The Archbishop of Cape Coast, Charles Palmer-Buckle has called for a shift in the mindset of how society wastes a lot of time, money and resources on funerals.
Whilst commending the family of the late J.H Mensah for being able to organize his funeral within 40 days, he admonished mourners at the Accra International Conference Center to spend time on the living as he delivered his sermon.
“I hope all Ghanaians will take a cue and do same if not even better. Let us all do well and do all we can to bury our loved ones within one or two weeks after their death.
“Lying interminably in the cold mortuary is not very pleasant for any soul that wants to be off to go to God,” he added.
J.H Mensah was a founding member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). He served the country from 1953, till his passing on July 12, 2018, at 89.
His last official appointment was in 2005 when he was appointed Senior Minister by the second President of the 4th Republic, John Agyekum Kufuor.
Commending the bereaved family, the Archbishop decried how it has become fashionable for society to be wasting too much time, money and resources on burials and funerals in Ghana.
He pleaded with President Akufo-Addo and traditional leaders to encourage the example of the family of the Stateman for many to follow.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle pleaded with all Ghanaians to spend their precious time, resources and money on the living especially in educating the children and the youth to have a firm footing in life.
“We need to spend such treasures buying medication and providing health care for our old folks in hospitals and in homes. We should use it for the development of our country for the good of posterity,” he said.
Archbishop Balmer-Buckle also requested of the president to stop the “unwittingly” giving of approval for public sector workers to go for funerals for over a week.
“How we stop everything to go away for eight days to attend funerals…everything comes to a standstill when someone dies because of eight days ceremony must stop by leadership.
“People look at what the leaders do, copy it and even overdo it,” he said.
He called for a shift in focus with regards to borrowing huge sums to have lavish funerals which in the end leaves the bereaved families and individuals worse off.
The President at the May Day Parade in 2017 lamented how some public sector workers after arriving at work, waste time praying and engaging in other unproductive activities and some even leave the office ahead of the official closing time.
“We have no respect for the hours set aside for work. We pray, we eat, we visit during working hours. We spend hours chatting on the telephone…we take a week off for every funeral and then we wonder why we are not competitive,” he said.
