documents in their hands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In response, the priest said he fired the catechist because he discovered he had joined the opposing side of the divide against him. Tempers flared again from both sides.<\/p>\n

Again, the faction supporting the priest forced the protesters out of the hall. The mass continued in strained silence, with the attention of the partakers divided throughout in a never-seen-before uneasy environment. The bishop did not<\/p>\n

Causing financial loss to the church<\/strong><\/p>\n

While impatiently waiting outside for an opportunity to air their concerns before the entire church and get the results they wanted, the protesters handed copies of the documents to the newsmen present.<\/p>\n

The documents were a petition highlighting some accusations levelled against the priest, payment vouchers and financial statements. Media without Borders engaged the priest after the mass for his comments on the accusations.<\/p>\n

The church members, in the petition, accused the priest of depositing about GH\u00a220,000 (an equivalent of $1,274 today) that belonged to the church at the now-defunct Gold Coast Fund Management Company in 2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A regulatory agency for investment banking companies<\/strong><\/p>\n

They said he deposited that money without consulting the church and could not withdraw it following the revocation of the company\u2019s licence and collapse in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe emphasis here is that he has caused a great financial loss to the rectorate due to his lack of consultation attitude,\u201d the worshippers said in the petition.<\/p>\n

In his response, the priest said he deposited the money at the investment banking firm to generate money for the construction of a hostel for the church.<\/p>\n

He also said the money was not lost because the ministry of finance had released GH\u00a2700 million ($44, 596, 412) to be disbursed among customers whose funds were locked up in collapsed fund management companies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Purchase of shipping container with church money<\/strong><\/p>\n

The priest is also alleged to have purchased a shipping container with the church\u2019s GH\u00a27,000 ($446) to run a drinking spot business in it.<\/p>\n

Painted orange, the old structure is situated across the main gate of the Bolgatanga Technical University\u2019s main campus in Sumbrungu.<\/p>\n

It was made available by the government for warehousing of food items, but it has remained empty since it was placed in the area more than 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The worshippers said the priest purchased the container without recourse to the parish\u2019s pastoral council and reasoned that the money should have been channeled into the church\u2019s mission house project which, according to them, had been abandoned at the foundation level for lack of funding.<\/p>\n

Narrating his side of the story, the priest admitted purchasing the container but said he did so in consultation with the church\u2019s finance committee. While refuting the claim that he intended to sell beer in the container, he also said the church intended to operate a drinking spot under some trees on its premises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church doesn\u2019t forbid us having a drinking spot. There is one at the cathedral,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suspected diversion of church resources for personal project<\/strong><\/p>\n

The church, according to the congregants, should have been elevated to a parish status but has remained a rectorate because its mission house is not roomy enough to accommodate more priests.<\/p>\n

They said the priest had abandoned the multistorey mission house project, which the church started more than a decade ago but is still at the foundation level, and was building a house for himself in the same area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The worshippers said they suspected the priest was putting up that personal house project with resources solicited on behalf of the church because that house and the abandoned church mission house shared similar structural plans.<\/p>\n

The current state of the mission house project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Responding to this, the priest said he owned the house in question but the land where the house was being built was bought by his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs diocesan priests, we can own property. I even told the bishop that since I\u2019m going to America and I\u2019m going to stay for three years, I\u2019m working. In America a priest is paid.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when I\u2019m paid, I\u2019m going to develop the place so that when I retire I would have a place to live. And that is the pay I brought to develop the place,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

He further stated that the mission house project stalled because the construction started as a voluntary work but later turned into a venture for which \u201cthe youth themselves\u201d were making some financial demands he could not meet.<\/p>\n

A strange Gh\u00a240,000<\/strong><\/p>\n

The protesters also mentioned that the priest returned from a trip to the United States of America in September, 2023, with an unexplained Gh\u00a240,000.<\/p>\n

They claimed the money was spent in a few months on projects which the church, including the finance council, had no idea about.<\/p>\n

