Ghana’s Catholic Bishops have outlined an ambitious agenda for pastoral ministry in 2026, placing strong emphasis on youth formation, women’s leadership, Clergy support and administrative reform.
According to a Statement posted on the social media platforms of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Episcopal Committee of the Department of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelisation met in Accra on February 9, 2026, to deliberate on action plans submitted by its commissions, Directorates and Units.
The meeting, held at the National Catholic Secretariat, brought together Bishops, Secretaries, Directors and Chaplains. This, the Conference explained, was aimed at “setting the tone for a collaborative and integrated approach to evangelisation for the year ahead.”
Among the key decisions was a move to draft a policy document on the leadership of women’s groups in the Church. The proposal, which will be presented to the Bishops for approval, is intended to “create pathways for the participation of young women” in leadership roles.
The Committee also agreed that youth wings of women’s groups must register with the Ghana National Catholic Youth Council (GHANCYC) in order to benefit from formation under the New Integrated Catholic Youth Formation Programme (NICYFOP).
On formation, the Bishops encouraged young people to enrol in a 12-week online Biblical Apostolate Programme. They further resolved to invite Bible scholars from seminaries to place “their scholarship at the service of the Biblical Apostolate”, describing the initiative as an effort to bridge academic theology and practical evangelisation.
Priests were urged to increase their contributions to the St. Peter the Apostle Fund to support seminary formation. The Committee also stressed the need to treat preparation for Holy Matrimony with renewed seriousness, calling for enhanced training of marriage counsellors to strengthen family life.
The welfare of Catholic Chaplains serving in the Security Services was also discussed, with the Committee pledging to address their concerns. It further resolved to take legal steps to secure land belonging to the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) at Dodowa.
In what the Conference described as a forward-looking administrative decision, the Committee announced that from 2027, action plans for its first meeting of the year will be submitted virtually. However, physical meetings will continue later in the year for the presentation of implementation reports to ensure accountability and collaboration.
The meeting concluded with what the Conference described as “a collective commitment” to implement the agreed resolutions in support of the Church’s evangelising mission in 2026.
Source: Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Social Media Statement
