Fr. René Gaston Ayihi Tsimi, a member of the Clergy of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Obala, who died on Monday, April 8 in Rome after an illness, is being remembered for his “serenity in accepting” the will of God in his life amid suffering. He was aged 31.

In a statement issued Friday, April 12, the Local Ordinary of Obala Diocese, Bishop Sosthène Léopold Bayemi Matjei, expresses his “sincere condolences” to Fr. Tsimi’s “family and to all those who knew him during the exercise of his Priestly ministry.”

Bishop Bayemi invites the People of God to pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Fr. Tsimi, who, until his passing on, was a student at the Rome-based Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

In a Wednesday, April 10 Vatican News report, the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy eulogizes the late Cameroonian Catholic Priest as serene.

“Fr. René made a great impression on me. He was a son of the Church in Cameroon. What struck us was his serenity in accepting the Lord’s will in suffering,” Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio has been quoted as saying.

Archbishop Pennacchio recalls Fr. Tsimi as one who “always had a smile from beginning to end, despite the suffering.”

Referring to the remarks of one of the nurses attending to the late Catholic Priest, the Archbishop says, “He suffers, but he doesn’t say it. He really suffered a lot.”

“The Holy Father was close to him with a beautiful letter, encouraging him to face this trial and to offer his sufferings for the good of the Church,” Archbishop Pennacchio recalls.

He continues, “When he was taken to Gemelli, I gave him an image of St. John Paul II, and he kept it on his bedside table the whole time next to the image he already had, along with the image of Our Lady of Pompeii.”

“It was truly a moment of witness even for the Academy alumni. I saw a family united, as when a family (suffering) for a brother who is in pain,” the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy has been quoted as saying.

Born in July 1992 in Mbandjock in the Diocese of Obala, Fr. Tsimi, alumni of Mary Queen of the Apostles Major Seminary, was ordained a Priest in August 2020.

The holder of a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome served as curate at Mary Admirable Mother Nkomotou Parish until July 2021, when he was appointed Deputy Chancellor of Obala Diocese, a position he held until his return to Rome.

He was a holder of a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

The Funeral Mass for the late Catholic Priest is to take place at the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica in Rome on Saturday, April 13. His body is expected in Cameroon on April 17, ahead of his burial, scheduled for April 19.

Source: Aciafrica

Robert Cardinal Sarah has called upon the 12 newly ordained Priests for the Catholic Diocese of Obala in Cameroon to be attentive to the needs of the people of God under their pastoral care.

In his homily during the Friday, April 5 Priestly ordination, Cardinal Sarah hailed the vocation to the Priesthood and called upon the 12 Deacons to put prayer at the center of the Priestly ministry.

Credit: ACI Africa

“Priesthood is the most wonderful and greatest gift that God has given to our humanity. To be a Priest is therefore to be attentive to the flock, which the Holy Spirit has appointed us to shepherd in the Church of God, in profound communion with your Bishop,” he said during the event that was held at the Playground of Obala Council.

To be a Priest, the Guinean-born Cardinal who, until his retirement in February 2021, was serving as Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said, “is an immense privilege that makes and helps us to continue the work of evangelization initiated by Jesus.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“To be a Priest is to become Jesus Christ himself. It means extending his saving presence among mankind. It means striving every day to bring Jesus’ suffering and death to our lives, and to radiate his presence,” Cardinal Sarah said during the April 5 Priestly Ordination event. 

Priests have the role of facilitating the recognition of God as critical to the world in general and to the human person in person, the Cardinal said. 

Credit: ACI Africa

To be a Priest, he explained, “means restoring God’s central place in the world, for a world without God is a world without hope. The Priest makes God visible; the Priest is the sign that reminds us of God’s primacy in a world that is increasingly frivolous, indifferent and even hostile to Jesus Christ, his Gospel and his Church.”

The Cardinal, who arrived in Cameroon on Tuesday, April 2 for a weeklong visit further said, “The priesthood was instituted to preach the Gospel and restore communion between God and man through the Eucharistic sacrifice and prayer. The Priesthood has its deepest source in the supreme and exclusive love of Christ.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“Shepherding my sheep is indeed an act of love. Only if we love Jesus Christ exclusively do we have the authority and responsibility to shepherd God’s people,” Cardinal Sarah said.

