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How Togolese Catholic Diocese is Seeking to Prevent Abortions among Young People

Credit: ACN

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Aného in Togo has written to the Pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, expressing the need to teach young people in the Togolese Diocese the importance of preserving their dignity, and avoiding sexual relations until they are married.

The lessons, Bishop Isaac Jogues Kodjo says, will also prevent abortions and the spread of AIDS among the youth in the West African country.

“One goal is to promote sex education that emphasizes the value and beauty of sexuality and the human body and leads to fidelity and responsibility. Among other things, this will prevent abortions and the spread of AIDS and lay the foundation for happy, stable families,” Bishop Kodjo says in the Tuesday, July 25 report.

He says that existing programs on family values have been tailored to help couples to deepen their mutual love and respect and engage with each other.

According to Bishop Kodjo, existing programs promote, among other things, healthy families and the protection of life.

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“Events are organized to raise awareness of marriage and family among a wider circle of people and to provide guidance to couples and families. Spouses are helped to deepen their mutual love and respect and engage with each other. In many cultures, this partnership approach does not come naturally,” he says.

ACN has expressed a commitment to support the Diocese of Aného in forming young people and helping them to realize the “dream of God '' in their lives.

According to ACN, Africa is considered a continent where family cohesion is highly developed.

Todays, however, more and more African families are being torn apart, the Pontifical charity foundation reports, adding, “Poverty, the influence of the media, the lack of future prospects and other factors lead young people to seek refuge in sexual relations, alcohol, drugs or crime at an early age.”

“Teenage pregnancy and AIDS are widespread and lead to numerous tragedies - especially for the children who come into the world unwanted under these circumstances,” ACN says in the July 25 report.

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In Togo, about 40 percent of its 8.3 million inhabitants are under the age of 15, ACN further reports, and adds, “That is why the bishop of Aného is eager to train lay people to help young people in the parishes learn the importance of fidelity and responsibility and to respect their own dignity and that of their future marriage partner. This will lay the foundation for happy and stable families.”

ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.