Cardinal Turkson Extols Religious Tolerance In Ghana

The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, says the celebration of Christmas is the greatest test of inter-religious dialogue in Ghana. He said invitation extended by Christians to Muslims to join in the celebration of Christmas and also by Muslims to Christians to join in the celebration of Eid signalled the understanding Ghanaians had for one another�s religious beliefs. �It signals an outpouring of God�s grace,� he said in a Christmas message to Ghanaians through the Daily Graphic in Accra. �It opens for us invitations to potentiality and what we can do with virtue. We need virtue to live a life of peace and harmony,� he added. Cardinal Turkson stressed the need for Christians, Muslims and other religious organisations to continue to dialogue to promote peace in the country. He said Ghana needed peace and harmony in 2015, which promised to be a crucial year ahead of the general election in 2016. He expressed concern over the fact that some people were losing the true essence of Christmas, given the manner in which it was celebrated. Cardinal Turkson, who is based in the Vatican, is in Ghana after undertaking a three-nation tour of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to observe intervention programmes against Ebola in those countries.