Apostolic nuncio in Ghana challenges West African youth to transform Africa

“You are not a lost generation; you are the ‘today of God,’” the pope’s representative told participants at the first-ever West African Youth Day in Accra on Tuesday.

ACCRA, Ghana — The representative of the Holy Father in Ghana has challenged young Catholics from across West Africa to reject fear, build friendships rooted in faith, and embrace their responsibility as the “today of God” in the Church and their countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the first-ever West African Youth Day (WAYD) in Accra on Tuesday, Archbishop Julien Kaboré said young people should not see themselves as victims of the challenges facing their societies or as a generation forced to wait for its opportunity to make a difference.

Instead, he said, young West Africans are already needed by the Church and their countries.

“Do not lose hope. You are not a sacrificed generation. You are not a lost generation. You are not a generation without a future,” the apostolic nuncio said.

The archbishop acknowledged that many young people are growing up amid uncertainty, insecurity, violence, and anxiety about what the future holds. Yet, he said, these realities should not determine how they understand themselves or their place in society.

The Church, he explained, recognizes young people as having an active role in the life of the Church and the world.

“In the Church, which is the family of God, the Holy Father calls you the ‘today of God,’” Kaboré said.

A native of Burkina Faso, Kaboré, who has been the pope’s representative in Ghana since June 2024, emphasized that the energy, dreams, talents, and hope of young people are not simply resources for the future but gifts that are needed in the present.

“Life needs you today. The Church needs you today. Your countries need you today,” he told the participants.

The Sept. 7–11 event is being celebrated under the theme “Take Courage, Catholic Youth, as Actors and Agents of Peace and Hope in West Africa.”

The gathering has brought together youth from the 16 countries in the West African region and has been organized by the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa.

In his address, the nuncio challenged young people to see WAYD not simply as a major Catholic celebration but as an opportunity to discern how they can contribute to the future of West Africa.

For Kaboré, the impact of the gathering should be measured long after the participants have returned to their respective countries. He acknowledged that neither he nor the young people could know exactly what the future would bring, but said he had a dream for the gathering.

“My hope, my dream, is that, by the grace of God, what we are witnessing today will one day be remembered as the beginning of a moment when a generation of young West African Catholics rediscovered the courage of faith,” he said.

He expressed hope that the encounter would awaken vocations, encourage young people to offer their gifts in service of the Church, and establish friendships that transcend national and linguistic boundaries.

“Every great tree begins with a seed. And therefore, I hope that this gathering today is also a seed,” Kaboré said.

For the young people at WAYD, he said, following Christ means learning to recognize the dignity of others and becoming instruments of unity in societies often marked by division. This mission, he added, begins with relationships.

“Do not leave Ghana without making new friends, without creating bonds,” he said.

He challenged participants to ensure that the friendships formed during the gathering are not superficial relationships based merely on photographs and memories but bonds capable of supporting their Christian vocation beyond Accra.

“Seek friends in virtue. Friends who bring you closer to God,” he said, “May Mary accompany each of your steps. May she protect your youth. May she teach you to say yes to God.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.