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Cardinal Dery laid to rest
Tamale, April 1, Ghanadot/GNA - The mortal remains of Peter
Cardinal Porekuu Dery were on Tuesday laid to rest at the
OLA Catholic Cathedral in Tamale.
Born on May 10, 1918, at Zemuopare near Nandom in the Upper
West Region, the celebrated Catholic priest was ordained on
February 11, 1951.
He was appointed Bishop of Wa in 1960 and made Cardinal in
March by Pope Benedict XVI.
President John Agyekum and Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama
joined the huge crowd of Catholic faithful from across the
country, Rome and Burkina Faso at the pre-burial state
funeral service held for him at the Tamale Sports Stadium.
Also present were Ministers of State, members of the Council
of State and Parliamentarians.
Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson was delegated by the Pope to
officiate at the burial service in line with the tradition
of the Catholic Church.
The government, the Pope and the Catholic Bishops Conference
read tributes to his memory.
The common theme that ran through all of them was the
acknowledgement of his pacesetter role, zeal for promoting
human dignity, discipline, forthrightness and integrity.
The Most Reverend Peter Akwasi Sarpong, the retired
Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi in a homily, appealed to
Christians to let the life of the late Cardinal to influence
them to resist evil and proclaim goodness.
He said the Christian community should join other faiths to
fight against all ills and inhumanities in the society.
He called for unity and an end to ethnicism, hatred,
acrimony and what he termed "interminable Chieftaincy
disputes" in all parts of the country.
Mr. Felix Owusu Adjepong, Minister-designate for Energy,
read a tribute on behalf of the government and said the late
Cardinal Dery was a true partner in the development of the
country.
He said his commitment to education and health knew no
bounds and he laid a solid foundation for the development of
the north and the country in general.
He said during certain turbulent periods in the country's
history the late Cardinal Dery served as a "Voice of
conscience".
Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Government, the Pope, the
Catholic Bishops Conference and family members.
GNA
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