The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the entire membership of the Catholic Church in Ghana, have given a proverbial welcome to the Princes and Prelates of the Church in West Africa and participants of the Second Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) to Ghana, the home of peace, hospitality and golden opportunity.
“You are warmly welcome to Ghana- Akwaaba! Mia Woezo! Soyez les bienvenus!” said Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, President of the GCBC in a message to welcome the participants.
Over one hundred and fifty Catholic Church leaders, led by current President of RECOWA-CERAO, His Eminence Theodore Cardinal Adrien Sarr, Emeritus Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, had started arriving in Ghana to participate in the RECOWA Plenary Assembly in Accra, from February 22 to 29, 2016.
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Cardinal Sarr, President of RECOWA-CERAO
The participants are made up of Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and other Church leaders from 15 countries, namely, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The host, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, would be fully represented by its members.
The eight- day Conference to be held at the at M Plaza Hotel in Accra, is on the theme: The New Evangelization and the Specific Challenges for the Church, Family of God in West Africa: Reconciliation, Development, Family Life.
Bishop Osei- Bonsu, assured the participants that the Bishops of Ghana, together with the Priests, Religious Men and Women as well as the Laity, were privileged and honoured to host this Plenary Assembly.
“We will ensure that you enjoy your stay here as much as you can and we are hopeful that you will pardon us in the spirit of the Year of Mercy for any shortfalls that may occur in the course of this Meeting,” he added.
The GCBC President thanked them for coming to Ghana and prayed for a successful meeting, saying that it was the hope of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic Church in Ghana that this Plenary Assembly will be a great success.
Invited Guests expected at the Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, February 23, include President John Dramani Mahama, Ex-Presidents Jerry Rawlings and John Kufour, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Madam Tendal Musoka, all the Ambassadors of West African countries, Representatives from the Christian Council, Office of Chief Imam, Pentecostal Council, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, All Catholic MPs, Officers of the Security Agencies, among others.
He said in the course of the week, “we, the Catholic Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals from across West Africa, will reflect on how we can work together as one united family and in concert with our West African Governments to advance the issues of reconciliation, holistic development and authentic family life within our Sub-Region in the light of the Church’s New Evangelization, which invites the Church to employ new and dynamic ways of spreading the Gospel message.”
He hoped and prayed that the outcome of deliberations and reflections, which would be made public through a Communiqué to be issued at the end of the meeting, would be of benefit to the people we serve, particularly in the Church and society in West Africa.
RECOWA- CERAO is a Catholic Regional grouping which brings together Anglophone, Lusophone (Portuguese) and Francophone Catholic Bishops in West Africa.
In June 1963, Conference Episcopale Regionale de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CERAO) was formed to bring together all Francophone and Lusophone Catholic Bishops from West Africa under one Regional Grouping.
Anglophone Catholic Bishops in West Africa followed suit in 1977 with the formation of a regional body known as the Association of the Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (AECAWA).
In the 1990s, the idea was mooted for a union of Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Episcopal Conferences so that there could be better understanding, exchange of views, experiences and general pastoral collaboration among all the Episcopal Conferences of West Africa. Invitations for AECAWA member countries to attend meetings organised by CERAO member countries and vice versa soon became the order of the day.
In December 2000, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Governing Councils of AECAWA and CERAO met for the first time in a Joint Assembly to deliberate on the theme, Building the Church Family of God in West Africa-Opportunities and Challenges.
After duly reflecting on the theme, participants at this Joint Assembly decided to form a union which would be a merger of AECAWA and CERAO allowing in the process, an integration of all English-Speaking, Portuguese-speaking and French-speaking Episcopal Conferences in West Africa into one formidable union of Episcopal Conferences to be known as RECOWA-CERAO.
RECOWA-CERAO was officially inaugurated in Abuja, Nigeria in 2007 and the 1st Plenary Assembly took place in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, from January 23- 29, 2012. It is the turn of Ghana to host the Second Plenary Assembly.
By Damian Avevor
