{"id":17977,"date":"2026-01-12T02:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17977\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T02:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:05:19","slug":"archbishop-palmer-buckles-triple-jubilee-spotlights-synodal-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17977\/","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s Triple Jubilee Spotlights Synodal Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

He added that \u201cthe Archbishop\u2019s 49 years of priestly service is the foundation of his leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Fr. Appiah identified three essential elements of witness in the Johannine text \u2013 Water, Blood, and Spirit \u2013 and aligned them with the Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s milestones: water with the birthday commemoration, blood with the Priestly anniversary, and spirit with the Episcopal anniversary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From this synthesis flowed his pastoral exhortation: \u201cWe must keep our gaze on the Son of God so as to (credibly) bear testimony to God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Synodality made tangible: Touching the \u2018untouched\u2019<\/p>\n

(Story continues below)<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Turning to the Gospel, Fr. Appiah highlighted Jesus\u2019 compassionate encounter with the leper, reading it through the lens of the deliberations around the Synod on Synodality<\/a>, the multi-year XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops<\/a>, which the late Pope Francis officially inaugurated in 2021 and later extended to 2024<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus out of compassion and the spirit of Synodality touched the leper to cleanse him,\u201d the Ghanaian Catholic Priest since 2005 said, noting that the leper was both a social and religious outcast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 action, he stressed, models a Church willing to draw near. \u201cJesus demonstrated to get closer to the people we serve in the spirit of Synodality \u2013\u2013 Communion, Participation and Mission,\u201d Fr. Appiah said, highlighting the theme<\/a> of the Synod on Synodality.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

He extended the metaphor inward, reminding Clergy and members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life<\/a> (ICLSAL) of the human condition: \u201cjust as the leper was contaminated by leprosy we too are isolated because of sin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not created to live in isolation but to live in communion with God, our neighbours and creation at large,\u201d Fr. Appiah added in his homily during the January 9 celebration.<\/p>\n

Learning from a synodal shepherd<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Addressing the gathered Clergy and ICLSAL members directly, Fr. Appiah urged them to draw lessons from the Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s decades of service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ghanaian Catholic Priest praised what he called a \u201cpragmatic Synodal style\u201d evident across Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s Priestly and Episcopal ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot journey together in Synodality if we are not ready to make our hands dirty,\u201d he warned, and added, \u201cFor to be a synodal leader is to be like Christ who touched the untouched and outcast \u2013\u2013 the lepers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cNow is the time to pull down the dividing wall of prejudice. \u2026 A synodal church must listen to the cry of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mission, he went on to say, is inseparable from encounter. \u201cThe goal of our Christian life is not just salvation but also make meaningful encounter with one another in the spirit of Synodality,\u201d Fr. Appiah said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He pointed to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19\u201320) as \u201ca vivid exemplification of the life and ministry of the Archbishop,\u201d and urged Clergy and women and men Religious to make that mandate \u201cpart of our daily mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Fidelity over fame, sacrifice over comfort<\/p>\n

Fr. Appiah returned to the Gospel image with a striking reversal. \u201cJesus exchanged position with the leper in the senses that the leper who was once excluded from the community by the touch of Jesus was restored and gained the inclusion right in the community,\u201d he said, linking that exchange to Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s willingness to give himself across Ghanaian Episcopal Sees, first as Local Ordinary of Koforidua Diocese<\/a> following his consecration in January 1993, then Accra Archdiocese<\/a> after he was transferred there in March 2005, and now Cape Coast Archdiocese, where he was installed in July 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Archbishop has really taught us by this significant milestone celebrations that, the Yes we said during our ordinations and final profession must be renewed every morning,\u201d Fr. Appiah further said, quoting St. Augustine: \u201cwe are called to be faithful and not famous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Leadership, he said, demands endurance. \u201cA leader is one who is ready to suffer for the people. We should realize that fidelity is a marathon and not a spring,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prayer, Fr. Appiah insisted, is the wellspring of Synodality: \u201cTo walk the path of Synodality must necessary flow from prayer,\u201d he reiterated.<\/p>\n

He appealed for shared responsibility, saying, \u201cWe all need to continue to pray for our Archbishop and not just congratulate and applaud him but collaborate with him and endeavour to serve with a renewed zeal so one day we all have a share in God\u2019s kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

A message for 2026: Light, generosity, and sacrifice<\/p>\n

In his concluding remarks, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle offered three counsels for the New Year 2026. \u201cDo not Curse the dark; light a candle and brighten your corner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShare your light with others. Be generous to share your light with those who are in the dark,\u201d the 75-year-old Ghanaian Catholic Archbishop said.<\/p>\n

He urged concrete commitment, saying, \u201cMake a little self-sacrifice for Mother Ghana. Make self-sacrifice for the Church you are serving. Make a self-sacrifice at the mission house, at the convent and at the community you live so to make the place a better one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

Celebration continues in fraternity<\/p>\n

The celebration concluded at the Seminary\u2019s refectory with the cutting of an anniversary cake, time with Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, and a shared dinner \u2013 an embodied sign of communion among those who serve together.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast\/Ghana\/Fr. Francis Madonna-Ayaric<\/p>\n

For Catholics in Ghana, across Africa, and around the world, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle\u2019s triple jubilee offers more than a milestone moment. It presents a living catechesis on Synodality \u2013 leadership rooted in prayer, closeness to the marginalized, fidelity over fame, and a missionary generosity that lights candles rather than cursing the dark.<\/p>\n

Fr. Francis Madonna Ayaric of Cape Coast Catholic Archdiocese contributed to this story<\/p>\n


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ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He added that \u201cthe Archbishop\u2019s 49 years of priestly service is the foundation of his leadership.\u201d Credit: Catholic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17978,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[645,647,79,646],"class_list":{"0":"post-17977","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ghana","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-cna","10":"tag-ghana","11":"tag-keyword"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}