Cameroon

18, June 2017

Archbishop of Yaounde says dark forces behind anti-Roman Catholic persecutions in Cameroon ⁰

The Archbishop of Yaounde Jean Mbarga has told Radio Vatican that the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon is being persecuted by evil forces. The Archbishop was speaking of the death of the late Bishop of Bafia, Jean-Marie Benoit Balla.

The prelate believes that the Catholic Church in Cameroon is martyred. “We are in a story, I was about to say, of martyrs in our Church. It has been going on since, and it has been going on for quite some time. When we read this whole story and for the most part things have not been elucidated we deduce that we are persecuted and victims of violence that come from dark forces that affect the Church in its heart, in its blood and in his life, “declared the prelate.

Archbishop Jean Mbarga wondered aloud why Roman Catholic clergies were being targeted. He also pointed out in the interview that “each time there were assassinations; the Christian family never gets an explanations. We do not know who is really behind the killings.”

Jean Mbarga maintained that the brutal death of Jean-Marie Benoït Balla will leave “indelible traces” in the community he was in charge of evangelizing. He spoke of “dismayed, shocked” faithful and recalled that the bishops “have asked the authorities to shed full light on this crime.”

The disappearance of Bishop Balla surprised him all the more because the context did not allow such a tragedy. “What has just happened to us surprises us all! We do not understand! Because, until that fateful date, everything was fine! In my ecclesiastical province there were no shadows!

By Sama Ernest

Cameroon Concord News

31, May 2017

Bishop of Bafia commits suicide: We need to talk about Cameroonian Roman Catholic Bishops and priests ²

Bishop Jean-Marie Balla, has reportedly killed himself under a bridge at Ebebda some 78Km from the nation’s capital Yaoundé. The prelate’s car and a statement left by him saying “I am in the water” suggest that the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bafia would have committed suicide. Bishop Jean Marie Benoît Bala was appointed Bishop of the Bafia diocese with a Christian population of over two hundred thousand in 2003.

Jean Marie Benoît Bala was born May 1959 in Oweng Mbalmayo. He is originally from Mbankomo in the Mefou-Akono Division (Central Province). In addition to studies in philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary at Nkolbisson, he holds a diploma in Social Sciences and Management from the Catholic Institute of Yaoundé. He was ordained priest in 1987 by the late Arch Bishop Jean Zoa.

The vehicle of the Bishop of Bafia was found on the 31st of May 2017 beside a bridge at Ebebda, a small locality in the department of Lekié, Central region. According to the Senior Divisional Officer for Mban and Inoubou, Maurice Tchoffo, it is difficult at the moment to know what really happened to the Man of God. Indeed, the prelate’s personal documents were found in his vehicle, as well as a piece of paper containing the inscription “I am in the water” suggesting that he had indeed committed suicide. Bishop Benoît Balla, 58, to many around the world has committed sacrilege that will hunt the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon forever.

The recovery of our nation from the ruling CPDM crime syndicate, if it is to happen, will require confident and reasonably clean religious leaders not priests who can’t keep their hands off teenage girls or other men’s wives, or whose bishops are unable or unwilling to deal with them. The sudden disappearance of Bishop Balla is an indication that our secular leaders have abandoned the outer defenses of our nation and civilization. Bishop Benoit Balla is among those Cameroonian priests who likely failed in the last stand at the inner defenses and was tolerated by the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy for too long.

It is hard to say at this point but the death by suicide of His Lordship Bishop Balla has stunned many people around the world. He is the first Cameroonian Roman Catholic Bishop to take his own life. Cameroonians are understandably shocked by the particular circumstances of the tragedy. But when the dust settles around the death of Bishop Balla, and his brother- Francophone Cameroun bishops and parishioners begin to pick up the pieces, it’s vital that some good can be brought out of this tragedy. We of Cameroon Intelligence Report believe and fervently too that there is a danger that when the shock dies down, we all get back to business as usual and there is no discussion about the wider questions.

