The Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI) a Catholic think tank of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) is urging the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference to continue their illustrious tradition of prophetic engagement with the Ghanaian society by way of being the voice of the voiceless, speaking truth courageously and unambiguously to power, denouncing evil, defending the powerless and championing the common good.
In a statement, signed by its Director, Rev. Fr Kpanie ADDY, SJ, said Ghana is confronted by profound challenges such as rapidly worsening economic conditions exacerbated by our unstable currency, the wanton destruction of our nation’s land and water resources through illegal small-scale mining, aka galamsey, heightened political tensions due to seeming government intransigence.
The Ghana Catholic Prelates begin their 2022 Annual Plenary Assembly at the Catholic Diocese of Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region of Ghana on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission in the Light of the New Evangelization in Ghana”
The statement urges the Bishops, called by God to be watchmen for the people of Ghana noting that “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of Ghanaians today, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (Gaudium et spes no.1)
The AJI statement said GCBC has a storied history of making crucial interventions in Ghana’s socio-political life. In our days too, there can be no doubt that we – Catholics and non-Catholics alike – look with eager expectation to the GCBC to demonstrate continuity with this illustrious tradition of prophetic engagement with Ghanaian society.
The Arrupe Jesuit Institute, (AJI) of the Society of Jesus North-West Africa Province based in Accra realizes its mission by identifying, analysing and proposing solutions to issues of concern in Ghana by way of addressing these from perspectives informed and shaped by Scripture and the Catholic Social Teaching.
Below is the Full Statement
Statement of support to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) on the occasion of its Annual Plenary Assembly 2022 by the Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI)
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel” (Ezekiel 33:7)
The Annual Plenary Assembly of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), which begins today in Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region, could not have come at a more propitious time. As our country confronts profound challenges such as rapidly worsening economic conditions exacerbated by our unstable currency, the wanton destruction of our nation’s land and water resources through illegal small-scale mining, aka galamsey, heightened political tensions due to seeming government intransigence etc., this meeting of our Bishops, called by God to be watchmen for the people of Ghana, could not be more timely.
The theme of the GCBC assembly, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission in the Light of the New Evangelization in Ghana”, augers well for their prayerful consideration of Ghana’s current realities. It is deeply resonant with the inspiring first lines of the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which, within our context, may be paraphrased as follows:
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of Ghanaians today, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (Gaudium et spes no.1).
The GCBC has a storied history of making crucial interventions in Ghana’s socio-political life. In our days too, there can be no doubt that we – Catholics and non-Catholics alike – look with eager expectation to the GCBC to demonstrate continuity with this illustrious tradition of prophetic engagement with Ghanaian society: being the voice of the voiceless, speaking truth courageously and unambiguously to power, denouncing evil, defending the powerless, championing the common good, including the good of care for our common home in the spirit of Laudato Si’. The providence of the GCBC assembly coinciding with the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), taking place from November 6-18 in Egypt, invites, nay, demands more urgent action from the Catholic Church and the entire Christian community to preserve and protect Ghana’s natural resources for posterity.
The AJI articulates the hopes of many in Ghana that our bishops will show leadership in this regard, even beyond communiqués. On our part, we pledge our unalloyed support for our bishops, urging all – Catholics and non-Catholics – indeed, all people of goodwill to prayerfully accompany our shepherds during their days of prayer and deliberation. Guided in their discernment and emboldened in their actions by the Holy Spirit, we pray for our bishops to embody the truth of Scripture that “the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). We commend this assembly of the GCBC to St Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of bishops, on whose feast this plenary assembly begins, and ask the prayerful intercession of Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, for the successors of the apostles shepherding Christ’s flock in Ghana.
Rev. Fr Kpanie ADDY, SJ
Director, Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI)
November 4, 2022
Source: Newswatchgh.com
