Our attention, has been drawn to an interview granted by Archbishop Charles Gabriel Angela Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, on Citi TV’s The Point of View programme, hosted by Bernard Avle, on which he sought to question our journalism and suggests we threw integrity to the dogs in a story published in the November 10 edition of the paper.
Our response is as follows, and we would not seek to question his integrity as he did ours, but suffice to say that we did not get the rejoinder he mentioned as having been sent to us in reaction to the publication.
He might want to confirm from his agents as to when The Herald was handed the said rejoinder in reaction to an otherwise unambiguous publication.
It surprised us that he is fighting tooth and nail to clarify himself over the matter of Ghanaians donating towards the construction of a National Cathedral in the midst of poverty.
In his words, even Moses put up a Tabernacle for God, despite poverty and deprivation amongst Israelites at the time.
“But when God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle for God, the Israelites were in the desert and didn’t have what to eat but they contributed and contributed so much that it exceeded expectations in building the Tabernacle,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said.
He admonished Ghanaians to also contribute towards the construction of the National Cathedral by President Nana Akufo-Addo, despite the abject poverty and deprivation they find themselves in.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, has been pushing the idea of this project in his capacity as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral in the Office of President, Jubilee House, travelling across the length and breadth of this country where according to him, he had been confronted with complaints of the worsening poverty in the country and questions of the necessity of the project.
Same man, disclosed that whenever he is confronted with the issue of economic hardship, he had always used the opportunity to cite many instances where Cathedrals, temples and tabernacles were built by prominent biblical characters in the midst of wanton poverty, hence Ghanaians must contribute towards President Akufo-Addo’s National Cathedral in the time of scarcity.
While, at pains convincing suffering Ghanaians to make generous contributions towards the project which President Akufo-Addo, had explained was conceived from a personal and political vow he made to build God a Cathedral, if he is blessed to become the President of Ghana, the same Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, remained part of a group of Catholic Bishops, who had noticed how unconcerned the Akufo-Addo administration had become towards the growing incidents of economic hardship in the country.
In the words of the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Reverend Philip Naameh, the economic hardship brought about by poverty “appears lost to those with power”.
Most Rev. Naameh, at the Catholic Bishops Conference, at a plenary assembly of the association in Wa, Upper West, On Monday November 8, 2021, lamented that “Poverty is grinding down millions of people all over the country, prices of essentials are rising daily, and people are struggling to keep families alive together. Though poverty stares us in the face, it appears lost to those with power”.
How can pointing out the confusing picture painted by Archbishop Palmer Buckle that he, aside acknowledging the debilitating poverty in the country amongst the citizens and joined other Catholic Bishops to call upon President Akufo-Addo, to wake up from his slumber and deal with the situation, same time asked the suffering people to financially contribute towards the President Akufo-Addo’s promise to God, be an act of dishonesty on our part as journalists on a newspaper.
Pointing out his wavering attitude as Pastor, who is torn between his pastoral beliefs to care for the poor and needy vis-à-vis his political appointment as the Vice- chairman of National Cathedral Committee, cannot be an act which questions our integrity as journalists or a media house in practice for over a decade.
Interestingly, same Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, when asked by Bernard Avle, about how he and the other Bishops of the Catholic Church were able to determine the level of poverty in the country, he cited the offertory bowl in their churches which have gone empty or half full as their “Afrobarometer” in collecting, analyzing and concluding that “poverty is grinding down millions of people all over the country” but “appears lost to those with power”.
Having the same Archbishop Palmer Buckle proceeding to question our journalism and integrity for that matter, begs the question of where he really belongs in the midst of a suffering flock; a church which is seeking an impressive offertory, the people who needs to be told to use what they have on themselves first, or his political appointers, who are out seeking to please God with a Cathedral using sophistry and perfidy?
It is also curious that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, did not find comments by the Communication Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buabeng Asamoa, that the statement by Catholic Bishops on the economic hardship in the country “lacked clarity and focus”, as something to respond to.
