The Catholic Archbishop of Accra in Ghana, the Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, has stated that he will issue a new diocesan directive which will make it mandatory for Catholic funerals in Accra to be held within 40 days after a Catholic has died. Families who do not follow it will not have the privilege of a Catholic funeral or requiem Mass.
The Archbishop, who was speaking at a joint funeral Mass for two staunch members of the Church recently, said many Ghanaians do not take good care of the aged and sick but are prepared to spend huge sums of money on funeral arrangements when these family members pass on.
He said in most cases, families kept the bodies of their dead relatives in morgues for several months, thus incurring more cost and also extending the grieving period.
The Archbishop explained that having early funerals would cut down cost and put the minds of the bereaved at rest to enable them go about their normal duties.
In the past, funerals were held in a more simple way but these days, funerals have become social events where families show off their wealth and status.
Huge sums are invested into printing banners, funeral programs and food and drinks for guests.
Funeral homes and coffin makers are also cashing in on the trend, providing a variety of “classy” coffins and state-of-the art morgues were the dead are preserved. There are even private cemeteries charging huge sums of money to bury people whose families do not prefer the public cemeteries. The one week celebration, which in the past was marked solemnly by a few family members, has even evolved into a big event similar to the main funeral.
The Catholic Rite of Funerals is celebrated in three parts.
First is the vigil where the body is received in the church with loved ones and relatives gathering to pay their last respect to the deceased and pray for his or her soul. It is also the time to eulogies the deceased, pay tributes and console the bereaved family.
The second is the Funeral Mass which is led by one or more Priests who wear white, black or violet vestments.
The last is committal or burial stage when prayers are held and coffin and grave sprinkled with the holy water. The rite of committal is an expression of the communion that exists between the church on earth and the church in heaven.
While we commend the Archbishop for his zeal in wanting to modify certain excesses in the celebration of funerals within his diocese, we lament his decision to punish those who do not comply with the penalty of having deceased loved ones denied the Catholic Funeral Liturgy.
The Sacraments should never be employed as a means of spiritual extortion.
Nothing could be more sacrilegious!
The Archbishop has indicated that he is awaiting approval of his new directive, presumably from the Holy See. We can only hope that Rome disapproves and calls upon the Archbishop to modify his excessive use of authority which risks alienating his flock from the very Sacramental consolation the Funeral Liturgy can afford them in their moment of grief, even if that moment lasts 40 days or more.
This is precisely the misguided use of episcopal authority which alienates Catholics. Such alienation is even more keenly felt at times of great emotional stress such as those occasioned by the loss of a loved one.
The Archbishop needs to temper his zeal for reform with compassion and sympathy for those who are grieving in whatever way they feel is appropriate to the memory of their beloved dead.
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