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01.09.2012 General News

Stop Spending Excessively On Funerals - Palmer-Buckle

By Daily Graphic
Most Rev. Charles Palmer-BuckleMost Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle
01.09.2012 LISTEN

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, has called on Ghanaians to adopt simple burial processes and avoid the excessive expenditure on the organisation of funerals.

“We should adopt the same burial procedure as the Muslims, you die today, you are buried today; there is no waste of money,” he said.

Most Rev Charles Palmer-Buckle made the call at the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Tema, during the 11th Bursary Awards and Fund-raising ceremony of Archbishop Andoh Education Endowment Fund.

The Archbishop said adopting the Muslim burial procedure would help families save money for the upbringing and education of orphans, adding that like the biblical servant who buried the talent his master gave him, Ghanaians were burying money and talents through the organisation of exorbitant funerals, weddings and lavish parties.

He said the huge sums of money that went into the purchase of coffins, shrouds, funeral parties, photography, mortuary fees, among others, to the detriment of the education and well-being of children, was not helpful.

Most Rev Palmer-Buckle expressed regret that not less than 50 per cent of street children ended up on the streets, after the death of their parents or guardians, due to the unnecessary spending on funerals.

He, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to institute some funeral policies in their homes; to organise small funerals for their departed loved ones, while creating an education endowment fund to cater for the children left behind by the deceased.

He also cautioned students against burying their talents and money through the unnecessary use of mobile phones, saying instead of saving some money for their future, majority of students spent much on the buying of mobile phone credits and wasted their time on free night calls.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the fund, Very Rev Francis Adoboli, said 113 students in the primary, vocational, technical and tertiary categories benefitted from this year’s awards.

He said GH¢55,000 was shared among the beneficiaries, who were drawn from the Accra Diocese, adding that the fund, which was established in April, 1999, was instituted to honour Archbishop Emeritus Dominic Kodwo Andoh, who was the third Bishop and the first Archbishop of Accra.

Very Rev. Adoboli said as part of the Catholic Church’s social responsibility, the fund was aimed at catering for the educational needs of the needy brilliant children through grants and bursaries.

He said the fund was being supported by 240 “Friends of the fund” who were people who had volunteered and committed themselves to contributing to sustain it.

He appealed to other Catholics to also willingly contribute to the fund to help educate more children.

Mrs Josephine Okutu, an educationist who was the guest speaker for the occasion, called for good educational policies to ensure that more people became literate.

She said the country could only develop through the provision of quality education.

GNA

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