Religion

8, January 2025

Minister René Sadi says no conflict between government and the Catholic Church ⁰

The Cameroonian government denies any conflict with religious denominations, particularly the Catholic Church, following recent statements by clergy members opposing President Paul Biya’s potential candidacy in the upcoming presidential election (scheduled for October 2025).

In a press release on January 7, Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi reiterated that Cameroon is a secular state where religions coexist peacefully with public authorities. However, he described the stance taken by some Catholic clergy on Biya’s potential candidacy as “pure speculation,” noting that the president has yet to announce his intentions.

The controversy began on December 25 when Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala told Radio France Internationale (RFI) that a Biya candidacy in the next election “is not realistic.” President Biya subsequently declared in his New Year’s address that his “resolve to serve” remains strong, a statement widely interpreted as a hint at his intention to run.

Following this, bishops from Yagoua, Bafoussam, and Ngaoundéré used their sermons to call for leadership change in the country. Minister Sadi expressed regret over the “vehemence” of these positions, which he characterized as focusing solely on the presidential race and based on an “unwarranted interpretation” of the president’s remarks.

Source: Business in Cameroon

7, January 2025

Buea: Bishop Bibi says Anglophone Crisis progressively coming to an end ⁰

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea has expressed optimism about the resolution of Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis.

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the dedication of the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral of the Diocese of Buea, Bishop Bibi acknowledged significant progress in having normalcy restored in the affected regions of the Central African nation.

“Since 2016, we have been having the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. If you look at the situation when it started and where we are now, you will agree with me that progressively there have been changes,” the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop said on January 5.

He highlighted the gradual reopening of schools and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their villages as some of the signs of progress.

“Progressively, children are going to school. Progressively, those who left their villages and went out as internally displaced persons – some of them are going back to work on their farms and care for their crops,” Bishop Bibi told ACI Africa.

“We still have situations of kidnapping and fighting, but when you look at it globally, I will say and repeat that progressively the Anglophone crisis is coming to an end,” he emphasized.

The Cameroonian 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 attributed the progress to collaborative efforts between the government, the Church, and local communities.

“The government has done a lot to solve the crisis. The Church has done a lot, and we will continue to work together. Fighting and killing each other will never resolve a problem,” Bishop Bibi said.

He went on to advocate for unity and peacebuilding, urging all Cameroonians to act as one family to foster justice and reconciliation.

“We must work together as one family to ensure peace and justice. Only through unity can we live together as members of one nation,” Bishop Bibi said.

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 the Cameroonian region as have enforced moratoriums on public life known as “ghost towns”.

In his homily during the January 5 Eucharistic celebration that also marked the start of the 48th Annual Seminar of members of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), Bishop Bibi lamented that “many lives have been lost, families destroyed, villages burned, and several churches affected” as a result of the crisis.

“Every day, we work to provide both spiritual and material support to those affected. We remain hopeful that this crisis will end and continue our tireless efforts for peace and justice in Cameroon,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2017 as Auxiliary Bishop of Cameroon’s Bamenda Catholic Archdiocese added, “I take this opportunity to thank the Government of Cameroon and its security services for working day and night, sacrificing their lives for the common good. May God bless you.”

“The Church in the Diocese of Buea – its Priests, women, and men Religious, and Laity – will persist in its pastoral ministry, striving for the restoration of peace and justice in this part of the country,” Bishop Bibi said on January 5, the second day of the weeklong NECC Annual Seminar.

Source: aciafrica

7, January 2025

Buea: Roman Catholic Bishops say Cameroonians must not lose hope ⁰

The Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon has formally entered a Synodal Process. We of the Cameroon Concord News Group are convinced that this is the way to go and it will be a fruitful new departure.

During the opening ceremony of the 48^th annual conference of the Cameroonian Bishops in Buea the chief city in the South West region, the Bishops unanimously said that they are in Buea to map out a pathway not a runway.

Millions of Cameroonians both at home and abroad are wondering if the Roman Catholic Bishops are dampening down expectations on the current state of political and economic affairs in the divided nation. The truth is the Bishops are being realistic.

The Bishops want Cameroonians to learn how to journey together being guided by the Holy Spirit. In the words of His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea it means being patient with each other and respectful of differing views.

Welcoming the Bishops, His Lordship Bishop Michaël Bibi of the diocese of Buea during a joyous ceremony attended by the Francophone Governor of the South-West region, Bernard Okalla Bilaï and the Mayor of Buea David Mafany, said the focus has to be on Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.

The President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea on behalf of all the bishops, took advantage of Pope Francis’ message for the Jubilee Year 2025 to convey hope and peace to the Cameroonian people, who are being battered on a daily basis by a sea of crises and natural disasters.

