Cape Coast, Sept. 3, GNA - Nana Ato Arthur, Deputy Central Regional Minister, on Saturday called on members of the Catholic Men's Society (CMS) to be in the forefront of the fight against ignorance, disease, poverty and other social vices to promote national development. He said Catholics should promote good governance and ensure cordial relations between those in authority and the people, which he said was vital for the development of the nation. Nana Arthur made the call at the opening of a three-day national congress of CMS of Ghana.

The congress, the first ever, was under the theme: "Catholic men participants of the Eucharist and pillars of evangelisation". The Deputy Regional Minister stressed the need for Church-Government collaboration to accelerate socio-economic development. He advised the members not to shy away from leadership positions because they would be insulted, adding that, it was their social responsibility to lead the people and render service to them. Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, in a speech read on his behalf, asked men to avail themselves of God's work by being righteous for others to emulate, which he said was another way of evangelising.

He urged men not to shirk their responsibilities and to accept blame when they were wrong, adding that, they should strive to change those attitudes, which could separate them from God. Cardinal Turkson commended the founders of the society for their foresight, to unite men in the Church and advised them to support whatever they did with prayers.

The Archbishop condemned bribery and corruption, defilement and rape, which was on the ascendancy and urged the perpetrators to refrain from those vices.

Dr Joseph Assumani, leader of the society in his welcoming address, said so far 7 out of the 18 Dioceses of the Church had branches of the society and called on the other ones to join. He appealed to men in the Church who had not yet joined to do so, to strengthen the Society in the Church and to promote their welfare for the benefit of society and the nation.