Yendi (NR), Sept. 5, GNA - The Most Rev. Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, Catholic Bishop of Yendi has urged religious leaders to let their lives reflect simplicity, prayerfulness, justice and charity towards all especially the lowly and poor.

He indicated that unless they got closer to God their sacramental functions will be misconstrued as magical and merely mechanized acts in which case they may even become scandalous and sacrilegious before God.

Bishop Boi-Nai made these remarks when he ordained The Rev. Seth Anthony Yeboah and Rev. Micheal Liebar Cobb at the Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Yendi at the weekend.

He said if they wanted to satisfy the sincere quest of the youth in particular and the public at large then they will have to really be men of God, men who had really experienced God and who people expected to be of genuine spiritual flavour.

Bishop Boi-Nai said the simplest way of being spiritual was to abide by the spirit who dwelt in them always, adding that to be successful in ministry every priest must be unpretentious, natural and approachable.

He told the ordained ministers that as disciples of Jesus they should try to accentuate the positive rather than the negative, and should assume a positive stance towards everyone so that they may experience peace, unity and love in their lives.

He announced that healthy relationships among priests was essential in order that they may find mutual assistance in the development of their spiritual and intellectual lives, that they may be able to cooperate more effectively in their ministry and be saved from loneliness.

Bishop Boi-Nai said prayer was the best means of listening to the spirit and by which they could come closer in union with God, and that it was about time leaders of churches in the country girded up their loins to cleanse the church of iniquities.

“There is no use saying that it is Satan who made one to sin in rape, fraud, theft, defilement and causing harm to others”, he noted.

The Yendi Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Issah Zakaria commended Bishop Boi-Nai and the Roman Catholic Church in the Yendi Municipality for working hard in promoting peace in Dagbon as a whole, stressing that without peace there could be no development.

On development projects, the MCE announced that the Roman Catholic Church had established 45 Primary schools, nine Junior High Schools, 17 Kindergarten schools, in addition to constructing a clinic for the people of Bachaborido in the Yendi Municipality.

He said in the Eastern Corridor, the Catholic Church had established the St. Joseph Technical Institute at Saboba, a Polyclinic in Tatale, clinics at Sambule and Chamba in Zabzugu/Tatale, Saboba, and Nanumba North Districts respectively

The MCE said the Yendi Catholic Diocese had also establish a Peace Centre in Yendi, of which the Andani and Abudu royal gates were members and met to support the Municipal Security Committee and the Government to bring peace to Yendi and Dagbon.

Mr Zakaria urged residents of the area to love one another for the sake of peace and development.