‘We must not lose hope, despite all the difficulties we have, despite all the problems we face, we must not lose hope. Hope is a theological virtue, and without hope there is no life. We continue to hope for a new Cameroon, a Cameroon of unity, a Cameroon of joy, a country that will take care of all Cameroonians,’ said His Grace Andrew Nkea.

The proceedings are currently going on in the Bishop Pius Awa Conference Room inside the pastoral centre.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Fon Lawrence and Rita Akana

5, January 2025

Roman Catholic priests say remove Paul Biya if he does not step down ⁰

Several Roman Catholic Revered Fathers have said on Saturday that 91-year-old President Paul Biya must step down or be removed by force.

The Roman Catholic clerics are intensifying calls made recently by three Cameroonian Bishops that Biya and his acolytes have been responsible for the collapse of Cameroon as a nation and that the regime in Yaoundé should go and go now or face indictment.

The Revered Fathers have unanimously sent protest letters to the Bishops as they meet in Buea the chief city in the South West region for the 48^th session of the National Episcopal Conference.

Cameroon Concord News asked some of the Roman Catholic clergy if Biya, who has been in power since 1982, should be removed by force and they all said yes if he refuses to step down and “they must do so militarily” the men of God furthered.

Their comments came as Biya has become increasingly criticized over a worsening political and economic crisis that critics blame on his failed policies.

By Rita Akana in Buea

3, January 2025

Catholic priest dies in Douala General Hospital ⁰

A Roman Catholic priest serving in the Archdiocese of Douala, Rev. Fr. William Obi Tambe has died.

The man of God passed away on January 2, 2025 in the Douala General Hospital, after a serious battle with kidney and liver problems.

His death was confirmed by our Cameroon Concord News correspondent in Douala, the chief city in the Littoral region.

Reacting to the news of his passing, the Chairman of the Cameroon Concord News group Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai wrote on Face book that “Please kindly remember Fr William Obi in your prayers for the repose of his soul. Do also remember his biological family and the Diocese of Mamfe in your prayers.”

Details regarding his burial arrangements will be communicated at a later date a family source said.

By Fon Lawrence in Douala

3, January 2025

New Year Day Homilies: Roman Catholic Bishops call on Biya to step down ⁰

President Paul Biya 91 must resign from power, three Roman Catholic Bishops reportedly said during their New Year Day homilies.

Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala, Bishop Emmanuel Abbo of the diocese of Ngaoundéré and Bishop Yaouda Hourgo, Bishop of Yagoua all said that Mr Biya has ruined a wonderful country, turning a bread-basket into a basket case.

The Bishops said it is well past time for Mr Biya to go, saying several sham elections have been followed by several sham processes of power-sharing that produced nothing but suffering.

In their New Year Day homilies, they called for a form of political transition by the end of 2024.

Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala, stated that it is unrealistic for Biya to contest the 2025 presidential election. Kleda invoked the wear and tear of time and the vanity of life and added that ‘this is not realistic […] we are human beings. At some point we leave this world, we can’t perform miracles’.

“We’re not going to suffer any more than that. We’ve already suffered. The worst is not going to come. Even the Devil should first take power in Cameroon and then we’ll see…” Archbishop Kleda furthered.

For his part, Mgr Emmanuel Abbo, Bishop of Ngaoundere, reflected on the poor living conditions of Cameroonians and denounced the present form of repression of the freedom of expression of citizens living in deplorable conditions. ‘How is it possible that the desperate pleas of Cameroonians do not prompt the country’s leaders to put an end to their suffering? And the greatest suffering of all is that Cameroonians are forbidden to express their suffering’, the Man of God lamented.

Also speaking on New Year’s Day was Bishop Yaouda Hourgo of the Yagoua diocese. His Lordship Bishop Yaouda said it is time to put an end to the suffering of the Cameroonian people. For him, there is an urgent need for another Cameroonian to take power immediately.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

25, December 2024

Francis urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence sound of arms this Christmas ⁰

Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.

The pontiff’s “Urbi et Orbi” – “To the City and the World” – address serves as a summary of the woes facing the world this year. As Christmas coincided with the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration that he dedicated to hope, Francis called for broad reconciliation, “even (with) our enemies.”

“I invite every individual, and all people of all nations … to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions,” the pope said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to throngs of people below.

The pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve to launch the 2025 Jubilee, as representing God’s mercy, which “unties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; it dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge.”

He called for arms to be silenced in war-torn Ukraine and in the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories, “particularly in Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave,” as well as Lebanon and Syria “at this most delicate time.”

