I am a Freemason and a Catholic – Afenyo-Markin reiterates

Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu and Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has restated that he is a Freemason and a Roman Catholic at the same time.

While admitting there is a debate on the subject, he insists that being both has instilled in him the trait of valuing friendships and keeping one’s word.

In an interview on Citi TV in February 2024, while discussing the issue of his political allegiances within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), he emphasized that his faith allowed him room to be fair to two major players in the NPP’s presidential primary.

The two were Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, a strong ally of the Majority Leader and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who he supported in the race.

“It was a very difficult moment for me, Ken and I were Bawumia and out of the blue, he informed me that ‘Alex I want to contest.’

“I am a Freemason and a Catholic… I know how to respect friendship and if I give a word to a brother, I have to keep it,” he said in relation to backing Bawumia because of an earlier commitment.

He, however, took on an adjudication role during the primaries, which meant he could not be seen campaigning openly for either candidate. The vice president won the race.

It is not the first time Afenyo-Markin has spoken about being a Freemason, the first was in 2016 on Starr Chat show with Bola Ray where he submitted that the teachings and values of the organisation did not conflict with his Catholic principles and upbringing.

“I am a mason and I have not been sanctioned by the Catholic Church. Freemasonry is a fraternal society that believes in God Almighty and follows certain principles that guide a man’s life and it does not run counter with my beliefs as a Catholic. President Kufuor is a mason and a Catholic,” he stated.

In 2022, his position was roundly rejected by a Suffragan Bishop and a leading theologian of the Catholic Church in Ghana who said despite Afenyo-Markin’s claims, he could not remain a Catholic whilst also a freemason without defying eleven Popes.

Freemasonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients.

The basic, local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge.

Watch his interview on Citi TV below: