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Regional News of Friday, 2 September 2005

Source: GNA

Call politicians to order - Dery

Wa, Sept. 2, GNA - Mr. Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister on Friday stated that religious bodies have the social and moral responsibility of calling politicians to order anytime they go astray in the course of their duties.

"Democracy and its tenets of good governance, rule of law, among others, will be meaningless in society if there is no order and decorum among the implementers," he stressed.

Mr. Dery made this statement at Wa during the opening ceremony of the 7th National Congress of the Legion of Mary, an organization within the Catholic Church.

He said politicians were not above reproach and therefore, could not be considered as upright people in society since they were human beings and could make some of the fundamental human errors in society.

"As religious people in society, you have the responsibility of putting us on our toes by telling us where we went wrong and by encouraging us to come out with the truth that will be beneficial to the entire society."

The Regional Minister commended the Catholic Church in its pioneering role in the fields of education, health and agriculture and said the situation had placed the Upper West Region in particular, at a higher level of development.

"In most communities in the Upper West Region, it is the Catholic Church that has developed a lot of people who have become prominent in society and the private sector and we are so grateful to you," he added.

Most Reverend Paul Bemile, Catholic Bishop of the Wa Diocese called on Christians all over the country to demonstrate the love of Christ by eschewing negative tendencies that undermine development in society. "If you have love for one another I do not think that you will engage in conflicts and disputes that do not bring anything meaningful in your communities and society in general."

The Bishop urged them to be firm in their faith and dedicate themselves as the soldiers of the Church that would all the time defend the values of the Church, especially morality in society.

Reverend Fr. Eugene Suom-Dery, Wa Cathedral administrator of the Catholic Church called on members of the Legion of Mary to exhibit the same level of sacrifice that mother Mary exhibited in the Bible. He commended the hierarchy of the organization for holding the congress in the Upper West Region, which, he said, was an honour to the region.