Ghanaians have been advised to change their attitude toward the environment to help prevent the country from the negative impacts of climate change.

Reverend Father Samuel Asantey, the Priest in charge of Amanful St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cape Coast, said this in a sermon during a special Mass to mark the 59th Independence Day Celebration in Cape Coast.

The special Mass was well attended by people who were clad in white and others in Kente, and came to a climax when the congregation was made to sing the national anthem which ended with three shouts of “Hip Hip Hip Huraay”.

Father Asantey said it was unfortunate that after 59 years of gaining independence, the nation’s beaches were nothing to write home about as some people had turned them into places of convenience and urged all to put their hands on deck to keep the environment clean.

“God is calling on us to have our nation at heart and keep our environment clean since cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

He noted that Ghanaians were complaining about the current hardship in the country “but all have in one way or the other contributed to the present situation since we failed to acknowledge and make use of the numerous national resources available.”

Father Asantey said the nation was still saddled with issues like murder, armed robbery, bribery and corruption, drug abuse, abortions, violence and infidelity and urged Christians especially Catholics to pray for forgiveness and repentance of their sins.

He said "today marks the fourth Sunday of lent and observed by the Catholic Church as a day of communication, preparation and rejoicing for the resurrection of Jesus.

“To celebrate Easter successfully, we need to repent of our sins, today Christians are doing things even pagans would not do,” Father Asantey said.

Prayers were said for the President, parliamentarians, Judiciary, security agencies and peaceful polls in November.

At the Cape Coast branch of the Victory Bible Church International, the Bishop of the Central and Western Regions, Right Reverend Richard Ampadu Duku, led the congregation to pray for the nation after singing the National Anthem.

Bishop Ampadu Duku in an exhortation asked Ghanaians to be thankful to God and continue to pray for the peace of the country to remain intact.