The Most Reverend Samuel Nkuah-Boateng, the Bishop of Wiawso Catholic Diocese, has called on the church to invest in its youth to help improve upon their socio-economic wellbeing.
That, he explained, would enable them to effectively contribute their quota towards the growth of the church and the country in general.
He was speaking, in Takoradi, at the opening of a three-day quiz and study session, organised by the Cape Coast Ecclesiastical Provincial Youth Council of the Catholic Church.
The session was attended by participants drawn from the Cape Coast Archdiocese, and Sekondi-Takoradi and Wiawso Dioceses to discuss pertinent welfare issues of the youth, remind themselves of the Catholic teachings and doctrines and deliberate on how they could contribute to ensuring a peaceful 2024 general elections.
It was held on the theme: “Fostering the growth of the Catholic Church in Ghana through collaborative ministry: The role of the Catholic youth.”
Most Rev. Nkuah-Boateng speaking on the theme, said the youth had been faced with issues of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, and other societal challenges that hindered their ability to work towards fostering the growth of the church.
He said the supreme mandate of every society was the growth and development of the wellbeing of its people, and so was the Catholic Church.
He said: “It is important that as a church, we invest in our youth. In every budget we plan, we must make sure to allocate some resources for youth programmes, because if we think it is expensive to invest in them, it will be highly expensive to also leave them to be ignorant in wherever they find themselves.”
Meanwhile, Most Rev. Nkuah-Boateng advised the youth to be devoted and committed to the work of God to grow the Church.
He said the youth played pivotal roles in shaping the growth of the Catholic Church, and that its future lied in their hands so they must strictly uphold the teachings and doctrines of the church.
The Most Reverend John Baptist Attakruh, the Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Catholic Diocese, encouraged the youth not to allow themselves to be used by political actors for violent activities before, during and after the 2024 general elections.
Mr Richard Johnson, the Cape Coast Ecclesiastical Provincial Youth Chairman, said the programme was the youth in the province to talk about issues of the church and national interest, especially those that hinged on sustaining the peace and stability of the country in the electioneering period.
Officials from the Western Regional offices of the Electoral Commission and National Commission for Civic Education took turns to educate participants on their mandates and roles of the youth in ensuring peace for national development.
GNA