The Catholic Bishops Conference has called on all Ghanaians to repose trust and confidence in the Electoral Commission which, it says, has put in place all measures to ensure free, fair, transparent and credible elections. They have asked politicians to stop making empty promises that they cannot fulfil and avoid hate-filled statements and expressions that elicit revenge and vendetta and conduct themselves honourably and respect one another.

The Bishops made the call at the end of their annual plenary assembly held at Adutor in the Keta Akatsi diocese of the Volta region, Ghana, from the 3rd to the 13th November, 2020.

A communique signed by the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, the Most Reverend Philip Naameh, urged all registered voters to exercise their franchise and not leave others to decide their future for them. They commended the security agencies for working towards security and peace, and urged them to discharge their duties without fear or favour but respect the right and dignity of all Ghanaians.

The Catholic Bishops condemned the sycophancy and operations of vigilante groups stressing that the Vigilantism and Related Offences, Act 2019 (Act 999), must be enforced to the letter to stir the tide of vigilantism.

Addressing the media, the Bishops asked them to uphold the highest journalistic values and ethics in their reportage of the electoral process and not spread false and fake news.

The Conference also urged traditional and religious leaders to protect the integrity of their stools, skins and ministry by refraining from meddling in partisan politics but see themselves as unifiers of their subjects and members of their congregation.

As regards the recent political disturbances in the Volta Region of Ghana, the Bishops admonished those perpetuating “secessionist” disturbances as well as politicians who refer to some Ghanaians as foreigners to desist from such acts and unguarded comments. They asked state institutions involved in the investigations of all such negative acts to expedite investigations and bring all culprits to book.

Talking about human dignity, they drew attention to the dangers posed by unlicensed drivers and riders on our roads and called for more presence of the police and collaboration between security agencies and local community institutions and authorities to ensure safety of life and property in the country.

On the integrity of the environment, the Catholic Bishops Conference reminded Ghanaians that our natural resources belong to those gone before us, those alive today and those who will come after us. Thus, we must refrain from the selfish exploitation of our natural resources to the extent that generations after us will be deprived of their fair share of these resources. The Bishops called on government not to mortgage our natural resources to the detriment of future generations and also ensure value for money through due diligence and transparency in contracting various loans for developmental projects.

Touching on education, the Bishops commended government on the introduction of the free Senior High School policy and urged that the double-track system be phased out. They condemned all acts of occultism and homosexuality in some of our educational institutions and also condemned examination malpractices of any kind. They stressed the unique critical role that mission schools have been playing to assist government offer quality education delivery in Ghana but bemoaned some policies of government educational reforms in recent times which have ignored concerns of the mission schools. They urged government to implement, without further delay, the process towards signing a memorandum of understanding between government and religious bodies on the partnership in education delivery.

The Catholic Bishops Conference called on religious leaders, teachers and parents to help form the conscience of the youth and instil in them the values of honesty, hard work, truthfulness and respect for the other.

The leaders of the Catholic church in Ghana commended government for providing strong leadership in our national response to the Covid 19 pandemic by developing a comprehensive plan with multi-dimensional programmes, resource mobilisation strategies and regular feedback to citizens. They also acknowledged individuals, societies, local and international organisations who have supported the church in the pandemic. The Bishops appealed to Ghanaians to continue to observe strictly, the protocols and continue to fight other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Cerebrospinal Meningitus, etc.

They prayed for the peaceful repose of the former President of Ghana, His Excellency, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and strength for his family and the nation as a whole.