AIMS

The Regional Episcopal Conference of French-speaking West Africa (C E R A O) was founded at the same time as the first Plenary session (it was then called " Plenary Conference") which was organised at ANAYAMA (near Abidjan) on the 11th-14th June 1963. It was chaired by Bishop Bernadin GANTIN, who was then Arch-bishop of Cotonou.

The second one was held in the following year in Dakar ("3rd-6th June, 1964), still with Bishop Bernardin GANTIN as chairman. Bishop Hyacinthe THIANDOUM, Archbishop of Dakar was responsible for the Secretariat.

The aim of the Regional Episcopal Conference of French-speaking West Africa
is mainly to encourage the co-ordination of all the activities which are of interest to all
the local Churches, and to promote, as far as possible, a general pastoral. At the present moment, it associates eleven countries of the sub-region: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo and covers sixty dioceses.

His Headquarters is in Abidjan.

Its statutes were approved by the Ordinaries of French-speaking West Africa at the Plenary Session of the 6th February 1985 in Lome, Togo.

The Regional Episcopal Conference meets in Plenary session every three years. In emergency, the Chairman on his own initiative or on the reques of one-third of its members can convene an Extra-ordinary Plenary Session of the Regional Episcopal Conferences. The Standing Council meets each year except the year of the Plenary Session.

In order to be able to really attain its aims, C E R A O reinforced with thirteen committees and two Secretariats ( Catholic and Oecuminical Education).

Lastly, the Regional Episcopal Conference establishes quite close links with the other Conferences or National or Regional Episcopal Associations (AECAWA, AMECIA, IMBISA, CERNA ...).