For Immediate Release: CCG/GCBC 2025 Joint Communique

Wednesday May 22, 2025

For Immediate Release

For Immediate Release: CCG/GCBC 2025 Joint Communique

GREETINGS

Dearly beloved citizens of goodwill residing in Ghana, we extend to you greetings from the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

PREAMBLE

We, the leaders of the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, held our annual Joint Meeting at the St. James Catholic Church, Osu-Accra, on Thursday May 22, 2025. We used the opportunity to hold an Ecumenical Service to pray for Christian unity and the wellbeing of the nation. In our joint meeting, we discussed matters of both Church and National interests. We deem it appropriate as Christian Leaders to speak to and bring the following issues to the attention of the Government, our Christian Communities and the people of Ghana.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING

Having been briefed by the Planning Committee of the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving on the proposal to annually observe July 1 as National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, we wish to propose that the annual event should be led by the Religious Bodies with the Church taking central role in its organization and promotion.

GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE COUNCIL

We wish to call on the Minister of Education to put the necessary processes in place to reinstate the representation of Religious Bodies on the Ghana Education Service Council. This will show good faith, recognizing the historical and moral contribution of faith-based institutions to national education.

EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

Building on the outcomes of the 2025 National Catholic Education Forum held in Koforidua and the proposals sent to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, the partnership on education between the Government and the Christian Churches should be signed as soon as possible to ensure the promotion of ethical and moral values in our schools. We believe this will contribute to addressing corruption and unethical conduct that impede national development.

ELECTION OF MMDCE’S

As part of the ongoing Constitutional Review process, we propose that discussions on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives be revisited to enhance the local governance system in Ghana. Local Government is the level of government that is closer to the majority of our people. This is the level of government that delivers basic services such as education, sanitation, lorry parks, markets, planning, etc. Local participation and support are critical to the effective performance of local government.

HUMAN SEXUAL RIGHTS AND FAMILY VALUES BILL

We have been informed that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which was not assented to after it was passed by the previous parliament, has been resubmitted to the Current Parliament as a Private Members Bill in February. Despite the submission, we kindly affirm our support for the Bill to be government-sponsored through the Office of the Attorney General. This is to avoid the legal challenges that the previous bill suffered. We expect that this bill will be treated under the Certificate of Urgency since all the work on it has already been done by the previous parliament.

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

To bring to rest all the issues surrounding the National Cathedral Project, we request that the forensic audit of the Project be completed promptly to provide clarity and inform prudent decisions regarding the project’s future in the interests of Ghanaians

CONCLUSION

The Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference wish to assure all Ghanaians that we will continue our public education, Christian advocacy and prayers for peace, harmony, and justice in Ghana. In so doing we will continue to be non-partisan and be guided by the principles of the Holy Bible. We wish all Ghanaians well in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Signed

Rev. Dr. Cyril Fayose

(General Secretary, CCG)

Rev. Fr. Clement Kwasi Adjei

(Secretary General, GCBC)

Source: CCG