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Your Eminences,

Your Excellencies,

I send you greetings of grace and peace from the RECOWA Secretariat in Abuja.

As we begin the new month of July, I wish you God’s blessing and pray that he grants you graces of fruitfulness and fresh initiatives in your ministries and a peaceful rest for those who will have their annual leave this month.

As usual, I wish to update you with the major happenings within the conference.

  1. Episcopal appointment and ordinations

In the last one month, RECOWA has been blessed with new appointment of Bishops and episcopal ordinations.

S/NNameCountryDioceseDate of appointment
1Most Rev. Edmond Yawo AmekuseTogoBishop of Kpalime26 /06/26
2Most Rev.  Aguia Jean Martial Arnaud KouaméCôte d’IvoireAuxiliary Bishop of Abidjan13/05/26

With these appointments, Most Rev. Benoit Alowonou officially becomes emeritus bishop. We thank him for the great services that he rendered to the Church and to RECOWA.

  • Meetings
  • Presidential Council

The RECOWA Presidential Council held her second meeting for the year on the 9th of June. It was an online meeting. The meeting was an occasion to evaluate the execution of the decisions taken during the 12th Standing Committee and to plan for the rest of the year.

The meeting confirmed the date for the next Standing Committee. It will take place in Bissau, Guinea Bissau from 4 to 9 February 2027. The Diocese of Bissau has agreed to host the meeting. We remind all the members of the Standing Committee to reserve this date in their diary.

It also discussed the forthcoming West African Youth Days. It will be in Accra, Ghana from 7 to 12 September. We urge bishops who would like to attend this regional event to indicate their interest to help the organizing committee in their planning. We still plead that each diocese should sponsor at least three youths to the event.

It equally treated the question of the end of service for the FCIM Sisters who are working at the CCPM in Abidjan. There had been several meetings between the congregation and the Presidential Council leading to a common agreement that the official end of service and farewell party will respectively be held on 11 and 12 August 2026 at the CCPM in Abidjan. We thank the sisters for their years of service in the heart of RECOWA and wish them success in their next mission.

  • CIWA

The President of RECOWA Most Rev. Alexis Touabli Youlo, who is also the Chancellor of RECOWA Educational Institutions paid a visit to the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Portharcourt, Nigeria from 17-20 June 2026. It was a great event that gave him first-hand information about the institute. He is inviting all the bishops to support the institute by sending at least a student to study there. The average tuition, accommodation and other fees for an academic year in the institute ranges between 900 and 1200 Euros for Masters and Doctoral studies in theology, Canon law and communication.

  • Synodality Observatory

The bishops of Africa have approved, through SECAM, the formation of Synodality Observatory. This body is charged with the responsibility of observing and documenting all the synodality initiatives and activities that take place in all the dioceses and institutions in Africa. All the conferences have at least one person responsible for observing the conference. The group had their training in Nairobi for the Anglophones and in Abidjan for the Francophones and Lusophones from 2 to 5 July 2026. I was there as the regional coordinator of the programme. We implore, Your Excellencies to activate the synodality teams of your dioceses to join in this synodal match. The first half of 2027 is already marked out as a time for diocesan synodal assembly to evaluate the progress made so far in the implementation of synodal lifestyle in the local Churches.

  • Publication

The General Secretariat of Synod published a guide for the 2027-2028 synodal Assemblies titled “Towards the 2027-2028 Assemblies: stages, criteria and tools.” Below is the programme:

StageTimelineActors InvolvedOutputs
Remembering1st half of 2027Dioceses and eparchiesNarrative reports, letters
Interpreting2nd half of 2027Episcopal conferencesTheological-pastoral syntheses, letters
OrientingEarly 2028Continental assembliesPerspective reports, priorities
CelebratingOct 2028Global Church in VaticanEcclesial Assembly with Pope

Every diocese is expected to submit the report of their assembly to the General Secretariat of Synod in Vatican by the end of June 2027.

  • Conclusion

Your Eminences, your Excellences, we thank you for your support and understanding. Without your support we cannot function well. That is why we seize this opportunity to remind those who have not done their annual contribution for this year to remember RECOWA in their budget. We promise to do our best to make you proud of RECOWA. We wish you God’s abundant blessings.

Rev. Fr. Vitalis Anaehobi

Secretary General of RECOWA

Père Paul DAH
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