Benin’s Catholic Bishop continue, “May this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity be an opportunity to strengthen our bonds beyond the diversity of our Christian doctrines. In this way, our common witness to faith in Jesus Christ will continue to impact our world for a better spread of the Gospel.”
In the statement following their Ordinary Plenary Session of the 2025-2026 pastoral year, the Catholic Bishops also call for vibrant celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God 2026, observed on the third Sunday in Ordinary Time, this year on January 25.
They encourage the people of God to root their faith in person of Jesus Christ through regular meditation on the Word of God and its application in daily life.
CEB members note that while inculturation, purification, and elevation of cultures through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is encouraged, the Church however cautions against the danger of religious syncretism and the risk of confusion between culture and worship.
“In short, she (the Church) invites us to live a faith without mixture and without compromise,” Benin’s Catholic Bishops emphasize.
They go on to laud the participation of the Church in Benin in the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year that was concluded when Pope Leo XIV closed the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on January 6.
The 2025 Jubilee Year, the Catholic Church leaders say, was a favourable time for conversion, spiritual renewal, and consolidation of the faith.
They congratulate all Catholics in Benin who participated in varied initiatives in Church institutions throughout the Jubilee Year, saying, “These are eloquent signs of a Church that is alive, committed, and always moving forward in God's grace.”
CEB members announce the Provincial Assembly of the Union of Beninese Clergy (UCB) that they say would be taking place from January 19-23 at St. Ambrose Center in Djougou, and then from February 2-6 at St. Gall Major Seminary in Ouidah.
Benin’s Catholic Bishops say that the Clergy’s meeting would be “a true melting pot of communion, fraternity, prayer, and reflection”, offering participants a privileged setting to further deepen their ministry and discern together contemporary pastoral challenges.
