Violent extremism: Catholic Bishops’ Conference promotes peace and cohesive society

The Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference is embarking on a project to promote peace and build a cohesive society in response to the looming threats of violent extremism in the West African Sub-region.

The Conference, with funding from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has been training religious leaders in inter-religious dialogue as a strategy to counter violent extremism.

As part of the initiative, a second cohort of religious leaders has been trained at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, following similar training held in Tamale in the Northern Region.

The Reverend Father Michael Quaicoe, Head of Governance, Justice and Peace at the National Catholic Secretariat, Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, said the training was part of the church's strategy to mobilise religious leaders as a united front against extremist views and actions.

He said every religion inherently sought to promote peace; hence, enhancing the understanding of religious leaders on peace and forging a network of leaders would build a fortress that could not be easily exploited in the name of religion.

He underlined the importance of working together as religious leaders with common needs for health, education, and social infrastructure.

The Sahel Peace Initiative, which is the Catholic Church's response to the unprecedented violence being meted out to civilians in the Sahel Region, is adopting country-specific strategies based on local contexts.