Wa, Dec.1, GNA - The Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana, the Most Rev. Leon B. Kalenga has appealed to Ghanaians to avoid ethnicity and unite and work for sustainable peace.

He said peace should be seen governing the path of all Ghanaians irrespective of their ethnic considerations, religious unions and political affiliations as well as social standing. Most Rev Kalenga said this at a thanksgiving mass to mark the 50th anniversary of the canonical erection of the Wa Catholic Diocese on Tuesday in Wa.

He said there was beauty in seeing people of different ethnic groups, political divide and religious background coming together, working towards securing peace at all times and showing love and compassion to one another for the benefit of society.

The Apostolic Nuncio said leaders of all these groups should feel guilty if they failed to unite the people to love one another and ensure peace but rather incite them into confusion, conflicts and wars. He said Ghana is the "Black Star" of Africa and called on traditional authorities, the state and the religious to come together and shun tribal segregation, because "We all belong to God and should see ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ." He appealed to Catholics to let people of different religious persuasion see the beauty of their faith wherever they found themselves, saying a tree is judged by its fruits. The Most Rev. Paul Bemile, Catholic Bishop of Wa Diocese, said the 50 years of the diocese and the Upper West Region had experienced the presence and protection of God manifested in the numerous material and spiritual blessings bestowed upon its people.

"The period may be seen as God's rightful time of grace and especially the most favourable time for the construction and building up of the body of Christ in this part of the world", he said. Bishop Bemile said through the ministry of the Diocese of Wa, God had abundantly showered his blessings on the people in so many areas including the pastoral, educational, health and agriculture sectors. Alhaji Issahaque Salia, the Upper West Regional Minister, said the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wa Diocese was not for Catholics alone for the people of the region. He said but for the Catholic Church, perhaps many of the educated persons in the region would have been working as farm labourers on cocoa farms in the south.

"The Region in particular and Ghana as a whole owe tons of gratitude to the Catholic Church for having permeated all aspects of our lives and having brought smiles to a lot of people who otherwise would have been in very difficult and hopeless situation", Alhaji Salia said. "The church has indeed given meaning to religions and demonstrated the essence of partnership that should exist between state and religion", he added.

Alhaji Salia said the interventions in education, health, and agriculture and livelihood support credit among others, worked for the spiritual and material welfare of the people. He said the Church had shown the way in its activities over the years and that should inspire all to aim at using their God given talents for the benefit of their neighbours and society.

"The whole of life lies in the verb 'seeing'. Cultivating a strong vision in which you learn to 'see' not just with your eyes but with your mind and your heart, is essential for success", Alhaji Salia said. 01 Dec 10