We need to talk about the Cameroonian Roman Catholic Bishops and priests be they Anglophones or Francophones. This is not the suicide of one Christian whose wife dumped him for a pastor which would be statistically irrelevant. It is not even the suicide of two or three Anglophone priests which may find more correlation with the seven months old Southern Cameroon crisis. We are talking here about the suicide of a Roman Catholic Bishop in Cameroon in very shameful and disgusting circumstances.

A core Roman Catholic teaching which often emphasizes the rewards that come with good works or the punishment that comes with sin has been rubbished by Bishop Balla of the Bafia Diocese. So, God’s grace cannot be earned through good deeds if a Bishop who understands the Roman Catholic strictness of the teachings on suicide and how those teachings become internalized among Catholics could afford to end this way.

The end of Bishop Balla has also called into question the act of regularly confessing sins to a Catholic priest. It was generally thought that since suicide is the only sin that could never be confessed to a priest, a Catholic who finds confession important to avoiding Hell may be less inclined to commit suicide. (We will come back to this aspect later).

Roman Catholic teaching on suicide is clear. As set out in Blessed John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae (#66): Suicide is always as morally objectionable as murder. The Church’s tradition has always rejected it as a gravely evil choice. Even though a certain psychological, cultural and social conditioning may induce a person to carry out an action which so radically contradicts the innate inclination to life, thus lessening or removing subjective responsibility, suicide, when viewed objectively, is a gravely immoral act. In fact, it involves the rejection of love of self and the renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards one’s neighbour, towards the communities to which one belongs, and towards society as a whole. In its deepest reality, suicide represents a rejection of God’s absolute sovereignty over life and death, as proclaimed in the prayer of the ancient sage of Israel: “You have power over life and death; you lead men down to the gates of Hades and back again” (Wis 16:13; cf. Tob 13:2).

Suicide is indeed a mortal sin. If it be not only ‘as morally objectionable as murder’, but ‘always’ so, it is difficult to understand how it might be forgiven before the Throne of Judgment. It is right to say that Bishop Balla of the Bafia Diocese who committed suicide may not possess an informed intellect (ie know that suicide is wrong); and he may not have given full consent of the will (ie intended to commit the action). If he killed himself out of fear or psychological imbalance or emotional stress, there cannot be full consent since these impede the exercise of the will and mitigate responsibility. The Catechism states: ‘Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide’ (#2282).

But in this Bishop Balla suicide there is something which ought to alarm the Roman Catholic Church at the very highest level-the strong ties between the Francophone Roman Catholic Bishops and the barons of the ruling CPDM government.

All suicide is tragedy. So, yes, we need to talk about Bishop Balla. But let us not do so apart from institutional systems, outdated dogma and overbearing hierarchy. The suicide may as well be an act staged by hired security agents from the state or from abroad.

To This I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, May 2017

French Cameroun: CPDM Muslims belief in the Quran is very superficial ⁰

It can truly be said that incompetent Muslims political elites from the Far North and North regions believe in the Quran only in appearance but act in contravention of its teachings. The situation is the same unfortunately today with many secular Islamic societies including Christian communities all over the world.

Part of the numerous problems faced by Cameroonians under the Biya regime is that a large segment of the population in the Far North and North regions rely on incompetent individuals like [those] in the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government.

These highly placed government officials such as the Vice Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, House Speaker, Cavaye Djibril, Ayang Luc, Issa Tchiroma, Amadou Mustapha and the Hayatou family in Garoua believe in the Quran in appearance and even distribute thousands of copies of the Quran to their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters but they are in practice intimate with infidels like Paul Biya and Martin Belinga Eboutou contrary to Quran’s stipulations.

Amadou Ali is directly responsible for the ongoing anti-religious acts in Southern Cameroons and it is important to state here that those Muslim soldiers serving with the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR who are carrying out such measures against Southern Cameroon Muslims and non Muslims communities will certainly face failure and doom.

