President John Dramani Mahama has congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new head of the Catholic Church.The President extended the congratulatory message to the Pope, during a courtesy call at the Presidency in Accra by a 20-Member Delegation of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Confer­ence (GCBC), led by its President, Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Sunyani Diocese.The Bishops were at the Presidency to congratulate the President on his massive victory in the December 7, 2024, general election and to present a litany of issues of national concern for his attention, such as the menace of il­legal mining, the education reform, governance, and electoral reforms.President Mahama shared his hope that Pope Leo would follow in the compassionate and impact­ful footsteps of Pope Francis, who held a special place in his heart for Africa.The President noted that it was an honour to receive the Bishops' Conference because of their sup­port, prayers, and the opportunity to discuss critical national issues as he had done before the elections.He extended his appreciation to the Conference for its strong stance against the devastation being caused by illegal mining (galamsey) and their call for deci­sive action.He said the GCBC's sugges­tions for credible and sustainable alternatives were equally important for those involved and remain one of the effective strategies that the government has been committed to.The President thanked the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Con­ference for its dedication to the development and well-being of the country."As a government, we are committed to working together to address these challenges and build the Ghana we want," he said.-GNA