It is in following the example of Jesus Christ, who gave “His whole life for the care of His sheep that we confirm that Priests love God with all their heart, soul and strength,” the 78-year-old Cardinal, who started his Episcopal Ministry in December 1979 as Archbishop of Guinea’s Conakry Archdiocese said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The first ordinary annual session of the Bishops’ Conference of the Ecclesiastical Province of Yaoundé in Cameroon, was held recently. “The Church and the digital world: issues and challenges for evangelization,” was the theme of the plenary. The assembly took place at the Pastoral Centre of Saint Joseph in the town of Kribi, a beach resort and sea port in Southwestern Cameroon.

Throughout their discussions, the Bishops belonging to the of the Ecclesiastical Province of Yaoundé agreed on the need for the local Church to integrate the digital culture into work of evangelization, because, “digital technologies offers pastoral opportunities that open up infinite gateways to Christian life,” they said.

Christianising the digital and digitising Christianity

With reference to digital technologies, Archbishop Jean Mbarga, the Metropolitan of Yaoundé Archdiocese stressed that “the Church needs to be at the rendezvous of history, and above all at its helm.” To this end, he continued, “our commitment from now on will be to Christianise the digital and to digitalise Christianity … These are openings that give rise to pastoral avenues that open gateways of Christian lives to you, the people of God, and that pour graces into the heart of a world that wants only to materialise and institute atheism,” said the prelate of Yaoundé.

Investing in innovation

The Archbishop of Yaoundé praised the City of Kribi as well as the Diocese of Kribi for leading the way in investing in innovation and creativity. He urged young people to seize the immense opportunities for economic development currently being offered by the City of Kribi, “a modern city located by the sea, bearing rich hopes, but also under the prism of problems linked to urbanization,” he said.

Source: Vatican News

Pope Francis has implored for the Blessed Virgin Mary’s “strength and consolation” for the victims of the February 11 bomb attack on Nkambe town in Cameroon that reportedly led to the death of at least one person, injuring dozens.

Further, the bomb explosion reportedly disrupted Holy Mass at Christ the King Jakiri Parish of Kumbo Diocese, drawing the attention of Bishop George Nkuo who condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”.

In a statement, Bishop Nkuo narrated the attack, saying, “On the day of the disruption an Improvised Explosive Device was detonated at the Nkambe ceremonial grounds where youths were gathered to celebrate the National Youth Day, leaving one person dead and many injured.”

“We strongly condemn and denounce any form of violence perpetrated during public and spiritual gatherings and within the sacred spaces of Churches and hospitals,” the Catholic Bishop is reported as saying in the statement.

He added, “We condemn in the strongest terms this heinous and senseless attack on innocent civilians during the Youth Day celebration in Nkambe.”

In a solidarity message addressed to Bishop Nkuo that ACI Africa obtained Tuesday, February 27, the Holy Father prayed for the “intercession of the Virgin Mary to bring strength and consolation to all who are affected by this drama.”

“His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the tragic bomb explosion that occurred in Nkambe on February 11, and the loss of human life it caused,” the message that was signed by the Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, reads in part.

The message continues, His holiness “joins in the mourning of the families, showing them his closeness and his pain.”

Praying for the eternal rest of the dead, entrusting them to the mercy of God, the 266th Catholic Pontiff also wishes quick recovery and healing for the wounded.

Pope Francis reiterates his message of respecting sacred places that he had given in his condolence message following Sunday’s attack on a Church and mosque killing dozens in Burkina Faso.

“As a sign of comfort, the Holy Father invokes on the Cameroonian people and the entire nation divine blessings,” reads the February 27 solidarity message.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called Republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

School boycotts have become common in these areas, as have enforced moratoriums on public life, resulting in what is known as “ghost towns”.

By Miriam Metchane Ewang with files from Queen Besumbu Agbaw

Catholic Bishops in Cameroon have expressed their “compassion” for victims of violence in the Far North region as well as the Northwest and the Southwest regions of the Central African nation.

In the final communiqué issued at the end of their 47th Annual Seminar, members of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) denounce the “horrendous acts perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect in the Far North Region and they express deep compassion for the victims.”

NECC members deplore “all forms of violence in the country, especially the atrocities committed in the North-West and South-West Regions.”

They express their “constant paternal solicitude and continual prayer for all.”

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

School boycotts have become common in these areas, as have enforced moratoriums on public life, resulting in what is known as “ghost towns”.

In the Far North, attacks by Nigeria’s Boko Haram fundamentalist sect have reportedly caused more than 320,000 people to flee the region.