One of the main recommendations of the Quran that these CPDM Muslims follow strictly is that of having many wives. Some of them even fly first class to Mecca with their mistresses pretending to be going for pilgrimage. The time of their collapse depends on the actions of genuine Muslims throughout La Republique du Cameroun. If the Muslims in the Far North and in the North act correctly, the collapse of these CPDM infidels would be accelerated.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Cameroon Concord News Group

28, May 2017

Ramadan 2017: Cameroonian Muslims begin 30 days of fasting ⁰

Muslims in Cameroon have started the 30 day period of fasting Cameroon state radio and television reported that the 30 days fast observed each year in accordance with the Islam calendar in preparation for the spiritual journey has been very visible.

At the Briqueterie neighborhood which is predominantly Muslim, provision stores have been stocked with food items consumed during the period of fasting such as rice, sugar flour, milk, date fruits, Corn and Groundnut.

Also, items to facilitate the retreat such as prayer beats, copies of the Koran, kettles and mats have also been displayed. Ramadan is one of the holiest periods in the Islam calendar- a period when Muslims are expected to humble themselves in prayer to Alah. It is a period of spiritual cleansing, abstinence and solidarity.

Camcordnews Desk

30, April 2017

Archbishop of Bamenda says he does not know who is dragging him to court ⁰

After a nebulous group known as the consortium of parents dragged the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province to court to answer a seven-count charge brought against them, L’Effort Camerounais caught up with the Archbishop of Bamenda to have his reading of the present imbroglio. Excerpts:

How do you react to the recent court summons of the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province?

My reaction is certainly one of disappointment because, in the first place, I do not know who is dragging me to court especially as the supposed plaintiffs have denied that they are not the ones responsible for the court summons. They accuse the Bishops of failing to ask parents to send their children back to school and of condoning to the acts of those who illegally requested for boycott of school thereby causing some confusion and persistently refraining from performing the duties of teaching children. They further accuse us of condoning to the resistance organized by some individuals and thereby causing social unrest.

On the contrary, the Bishops have issued several communications all in an attempt to appeal to the parties to seek a peaceful solution to the current social unrest plaguing our country. In all our communications and, even in my homilies, violence in all its forms and no matter the origin has been vehemently condemned. We have never asked or encouraged anyone to organize ghost towns or civil disobedience. We have never closed down our schools or sent any child away who wanted to be taught. Parents themselves chose to come and withdraw their children after news spread that the gate of Sacred Heart College Mankon was vandalized. In effect, we have lost enormously because over seven hundred million had been spent in buying food stuff, books and didactic material for the running of schools. Unfortunately, all fees had not been paid when the strike started so the money has not been recovered. Instead we stretched beyond our limits to get money with which we paid teachers and supported the staff for several months after the strike started. We held meetings with parents and teachers to discuss the possibility of reopening our schools but parents chose not to send their children. To be accused now of not having ordered schools to resume is surprising. So, I am totally disappointed in whoever is behind this act.

Do you think someone is behind all this and who could that be?

Yes, I strongly believe so but I do not know who. I say this for a number of reasons. In the first place, because the representatives of the so-called “Consortium” are mostly military personnel. Secondly, because one of the charges is that my refusal to pay teachers’ salaries is causing a loss in taxes to the State. So I do not know if their interest is the loss of taxes to the state or it is the children’s welfare they are interested in. Our schools have Parents Teachers Associations right up to the diocesan level and nothing like a consortium of parents as the summons indicate. No one has brought any complaints against us with regards to the social unrests and we refused to listen.

Furthermore they accuse us of propagating “false information liable to injure public authorities and national unity” and of attempting to justify “grievances and apprehensions which is being carried out against the security of the State”. So, from the look of it, there is someone behind all this and I am anxiously looking forward to meeting whoever is calling the shots.

Does the Church have a preference for a particular style/system of government?

