Monrovia – The Catholic Church of Liberia has reiterated its commitment towards supporting key sectors of the Liberian society with the aim of promoting sustainable peace and development in the country.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]
The church’s statement was contained in a pastoral message delivered at the end of the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia (CABICOL) on Sunday, April 30 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Monrovia.
“We remain committed to an honest and sincere dialogue with our government on issues of common concern, in view of promoting the common good of our people,” said the statement bearing the signature of Anthony Bowah, President of CABICOL and Bishop of Gbarnga, His Grace Rev. Jerome Zeigler, Archbishop of Monrovia and Andrew Jagaye Karnley, Bishop of Cape Palmas.
“All social programs—health, education, Caritas, justice, and peace—are signs of our readiness to complement government’s efforts towards sustainable peace and development,” CABICOL stated.
In the message delivered by the President of CABICOL and the Bishop of Gbarnga, the Most Rev. Anthony Borwah, the Bishops announced that the church would continue to support the education and health sectors of the country, as well as constructively engaging the Government of Liberia on issues of common concerns.
Health
CABICOL announced the establishment of the National Catholic Health Council (NCHC), which would be responsible for coordinating all of the church’s health related activities in the country.
“As a church,” CABICOL stated, “the provision of quality, standardized, accessible, affordable and holistic healthcare is a capital importance.”
CABICOL noted that currently, the Catholic Church operates twenty-one health facilities and one training institution across the country, serving 1,295,200 persons, irrespective of creed, gender or political affiliation.
National Commission on Justice, Peace, and Caritas
CABICOL also noted that the promotion and defense of the inalienable rights of every person remains one of the church’s primary and fundamental concerns.
It asserted that over the years, the church’s Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) carried out this role in a very distinct way to the extent that the late Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis was recognized as ‘voice of the voiceless and the conscience of the nation’.
“This year in line with the latest motu proprio, an official document of His Holiness Pope Francis on Integral Human Development,” the Bishop declared.
“We are pleased to announce the creation of the National Commission on Justice, Peace and Caritas (NCJPC) which shall be the one national body responsible for overseeing the design, delivery, and evaluation of the charity, development and social justice works of the Catholic Church of Liberia.”
Education
On education, the church said that it remains committed to the provision of sound and quality education for all Liberians, disclosing that it currently runs 66 schools with a student population of about 24,281.
CABICOL also thanked the men and women behind these institutions for their sacrifice in molding the ‘minds and spirits’ of the young people and called on them to remain honest, dedicated, upright and dutiful in the discharge of their responsibilities.
“The distinctive mark of our Catholic schools is our Religious Education Program. We commit ourselves to improving the quality of this program. We call on all the priests, religious men and women to join us in this endeavor,” the statement declared.
Elections, Government, and Inter-Religious Dialogues
CABICOL, in her statement, called on the government and all stakeholders to ensure that the National Elections Commission (NEC) receives the timely and necessary support for the realization of peaceful and violent free elections.
It disclosed the establishment of a liaison office at CABICOL Secretariat, charged with liaising with the Legislative, Judiciary and Executive Branches of government to proactively promulgate, interpret and execute laws which uphold the dignity of the human person.
It also stressed the efforts of the Universal Church to dialogue with all men and women of good will for the respect of religious liberties as demonstrated in the recent visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Egypt.
The declaration marked the end of the Plenary Assembly of CABICOL held from 23rd to the 30th of April 2017.
The event was attended by several government officials including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who praised the Catholic Church for its immense contributions toward the development of Liberia over the years.
“As I toured around the country, I see the strength of the Catholic Church. I see all of your at works in the schools you support, in the hospitals that you join hands in; that partnership that goes way back with the government in the service to humanity in the name of God,” President Sirleaf said.
“I would like to reiterate our government’s commitment to that partnership, the commitments to all those things that have been mentioned in the homily.”
“We will take them and reflect upon them to see how we can do all we can to strengthen that partnership even further,” the President averred.
She noted that the Governance Commission has been tasked with the authority to work with the religious leaders to form a committee that will dialogue with the leader of all political parties.
President Sirleaf then called on the political leaders to work with the religious leaders in the spirit of dialogue and a commitment to peace and civility that would lead Liberia in a position to continue to pursue the goal of peace, stability, and development.