He said the sessions provide an opportunity to help couples understand the Church’s teachings, particularly those concerning marriage, the family and the protection of human life.
“Yes, I believe we need to intensify the preparatory sessions for the sacrament of matrimony, the six-month preparation should be used as a moment to educate and catechise our people about marriage and Christian family life,” Bishop Fianu said.
The bishop, who is also Vice President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, was speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the Theological and Philosophical Week celebration at Saint Gregory the Great Provincial Major Seminary this week.
His comments came in response to a question about how the Church could make the teachings of Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical of Pope Paul VI on human life and the regulation of births, more accessible to Catholics in Ghana.
Bishop Fianu said the Church should also use its liturgical celebrations to explain its teachings, particularly during Masses where the readings focus on marriage and family life.
“And secondly, our homilies, especially when the readings talk about marriage or family life, we should use that as a moment to emphasise marriage and what the church teaches, particularly about preserving life, preserving human life from conception to death,” he said.
Bishop Fianu also encouraged young people seeking to live according to the teachings of the Church not to be discouraged, urging them to remain confident in their faith.
“My word to them is they should not be discouraged. They should be bold in living out their faith, bearing witness to what they believe,” he said.
He called on priests and consecrated persons to support young people through encouragement and accompaniment, stressing their role in helping them understand and live out the Church’s teachings.
“And priests, consecrated persons, should be the ones also to help the youth to live up to what the church teaches by encouraging them, accompanying them. And I believe when we do this well, we will be able to guide them in the right way,” he added.
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