Ivory Coast in Need of “prophetic Church” ahead of October Presidential Poll: Catholic Bishops

Abidjan, 27 May, 2025 / 3:00 PM

The West African nation of Ivory Coast needs “a prophetic” people of God ahead of the Presidential election scheduled for October 2025, the country’s Catholic Bishops have said. 

 called on the Church to take on a bold, prophetic role, standing as a beacon of justice, peace, and national unity amid political uncertainty.

In a statement issued at the end of their 127th Plenary Assembly in the country’s Catholic Diocese of Grand-Bassam, members of the Episcopal Conference of Ivory Coast (CECCI) urge faith leaders to go beyond spiritual leadership at the level of Sacraments and preaching and spearhead initiatives that can realize a just and inclusive society.

“The country needs a prophetic Church; a Church that educates responsible citizenship, non-violence, dialogue; a Church that does not ally with partisan interests, but stands alongside the small, the forgotten, the evicted, and the weak,” CECCI members say in their May 25 statement.

They call for an institution that “invites the youth to believe in peace and to reject manipulation”; one that “practices justice, truth, and transparency in its pastoral, economic, and financial governance.”

CECCI members recall the Church’s historical role in guiding the Ivorian nation through turbulent times, from its missionary roots to its prophetic interventions during national crises, saying, “We remember the role of the Church in times of crisis, when prophetic voices called for reconciliation, truth, justice, and non-violence.”

The Catholic Church leaders say that this memory should serve as a foundation for a renewed commitment, for “to remember is to commit to forgive, to repair, to rebuild ecclesial and national unity.”

In that spirit, CECCI members appeal for reconciliation among Church members at a starting point, including Clergy, members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), and the Laity “for shortcomings in our actions and our being.”

Refocussing on the October Presidential poll, Ivory Coast’s Catholic Bishops pledge to continue praying for the nation, guiding consciences, and offering “spaces of dialogue and reconciliation.” 

They call on Ivorians to “reject hate speech and embrace the values of peace and fraternity” and emphasize, “As pastors, we ask everyone to be artisans of peace.”

The Catholic Bishops underscore the need to build “a more synodal Church; one that walks together, listens deeply, and gives voice to those on the margins.”

“A synodal Church in Ivory Coast is one that safeguards peace, sows unity, and promotes fraternal governance and transparent management,” they say. 

Reflecting on 50 years of Catholic witness in the country, CECCI members note that the Golden Jubilee is not simply a celebration but a “call to continue serving the Church and Ivory Coast with the heart of Christ.”

Going forward, they say, the Church will remain “a living memory of the graces received and the wounds to be healed; a fervent mission, faithful to the Gospel and attentive to the people’s suffering and a synodal community, ready to meet the challenges of the mission.”