Tamale, July 3, GNA - His Eminence Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery has called on the Catholic Church to take youth training seriously to sustain the future development and progress of the Church. Peter Cardinal Dery made the call at a thanksgiving service celebration organised by the Tamale Arch Diocese of the Catholic Church in his honour in Tamale.

Most Rev. George Kocherry, the Apostolic Nuncio as well as Archbishops, Bishops, the Clergy, Catholic faithful and the cardinal's relatives attended the service, which was presided over by Most Reverend Philip Naameh, Bishop of Damongo. Traditional drumming, singing and dancing and merry making characterized the occasion.

Peter Cardinal Dery urged the Church to correct the mistakes of the youth and inculcate in them Catholic values so that they could take up leadership of the church. He called on Christians to remain united as a family and preach the gospel to win more souls for Christ. "Let us take everybody into our fold, even the greatest sinner should not be left out", he said. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Iddris, Northern Regional Minister, called on the Church and the State to embark on a crusade to remould the youth to become the future leaders.

He said indiscipline among the youth had become the greatest obstacle to Ghana's progress and that in some instances, resources meant for the development of the country had been wasted away. He called on the Catholic Church to continue to complement the government's efforts in the provision of educational, health and agricultural facilities to the people to enhance their livelihood. Alhaji Iddris described Peter Cardinal Dery as a man who has been blessed right from birth and destined to achieve what he has achieved. Peter Cardinal Dery was born in Zemuopare, a village near Nandom in the Upper West Region on May 10, 1918 to Porekuu Theodore, a fetish priest and Madam Zoore Agnes. He is the fourth of 10 boys. 03 July 06