Pope Leo XIV has sent a telegram, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, to Don Matthew K. Gyamfi, bishop of Sunyani and president of Episcopal Conference of Ghana In the message, the pontiff expresses his “spiritual closeness at this difficult time” to the people of Ghanaians in light of the tragic military helicopter crash in the African country.
The disaster resulted in the deaths of Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others.
On Telegram, the Pontiff “expresses his sorrow for the deaths of ministers, government officials and all those who have lost their lives”. Pope Leo also entrusts the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the almighty God and “lifts prayers for those who mourn their loss, especially the relatives of the victims”.
The chopper, a model Z9 of the Ghana Armed Forces, has crashed in the Ashanti region of the southern country. The aircraft took off from the capital city, Accra at 9:12am local time to Obuasi in north-west. On board were three crew members, three civil servants and two ministers. The causes of the accident are still unknown. President John Mahama has declared national mourning.
