In the following far-ranging interview, Archbishop Charles G. Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana, suggests that next October’s Synod might consider how “the power of the keys” (Mt. 16:19) could be employed to “unbind” those who have divorced and civilly remarried without a decree of annulment. He characterizes his thinking on this subject as “daring,” while pointing to numerous examples of Jesus extending mercy to society’s outcasts. He also wonders whether the sons and daughters of the Church don’t bear some responsibility for the stridency of the gay lobby through their dehumanizing attitudes.
Ghanaian bishops chose Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, 64, to be a participant in the Synod of Bishops, set to assemble at the Vatican October 4-25. Pope Francis confirmed his election in late January.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle also serves as the bishop responsible for the family in the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and as treasurer for the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the continent-wide assembly of Catholic bishops in Africa.
Our interview with Archbishop Palmer-Buckle took place on February 5 following a meeting of SECAM’s Standing Committee in Rome.
Your Excellency, what is important for Africa in the Synod?
What is important for Africa is that the Church comes clear on what the Church’s ancient and modern doctrine on marriage is, that is, marriage is a union between man and woman.
What we actually are looking for is to hear the clear cut stance of the Church as regards what the doctrine on holy matrimony is and remains: a union between man and woman, one man and one woman, for helping each other and for procreation. That is what we are waiting to hear, because there are too many conflicting voices, not necessarily from the Church — but unfortunately from the Western world — that are trying to drown out the voice of God, the voice of the Church. That’s the first thing.
[In Africa] a lot of our people earlier on were involved in polygamous marriages. But for our people, marriage has always been between male and female, between man and woman. Even to the extent of man and women, or in the rare case, even between one woman and men. But since Christianity won’t accept it, most of our people have been trying very hard to live according to the dictates of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 19:1-6, Jesus says “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they two shall become one flesh … So what God has joined together let no man put asunder.” That is for us what we are expecting to hear, clearly enunciated by the Church.
Do you have any doubt that the Church’s teaching on marriage will be enunciated clearly at the Synod in October?
I have absolutely no doubt about it. My worry is that many like to make the "voice of the media" the "voice of the Church." It’s the Church that must pronounce on it.
The first Extraordinary Synod was meant to bring to the fore the questions relating to marriage today — for those in the Church and outside of the Church — and to ask what should be our pastoral concerns about marriage: about married people, about people who have entered into marriage and left it, about those who have remarried, and even to think about the new forms of unions that are being imposed upon humanity in the name of marriage.
The Extraordinary Synod actually was only to say: this is the status quaestionis. What does the Church make of it? What do we make of it? How do we live in this sort of world without being of this type of world? How do we live in this world and bring Christ’s teaching and salvation to people? That is what the first Extraordinary Synod was about.
The Holy Father himself put together a very beautiful synthesis. The long and short of it is: nobody should stop anybody from saying what he or she thinks about the current state of marriage, family, etc. Nobody should suffocate anybody. We should listen to one another and we should reflect on it and try to see what the Holy Spirit will tell us about how to accompany towards Christ people who find themselves in any form of marriage. That is [Pope Francis’] main concern: how do we bring them, whoever they are, in whatever context they find themselves, to Christ. I think that was a beautiful message.
What do you mean by “any form of marriage”?
Take Africa. There are people in polygamous relationships, who were involved in it before becoming Christians. Their family had to make a choice: to let go of one women or two women with all their children without hurting the children, without hurting the wives. So it is an issue.
How do I baptize children of polygamous marriages? What do I teach them? If I’m going to tell them, “Your daddy must let go of your mommy,” will that not hurt the child emotionally, even spiritually for the rest of his or her life, to the point that he or she may even decide the Church is bad because it broke up my family?
I can tell you for sure that there are polygamous marriages where you will be amazed at the harmony between the husband and his different wives, among the different wives, and among their children. It’s amazing. There are many, many other instances where there is so much hurt going on among the different women, among the different children, and these must be brought to the fore. How do we help all of those involved to look at Christ, and to what Christ invites them to?
