Bishops in Benin Encourage “open dialogue” Ahead of Presidential Election

Three Beninese citizens reached out to the country’s Constitutional Court asking for the abolition of the sponsorship system. On January 8, the Court declared that it does not have the competence to deal with the issue. 

In December, Catholic Bishops in the country called on the government to abolish the electoral law because Members of Parliament passed “non-consensual interpretative laws … which led to the appointment of many Mayors of the same political persuasion, (it will make) the fair and equitable application of sponsorship complex.”

In the January 22 statement issued at the end of their Ordinary Plenary Session for the pastoral year 2020-2021, the Bishops insist on the need for peace saying, “At stake is the image of our country on the international scene and above all the preservation of social peace without which the development efforts that have been started would be compromised.” 

The Bishops invite the people of God in the country to “fast and to pray urgently for peace and cohesion among the sons and daughters of Benin.”

Meanwhile, the members of CEB have also decried increased noise pollution in the neighborhoods of the country's towns and villages and called on the authorities to enforce the relevant legislation.

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They invite the people of God in the country “to become collectively aware of the harmful consequences of this scourge on their well-being.” 

Referencing St. Francis de Sales whose feast day was January 24, the Church leaders say, “Noise does not do any good and good does not come out of noise.”

Further, the Catholic Bishops express their concerns about an upsurge in traffic accidents, which “cause significant material damage but also loss of human life plunging families into mourning and distress.”

CEB members call on all drivers in the country to “strictly adhere to the Highway Code in order to preserve their lives and those of other road users.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.