Peter Dery now cardinal
Feb 28, 2006
Most Reverend George Kochery, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana has announced that Pope Benedict XVI has elevated the Most Reverend Peter Poreku Dery, former Archbishop of Tamale, to the rank of Cardinal.
(Accra Daily Mail, February 28, 2006) Cardinal Dery is the first African to be elevated among 15 others worldwide by the new Pope. Announcing the elevation at a ceremony in Tamale, attended by the new cardinal himself, Rev. Kochery said it was in recognition of his untiring and meritorious services to the Catholic Church in Ghana.
"Dear people of Ghana, here you have another Prince of the Church. Your Eminence, Cardinal-Elect Dery, my hearty congratulations and felicitations for this great honour bestowed upon you by the Supreme Pontiff," Rev Kochery said. Cardinal Dery, he said was the architect of the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province.
Cardinal Dery would join the others for the official ceremony of elevation on March 24 2006.
Cardinal Dery, showing signs of age, walked with difficulty gave thanks to God. "God is great and wonderful and I thank him…but I am now sick. When you announced my elevation, my sickness started again".
He asked the Bishops and Priests of the Tamale Archdiocese of the Catholic Church who were present at the ceremony to sing "This is the day that the Lord told me we would be rejoicing." The Catholic Archbishop of Tamale, the Most Rev. Gregory Kpiebaya said: "Nobody points at an elephant to a child. Cardinal-Elect Dery deserves the elevation. This is only good enough to justify the good works of him".
Archbishop Dery was President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference from 1982-88.
Present at the ceremony were Most Rev. Philip Naameh, Bishop of Damongo, Most Rev. Vincent Boi-Nai, Bishop of Yendi and a large number of Catholic faithful.
Peter Dery now cardinal