The Book of Hebrews says: “We keep Christ in view, and we strive towards him.” So how do I help them to keep Christ in view? And how do I accompany them in whatever circumstance they find themselves?
In Africa — this is the context I’m dealing with — I will not close my eyes to the fact that there are instances in Africa of homosexuals, people with homosexual tendencies, people with lesbian tendencies. Africa has always frowned upon that, because we have always looked at marriage as contributing to the well being of the greater society, not necessarily only to the well being of the individuals.
So in a way, we may have to say that anyone who had a certain tendency was not happily looked at. In fact, there have been instances when their human rights have been trampled upon. The Church is calling us to understand that. Whether the person has homosexual tendencies or heterosexual tendencies, the person is created in the image and likeness of God, and that image and likeness of God is what we must protect. That is what we must defend. And that is why we must help that individual listen to what God says about his or her state. And I think that is the beauty of what the Church teaches us.
So this period between the Extraordinary Synod and the Ordinary Synod is providing us a period of time, as we view the Lineamenta, to listen, to pray, and to discern. When we meet in October, I believe we are going to state what the Church has always taught. We’re not going to water it down. But it’s going to be stated in a way that it does not in any way at all exclude anybody from the journey and the path towards Christ, who is the fulfillment of our perfection.
In the West, the gay lobby is very strong and has a lot of power in the media. Many people are therefore concerned that, if the language is too relaxed, the Synod will be an occasion where some use vague language to put forth ideas that are contrary to the Gospel.
For instance, the word “accogliere” [to welcome] was a word used a great deal during the Extraordinary Synod last October. The word, in some instances, has been hijacked to make it seem as though the Church is on its way to approving homosexual relationships. What do the bishops need to say next October in order to communicate both to Africa and and to the West exactly where the Church stands?
You know, if there is anything I find beautiful about Pope Francis, it is how he calls us back to the question: How would Christ act in this circumstance?
And I think one of the deepest respects I have for him was when he was returning from Rio de Janeiro and was interviewed by journalists who were interested in knowing what the Pope thinks about lesbians and gays, when he said: “If a gay is looking for Christ, who am I to condemn the person?”
I think the Pope took the stance of Jesus Christ. For instance, in the face of the woman who was caught in adultery, those who were standing there wanted to stone her to death. And what did Jesus say? “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” The Bible tells us “they went away one by one.” Now if you remember the question Jesus posed to the woman: “Woman, has no one condemned you?” She responds: “No one.” He says: “Then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
The beauty of what I like about this is that Jesus first thought he must save this woman and her God-given dignity and the gift of life that God had given her. After he had saved her and made her understand that God loves her, then he tells her: now go and repair whatever is between you and God. I find it beautiful.
I’d like to say this not only in the case of the woman caught in adultery, but also how he relates with lepers. When the leper comes and says: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean,” Jesus says: “Yes, I do will it.” He touches the leper and says: “Be made clean.” Why did Jesus touch the leper? Because it was against the Jewish law to touch a leper. He brought the leper to understand: “The fact that you have this ailment does not mean you are any less a child of God. It’s also because of you that I came.”
I would like to use another example, not only the negative ones. Take the woman who came and was weeping at the feet of Jesus. Now what is very funny is that it says everyone knew she was a sinner. As to what sin we are not told, but they knew her as a sinner.
The people who invited Jesus were already condemning the woman in their minds, and he says: “Simon, do you see this woman? I came to your house and you did not even wash my head, and she has not ceased washing my feet with her tears, and therefore her many sins, I don’t know how many they are, I don’t know what they are, but they are forgiven her, because she has loved greatly.”
So you see, Jesus has a beautiful way of confirming in each and every person: “you are a child of God, you are unique, and I love you for who you are, irrespective of what anybody thinks of you or what you have become. However, keep God in sight, keep moving.”
So I don’t blame [the media]. Most probably we have for so long a time made people suffer just because they are not “like us.” We’ve made them suffer, discriminated against them, we have ostracized them. So if today the gay lobby is very loud it’s because we have almost de-humanized them.