Sumbrungu is one of the fast-growing communities in the Upper East region.<\/p>\n

They said the finance council also could not tell how the money found its way into the church\u2019s bank account.<\/p>\n

When asked about this, the priest told the author of this story the money was part of what he was paid while he worked as a priest in the United States of America for the three years he mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n

He said he provided a shed for the church\u2019s outstation at Dazungo, a suburb of Sumbrungu, and purchased some building materials to erect a structure from the Gh\u00a240,000 for an outstation at Zorebisi, another suburb of Sumbrungu.<\/p>\n

Missing pure water factory proceeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

The church, the protesters revealed, has been running a sachet water factory since 2015 but its proceeds cannot be accounted for.<\/p>\n

They said the situation changed for the better when Rev. Fr. Samuel Atinga, the head of the Bolgatanga deanery, stood in as the priest of the rectorate while Rev. Fr. Ayorogo was away in the United States of America from 2020 to 2023.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sachet water production factory<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRev. Fr. Atinga established the office of the accountant which introduced some level of sanity in the church\u2019s financial operations but started suffering a threat upon the resumption of office by Rev. Fr. Peter Ayorogo,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

But Rev. Fr. Ayorogo said the factory was doing well under his care until two members of the church established the same businesses in the vicinity purposely to rival the one owned by the church.<\/p>\n

Alleged plan to open a drinking spot<\/strong><\/p>\n

The priest is said to have planned to open a bar on the church\u2019s land without consulting the chairman of the pastoral council.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpening a drinking spot is a misplaced priority. We think as a church that is celebrating synodality, we should not tolerate this kind of leadership, autocracy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rev Fr Peter Ayorogo<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf we must let him know, we as parishioners of the rectorate, do not need a drinking spot. We need a mission house to accommodate more priests, a standard structure for worship and a catechist residence among others,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n

A cross-section of church members before the padlocks were broken on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The priest, in his response to this claim, said he had a plan to establish a drinking spot for the church but rebutted the assertion that the pastoral council was excluded from the plan.<\/p>\n

Closure of Sunday school<\/strong><\/p>\n

The protesting church members said the church\u2019s Sunday school programme for children had been closed down since the last quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They claimed it was closed down after the priest complained that the Sunday school teachers, instead of using the Catholic methodology, were applying the \u201challeluiah and the charismatic\u201d approach to teach the children. They argued that the reason given for shutting it down was not only false but also weak.<\/p>\n

A section of the young members of the church<\/strong><\/p>\n

They said the children, as a result of the closure of their worship centre, had turned into a distraction to the adults during mass proceedings. And of concern to the protesters was a reported move by the church leadership to, rather than calling the teachers to order and organising a training programme for them, to engage new teachers.<\/p>\n

Responding to that claim, a source on the parish council said nobody had cancelled Sunday school. He explained that the church used to have teachers for the children but lost those teachers to the pursuit of higher education.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Both children and adults waited outside for about 30 minutes until the padlocks were broken on Sunday.<\/p>\n

He said the church leadership, to demonstrate its commitment to the Sunday school, had at some point in the past announced the children had no teachers and encouraged people to voluntarily fill those vacancies. But nobody showed interest. The children currently do not have teachers.<\/p>\n

Spiritual decline<\/strong><\/p>\n

The protesters also claimed that the rectorate was losing numbers because the things the members wished to see were missing.<\/p>\n

One of the major things they mentioned was a grotto. At present, the rectorate is grottoless.<\/p>\n

But the priest told this media outlet that he had initiated some important projects to support the growth of the church.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Youth Centre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He mentioned a sachet water production factory, a hostel, a youth centre, relocation of the church from an old block to its current structure, a washroom block and a mission house as his initiatives.<\/p>\n

The sachet water production factory owned by the church.<\/p>\n

Asked by this writer why he sacked the catechist, he said: \u201cHe\u2019s betrayed me\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the genesis of this whole thing. And people have told me what he says in drinking bars that I must leave and if I leave I will not take a pesewa out except my two cars\u201d.<\/p>\n

