GCBC 2025: Bishops Call for Justice, Peace, Synodality

The serene town of Damongo became the heartbeat of the Ghanaian Church this week as the nation's Catholic Bishops gathered for their 2025 Plenary Assembly under the theme: A Synodal Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in Ghana. The week-long Assembly, which officially opened on November 10 at the Unity Centre, brought together 20 substantive and two auxiliary Archbishops and Bishops, including the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC), Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani; his Vice, Most Rev. Emmanuel Fianu, Bishop of Ho; and the Metropolitan Archbishops of Tamale, Cape Coast, Kumasi, and Accra — Most Revs. Philip Naameh, Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, Gabriel Justice Anokye, and John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp. Also present were the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré, the Savannah Regional Minister, Mr. Salisu Bi-Awuribe, chiefs, religious leaders, security heads, and hundreds of faithful. The opening ceremony was chaired by Dr. Gameli Dominic Kewuribe Hoedoafia, Executive Secretary at the Office of the President. Host Bishop Welcomes Church LeadersWelcoming participants, the host Bishop, Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier, expressed joy that the Damongo Diocese — celebrating 30 years since its creation — was hosting the Plenary for the second time, the first being in 2004. He said the gathering is “a concrete sign of communion and brotherhood among the Bishops,” and a great source of inspiration for his people. Founded in 1995 with only five parishes, the Diocese now has 13 parishes and two quasi-parishes, but the Bishop lamented that it remains at the stage of “primary evangelisation,” facing challenges such as inadequate pastoral agents, poor infrastructure, and difficult road networks.Out of the region's half-million residents, only 31,614 are Catholics, with traditional and Islamic faiths being dominant. Faith, Education and PeaceBishop Angkyier praised his predecessor, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, for laying the foundation for unity in a region once scarred by ethnic conflict. The Diocese, he noted, made peacebuilding a cornerstone of its mission — establishing the Unity Centre and five satellite peace centres that inspired the creation of Ghana's National Peace Council. The Bishop also highlighted the Church's strong investment in education, with 233 schools — including kindergartens, primary and junior high schools, two senior high schools, a technical school and a vocational institute. In health care, the Diocese runs a well-equipped hospital, three polyclinics, two health centres, and has provided over 300 boreholes for safe drinking water. It also piloted the mutual health insurance scheme later adopted nationwide as the National Health Insurance Scheme. However, he warned of threats from deforestation, charcoal burning, and bushfires, calling for urgent environmental stewardship. A Church that Listens, Discerns, and Hopes – NuncioIn his address, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, said the theme reflects the Church's call to “walk together” in faith and mission. “Synodality is not a passing initiative nor a technical consultation,” he said. “It is a way of being Church — one that listens, discerns, and speaks with hope grounded in Christ.”He recalled Pope Benedict XVI's Africae Munus, which urged authentic conversion of heart as the starting point for all work for justice and peace. Government Pledges Partnership for PeaceRegional Minister Salisu Bi-Awuribe said peace was gradually returning to the conflict-affected districts of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole, noting that the Church's continued support was crucial to lasting stability.Chairman Dr. Hoedoafia commended the Church's contribution to moral and social development, saying: “The Catholic Church has not only been a sanctuary for worship but a beacon of moral direction, social justice, and national unity.” Goodwill messages poured in from the Overlord of Gonjaland, the Local Council of Churches, the National Catholic Laity Council, and Catholic orders, including the Knights and Ladies of Marshall and the Knights of St. John International. As the Bishops deliberate this week, hopes are high that their reflections will renew the Church's mission of justice, peace, and service to all God's people.

GCBC 2025: Bishops Call for Justice, Peace, Synodality

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