Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference concludes in Wa

Archival photo of Catholic bishops after the 2020 conference

Diocese of Wa hosts Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference in 2021

“The contributions of the Catholic Church in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation are unmatched when you compare it to other religious sects. “

Those were the words of Upper West regional minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih when members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops‘ Conference called him ahead of the start of the 2021 annual plenary in Wa.

The theme of the Plenary Assembly is “Fratelli Tutti and COVID-19: Pastoral Opportunities and Challenges in Ghana”. Led by its chairman, Reverend Philip Naameh, the conference told the minister that “Everywhere we go we call on the regional minister, traditional rulers, great imams and interact with people to learn about their issues and challenges so that together we can work to address them.

Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih praised the Catholic Church for its work in supporting the government’s efforts to improve the lives of the people.

Visit to Jirapa

Information from the Diocese of Wa indicates that Catholicism began in the Upper West region 92 years ago in Jirapa. The conference could not therefore have been completed without a site visit. Speaking on behalf of the supreme leader of the Jirapa, Naa Nsole Ganaaa, his assistant Judge Dinaa said that Naa Salifu Ganaa the first and the Tendamba had freed land for the Catholic Church to be established in 1929.

Since then, the traditional authorities do not regret their decision. Mr. Dinaa said the church has brought a lot of development to the area. He mentioned education, health, livelihood empowerment as some of the benefits.

The leader appealed to the Catholic Church to transform the parish of Saint Joseph into a minor basilica. Conference President Bishop Naameh paid tribute to the leader for helping to establish Catholicism in the region. Conference members visited Naa Salifu Ganaa’s thumb and prayed for his soul.

Saint-Joseph Parish

Before Conference members arrived at St. Joseph Parish also in Jirapa, hundreds of Catholic faithful had lined up to welcome them. Parish Priest P. Bennett Tang Bancheyie explained to them how the church started in the area.

“On November 29, 1929, some 92 years ago, the pioneers of the Missionaries of Africa led by Fr. Remigius McCoy, Fr. Pacquet, both Canadians and Fr. Basilide from the Netherlands embarked on a journey missionary who marked the beginning of the evangelization of northwestern Ghana, today the Catholic Diocese of Wa, ”Fr. Bancheyie told the bishops.

He said that although the land for the church was generously donated, it was also intended to test the authenticity of whites they had never seen before, as the area was considered infested with evil spirits and a area closed to natives. people.

The parish priest said that on December 8, 1948, the cornerstone of the current stone church was laid and completed in 1954. Members of the conference ended their visit to Jirapa at the Royal Cossy Hotel, also known as Jirapa Dubai, where they drove around the magnificent presidential villa of Eric Johnson, the owner of the establishment.

Opening ceremony of the plenary

The Bishop of the Diocese of Wa, Archbishop Richard Kuuire Baawabr, at the opening ceremony of the week-long event, said the diocese is fulfilling its obligations to the people of the region.

“The Catholic Church in the region has promoted indigenization and enculturation and is always aware of the call to work to become an autonomous and self-sufficient Church,” said Bishop Baawabr.

He added that the Church has established basic Christian communities, vocational training and access to affordable rural social services, amenities and infrastructure like schools, clinics and hospitals.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, Archbishop Philip Naameh, President of the Conference, said that the theme of the plenary “Fratelli Tutti and COVID-19: Pastoral opportunities and challenges in Ghana”, has been informed by the impact of the pandemic on every sector of the economy and evangelism.

He called on the government to take practical steps to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by launching policies that will lead to job creation for young people.

He further called for a dialogue between the government and other stakeholders to resolve the difficulties that have arisen in the education and health sectors due to the pandemic. He challenged the Church at all levels to embrace the use of traditional and social media platforms as vehicles of evangelism.

The man of God also advocated the deliberate program to educate young people on the proper use of the Internet and social media by highlighting its opportunities and dangers.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana Bishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński said the Catholic Church had donated 70,000 Ghanaian cedis to the National COVID-19 Trust Fund and released its facilities to be used as centers for treatment as part of pandemic treatment. All of this was aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on Ghanaians.

Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bins Salih for his part said that the contributions of the Catholic Church to national development cannot be underestimated, stressing that the government will continue to partner with the Church to improve the lot of the people. .

He said the annual communiqué released at the end of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference plenary session is of immense help to the government and the nation as a whole. He expressed the hope that the Conference will continue to play its role as a national actor in shaping the lives of millions of faithful Catholics and Ghanaians in general.

LGBTQ

The Chiefs and Imams during a courtesy visit to them by the Bishops called on men of God to continue kicking against the promotion of LGBTQ + practice.