DO NOT PLACE YOUR COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE AT THE CENTRE OF YOUR LIFE– ARCHBISHOP NAAMEH URGES PRIESTS
STORY BY: FRANCIS E. MONNIE
“A priest who places his comfort and convenience at the centre of his life and demand that from the people but shies away from every opportunity to die for the people, is in fact, a disgrace to the Church,” the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, has stated
He has, therefore, urged priests to live what they celebrate in order to become effective instruments of salvation to all.
In his homily during Chrism Mass at the Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral in Tamale on March 28, 2018, Most Rev Naameh, stated that the celebration of the Chrism Mass, was an opportunity for priests to come together united with priests the world over to renew their priesthood as the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ and by so doing, proclaim what a gift the priesthood is, not only to Catholics and the Catholic Church, but to the entire human race.
The Chrism Mass was graced by Most Rev. Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya, Emeritus Archbishop of Tamale and attended by about fifty priests, including Very Rev. Fr. Matthew Yitireh, the Vicar General and Formators among others, as well as scores of Religious men and women, Seminarians, Catechists and the faithful of the Archdiocese.
Most Rev Naameh, who is also the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, stressed that when a priest celebrate the Eucharist and repeat the very words of Jesus Christ: “take this and eat, this is my body; take this and drink, this is my blood”, he in fact, re-enacts for the whole human race on this day, the once and for all saving action of Jesus Christ which He consummated on the cross which Christians will be commemorating at Easter.
He reminded priests that it is their total selflessness, self-giving and total availability, especially to the needy, that they effectively become “food and drink” and give life to those at the point of losing hope in life; adding that this is what priests comes to renew every year on such occasions and pledge to the people of God.
The Archbishop outlined three areas of what he said were priory attention of the Universal Church which he charged the Local Church to address to underscore her care and concern for the vulnerable.
The first of these was child protection and safeguarding the integrity of minors. He recalled that since the child-abuse scandal broke out in the United States in 2002 and gradually spread in Western Europe, it did not only expose the irresponsibility of some leaders of the Church, but also disclosed the alarming and lasting effects that abuse can have on the lives of victims. He said as a result, there were calls on all (believers), to safeguard the integrity of minors.
He said taking a cue from the scandal, the Archdiocese formulated a child protection framework six years ago which has yet to be finalized. He called for it to be discussed at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and finalized for it to be enforced in all parishes, institutions and religious houses. He also called for it to be made available to all heads of Catholic schools to be used to educate their children.
He disclosed that in view of the scandal, priests in many Dioceses in the West, cannot function until they have been orientated on the Child Protection Policy. In this regard, he commended St. Victor’s Major Seminary, for running a programme on the Child Protection Policy as part of the formation of priests.
The second area of priority the Archbishop touched on was the youth and their formation. He noted that children born to Catholic families usually receive instruction at 7 years when they are preparing for the Sacraments of baptism and at 12 years when they are to receive confirmation.
He, however, expressed regret that after receiving these Sacraments, the youth hardly receive any instruction until they become adults and are about to marry. He noted that marriage these days has witnessed a decline as many young people decide to cohabitate without asking for the intervention of the Church, hence they are not aware of the responsibility marriage imposes on them and society.
He lamented that the net effect of this was that, many youth do not know anything about their Church doctrine, liturgy or powers of the Church, thus the Church is saddled with a large number of vulnerable youth, who are being led astray by the ever-powerful devil, who practically guides their lives.
He expressed worry that even if would-be couples are told to undergo only six weeks of premarital instruction, some of them give excuses such as their busy work schedules which have resulted in some conflicts with priests who have insisted on doing the right thing. He, therefore, called for the youth to be equipped with sufficient knowledge to be able to witness to the Church and asked for this to be taken up and discussed at the Pastoral Council as well.
The third area the Archbishop dwelt on was marriage, especially Catholics living in irregular relationships that is, those are divorced and have not yet re-married and those cohabitating, and cannot access the Eucharist and what pastoral care can be provided to such persons who feel neglected and abandoned by the Church.
He stated that in dealing with such situations, the Church does not advocate condemning anyone forever, but to pour out God’s divine mercy on all those who ask for it. He, therefore, urged Priests to visit and invite such persons once both of them are baptized and tell them the Church still has a place for them and encourage them to continue their invitation to conversion, saying “for true charity is unmerited, unconditional and gratuitous”.
He explained that in considering the pastoral approach to people who have contracted Civil or Sacramental marriage or are divorced, or cohabitating, the Church has a responsibility to help such people to understand the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives and assist them to reach the fullness of God’s plan for them that marriage is instituted by God to serve a purpose (Amoris Laeticea 296)
He, therefore, charged Priests to get closer to such people even when they decide to distance themselves from the Church, saying “this conversion we are talking about, that is, embracing the grace even in their broken situations, is always possible by the power of the Holy Spirit” adding that as Pastors, you are to let such persons know that they can find joyful and fruitful experience in the Church (Amoris Laeticea 297).
The Archbishop noted that in cases of civil marriage or cohabitation, Pope Francis recommends that when such unions attain a particular stability, are legally recognized, are characterized by deep affection and responsibility for their children, and they demonstrate the ability to overcome trials, this can provide a basis for pastoral care, leading to the eventual celebration of their Sacramental marriage (Amoris Laeticea 293).
He explained that by this, the Pope is exhorting Priests to visit families, even including those living in irregular situations and get closer to such persons such that they are able to discern if there is goodwill, that is, the desire to reintegrate with the Church, saying in this way, Priests will be fulfilling the ministry that they share with Jesus to bind up and to mend the broken hearted.
Earlier, the Cathedral Administrator, Very Rev. Fr. Carolus Magnus Gambogi, had welcomed all and sundry, singling out Rev. Frs. Anthonay Santah and Fredrick Gbal, who were experiencing their first Chrism Mass since they were ordained last year (2017).
Archbishop Naameh, subsequently blessed several bottles of Chrism oil for use by priests in the Archdiocese. Write up by Bro Francis Monnie, Council 27, Tamale