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Catholic Bishops in Ivory Coast Call for Repentance-Filled Jubilee Year Celebrations

Members of the Episcopal Conference of Ivory Coast (CECCI)

Members of the Episcopal Conference of Ivory Coast (CECCI) have called on citizens to embrace the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year with repentance and spiritual renewal.

In a message issued at the end of their 126th Plenary Assembly, CECCI members urge the faithful to look to Christ as the ultimate source of hope, unity, and peace. 

“Christ is the Church’s hope to save us from sin and hatred. Christ is the hope for reconciliation with God and among ourselves amidst our struggles and fratricidal divisions,” the Catholic Bishops say in their message issued on January 26 on the topic, “Hope Does Not Disappoint.”

They add, “Christ is our hope because He is our unity and our peace.”

The Jubilee Year coincides with the Golden Jubilee of the Ivorian Episcopal Conference. 

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CECCI members describe the Jubilee as a unique opportunity to reflect on the past, express gratitude for God’s blessings, and commit to building a hopeful future.

They emphasize the Jubilee’s focus on fostering a united society, urging calling for strengthened ties between religious and political communities. 

“We hope this year of grace will inspire consensus, promote transparency in governance, and strengthen our shared commitment to the common good,” CECCI members say.

Pope Francis officially launched the 2025 Jubilee Year on the Eve of Christmas 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Announcing the start of a Year of Prayer on 21 January 2024 in preparation for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, the Holy Father said that the 2025 Jubilee Year will be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

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In their January 26 message, Catholic Bishops in Ivory Coast express gratitude for the vibrant growth of the Church in their country with the recent appointment of a new Ivorian Cardinal by Pope Francis. 

They laud the growth as a testament to the Church’s vitality and reaffirm their commitment to unity within dioceses and parishes.

In their message, the Catholic Bishops call on Priests, Religious leaders, and lay faithful to intensify their prayers and actions in faith and hope. 

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain,” they say, urging Christians to entrust the Church and the nation to God’s providence.

They encourage the faithful to embrace Christ as their source of hope and to take steps toward repentance, reconciliation, and communal harmony.

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