Not at all, because the Church does not meddle in politics and has no political leanings. In our memorandum to the Head of State we have advised the government on what to do to have a peaceful solution to the existing problems. That is the best we can do as the voice of the voiceless that we are. We can only advise but cannot impose on the government. We do this by presenting to the government what complaints the people have and how to go about solving them. The Church is strictly apolitical and does not express any preference for a style of government.

You are aware that Christians from all over the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province were mobilizing to storm the courts had the matter not been suspended. Do you encourage such an action?

I am aware of this because I received calls from Yaoundé, Douala, Buea and other towns. People called to give me their moral support, to reassure me of their prayers and to inform me they will be in court with me because they are the parents who refused to send their children to school and not the bishops. I informed the Governor of the North West Region just in case he did not know about it so that he takes his responsibility to ensure there is maximum security so that the peaceful protest march the people had planned to have will go on without escalating into violence. As to whether I encourage them, I would say I did not ask anyone to accompany me to court and in my communiqué to them about the summons, I only asked them to pray for a peaceful solution and to remain calm. But I think people are aware that they have a right to express themselves and that is why they chose to accompany me to court.

Do you not think a situation like that could stir another uprising or could be considered by government as such?

I would not have cautioned the Governor about impending danger if I did not foresee that some people could take advantage of the planned peaceful protest march to cause chaos. I already mentioned that all along we have been condemning violence no matter the source. So, I have to do what I can to avoid it.

Christ’s Faithful in the Diocese of Buea were bracing up to travel to Bamenda in solidarity with the Church in Bamenda and Kumbo. Is Bamenda going to do same to Buea, Mamfe and Kumba?

We intended going down to Buea as well for the simple reason that actually it is the Church’s hierarchy in our Ecclesiastical Province that has been dragged to court. And since there are two regions, they cannot, from a legal point of view, bring the Bishop of Buea to come and answer charges in Bamenda. So, all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province are in court just as all the leaders of the Presbyterian and Baptist Churches in the two regions are also in court. So, the difference is only where one answers the case because the charges are the same. One of the accusations in the summons is about “the Catholic Church”; and that is a very serious accusation. It would have been totally different if I were accused as the Archbishop of Bamenda or if it were the Bishop of Buea, for example; but as the Catholic Church, I am afraid the Holy Father may have to come and answer the charge in this situation because he is the head of the Catholic Church. So, that is the gravity of it.

So, what will be your reaction if whoever is dragging the bishops to court suddenly realizes this gravity and decides to withdraw the case?

They are free to do so. If they think that they have no charges against us or that they are accusing us wrongly, they are free to. We are only praying that we should not go into situations that are meaningless; things should be founded and should be done properly because nobody enjoys going to court. And the question you asked, as they always say; “have you looked for a peaceful and amicable solution to the problem before going to court?” That is why I would have expected those who are bringing us to court to confront us and if we cannot satisfy them, if they have founded grievances, then they are free to go to court. This explains why the issue of the Church being dragged to court is really an embarrassment to us and I think to anybody. I hope that they will not keep on suspending the case indefinitely because justice delayed is justice denied.

Your Grace, the matter in Buea has been postponed to the same June 5, like that of Bamenda. What reading do you make of that action?

Well, they have a right to put it on whatever date suits them. If they have chosen to put both cases on the same day only they know why they have chosen to do that. I cannot interpret their act. But I know that the reason advanced for postponing the case in Bamenda is not convincing enough. The death of a lawyer or any court official should not cause the entire court to close down. That of Buea is even worse because no reason for its postponement was advanced.

What do you think can be the quick solution to the current social unrest and how soon can that be?

I think the solution is there. We have the knife and the yam. It is very clear. By “we” I mean the Cameroon nation and its authorities. We have the knife and the yam because we have more than a 50-year history. All these problems are man-made and we have been living through them. Let us have the courage, as I said earlier, to take the bull by the horns, look at the problems in the face and look for meaningful solutions. We would be a more peaceful country. This can only be done through genuine and honest dialogue and with the establishment of a truth and reconciliation committee. Cameroon has been hailed for being an oasis of peace. We do not want to lose that. We want to continue being an oasis of peace and we want to continue being an example to follow in our sub region. We do not want to push things to a point that people become exasperated and do foolish things. Let us listen to one another, accept one another and do things in one another’s interest.

