Let’s Adopt Muslim Burial -To avoid unnecessary expenditure

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle tells Christians

Most Rev Charles Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Accra, has called on Ghanaians to adopt the simple burial process of the Muslims and avoid the excessive expenditure on the organization of funeral and burial ceremonies.

Most Rev Palmer-Buckle said “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 this on Thursday at the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Tema during the Eleventh 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 organization of exorbitant funerals, weddings and lavish parties.

He said the huge sums of money 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 is not helpful.

Most Rev Palmer-Buckle expressed regret that not less than 50 percent 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 organize small funerals for their departed loved ones, while creating an education endowment fund, to cater for the children left behind by the deceased.

The Accra Archbishop 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 spend much on the buying of mobile phone credits and wasted their time for sleeping on free night calls.

Very Rev Francis Adoboli, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, said a total of 113 students, consisting of primary, vocational, technical and tertiary students, benefitted from this year’s awards.

He said a total of 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.

He said as part of the Catholic Church’s social responsibility, the Fund is aimed at catering for the educational needs of the needy but brilliant children, through grants and bursaries.

He said the Fund was being supported by 240 “friends of the fund” who are people who have volunteered and committed themselves to contributing to sustain it.

The Board of Trustee Chairman appealed to other Catholics to also willingly contribute to the Fund to help educate more children.

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

Mrs Okutu reiterated that the country could only develop through the provision of quality education.