The Second Annual Lecture of the Bishop of Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocease Right Reverent Bishop Alfred Adgyenta has been held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
It was under the theme: “Confronting the Evil of Abuse of Children and Vulnerable Adults: The Role of the Church and Civil Society”.
The lecture which was organized by the Bishop, brought together the lay faithful, priest and religious across the dioceses of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.
In his welcome address the chairman of the planning committee Rev. Fr. Lawrence Azure indicated that, the Catholic Church in recent times has being in limelight of scandalous reports in the media regarding human rights abuse the world over which gives a lot of concern.
He stated that, the theme chosen for the lecture was of significance in addressing the canker.
The Annual Lecture (AL) was organized at the back of last year’s one and seeks to afford the Bishop the opportunity to meet with the people of God in the church and the region and to explain to them the current pastoral issues bedeviling the life of the church and society at large, to listen and reflect on the views and opinions of the people of God who reside within the jurisdiction of the Diocese, to decide together and find ways and means of dealing with the evil of abuse of children and vulnerable adults that is gaining notoriety within the church.
The Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocease Alfred Agyenta indicated that, the lecture the AL was not intellectual or the provision of information but geared to towards taking concrete action can change the life of the people of God.
He said the goal of the 2019’s lecture is to create awareness in the church and in civil society about the evil of child abuse, cry out aloud that the culture of silence surrendering child abuse and vulnerable adults must stop, to educate and provide information as to where and to whom victims of abuse can turn for help and support among others.
The Manager of the Catholic Education Unit Rev. Sister Bernardine Pemii of the Daughters of Charity, (DC) explained some of the forms and nature of abuses meted out to children and vulnerable adults in the various schools, church and at the family level that hinders their growth and development.
Lawyer Kenneth Adabayeri with the Regional House of Chiefs took participants through the legal consequences and implication of abuse especially children, since the Catholic Church does not leave in isolation of the laws of the country, legal intricacies are taken into consideration in the churches’ fight against the evil of abuse of children and vulnerable adults
The vicar General of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese Rev father Gabriel Atidoo said that, Catholic has put in place stringent measures to help check some of the practices in the various institutions within the Diocese and has trained personalities to take reports from victims for further action.
Story by: Emmanuel Akayeti