In their two-page communiqué following the January 6-13 Seminar organized under the theme, “A Synodal Church on Mission”, NECC members express concern about “the growing and yawning poverty among the population”

They appeal for “greater justice, solidarity, hard work and continuous trust in God.”

During their weeklong Seminar, Catholic Bishops in Cameroon also reflected on the recognition of the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Simon Mpeke, popularly known as Baba Simon, and urged all the People of God to “pray fervently for his canonization.”

Source: aciafrica

Bishop Emmanuel B. Bushu, who retired from the pastoral care of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea in December 2019, has been prohibited from celebrating or concelebrating Holy Mass in public in the Cameroonian Episcopal See without the “explicit permission” of his successor.

In a letter circulated on Sunday, January 7, the Local Ordinary of Buea Diocese, Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi, communicates to Bishop Bushu two prohibitions after highlighting reasons behind his decision.

“You shall no longer be allowed to concelebrate with me on any Diocesan Liturgical celebration until further notice,” Bishop Bibi tells his immediate predecessor.

In his second prohibition, the Cameroonian Bishop who has been at the helm of Buea Diocese since December 2019 as Apostolic Administrator, and later, from February 2021 as the Bishop of the Diocese, bars Bishop Bushu from celebrating or concelebrating “any public Mass in any Parish in the Diocese of Buea, without an explicit permission from me”.

In the one-page letter dated 22 November 2023, Bishop Bibi cites “deep opposition and interference” as some of the reasons behind his two decisions.

“From the very beginning of my mission in the Diocese of Buea … I have had to live through the unhappy reality of deep opposition and interference from you, that has even led you to the screen media to make this opposition public,” he states.

Bishop Bibi expresses his awareness of Bishop Bushu’s “opposition and interference in my administration for three years now, including, but not limited to your trips to the Nunciature and to Rome against my decisions over certain important sectors of the Diocese.”

“The present state of affairs indicates a total absence of communion between us, which makes you ready to align yourself with persons and groups that seek to bring down my administration,” he further writes.

The Cameroonian Catholic Bishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2017 as the Auxiliary Bishop of Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese says that his two prohibitions are aimed to “protect” his administration of Buea Diocese.

In his letter, Bishop Bibi wishes his 79-year-old predecessor “grace and peace” from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in Communion with the Holy Spirit.”

A past decision that 52-year-old Bishop Bibi had to battle with involved the administrative changes he made at the Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) in June 2020, when he appointed Professor Victor Julius Ngoh as Vice Chancellor, to succeed Fr. George Nkeze Jingwa. In his capacity as Apostolic Administrator of Buea, Bishop Bibi asked Fr. Nkeze to take a sabbatical leave.

The University Council disapproved of the 11 June 2020 administrative change, with Sobe Clive Ndikum who was serving as the legal representative of the University describing the change as “improper interference”.

He accused Bishop Bibi of causing “irreparable damage and mistrust amongst students, faculty members, the laity and other well-wishers of our Christian Community by making uninformed, ill-advised and rash decisions beyond the scope of his mandate and authority.”

However, in a 15 June 2020 clarification, the then Apostolic Nuncio in Cameroon, Archbishop Julio Murat, came to the defence of Bishop Bibi, and outlined his mandate of Apostolic Administrator as “having jurisdiction to act for and on behalf of the Diocese of Buea in all matters concerning the Diocese and all other Institutions belonging to the Diocese.”

“The Apostolic Administrator is the legitimate authority over all priests, Religious and other mission personnel within the Diocese of Buea and reserves the right to appoint, transfer, remove, or dismiss persons according to the prescriptions of the Code of Canon Law and the specific instructions given to him by the Holy See,” Archbishop Murat stated.

In March 2022, Bishop Bibi lamented the protracted controversies in the administration of CUIB and affiliate institutions, apportioning blame on the the administration that he had dismissed and that some disgruntled members “aimed at undermining (his) decisions”.

“Sadly still, up to this moment, some of the members of the then Administration of CUIB have resorted to diverse means aimed at undermining the decisions I made, and in the process, they have created confusion in the minds of God’s people and people of good will in the Diocese of Buea and beyond,” Bishop Bibi said in his 13 March 2022 statement in which he also narrated his being drugged to Cameroon’s labor court with “false or misguided” claims.

Earlier, in February 2022, Bishop Bibi weighed in on the online petition, a Facebook post and other attacks against him.

In his 25 February 2022 homily during Holy Mass to mark a year since he took canonical possession of Buea Diocese, the Catholic Church leader bemoaned the “many attacks … over social media, over some newspapers, over some TV stations by clerics, all the staged interviews that were brought out and sent out to the public” as what he termed “signs of total interference in the governance of the Diocese of Buea.”

