Profile

PROFILES OF GHANA NATIONAL GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBERS OF APRM

MOST REV. DR. BISHOP PAUL BEMILE
MEMBER

Bishop Paul Bemile was born on December 20th 1939. He had his seminary education at St. Victor's Major Seminary in Tamale, Ghana and was ordained a priest on August 3rd 1968, at Nandom in the Upper West Region. From 1968 to 1970, Bishop Bemile studied Licentiate in Theology (STL) at the Gregorian University and at the Biblical Institute, Jerusalem (1970-1971); took Licentiate in Scriptures (SSL) Biblical Institute, Rome (1971-1973), specialised in Biblical studies at the State University of Regensburg, Germany (1978 - 1983) and did his  Doctorate in Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley, USA (1989-1990). 

Following his Licentiate in Scriptures, Bishop Bemile worked as an Assistant Pastor and Youth Chaplain at Ko. Between 1974 and 1978 he lectured in Biblical Exegesis and Biblical Greek at St. Victor's Seminary, where he was Dean of Studies. He was also Editor of the Northern Review (a local Newsletter) and a member of the Theological Commission in Tamale and Wa Dioceses.
Bishop Bemile was the Assistant Pastor at Kelheim - Affecking, Germany (1978-1983). He returned and resumed his position as Lecturer and the Dean of Studies at St. Victors Major Seminary for seven years (1983-1989). During the period, he was the Vice-President of the National Union of Ghana Diocesan Priests Association (NUGDPA) and in 1988, he was a member of the SECAM Biblical Commission.

In 1990, Bishop Bemile was appointed Rector of St. Victor Major Seminary, a position he held till 1995. He also held the position of Vice-President of the AECAWA Seminaries Commission. 

In 1995, he was consecrated as Bishop of the Wa Diocese. Consequently he became a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference and is currently Chairman of the Ethics Commission of the Conference, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees, Catholic University College, Fiapre.
Bishop Bemile's publications include 'The Magnificat within the Context and Framework of Lukan Theology,' Frankfurt: Peter Lang 1986); 'From Assistant Fetish Priest to Archbishop (editor), New York: Vantage Press 1987 and 'Small Companion to the Bible,' Tamale 1993.

As Bishop, he has issued several Pastoral Letters, notable among which are the Pastoral Letter on the First Synod of the Diocese of Wa, 1996 and Pastoral Letter on the Diamond Jubilee of the Diocese of Wa, 2004.

Bishop Bemile speaks Dagaare, Dagbani, English, French, German and Italian fluently and has reading knowledge of Greek, Latin  and Hebrew.

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