Accra, Oct. 28, 2025 — The Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, has urged Catholics across Ghana to live their baptismal calling with renewed faith and witness, as the nation’s mother diocese celebrated a historic double jubilee — marking 75 years since the establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in Ghana and joining the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.
Speaking in an interview with The Catholic Standard and other Catholic media organisations in Accra on Tuesday, October 28, following the climax of celebrations in Cape Coast from October 24–25, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said the occasion went far beyond the Archdiocese, describing it as a national thanksgiving for the entire Catholic Church in Ghana.
“We, as the Cape Coast Archdiocese — the mother Church of Ghana — are celebrating 75 years at which four dioceses were created, and from them came all the others. This jubilee is not only for Cape Coast but for the whole Catholic Church in Ghana,” he said.
The two-day celebration, held on the theme: “Pilgrims of Hope: Let Your Light Shine,” brought together bishops, clergy, religious, and thousands of faithful from every diocese in Ghana. It was graced by His Eminence Wilfrid Fox Cardinal Napier, O.F.M., Archbishop Emeritus of Durban, South Africa, who represented the Holy Father as Special Envoy.
A Milestone of Faith and History
On April 18, 1950, Pope Pius XII elevated Cape Coast to the rank of Metropolitan See of the Gold Coast, thereby establishing the Catholic hierarchy in what was then the British colony. On the same day, four suffragan dioceses — Accra, Keta, Kumasi and Tamale — were created.
The first Archbishop, Most Rev. William Thomas Porter, SMA, became a towering figure in Ghana’s Catholic development, and his name lives on through institutions such as Archbishop Porter Girls’ Senior High School in Takoradi.
“In the Latin document creating the Metropolitan See, it was referred to as the ‘Metropolitan See of the Gold Coast,’ highlighting the national identity of the Church at the time,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle explained.
Cape Coast remained Ghana’s only Metropolitan See until Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale were later elevated, forming the four Metropolitan Provinces of today.
Theme: Baptised and Sent
The Archbishop said the guiding theme, Baptised and Sent — Let Your Light Shine, draws inspiration from Pope Francis’s 2019 World Mission Sunday message and ties directly into the global Jubilee of Hope.
“Once you are baptised, you are a mission,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle emphasised. “Wherever you find yourself — as a teacher, doctor, civil servant, politician, or parent — you must let your light shine. The light of Christ in you should lead others to glorify the Father and be drawn to the faith.”
He added that the theme would guide the Church’s mission in Ghana for the next five years, leading up to the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Mission in Ghana in 2030.
A Vibrant and Growing Church
Today, the Cape Coast Archdiocese serves an estimated 410,000 Catholics out of a population of 3.1 million — roughly 10–11% of the total. It is divided into 11 Deaneries and supported by about 250 Diocesan Priests, 200 religious men and women, and 750 catechists.
The Archdiocese also manages over 200 educational institutions, from basic to tertiary levels, and operates six hospitals, including St. Francis Xavier Hospital (Assin Foso), St. Luke (Apam), Mercy Women’s Hospital (Mankessim), St. Gregory (Buduburam), Infant Jesus (Kasoa), and Our Lady of Grace (Breman Asikuma).
Legacy and the Road to 2030
To commemorate the double jubilee, the Archdiocese has launched legacy projects, including the completion of the Archdiocesan Pastoral and Formation Center and the transformation of the Priests’ Home at Brafoyaw into a clinic serving clergy, religious, and the local community.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle also revealed that discussions on the 2030 sesquicentennial celebrations will take centre stage during the upcoming Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary in Damongo this November, with a national planning committee to be established soon after.
The Universal Jubilee of Hope runs from December 24, 2024, to January 6, 2026, offering Catholics worldwide a period for spiritual renewal, reconciliation, and missionary zeal.
“Our call as pilgrims of hope,” the Archbishop said, “is to let the light of Christ shine through our words, our deeds, and our lives.”
