The 2025 Annual Plenary Assembly of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) was opened on November 10, 2025, in the Diocese of Damongo, with a solemn call from the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, to Ghanaian Prelates to deepen faith, foster justice, and promote peace in the nation.
The week-long gathering, held under the theme “A Synodal Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in Ghana,” brings together Bishops from across the country, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, government officials, clergy, religious, and lay faithful.
In a special message transmitted through the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Most Rev. Julien Kaboré, Pope Leo XIV expressed his spiritual closeness to the Church in Ghana and commended the bishops for their continued service to God and the nation.
“His Holiness prays that, inspired by the theme A Synodal Church at the Service of Justice and Peace, your days of prayer and fraternal dialogue may yield much spiritual fruit and renew your dedication to serving all, especially those who suffer from injustice and long for peace,” the message read.
Signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, the Pope’s message assured the bishops of his prayers and imparted his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of “communion and peace in our Lord.”
Delivering his opening address, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré, the Apostolic Nuncio, underscored the significance of the conference’s theme, describing synodality as “a way of being Church, rooted in listening, discernment, and the active participation of all the People of God.”
He called on the Church in Ghana to remain steadfast in its prophetic mission and moral witness, particularly in times when truth, peace, and justice are threatened.
“The Church must remain a sentinel, one who keeps watch in the night, refusing to surrender to fatigue or fear. Wherever public authority mortgages the present and the future for private interest, the Church must speak, comfort, and form consciences,” he urged.
The Nuncio further highlighted that true peace and justice begin with “conversion of heart,” urging Christians, especially leaders, to live out the Gospel with courage, forgiveness, and humility.
The opening ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Dr. Dominic Gameli Hoedofia, Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation, who chaired the session. He praised the Church for its consistent role in promoting education, moral integrity, and national unity, describing it as “the conscience of the nation.”
As the assembly begins its deliberations, the Damongo Diocese also celebrates the jubilee of its erection, an event the Nuncio described as “a moment of gratitude, renewal, and hope for the Church in Ghana.”
The Plenary Assembly continues through to November 14, with various sessions dedicated to pastoral renewal, justice and peace initiatives, and strengthening collaboration between the Church and civil society.
By Celestine Edem Gbologah//Newswatchgh.com
