A Roman Catholic priest with the Spiritan University College at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region has committed suicide.

The Rev Fr. Thomas Schwiedessen was found hanging on a tree at the Spiritual Renewal Centre of the Kumasi Archdiocese of the Catholic Church at Apire in Kumasi where he was going through counselling.

Rev Fr. Thomas Schwiedessen, a German national with the Society of African Missionaries (SMA) was scheduled to be sent back to Germany today for medical check-up.

The Suntreso District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Vitus Napen, who confirmed the incident to the Graphic Online, said on Tuesday morning, the police received information from the director of the Centre that someone had hanged himself on one of the trees at the centre.

He said when the police got to the scene, a white male wearing a white top with a pair of black trousers was seen hanging on the tree with a bed sheet around his neck and tied to the upper part of the tree.

DSP Napen said the deceased was identified as Rev Fr. Schwiedessen by the director of the centre. He said the body has seen been sent to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

The authorities at the Spiritan University are tight-lipped about the issue and would not want to comment on it.

However, information gathered by the Graphic Online indicated that on September 26, the deceased who was behaving strangely, was sent to the centre to undergo counselling.

He was referred to a psychiatrist at the KATH who attended to him and rescheduled him for a review on October 7, 2015.