This was days after members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) Province expressed their “solidarity and communion” with him.

In their 11 February 2022 statement, BAPEC members said that their “hearts were deeply saddened by the unfortunate turn of events in the Diocese of Buea, characterized by gross disrespect of the hierarchy of the Church, casting of aspersions on Bishop Michael Bibi.”

Last November, members of the Clergy of Buea Diocese expressed their support for Bishop Bibi, weighing in on social media posts against their Local Ordinary, including those from Nchumbonga George Lekelefac such as an ongoing apostolic visitation, Seeking Transparency and Accountability: An Examination of Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi’s Leadership, Bishop Michael Bibi, The Father, The Bishop, The Rock On Which Buea Diocese Is Built, The Truth and nothing but the truth about Buea Diocese under Bishop Michael Bibi, and Ex-cardination of suspended priests of Buea Diocese: a solution?

“We, the Priests of the Presbyterium of Buea, have watched with dismay at the smear campaign orchestrated by some individuals and even some members of the presbyterium and groups on social media against the person of the Bishop and the work he is doing in the Diocese of Buea which is already yielding fruits in abundance,” they said in their statement issued on 22 November 2023.

Despite the controversies, last September, Bishop Bibi was honored by Cameroon’s NewsWatch Newspaper for his “exceptional skills” in leading the people of God and managing the property of his Episcopal See.

Culled from aciAfrica

The National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) has reaffirmed its stance on sexuality that marriage is between a man and a woman.

This comes after Pope Francis, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, recently allowed priests to bless same-sex couples.

According to a document issued by the Vatican recently, Pope Francis said priests should be permitted to bless same-sex and “irregular” couples, under certain circumstances.

However, in a statement issued on 21 December, the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Cameroon) denounced the new position announced by Pope Francis, saying homosexuality is an abomination. Read the statement:

DECLARATION OF THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON ON HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BLESSING OF “HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES”

Faced with the semantic abuses designed to distort the value of realities and the true meaning of the notions of family, couple, spouse, sexuality and marriage;

Faced with the wave of indignation, questioning and concern that the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” on the question of the blessing of same-sex couples has aroused among the people of God;

For the sake of human dignity and the salvation of all humanity in Jesus Christ; We, the Bishops of Cameroon, unanimously declare the following on the subject of homosexuality and the blessing of “homosexual couples”:

1. In conformity with our 2013 Declaration on Homosexuality, we strongly reaffirm the truth of the Church, Mother and Educator, which teaches the sacredness of the sexual identity of man and woman created in the image of God (Gn 1:26), of the dignity of their sexuality and of marriage which is the foundation of the family. The human person is created male and female: “Male and female he created them” (Gn 1:26). This invariable difference, which is the foundation of their relationship and their complementarity, is fulfilled in the bonds of marriage.

2. Homosexuality falsifies and corrupts human anthropology and trivialises sexuality, marriage and the family, the foundations of society. In the African culture, this practice is not part of family and social values. It is a flagrant violation of the heritage bequeathed to us by our ancestors. In the history of people, the practice of homosexuality has never led to societal evolution but is a clear sign of the imploding decadence of civilizations. Homosexuality sets humanity against itself and destroys it.

3. The profound identity of sexuality is misunderstood, hijacked and perverted outside the conjugal relationship between man and woman. Consequently, homosexual acts are not “sexual”, but “acts against nature” (Rm 1, 26).

4. Marriage is an institution that legitimizes sexual relations and procreation for the foundation of a new family. It is the union of a man and a woman who commit themselves to the life of a couple, to find a family and to live together in love. Homosexual unions are not marriages. They distort the meaning of marriage by reducing it to a sterile, pleasure-seeking and perverse bond: “infamy between man and man” (Rom 1:26).

5. Homosexuality is not a human right. It is an alienation that seriously harms humanity because it is not based on any value proper to the human being: it is a dehumanization of love, “an abomination”. (Lev, 18, 22). Rejecting it is in no way being discriminative; it is a legitimate protection of the constant values of humanity in the face of a vice that has become the subject of a claim to legal recognition and, today, the subject of a blessing.

