Friday, August 1st 2025 Established 1905 27 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown, Guyana Year 120, No. 29
Just Electoral Peace in Guyana: Faith leaders & civil society to launch initiative
“The Church stands ready to help build bridges where divisions exist,” said Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB, who is part of the working group alongside Dr. David Singh, Lawrence Lachmansingh, Sara Bharrat, and Vanessa Williams. Below is the text of a video message by Bishop Francis Alleyne on the Just Electoral Peace initiative:
Webinar Series | Towards Peaceful and Transparent Elections in Guyana “Building Trust, Strengthening Systems, Upholding Values” As Guyana approaches elections on September 1, a new civil society initiative backed by the Roman Catholic Church aimed at fostering a lasting and just electoral peace in Guyana will soon be launched. The initiative, titled "Just Electoral Peace in Guyana", will bring together political stakeholders, civil society leaders, and the wider public for a three-part webinar series focused on trust, system strengthening, and shared national values. The online dialogue begins August 7 and runs until August 21.
The goal is to create safe spaces for Guyanese citizens and leaders to confront hard questions about reconciliation, constitutional reform, and trust in electoral systems — issues that, if left unaddressed, risk fueling the tensions that often erupt before and after elections. The Roman Catholic Church in Guyana is lending its institutional support to the initiative, inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which calls for greater global use of dialogue to address political and social conflict.
Looking at the recent incident-free and democratic elections in our neighbouring countries — Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago — the time is ripe for Guyana to take decisive steps toward deepening its own democratic resilience. I am Bishop Francis Alleyne, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Guyana. The Church along with other faiths and NGOs, invite you to join us for a timely and thoughtprovoking webinar series focused on fostering peaceful and transparent elections in Guyana. This three-part (please turn to page 15)
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Bishop’s Engagements Sunday, August 3rd 07:30hrs – Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Wednesday, August 6th 17:15hrs - Mass at Arrupe House Saturday, August 9th 17:00hrs – Attend mass at Our Lady of the Mount, Meadowbank Sunday, August 10th 09:00hrs – Attend Mass at St. Pius X, West La Penitence
The week-long AEC Youth Leadership Conference 2025 was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Sunday July 20th. It brought together more than 70 delegates from across the AEC. The photo above shows the delegates after daily Mass at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. Please see more on page 12 (Photo: AEC Facebook page)
Francis Alleyne OSB