“Civility should be the order of the day”: Catholic Bishops in Liberia on Ongoing Campaign

The National Elections Commission (NEC) scheduled August 5 – October 8 as the period within which campaigns for the general elections in the West African nation can be conducted.

In the statement dated August 15 that was also published on CABICOL Facebook page, Catholic Bishops in Liberia urge the electorate to turn up and elect the President, members of the House of Representatives, and half of the Senate.

To vote, they say, “is not only a moral obligation but also a patriotic duty. In so doing, we are helping in the promotion and safeguarding of our nascent democracy.”

“There cannot be voters' apathy in our current dispensation. Failure to vote is not only unpatriotic but also a serious omission in the fostering and maintenance of our peace. Failure to choose is already a choice and a bad choice,” CABICOL members say.

For credible and peaceful elections, the Catholic Church leaders urge NEC officials to “be professional and above reproach because the credibility of the elections depends on your level of professionalism.”

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“You must remain an impartial arbitrator of our electoral process. Thus, you will be contributing to consolidating our democratic process,” they say in the statement that was also signed by Bishop Andrew Jagaye Karnley of Cape Palmas Diocese and the Diocesan Administrator of Monrovia, Fr. Gabriel Blamo Jubwe.

CABICOL members urge the media to remain “objective in the analysis of the issues that matter. Remember, you owe it to God and the State to remain truthful in your reportage.”

Turning their attention to the youth, they caution them against associating with politicians keen on using them for violence, and say, “Remember, you are the present and future of our nation.”

The Catholic Bishop further “appeal that all political actors be given the same level of security. We are all Liberians and the rights of all should be upheld and protected.”

In their statement shared with ACI Africa on August 22, CABICOL members recommend daily recitation of the Holy Rosary for peaceful elections.

They call upon “all Catholics, as well as men and women of goodwill to join us in offering up prayers for peaceful and violent free elections.”

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