6. Literally, “To bless is to speak well of”. And to “speak well of” to gain grace through the gesture of blessing a “homosexual couple” would be tantamount to encouraging a choice and a practice of life that cannot be recognised as being objectively ordered to the revealed designs of God. What is more, differentiating between liturgical and non-liturgical contexts to apply the blessing to same-sex “couples” is hypocritical. The act of blessing, whether performed in a liturgical assembly or in private, remains a blessing. We therefore declare non-compliant any form of blessing, public or private, that tends to recognize “same-sex couples” as a state of life.

7. Faithful to the constant teaching of Ecclesial Tradition which declares acts of homosexuality intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law (Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2357), we, the Bishops of Cameroon, reiterate our disapproval of homosexuality and homosexual unions.

8. Consequently, we formally forbid all blessings of “homosexual couples” in the Church of Cameroon.

9. Since God does not want the death of the sinner, but his/her conversion to eternal life, we recommend those who are inclined to homosexuality to the prayers and compassion of the Church, with a view to their radical conversion. We also invite them to turn away from their mentality of victimization in which they take pleasure in considering themselves as “victims”, “weak”, and “minorities”; to seize the opportunity for conversion that God gives them in the many exhortations of His Word.

The statement was signed by Andrew Fuanya Nkea, who is the Archbishop of Bamenda and President of National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon

Members of the Clergy of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea are supporting their Local Ordinary, Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi, who is facing social media attacks, which the Clergy dismiss as an unfortunate “smear campaign”.

In a statement issued, Wednesday, November 22, members of the Clergy of Buea Diocese weigh in on social media posts, including those from Nchumbonga George Lekelefac such as an ongoing apostolic visitation, Seeking Transparency and Accountability: An Examination of Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi’s Leadership, Bishop Michael Bibi, The Father, The Bishop, The Rock On Which Buea Diocese Is Built, The Truth and nothing but the truth about Buea Diocese under Bishop Michael Bibi, and Ex-cardination of suspended priests of Buea Diocese: a solution?

“For the past few months, much has been said and written about the Diocese of Buea and her Chief Shepherd, Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi,” the Catholic Priests say.

They express their support for Bishop Bibi, saying, “We, the Priests of the Presbyterium of Buea, have watched with dismay at the smear campaign orchestrated by some individuals and even some members of the presbyterium and groups on social media against the person of the Bishop and the work he is doing in the Diocese of Buea which is already yielding fruits in abundance.”

“Unfortunately, some of these publications have had a negative impact on the faith of many of our Christians,” the members of the Clergy of the Cameroonian Diocese lament.

They continue, “At this point, we want, as a Presbyterium, to affirm and declare our support for the Bishop, and in making this affirmation, dissociate ourselves from all those seeking to manipulate and mislead the people of God in the Church of Buea.”

“As Priests serving in the Diocese of Buea, we remain united with the Bishop as he continues to lead this Diocese with grace, compassion and integrity,” they further say.

The members of the Clergy express their awareness of the challenges involved in shepherding the people of God. They say, “The role of a Bishop is fundamental in the spiritual life of every Diocese and yet, pastoring a Diocese is a challenge and a huge responsibility before God and man.”

They call upon the people of God in Buea Diocese to “remain calm and united in the face of these attacks, because we are confident of the words of Jesus in Mt. 16:18, that the gates of the underworld shall never prevail over the Church.”

All Consecrated persons and the Laity need to “stand in support of our Bishop so that he may realize his vision for this Diocese, for the greater Glory of God, and for our Salvation,” they say.

The Clergy laud the 52-year-old Catholic Bishop who has been at the helm of Buea Diocese since December 2019, first as Apostolic Administrator, and since February 2021, as the Local Ordinary.

“My Lord Bishop, we admire your composure in the face of all these attacks and we encourage you to remain calm, confident that God is your strength,” the Catholic Priests implore.

As Apostolic Administrator of Buea, Bishop Bibi made administrative changes in the Diocese-owned Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB), leading to controversy among the members of the institution’s Council. The Vatican clarified his mandate as the Apostolic Administrator of the Cameroonian Diocese.

In September this year, Bishop Bibi was honored by the country’s NewsWatch Newspaper for his “exceptional skills” in leading the people of God and managing the property of his Episcopal See.

Earlier, in February 2022, Catholic Bishops in Cameroon’s Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province expressed their “solidarity and communion” with their colleague, Bishop Bibi following social media attacks.

In their collective statement dated 11 February 2022, members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) said their “hearts were deeply saddened by the unfortunate turn of events in the Diocese of Buea, characterized by gross disrespect of the hierarchy of the Church, casting of aspersions on Bishop Michael Bibi.”

Source: aciAfrica