Very Reverend Father Stephen Amoah-Gyasi, the Director of Cartas and Socio-economic Development of the Catholic Arch-Diocese of Cape Coast, has appealed to traders to adjust the prices of their goods and services following the appreciation of the Cedi against major trading currencies.

Considering the weeks of appreciation of the Cedi against the dollar, a major trading currency, Rev Amoah-Gyasi said he could not understand the underlining reasons for traders to hold on to the high prices of goods.

“It is saddening and incomprehensible for Christian traders to behave as such. Some traders in this country, many of whom are Christians, blatantly refuse to reduce prices regardless of the sudden appreciation of the Cedi.

Rev. Amoah-Gyasi expressed the concerns in his New Year message in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

He expressed worry that traders increased prices of goods and services immediately after the dollar and fuel prices go up and wondered why the traders failed to reduce prices at least for the poor.

He said the year 2023 represented the dawn of a new era for the show of love to the poor and marginalized as well as joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and mending of broken relationships.

For that matter, he called on traders to reduce the prices of the goods as a token of love for the poor and vulnerable in society, saying the birth of Jesus Christ was exemplary to that effect.

He said, "it was also important to remember the Mahatma prelate, that Christmas “is about the poor. Jesus was born into a poor family. His birth was first announced to the poor shepherds by the Angel.

"When He was being presented in the temple, Mary and Joseph gave the offering of the poor -two pigeons as they could not afford a lamb, which was the usual offering. Later, Jesus would proclaim that He is sent to bring the good news to the poor and liberty to the oppressed," Rev Amoah-Gyasi explained.

Touching on other pertinent national issues, Rev Amoah-Gyasi challenged Christians to lead the crusade against corruption, poverty, and social deprivation.

He bemoaned the increasing corruption in the country and also called on the youth to lead the way by rejecting fraud and be a generation of men and women with integrity to change the ills of society.

All Christians must join the fight against corruption in churches, schools, and offices and promote the culture of integrity, he said, adding that such tenets, if well upheld, will benefit society at large.

“I call upon you, the youth, to lead the fight against corruption as good Christians would do and promote the culture of integrity everywhere you find yourself, ” he stated.

For those in leadership, Rev Amoah-Gyasi challenged them to make a difference in the lives of the people they lead.

He said the history of salvation indicated that, it always took the selflessness of one person to bring change in the lives of the people they led and cited the examples of Abraham through the prophets to Jesus Christ to illustrate his point.

On Friday, the 30th, Rev Amoah-Gyasi feted more than 900 children in Assin-Sibinso and surrounding communities in the Assin South District of the Central Region.

The pupils ate hot meals and received many toiletries, exercise books, pens, and supplementary reading materials as their Christmas gifts.

The gesture formed part of Rev Amoah-Gyasi's social responsibility to get the children out of the street and make them happy.

He pledged to scale up the gesture in the future with support from some partners, friends, and relatives to cover more children as had been done in several communities in the areas to put smiles on their faces regardless of their social status.