“Intensify prayers”: Lenten Appeal of Catholic Bishops in Ghana to End Violent Conflicts

GCBC members also appeal for prayers for “all the victims of the Turkey-Syria disaster, for God’s repose for those who have lost their lives, especially, our compatriot Christian Atsu.”

“We pray for consolation for the grieving families and God’s abundant blessings for those involved in the rescue efforts,” Catholic Bishops in Ghana say in their letter dated Tuesday, February 21, referencing the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that reportedly claimed at least 47,000 lives.

They followers of Christ in the country to use the Lenten Season to foster peaceful co-existence, saying, “We believe, as Christians, that Jesus Christ is our peace and reconciliation and that He has broken down the walls of discrimination and division among  people, and more so, He has reconciled humanity with God our Creator and us with each  other.”

“Our country, at this material moment, needs her sons and daughters to live in peace and  harmony in their families, in their marriages and homes, in their localities, in their places  of work, in their clans and ethnic groups, peace and harmony among members of different  political parties and in the nation as a whole,” the Catholic Bishops in their Letter signed by GCBC President, Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi.

They emphasize the need to “change our hearts and seek peace and reconciliation with God, neighbor and the world around us.”

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“Our prayer is that we will all endeavor to use this year’s Season of Lent to seek peace and reconciliation with God and our neighbors,” GCBC members say.

They further say that the Season of Lent “is a special season of instruction” and that “the readings for the season have been chosen carefully to help our faith to grow.”

“Spend more quality time in this grace-filled season reading their Bibles, other spiritual books and to listen attentively to the instructions on the faith in the various celebrations of the Season,” Catholic Bishops in Ghana appeal in their February 21 Pastoral Letter.

They call on “all citizens of Ghana in general, and our Catholic faithful in particular, to intensify their life of prayer, fasting, and good works and also avail themselves for the sacrament of penance and reconciliation in this season of Lent.”

“Lenten spirituality is combative, a struggle against evil and sinful inclinations,” GCBC members say, and continue, “In this season, we need to carry out the combat against evil and sinful inclinations every day.”

“Using the weapons of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we must face the  struggle to overcome these evil and sinful inclinations in our lives each day, particularly, in this holy Season,” they further say.

The Catholic Church leaders underscore the need to take part in the Sacrament of Confession, saying, “This grace-filled season invites us not only to be content with ridding ourselves of grave  or mortal sins, but also every venial sin.”

“In this spiritual endeavor, we exhort all to strive to be committed to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as well as the practice of corporal and  spiritual works of mercy proposed by the Church, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the  naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, bearing wrongs  patiently, comforting the sorrowful and admonishing sinners during this season of grace,” they say.

GCBC members implore, “May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong. May God grant us His peace and a grace-filled Lenten Season.”

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.