Accra, 27 October, 2025 / 11:53 PM
Wilfrid Fox Cardinal Napier of South Africa, Papal Delegate to the Double Jubilee celebration – marking both the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year and the 75th anniversary of the elevation of Ghana’s Cape Coast Church to an Archdiocese – has urged the people of God to move forward with confidence, grounded in gratitude for their past, commitment to the present, and faith in God’s promises for the future.
In his homily during the October 25 celebration at St. Augustine’s College of Cape Coast Archdiocese, themed “Pilgrims of Hope: Let your light Shine”, Cardinal Napier called for the fight against discrimination of every kind by making use of the synodal style of the church.
“Dear brothers and sisters, May the Church in Ghana walk forward with confidence into the future,” the South African Cardinal said.
He added, “If this jubilee can make a big difference, beginning in each home and each community and then spreading out our faith, our prayers, our liturgical and our family life must express our basic need. We need God. But what kind of God do we need. Is the God I need the same as the one Jesus reveals.”
Cardinal Napier cautioned against following instead of walking with Jesus, saying “Walk with Jesus every moment, every day, in every way and in every circumstance”.
The South African member of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), who was at the helm of South Africa’s Durban Archdiocese before his retirement was accepted in June 2021 at the age of 80 further said, “When we mean to commit to live the present with enthusiasm, it implies we commit ourselves to know God through Jesus, who first tells us what God is like and then shows Him to us.”
He outlined three ways to achieve true discipleship, saying, “First is a true disciple is one who walks with Jesus.”
“The second thing he emphasized was that a true disciple builds the church by faith and good works. The last thing is that the true disciple witnesses to Jesus,” he added.
Cardinal Napier urged the people of God to remember their past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and move into the future with courage and faith.
“To live in the present comes with its own challenges. Your Bishops are challenging you to find new ways of being disciples of Jesus,” he said.
Reflecting on 75 years of grace, the Papal Delegate noted that the Archdiocese’s achievements extend far beyond its physical structures.
“We thank God for the training and involvement of the laity in the ministry of the Church—men and women serving on parish councils, teaching catechism, and supporting adult formation,” he said.
He also highlighted the Church’s efforts in promoting justice, fighting discrimination, and fostering unity through the synodal path.
Drawing from Scripture, the 84-year-old Cardinal offered three biblical foundations for discipleship: faithfulness (Acts 2:42–47), hope in Christ’s resurrection (1 Peter 1:3–9), and love in action (John 15:17).
“True disciples walk with Jesus every day, build up His Church through faith and good works, and bear witness to Him in all circumstances,” he emphasized.
The October 25 celebration drew an estimated 12,700 lay faithful, 25 Bishops, 270 Priests, 119 men and women Religious, and nearly 500 Catechists.
Earlier in the event, Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Cape Coast Archdiocese welcomed dignitaries and faithful from across Ghana and beyond.
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He expressed joy at hosting the historic celebration and acknowledged the presence of Archbishop Julien Kaboré, Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana, and Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson, Prefect Emeritus of the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and former Archbishop of Cape Coast.
Archbishop Kaboré read the official Mandatum from the Holy See, appointing Cardinal Napier as the Papal Delegate to preside over the solemn Mass, describing him as a “devoted shepherd endowed with pastoral zeal.”
Cardinal Turkson led the prayer of consecration of the Archdiocese and urged the people of God to carry forward the missionary spirit of the early evangelizers who laid the foundations of the Church in Cape Coast with selfless dedication.
In a goodwill message, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi of the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani, congratulated the Archdiocese on its milestone, calling the double jubilee a “moment of renewal and rededication to mission.”
Fr. Francis Madonna Ayaric of Cape Coast Catholic Archdiocese contributed to this story.
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