The hostel project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When approached, the catechist told Media Without Borders the priest only acted on a lie he heard from a retired catechist (name withheld because it was impossible to immediately reach him) who had vowed to get rid of him from his position.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The youth centre<\/strong><\/p>\n

A member of the church, Gilbert Akanzeele, voiced his view in an interview with this writer that the dissatisfied members resorted to the open protests witnessed on Sunday because their engagement with the bishop had not been fruitful yet.<\/p>\n

Michael Nyaaba, the catechist who was sacked by Rev. Fr. Peter Ayorogo on Saturday, 21 September 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"
MichaelNyaaba, the Catchiest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Media Without Borders could not reach the bishop for comment. He did not answer the telephone call placed to his number and did not respond to a message forwarded to him before press time.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sumbrugu community<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Source: mwbonline.org\/Ghana<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Catholic Church of Sumbrungu, a town in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga, was thrown into disarray Sunday morning in a manner the worshippers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[4047],"class_list":["post-17774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","tag-confusion-rock-sumbrugu-catholic-church"],"yoast_head":"\nConfusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Catholic Church of Sumbrungu, a town in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga, was thrown into disarray Sunday morning in a manner the worshippers […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Express News Ghana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/nyaaba.felix.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FelixNyaaba3\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FelixNyaaba3\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b5e797531449c1dcb8747e970ceab0c\"},\"headline\":\"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774\"},\"wordCount\":2667,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"COnfusion rock Sumbrugu catholic church\"],\"articleSection\":[\"General News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774\",\"name\":\"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?p=17774#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Express News Ghana\",\"description\":\"Trust, Reliable & Timely\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"EXPRESSNEWSGHANA\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/EXPRESS-LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C617&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/EXPRESS-LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C617&ssl=1\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":617,\"caption\":\"EXPRESSNEWSGHANA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/web.facebook.com\\\/nyaaba.felix.3\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/FelixNyaaba3\",\"https:\\\/\\\/studio.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC6BQ59pRrPXKInz_hRjM7kA\\\/editing\\\/images\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b5e797531449c1dcb8747e970ceab0c\",\"name\":\"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/expressnewsghana.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana","og_description":"The Catholic Church of Sumbrungu, a town in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga, was thrown into disarray Sunday morning in a manner the worshippers […]","og_url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774","og_site_name":"Express News Ghana","article_publisher":"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/nyaaba.felix.3","article_published_time":"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@FelixNyaaba3","twitter_site":"@FelixNyaaba3","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732","Estimated reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774"},"author":{"name":"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b5e797531449c1dcb8747e970ceab0c"},"headline":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal","datePublished":"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774"},"wordCount":2667,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg","keywords":["COnfusion rock Sumbrugu catholic church"],"articleSection":["General News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774","url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774","name":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal - Express News Ghana","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-24T15:38:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240922_070158-1920x1080-1.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=17774#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Confusion rocks Sumbrugu Catholic Church as worshippers lock church doors in demand for priest\u2019s removal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/","name":"Express News Ghana","description":"Trust, Reliable & Timely","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#organization","name":"EXPRESSNEWSGHANA","url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/EXPRESS-LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C617&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expressnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/EXPRESS-LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C617&ssl=1","width":1080,"height":617,"caption":"EXPRESSNEWSGHANA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/nyaaba.felix.3","https:\/\/x.com\/FelixNyaaba3","https:\/\/studio.youtube.com\/channel\/UC6BQ59pRrPXKInz_hRjM7kA\/editing\/images"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b5e797531449c1dcb8747e970ceab0c","name":"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5318cf3f7526a76cada79c018d0b5ce26f9ec93477be26e7805e0fc3db8e20ed?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"For more information, please contact ExpressNewsGhana via email at expressnewsgh@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +233 0543 900 732"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com"],"url":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?author=1"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17801,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17774\/revisions\/17801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}