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Catholic Bishops in West Africa Concerned about “high cost of living”, Call for Solidarity

Members of the Joint Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape-Verde, and Guinea-Bissau (CESMCVGB) with authorities in Kolda, Senegal. Credit: Caritas Senegal

Catholic Bishops of the four-nation Conference in West Africa are concerned about the “high cost of living” in their respective countries.

In their collective statement at the end of their Annual Ordinary Session, members of the Joint Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape-Verde, and Guinea-Bissau (CESMCVGB) express their solidarity with families experiencing hardships.

“We are concerned about the current economic crisis which is affecting the lives of many people due to the high cost of living,” the members of CESMCVGB say in their message shared with ACI Africa Tuesday, November 15.

They invite the government to “consolidate its efforts to ensure that the needs of the population, especially the most vulnerable, are better taken care of.”

The Catholic Bishops further urge citizens of the four West African nations to “show more solidarity with those affected.”

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“We encourage the Diocesan Caritas to be ever more attentive and closer to the most needy populations,” CESMCVGB members say in their collective message dated November 13. 

They also express concern about the “tense social and political climate in their respective countries.”

The Catholic Church leaders caution especially politicians about the “dangers of division, slander and violence.” 

They remind all citizens of the “duty of honesty, loyalty and respect towards their fellow citizens and militants.”

In their November 13 collective statement, CESMCVGB members say “no to violence, to the manipulation of consciences and opinions” and invite citizens of the four West African countries to “put the general interest of the nation first.”

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They call on young people “to the responsible and respectful (in their) use of social media.”

On insecurity in their respective nations, CESMCVGB members decry “a progressive rise in multiform violence, sometimes due to ideologies that advocate exclusion and intolerance based on religion, origin, culture, ethnicity or political affiliation.”

The Catholic Bishops in Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau call on the population to “be more open, tolerant and to engage in dialogue; the authorities to be vigilant and to promote justice, equity, peace and social cohesion.”

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.