Cardinal Dery laid to rest

Tamale, April 1, GNA - The mortal remains of Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery were on Tuesday laid to rest at the OLA Catholic Cathedral in Tamale.

Born on May 10, 1918, at Zemuopare near Nandom in the Upper West Region, the celebrated Catholic priest was ordained on February 11, 1951.

He was appointed Bishop of Wa in 1960 and made Cardinal in March by Pope Benedict XVI.

President John Agyekum and Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama joined the huge crowd of Catholic faithful from across the country, Rome and Burkina Faso at the pre-burial state funeral service held for him at the Tamale Sports Stadium.

Also present were Ministers of State, members of the Council of State and Parliamentarians. Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson was delegated by the Pope to officiate at the burial service in line with the tradition of the Catholic Church.

The government, the Pope and the Catholic Bishops Conference read tributes to his memory.

The common theme that ran through all of them was the acknowledgement of his pacesetter role, zeal for promoting human dignity, discipline, forthrightness and integrity. The Most Reverend Peter Akwasi Sarpong, the retired Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi in a homily, appealed to Christians to let the life of the late Cardinal to influence them to resist evil and proclaim goodness.

He said the Christian community should join other faiths to fight against all ills and inhumanities in the society. He called for unity and an end to ethnicism, hatred, acrimony and what he termed "interminable Chieftaincy disputes" in all parts of the country. Mr. Felix Owusu Adjepong, Minister-designate for Energy, read a tribute on behalf of the government and said the late Cardinal Dery was a true partner in the development of the country. He said his commitment to education and health knew no bounds and he laid a solid foundation for the development of the north and the country in general. He said during certain turbulent periods in the country's history the late Cardinal Dery served as a "Voice of conscience". Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Government, the Pope, the Catholic Bishops Conference and family members.