“Africa urgently needs peace”: RECOWA President at Opening Ceremony of Plenary Assembly in Senegal

“The Church in West Africa wants to, and must, contribute to this mission. Of course, peace comes from God, but it does not fall from heaven like a finished product or a garment ready to be worn. Rather, peace is like a basket — a beautiful basket that must be woven together, each person offering their own thread,” the Ivorian-born Catholic Bishop said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Local Ordinary of Ivory Coast’s Diocese of Agboville further said that Catholic Bishops in West Africa have chosen to “bring the Church’s unique thread to this common weaving. The Church, let us not forget, is an expert in humanity. In this way, we will help our people rise again and remain standing — because the natural posture of a people is to stand tall.”

“Africa must therefore stand up — take its destiny into its own hands and chart its own path. Africans must not be content to always sleep on the shoulders of others. To sleep on another’s shoulders is to live in dependence — and ultimately, to deny our very identity,” he said.

Credit: ACI Africa

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Bishop Touably continued, “The time has come — indeed, it is long overdue — for us Africans to weave our own identity, to be truly ourselves in this decisive moment in history.”

“We need to free ourselves from any inferiority complex in relation to other peoples. Like them, we are human beings, and we must accept and affirm our identity,” the RECOWA President said.

Credit: ACI Africa

He continued, “We must refuse to be the last on earth, to be the eternal followers of others. We, the Archbishops and Bishops of West Africa, can — and must — contribute to the emergence of a new Africa.”

“Let us not be afraid. Let us dare,” Bishop Touably emphasized at the opening ceremony of the May 5-12 Fifth RECOWA Plenary Assembly organized under the theme, “For a Synodal and Autonomous Church at the Service of Justice and Peace in West Africa.”

Credit: ACI Africa

He implored, “May God Himself, through His Spirit, inspire us with what is good for the Church and for the people of West Africa.”

RECOWA comprises 16 West African countries which include Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinee, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinee Bissau, and Togo.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.