But Your Grace, there was dialogue with the inter-ministerial committee and the Prime Minister made several trips to the North West to dialogue with the people. Are you insinuating there was no genuine dialogue?

When it started the inter-ministerial committee seemed to be in genuine dialogue with the teachers’ union leaders. But shortly after the discussions, some leaders were arrested and are still in jail. This shows there was some bad faith and no trust in the people they were dialoguing with. I have the impression that the PM did not come to dialogue but to present an agenda of a prepared solution to the problem without true and honest dialogue. In this case there was no dialogue but a monologue because he spoke and everyone listened to him but he did not listen to anybody. So I insist that people should face the facts as they are and listen to each other during the dialogue.

21, April 2017

Anglophone Crisis: The Preaching Bishop addresses Christians in the Mamfe Diocese ²

MESSAGE TO ALL PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN, MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S LAY FAITHFUL AND PEOPLE OF GOODWILL IN THE DIOCESE OF MAMFE

DIRECT SUMMONS TO THE BISHOPS OF BUEA, MAMFE AND KUMBA TO APPEAR IN THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE IN BUEA OVER CRIMINAL CHARGES

Dear Rev. Fathers,

Rev. Brothers and Sisters,

All Christ’s Lay Faithful,

People of Goodwill in Mamfe Diocese;

The Lord is risen Alleluia – Yes he is truly risen Alleluia.

On Monday the 17th of April, 2017, while We, of the Diocese of Mamfe, were celebrating our Priestly Ordinations and basking in our quiet enjoyment in Manyu Division, some people totally unkown to us from Fako Division, namely, Dr. John Lyonga Efande, Ikome Williams Ligange and Alianto Ngala, through their Legal Counsel, Barrister Achu Julius Ngu Tabe, dragged us to the Court of First Instance in Buea, Fako Division and caused the State Counsel of the same Fako to summon the Bishops of Buea, Mamfe and Kumba to appear in Court on Monday the 24th of April, 2017 at 9 am prompt. The seven charges against the Bishops could be summarized in that the Bishops have refused to reopen the Catholic schools and thus supporting the illegal strike of the Anglophone Teachers. These people are requesting that the Bishops be convicted and imprisoned and pay damages of 150 Billion CFA.

Coming at the splash of the Easter Joy, I can only see an attempt to spread the reign of darkness and get the prince of this world attempt to spoil our Easter Graces. But as you all know, the devil is a liar and we shall not give him the opportunity. I can only talk to you at this kind of trying moment in the words of Jesus who said to his Apostles, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me”(Jn.14:1).

As the Bishop of Mamfe, I stand by the Communiqué which all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province wrote saying that “We have never closed schools and our doors remain open”. The Bishop of Mamfe does not live in Fako, nor does he own schools in Fako and this makes me worried that anybody can sit down in any part of the country and decide that I am a criminal and I have to go to court to prove that I am not. It is all a calculated attempt by some forces of darkness, that we shall get to know sooner than later, to humiliate, intimidate and incriminate the Church and rub the bishops in mud with wanton disregard and disrespect for God, whom these men in spite their human weaknesses, represent. They may end up discovering that they are fighting against God himself(Acts 5:39). It is the reign of the anti-Christ and this is not new. It is a struggle between light and darkness, it is a battle between good and evil, it is a wrestle between sin and righteousness and a confrontation of truth and lies. This is exactly what happened to my Boss who is the Son of a carpenter, Jesus Christ. He was blackmailed and dragged from Annas the High priest to Caiphas and then finally put before Pontius Pilate who unjustly condemned him to death. Shame to death! On the third day he rose again from the dead – Alleluia. Now he lives to die no more. Jesus told us to expect this when he said; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me”(Jn.15:18-21).