He cited a deadly outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the suffering of the people of Myanmar, forced to flee their homes by “the ongoing clash of arms.” The pope likewise remembered children suffering from war and hunger, the elderly living in solitude, those fleeing their homelands, who have lost their jobs, and are persecuted for their faith.

Pilgrims were lined up on Christmas Day to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica, as the Jubilee is expected to bring some 32 million Catholic faithful to Rome.

Traversing the Holy Door is one way that the faithful can obtain indulgences, or forgiveness for sins during a Jubilee, a once-every-quarter-century tradition that dates from 1300.

Pilgrims submitted to security controls before entering the Holy Door, amid new security fears following a deadly Christmas market attack in Germany. Many paused to touch the door as they passed and made the sign of the cross upon entering the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.

“You feel so humble when you go through the door that once you go through is almost like a release, a release of emotions,” said Blanca Martin, a pilgrim from San Diego. “… It’s almost like a release of emotions, you feel like now you are able to let go and put everything in the hands of God. See I am getting emotional. It’s just a beautiful experience.”

Source: AP

15, December 2024

The Holy Father touches down in Corsica for first papal visit ⁰

Pope Francis’ one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other.

The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, will be one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron.

It is the first papal visit to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.

Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, or lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members.

“It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities,’’ Ajaccio Cardinal François Bustillo told The Associated Press. “There is no hostility between the two. And that is a very positive aspect because in Corsica there is no ideological hostility.”

Papa Francescu, the pope’s name in Corsican, will address more than 400 participants at the Conference on Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean, organized by the bishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo.

The pope’s remarks will include reflections on local religious traditions, especially strongly held in Corsica, including the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the Madunnuccia, which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa.

“The Mediterranean is the backdrop of this trip, surrounded by situations of crisis and conflict,’’ which is expected to be echoed in the pope’s address, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. The pope has often referred to the tragedy of migration, which he has said has turned the Mediterranean into “Europe’s largest cemetery.”

After the conference address, he will travel to the 17th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to meet with clergy, stopping along the way at the statue of the Madunnuccia. Francis will celebrate Mass at the Place d’Austerlitz park, where it is said Napoleon played as a child. Around 7,000 faithful are expected. He will meet privately with Macron at the airport before departing for the 50-minute flight back to Rome.

The pontiff pointedly did not make the trip to Paris earlier this month for the pomp surrounding the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following the devastating 2019 fire. The visit to Corsica seems far more suited to Francis’ priorities than a grand cathedral reopening, emphasizing the “church of the peripheries.”

It is Francis’ third trip to France, each time avoiding Paris and the protocols that a state visit entails. He visited the port of Marseille in 2023, on an overnight visit to participate in an annual summit of Mediterranean bishops, and went to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council of Europe.

Corsica is home to more than 340,000 people and has been part of France since 1768. But the island has also seen pro-independence violence and has an influential nationalist movement, and last year Macron proposed granting it limited autonomy.

Source: AP

16, November 2024

Archbishop Andrew Nkea elevated to Commander of the National Order of Valour ⁰

Metropolitan Archbishop Andrew Nkea of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province has been elevated to Commander of the National Order of Valor.

President Paul Biya made the announcement via his Foreign Affairs Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella in the presence of Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations who is presently on a five-day visit to Cameroon to mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the African country in 2014.

“I am humbled and honoured to receive this recognition from President Biya,” said Archbishop Andew Nkea,

“I will continue to pray and rely on the support of everyone in the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province that I will be a worthy servant of the Prince of Peace in fulfilling my responsibilities as a Commander of the National Order of Valour and to continue in my role as shepherd of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Bamenda” said Archbishop Nkea to Cameroon Concord News

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from Rita Akana

16, November 2024

Vatican Secretary for Relations with States is in Yaoundé ⁰

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, has begun a five-day visit to Cameroon to mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the African country in 2014.

According to the Secretariat of State’s Terza Loggia account on the social platform ‘X,’ Archbishop Gallagher is to take part in several meetings and events.

On Friday he met the Foreign Affairs Minister, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, and then paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. He also met with a cream of Cameroonian bishops.

On Saturday, November 16, Archbishop Gallagher celebrated Mass at the Minor Basilica of Marie Reine des Apôtres de Mvolye, in the capital, Yaoundé.

On Monday, November 18, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States will be received in audience by the President of the Republic, Mr. Paul Biya.

The final event will be a lecture at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, where Archbishop Gallagher will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate.

Reported by Vatican News with additional editing from Cameroon Concord News Group