About the Archbishop

Most Rev. Charles Gabriel PALMER-BUCKLE was born on June 15, 1950 at Axim in the Western Region of Ghana to the late Sir Ebenezer Charles Palmer-Buckle and the Mrs. Beatrice Aba Buckle. He has six (6) brothers and five (5) sisters. He had his basic education at the Wesleyan College Practicing School in Kumasi and at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Adabraka, Accra.

He entered Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary, Effiduase, Koforidua at the age of thirteen (13), and upon completion of secondary education, he entered St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary, Amisano, and thereafter, to St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu. In 1971, while studying at Pedu Seminary, he was sent by the then Bishop of Accra, Most Rev. Joseph Oliver BOWERS, to study at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, Italy. He completed the seminary training with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Sacred Theology. On his return home to Ghana, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on December 12, 1976 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra, by Most Rev. Dominic Kodwo ANDOH, the then Bishop of Accra.

He served as the Diocesan Youth Chaplain and Vocations’ Director as well as Chaplain of his alma mater, Pope John XXIII Secondary and Minor Seminary for 3 years. He was sent back to Rome, Italy, to study at the Pontifical Selasian University for his post-graduate degree. He returned home in 1984 with a Doctorate Degree in Sacred Theology, and was appointed Teacher and Chaplain of St. Thomas Acquinas Secondary School, Achimota, and Diocesan Laity Chaplain. In 1985 he was transferred to Achimota Secondary School as Catholic Chaplain and Teacher, where he remained till 1992.

During the period between 1985 -1992, he served as the Acting Editor of the National Catholic Week,
“The Standard”, Priest in-charge of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Achimota, and President of the National Union of the Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association (NUGDPA).
In November 1992, Fr. Palmer-Buckle was nominated Bishop of the newly created Catholic Diocese of Koforidua, carved out of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra. He was ordained to the Episcopacy in the St. Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican City, Italy, on January 6, 1993, by Pope St. John Paul II. From 1994 to 2004, the Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle was the episcopal Chairman for the Department of Socio-Economic Department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and from 1995 to 2003 he was for two-terms President of Caritas Africa Region, and First Vice President of Caritas International, a federation of 198 member organizations in 154 countries all over the world, with its headquarters in the Vatican City,

In May 2002, he was appointed one of the 9-member National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) of Ghana by His Excellency John Agyekum KUFFOR, the then President of the Republic of Ghana. He served on this commission till October 2004, when it concluded the assignment and submitted its report. In November 2004, Bishop Palmer-Buckle was elected Vice President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and made the Bishop Chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Conference. On March 30, 2005, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra by his Holiness Pope John Paul II. From January to February 2009, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle opened and closed the second Synod of the Archdiocese of Accra which led to the promulgation of the Acts of the Second Accra Archdiocesan Synod. He took part in the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome as the delegate of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference. On May 11, 2018, following the acceptance of the resignation of Most Rev. Matthias Kobena Nketsiah from the Episcopal See of Cape Coast upon attainment of the age of retirement, His Holiness, Pope Francis, appointed Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast. He was installed on July 5th, 2019.