As a true and law abiding son of this country, I will respect the call of the law of the state and appear before the court of Frist Instance in Buea on Monday, 24th April, 2017 at 9.am prompt. I will not waste Diocesan money, which we don’t have, to hire a lawyer and I will not prepare any defense because I believe in Christ who said : “Watch out! Men will hand you over to the local courts. They will whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me. You will be witnesses to them and to those who aren’t Jews. “But when they arrest you, don’t worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the right words to say. It will not be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.”(Mtt.10:17-20).

I therefore call on all Christians of Mamfe to do the following:

Stay calm and restrain from any acts of violence, be it verbal, physical or even psychological, that will only make the situation worse. This is a call I made to all the Motor Bike Riders on the 31st of December, 2016 and to all the Youth of the Diocese during the World Youth Day on the 9th of April, 2017 and I am repeating to all Christians of Mamfe today.

Done on the 22nd of April 2017, which is the 25th Anniversary of my ordination to the Sacred Priesthood

His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea

18, April 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 Roman Catholic Bishops to stand trial ²

Three Roman Catholic Bishops will appear before a court in the Bamenda province of Southern Cameroons for not intervening to ask parents to send their children to school. The plaintiffs backed by the corrupt regime in Yaoundé are claiming the sum of 150 billion CFA francs in damages.

The spiritual leader of the Bamenda ecclesiastic province, Archbishop Cornelius Esua, his deputy, Bishop Michael and His Lordship Bishop George Nkou of the Kumbo Diocese were summoned to appear before a court in Bamenda on Friday April the 21^st for their possible role in the strike action orchestrated by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The summons was given to the Bishops a few days ago, during the Holy Week by a regime headed by a Roman Catholic Christian with good ties with the Vatican.

The civil parties constitute a group of parents whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools and they claim that the prelates have not done enough to ensure the resumption of classes in Catholic institutions ever since the Southern Cameroons crisis started last year.

The Southern Cameroons Bishops who are by extrapolation members of Pope Francis cabinet have argued that they have never closed any Roman Catholic academic establishment. Barrister Richard Nde who has opted to defend the Bishops told Radio France International that the trial is basically political. “There is nothing concrete. It is only the interest of money and the political aspect.”

In February, the West Cameroon Episcopal Conference stressed in a statement that the Anglophone crisis was symptomatic of a deep “socio-political” crisis. The bishops then argued that the numerous killings, arrests, torture , rapes and the shutdown of the Internet had aggravated the situation. Relations between the State and the Church remain strained even though President Paul Biya was received last month by the Holy Father Pope Francis at the Vatican.

By Chi Prudence Asong

18, April 2017

Archbishop of Douala says attack on Anglophone Bishops is “sacrilegious” ⁰

The President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, Archbishop Samuel Kléda has denounced the Yaoundé regime’s fierce attack on Southern Cameroons Bishops. The Archbishop of the Douala Diocese say Roman Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda ecclesiastical province cannot be held responsible for the closure of denominational schools as claimed by the a group backed by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime.

The Man of God observed that the attack on the Roman Catholic Church by government agents is a real scandal! The Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala told Radio Equinoxe that the Catholic Church did not orchestrate the Anglophone crisis that has paralyzed the English-speaking regions since November 2016. He pointed out that the Southern Cameroons Bishops did not shut down the private and public schools. Archbishop Kleda wondered aloud if the so-called Consortium of Parents that sued the Anglophone Bishops will also file a complaint against those responsible for private and public institutions.

Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua, his assistant Bishop Michael Bibi, the bishop of Kumbo Diocese George Nkuo, and the principal of the Sacred Heart College of Mankon, are expected to appear before the Bamenda Court of First Instance on Friday, April 21, 2017, to answer the charges against them. The two plaintiffs are senior officers of the Cameroonian army. They blame the respondents for collecting tuition fees on behalf of the school year, which is drawing to a close, without giving anything as a course. Therefore, they are claiming compensation of 150 million FCFA.

