PRESS STATEMENT ON ENVIRONMENTAL PRAYER WALK
Introduction:
The Genesis account tells us that God repeatedly affirmed that His creation was good. The first day God created light and darkness and it was good. Next, God created heaven and earth. On the third day, God created the dry land, the oceans and the vegetation; it was also good! On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars; it was so good! On the fifth day, God created all the water and flying creatures … so good indeed! On the sixth day, God created all the land animals and, finally, human beings. The last verse of Genesis chapter one says, “God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good” (Gen. 1:31)!
God entrusted his good creation to human beings as stewards saying: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). The stewardship role is further reiterated in Gen. 2:15: “Yahweh God took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it.”
That the over 70% Christian population of Ghana has looked on for this environmental carnage to occur; that the over 10% Catholic population has tolerated this ecocide in Ghana; and that the Christian caucus in the three arms of government by their actions or inactions are sacrificing citizens’ well-being on the altar of gold is a big disappointment to God and the people that we serve. We as spiritual leaders too have not always played our prophet, kingly and priestly roles to curb the menace. We will all agree with Pope Francis that “Our common home is falling into a serious disrepair” (LS 61).
In 2021, the cost of reclaiming the devastated lands was estimated at $650 billion. We have not researched the cost of desilting our river bodies and dams, including roads caved in because of illegal mining. What a pity that a nation could sink so low as to render its water bodies unusable and uninhabitable by aquatic beings! This is worse than the slave trade.
“Many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change.
However, many of these symptoms indicate that such effects will continue to worsen if we continue with current models of production and consumption”. (LS 26)
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (LS 160).
On the background of the Laudato Si encyclical written by Pope Francis in 2015, the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference launched its Laudato Si Action Program in 2021. This followed ecological teachings promoted by the Conference since 1965 when the Conference begun issuing communiques and other pastoral documents till now. The Ecological Teachings of the Church are grounded on the Catholic Social Teachings such as Stewardship and Care of Creation, the Earth as a Common Home, Inter-Generational Solidarity and Ecology.
The Laudato Si Action Program of the Bishops Conference has 7 major goals:
- Response to the cry of the earth
- Response to the cry of the poor
- Ecological economics
- Adoption of sustainable lifestyles
- Ecological education
- Ecological spirituality
- Community engagement and participatory action
These goals are what the Conference has sought to teach and propagate through training advocacy and its public statements.
Galamsey, which is clearly not limited to small scale mining, has become a national public disaster, leading to:
- Destruction of water bodies, forests, and farmlands
- Pollution of rivers and water sources
- Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem disruption
- Health risks for communities and miners
- Economic losses and social instability
Clearly, this menace of destroying our water bodies, land and atmosphere is not only perpetrated by illegal mining, known as Galamsey, but also by some legal mining companies.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra and the Conference of Major Superiors of the Religious Congregations Ghana, recognize their moral obligation to protect God’s creation and promote integral human development not only in words but also in action, as the Latinist say facta non verba.
In light of the above, the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra and the Conference of Major Superiors of the Religious Ghana are calling on all Catholics, Christians and all well meaning Ghanaians to join the Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey.
Goal
- Raise awareness about the devastating effects of galamsey.
- Advocate for Government to declare a state of emergency to stop all forms of mining activities to allow for evaluation of the damages and healing of the land.
- Mobilize Catholics and Ghanaians to demand that Government acts now and not provide only promises.
- Foster collaboration among stakeholders to address the issue of mining activities that are destructive to our environment.
- Promote environmental sustainability and protection
Event Details
- Date: Friday, 11th October, 2024
- Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Converging Point: Holy Spirit Cathedral from 8 am
- Presentation of Petition to the Presidency at the Jubilee House.
- End Point – Christ the King Parish, Cantonments with an Episcopal Mass with His Grace the Archbishop as the main celebrant.
