Catholic Bishops conference opens in Tamale

Tamale (Northern Region) 6th July ?99

The creation of a new Catholic diocese for Yendi would help heal the wounds of the 1994 ethnic conflict in the region and speed up the peace process, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Alabi, has said.

The new diocese is expected to become operational on Saturday, July 10, with the installation of Reverend Monsignor Vincent Boi Nai as Bishop of Yendi.

In a speech read on his behalf at the plenary assembly of the annual Catholic Bishops Conference at Tamale on Monday, Mr Alabi said the establishment of the diocese would enhance the participation church in efforts to re-establish confidence among the ethnic groups in the area.

Sixteen bishops are attending the conference, which is under the theme "the Catholic Church in Ghana at the threshold of the third millennium".

It would consider the role of the church in issues pertaining to Africa and the world while at the same time ensuring its primary objective of evangelisation and charity.

Mr Alabi said people of the region are conscious of the fact that the Church is one institution besides government that has made a tremendous impact on the lives of the people.

"We believe that it is only through peace, unity and stability that any meaningful development, be it physical, mental or moral, can take place and we enjoin you to use this conference to echo the fight for peace.

He commended the church for translating its mission into practical terms by participating in education, health and agricultural activities, "to provide nourishment for the mind, body and soul".

The Archbishop of Tamale, Most Reverend Gregory Kpiebaya, welcoming the Bishops, said the church believes in uplifting and preserving the dignity of the human being as designed by God hence its involvement in social activities.

Since the creation of the Tamale Archdiocese in 1950, it has established 27 kindergartens and nurseries, 130 primary schools, 33 junior secondary schools, a senior secondary, technical and a vocational school.

The church has also established six health centres, one centre for pastoral formation and a major seminary with three campuses in the region.

Archbishop Kpiebaya said because Northern Region is bedevilled with perennial water shortages, the church has played an active role in the provision of potable water especially in the "horseshoe" area of the region where it has constructed 28 dams and wells.

The president of the conference, the Archbishop of Cape Coast, His Grace Peter Turkson, said the conference is an exercise of prayerful and humble consultation and deliberation to promote co-operation in the ministry.

He called for a "sankofa" attitude for the church at the threshold of the third millennium, saying, "we should revert to our origin and beginnings as a church in this country to be able to launch into the new millennium".