Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister has urged Ghanaians to adhere to the rule of law and selflessly protect the interest of the individual and the state against injustice and exploitation.

He pledged government’s commitment to all tenets of good governance, including freedom of the press, accountability, strengthening of state institutions, as well as fundamental human rights.

Mr Aidoo, also the Member of Parliament for Sefwi-Wiawso, made the call at the opening of the 2013 Annual Plenary Assembly of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) in Sunyani.

The eight-day conference on the theme: “New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith in Ghana,” is being attended by four archbishops, 13 bishops and an apostolic vicar of the Catholic Church hierarchy in the country.

Also in attendance are Most Reverend Thomas Kwaku Mensah, Archbishop Emeritus II of Kumasi and Most Reverend Joseph Ganda, Archbishop Emeritus of Freetown and Bo in Sierra Leone.

Mr Aidoo said government believed that good governance was a catalyst to socio-economic development, and stressed that it was incumbent on political and religious leaders, traditional authorities, administrators and Ghanaians in general, to join in the call for peace and unity in the country.

He said the touted credentials of the nation as an investment destination in the sub-region had been largely due to the peace being enjoyed by Ghanaians, and that the nation owed much gratitude to the clergy and other affiliated bodies for that achievement.

Mr Aidoo said the nation could always hold onto that remarkable accolade only when the citizenry continued to love each other.

He, therefore, appealed to the bishops to use all channels to guide Ghanaians to respect law and order, and avoid lawlessness in the country to ensure a just and peaceful society.

Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, President of GCBC, recounted the efforts, contributions and achievements of the conference towards national peace, political cohesion and socio-economic development since their last meeting in November 2012 at Koforidua.

He described the theme of the conference as “very apt” because the Catholic Church globally was celebrating 2013 as the Year of Faith, saying “the theme is challenging us to proclaim the good news in a new way to the world”.

Most Reverend Osei-Bonsu, who is also Bishop of Konongo-Mampong Diocese, said the new process of evangelization demanded some qualities from the clergy and all Christians, adding: “in the proclamation of the Good News, we must intensify our efforts to deepen the faith of those who are already believers”.

“This is because many Christians, including Catholics, are not firmly grounded in their faith. Due to that, they sometimes abandoned their faith in times of adversities and other unfavourable situations,” Bishop Osei-Bonsu said.

Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, said the Sunyani Diocese, created out of Kumasi Diocese on March 30, 1973, now had two Dioceses, Goaso in 1997 and Techiman in 2007.

The conference would end on Saturday, November 16, with a grand durbar of Catholics and well-wishers within and outside the Sunyani Diocese, and a thanksgiving service to climax the Year of Faith and the 40th anniversary celebration.