Wa (Upper West), 8 Dec. ’98 – Right Reverend Bemile, Catholic Bishop of the Wa diocese has called on Christians to respect the doctrines and the beliefs of other religions to ensure peaceful co-existence. He said this can be done by avoiding derogatory remarks, which can spark off violence and unrest in society. Bishop Bemile made the call when he opened a two-week first Catholic synod of the Wa diocese at Wa. The synod which is being attended by 54 participants made up of priests reverend fathers and sisters and the laity will among other topics discuss marriage and the Christian family, youth in the local church, the environment and social communication. Bishop Bemile announced that the church will soon translate the Bible into all the languages in the region to pave way for effective evangelism. The church will intensify its programme on formal education, health and environment.. The Bishop appealed for closer ties between the church and state to create an enabling environment for peace, unity and development. Mr Bede Ziedeng, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, advised churches to adopt modern social communication techniques to enable them to reach out to all segments of society including those in the rural areas. He said the traditional methods of home visitations, ministry of the sick and group prayers have been over taken by modern means of communication such as the use of radio stations to preach the word of God. Mr Ziedeng also appealed to church leaders to involve their laity in revenue generating campaigns to ensure mutual trust and confidence among them. He called on them to use their platform to educate their congregation on Value Added Tax (VAT), which he said will be beneficial to every citizen when implemented.