Buabeng Asamoa was quoted as saying “where are the specifics on that? Some level of clarity at that level is important. It is not about enabling the NDC to come in and spout.”
It is also curious that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, did not find it a worthy response to the Bishops Conference by the Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, that their criticisms were not factual and constructive.
“We believe that these criticisms should be well-founded and well-grounded in facts as this is the only way an honest conversation devoid of malice and propaganda can be held” Mr Arhin, had said on Thursday, November 11, 2021.
We don’t fault Archbishop Palmer-Buckle for his interviewer’s lack of interest in the positions of Mr Arhin and Mr Buaben Asamoa, hence did not directly put them to him to react to, however, offensive they were to the suffering flock, especially coming from key actors in the Akufo-Addo government.
But it must be put on record that The Herald will continue to be on the side of truth, and on the side of the people.
Here, we think that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, would have sounded convincing if he had told members of the Catholic Church that henceforth, all their Sunday collections, tithes, Kofi and Ama payments, Poor and Needy contributions among others, should be channeled towards the construction of the National Cathedral and not to the Church.
This, way, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, who wants to make history as having led a political pledge to God to construct a Cathedral in the history of this country amidst poverty, low salaries, diseases, unsanitary conditions, empty hospitals, schools under trees, bad roads, among others, would realize his ambition.
In this regard, the NPP’s Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, who attacked the Catholic Bishops for lacking clarity and focus in their position that “poverty is grinding down millions of people all over the country” but “appears lost to those with power”, would have made more sense to him, than we did.
Again, we never said he wasn’t at Wa. Indeed paragraph seven of our story titled “Palmer-Buckle breaks ranks with catholic bishops over poverty under Akufo-Addo” said “It is unclear, if he was in Wa or chose the national cathedral project over the gathering of his peers”.
We have since been told that Archbishop Palmer-Buckle wasn’t there when the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Reverend Philip Naameh, gave his address on the rampaging poverty in the country.
We learnt he arrived long after the speech because he was busy pushing the construction of the project in his capacity as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral. He was in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
We don’t know what kind of journalism Archbishop Palmer-Buckle practiced on the Catholic Standards newspaper in the 1970s into the 80s, which he thought was better, honest and integrity-driven; a standard we are not meeting per his training and judgment.
We respectfully disagree with Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, because the construction of the National Cathedral, had gone beyond him and the man; President Akufo-Addo, whose pledge to God, he is helping him realize with the taxpayers’ money, state land uses among others.
Indeed, newly built state bungalows and other strategic national facilities and installations, including the passport office were razed down by the Akufo-Addo administration to attain nobility in the sight of God, as having redeemed his political pledge to Him to build Him a Cathedral.
As we speak, the state is paying millions of Ghana Cedis as rents on commercial property owners to house some judges and other state officials who were hitherto housed at the site of the Cathedra at no cost to Ghanaian taxpayers some of whom are members of his church, and are suffering from the economic hardship the Bishops talked about.
We ask again, where does Archbishop Palmer-Buckle belong; the people, the church or a politician driven by a certain desire, other than the betterment of the people of Ghana?
As he seeks to answer us, while at the same time pushing the suffering people to pay for the construction of the cathedra by a government which is dismissive of their plight, we wish to leave Archbishop Palmer-Buckle with that beautiful Catholic hymn; Whatsoever You Do by Owen Alstott, Willard F. Jabusch,….
Whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers,
That you do unto me!
Whatsoever you do to the least of your Sisters,
That you do unto me!
S: When I was hungry you gave me to eat
When I was thirsty you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of your father.
When I was tired you helped me find rest.
When I was worried you calmed all my fears.
Now enter into the home of your Father.
When I was lonely, to me you did speak.
When I was troubled you listened to me.
Now enter into the home of your Father.
When I was homeless you opened the door
When I was naked you gave me your coat
Now enter into the home of your Father.
When I was laughed at, you stood by my side.
When I was happy, you shared my joy.
Now enter into the home of your Father.
