Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has made a donation of ¢50,000 to the Catholic Church in Bolgatanga towards the construction of a new cathedral for the church in the Upper East Regional capital.

He made the donation when he joined worshipers at the Sacred Catholic Church in Bolgatanga to celebrate First Mass on Sunday.

The Vice President, who was in the northern parts of the country over the weekend for various activities, earned plaudits from the church for his donation and from worshippers for joining them and preaching a message of religious tolerance and peace.

Addressing the congregants, Vice President Bawumia underscored the need for adherents of all religious faith to work together towards protecting the country’s enviable peace.

He noted that Muslims and Christians share a lot in common, and they should not allow “forces of evil” to divide the country.

“Recently, just last week, when the rankings (world peace index) came out, Ghana was ranked the second most peaceful country in Africa and number 38 in the world.

“So we are thankful to God, and we know it is by the mercy of God that Ghana is as peaceful as it is compared to other countries,” Dr Bawumia said.

“We are at peace in Ghana because we have a lot of unity among tribes, unity across the religious divide and unity between north and south. We are trying very hard to forge this unity.”

“The forces of evil will continuously try to divide us. The forces of good, which we all have, should continually bring us together because what unites us as a country is much, much greater than what divides us.”

On the religious front, the Vice President noted that the nation’s two leading religions, Islam and Christianity share a lot in common, which should continue to strengthen their relationship.

“I am a Muslim and I am here in the Catholic church and I am feeling very comfortable,” he said.