Would you like to expand on that?
What the Pope is bringing out is that we have no right to dehumanize anybody, either for color, for creed, or for sexual orientation. We should embrace them, and then point out, walk with them towards what the Pope believes is a certain inner voice that nobody can suffocate, that not even the media can suffocate.
Those who are in the gay lobby, for one reason or another, have been compelled by us, the so-called “good ones,” to even shove down a certain voice in themselves which definitely I think has been pointing out to them that something is not 100% right. We have contributed to that. We have also shut down in ourselves the voice which says: Everyone is a child of God, and we should welcome them all. We have no right to stone anybody, and we have no right to ostracize anybody. We should welcome them.
Some readers are asking: What is meant by “welcome”, whether it’s a case of a divorced and civilly remarried couple, or some other case? Cardinal Kasper has proposed that, in some cases, those who are divorced and civilly remarried — but who have not been granted an annulment — should be allowed to receive Holy Communion after following a path of penance. That’s one way of welcoming people. Another way of welcoming is by saying: “Yes, come to Church, be part of the community, but there are limits in terms of the reception of Holy Communion.” What does “welcoming” mean in your view?
Let me use a very different parameter. Let me take Europe. Let me take America.
What is happening now, for instance, in America, is that Obama is saying that there are so many people who have gotten into America illegally. We cannot drive them away back home. So let us see to legalizing their state so that they can contribute helpfully and worthily to the country’s good. There are many Americans who are against it. Am I right?
Yes, many Americans think that’s not really why Obama wants people legalized in the United States. They see him as trying to change the character of the electorate.
You see, trying to think for him [Obama] is always the problem. All he said is: “If you are in that position, how would you like us to treat you?”
When it comes to the boat people at Lampedusa, look at the attitude here in Europe. What I think the Pope is trying to bring home to all of us, especially with regard to divorced and remarried people in the Church, is that he didn’t say “yes” or “no." He said “think."
Holy Communion is medicine for the sick. It is not a reward for the perfect.
But according to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, whatever your sin may be, one must be in a state of grace in order to receive the Holy Eucharist (CCC 1415).
I would have to admit that, over the centuries, we have made a very tough line in that context. I met a Protestant pastor once. We had a big discussion. He said that, in Matthew 16, Jesus gave the power of the keys to Peter, saying: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
According to this Protestant pastor friend of mine, he said that, because of this, in some of the Protestant churches they believe that Christ gave them power to unbind those who have bound themselves in some marriages that are irregular, that are difficult, that are counter-productive, and to allow them to go within another context.
So, you see, it’s an interpretation. We have interpreted it to mean that, yes, the Church has the power of the keys, but not in this particular context of marriages. Therefore, the marriage must go through the whole channel and be annulled before [the couple] are allowed to go further. I think we are going to look at what “the power of the keys” could mean in this context.
How would that be reconciled with the Lord’s words: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
That is true. What God has joined together. In fact, it is not “let no man put asunder,” but “what God has joined, no man can put asunder. No man can put asunder what God has joined together, and it is true. But then the same Jesus says: “Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” So what did he mean by that? Are they two statements that contradict one another?
Well, Your Excellency, they can’t contradict one another if the Lord said them, because He is Truth.
They cannot contradict one another, so we are going to have to find out through prayer what to do. I believe that every institution like the Church must have rules and regulations. But the rules and regulations are ideals, points of arrival. They are the perfection to which we aspire. However, we are walking on, and when we fall we should be able to rise and to go ahead. And that is why the Pope is asking us: How do we help people whose marriages are broken down beyond repair to rise up, get the medicine they need, and continue walking?
Are we going to keep them perpetually feeling guilty about themselves and about the children they’ve had thereafter, and so on. Do we help them that way? Is God not all mercy? It’s only in God that justice and mercy meet and embrace. We are only his instruments, so I believe very strongly that we should be able to say: “Lord, this is the situation but we lift it up to you in your great mercy, and allow them.” It’s going to be tough, but we may have to do that.
It’s daring to say what I’m saying.
Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.
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