Monday, April 17, 2017 was the day of resumption of classes for the 3rd quarter of the school year 2016/2017 throughout the national territory. In Buea and Bamenda as in other towns in the South-West and North-West Regions, several schools belonging to the Anglophone educational sub-system, including denominational schools of the Catholic Church, have not been opened.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Eyong Johnson

9, February 2017

Buea Catholic Education Secretary, the Bishops and the strike: Love the sinner, hate the sin approach ²

If “actions speak louder than words,” as the saying goes, the message from the Anglophone Roman Catholic Bishops on reopening of schools is increasingly confusing. On the one hand, the Bishops had reiterated the Church’s stance on the Anglophone problem and even repeatedly condemned the rapes, killings and arbitrary arrest going on in Southern Cameroons. However both in their recent deeds – most notably the press release from the Catholic Education Secretary in Buea, have left an impression in many minds that the Roman Catholic Church in Anglophone Cameroon is badly in need of new leadership.

It is not only the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and their majority following who have observed these mixed signals but the entire nation including even Francophone political elites. The statement from the Catholic Education Secretary in the Dioceses of Buea has also raised the issue of legitimate authority.

Roman Catholic schools and colleges belong to the Bishops and only the Bishops have legitimate authority to open or close those institutions. For an Education Secretary to have come out strong during this difficult period in Southern Cameroons history is very disturbing. Many Roman Catholics can’t help but suspect that the recent shift in position has been orchestrated from the presidency of the republic via its brutal Secret Service. It will be hard for West Cameroonians to uphold Catholic traditions if the Bishops fail to come out clean.

This editorial is presented with love and respect for the Bishops in answer to their call for open dialogue to resolve the Anglophone problem. President Biya has chosen to remain silent at key intervals, most especially in the aftermath of the historic memorandum sent to him by the Anglophone Bishops. This significant shift in the earlier position regarding the Anglophone problem is completely unacceptable to both the detained and interim leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Although the Consortium has not asked for comment from the Episcopal Conclave, we of this publication think that it would be proper for the Bishops to clarify their current decision. But if it is true that the Anglophone Bishops have ordered Roman Catholic academic establishments in Southern Cameroons to reopen their doors, then it is indeed a defeat for humanity.

The Anglophone Roman Catholic Bishops may as well be following the Holy Father Pope Francis “who am I to judge” comment leaving Biya and his Francophone Beti Ewondo regime to ride over Southern Cameroonians. Equally concerning is the fact that the Bishops of Cameroon Conference that recently held in Mamfe, the chief town in Manyu Division failed to condemn the rapes, extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrest going on in Southern Cameroons. This is the “love the sinner, hate the sin” approach.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

5, February 2017

Presbyterian Church in Cameroon distancing itself from the PEATTU resolution ¹

The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has reportedly issued a statement contradicting the position held by the Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers Trade Union, PEATTU. Cameroon Concord News is yet to confirm the authenticity of the document that was emailed to our Brussels bureau today Sunday the 5th of February 2017. Below is the text as sent to us:

The Moderator is the proprietor of all Presbyterian schools in Cameroon. He has not been consulted in the present dispensation for the signing of any document by whosoever on behalf of the PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATION AUTHORITY TEACHERS TRADE UNION (PEATTU).

He is presently in AKWAYA for the Thanksgiving of his late father together with the entire workers and staff of the synod office, including a cream of pastors. Until you get his personal opinion on this issue, we consider the said Mr Stephen acting for reasons best known to him.

The decision taken before remains. We call for those detained to be released and government should stop the brutal arrest and detaining of individuals. We also call for fresh dialogue as a possible way to reinstate our dignity as a people.

The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CAMEROON IS NOT A SELLOUT CHURCH AND WILL NEVER BE. Blood has been split and this must not and cannot be taken lightly. Until the PCC Moderator speaks, consider PEATTU position on that approval back to school as null and void.

By Chi Prudence Asong