23, December 2020
Cameroon Catholic Community Mulheim: Archbishop Nkea reflects on contribution of pastoral council 0
The Chairman of the Cameroon Catholic Community in Germany has described the relationship of the parish pastoral council with the Diocese of Mamfe which was introduced by Bishop Emeritus Francis Lysinge as truly remarkable adding that “The challenge the Cameroon Catholic Community in Mulheim an der Ruhr in Germany faces is not just about reopening communications with the Diocese of Mamfe but also establishing cooperation between the two entities.”
Chairman Julius Ndifor held a very intensive and productive meeting with the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Bamenda Archdiocese and the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Mamfe, His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea.
Speaking to His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea in Bamenda recently, the Chairman of the Cameroon Catholic Community in Germany said “the Cameroon Catholic Community is much richer through the contribution that the Diocese of Mamfe has made”.
The Archbishop was very begeistert that the Pastoral Council addressed a letter to him with the intention of recommencing cooperation.
Chairman Ndifor reportedly described the historic meeting as warm, welcoming and positive, especially as the Metropolitan Archbishop was pleased as he received a Christmas greeting card from the Cameroon Catholic Community in Germany.
For his part, the Archbishop agreed to reopen cooperation channels with the Cameroon Catholic diaspora community in Germany.
Archbishop Andrew Nkea paid tribute to the way in which lay men and women in Mulheim clearly took on responsibility to keep the faith in the Roman Catholic Church and added that the Diocese of Mamfe will look at how it can continue to help the Cameroon Catholic Community in Mulheim to mature, to develop and to become sustainable as times change.
Archbishop Andrew Nkea reminded the Cameroon Catholic Community German emissary of the new missionary mode as decreed by the Holy Father Pope Francis which is that of reaching out to young people, fostering programmes of faith formation and development, ensuring that each community is a caring presence in the wider community in which it exists.
By Tanyi Tambendiparrah
25, December 2020
Pope Francis calls for peace and reconciliation in Cameroon, urges world to share Covid-19 vaccines 0
Francis called for peace and reconciliation in Cameroon, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq, which he is due to visit in early March.
Pope Francis also stated in his Christmas message on Friday for nations to share Covid-19 vaccines, saying walls of nationalism could not be built to stop a pandemic that knows no borders.
In a sign of the times, Francis delivered his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message virtually from a lectern inside the Vatican instead of from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica before tens of thousands.
The pandemic and its social and economic effects dominated the message, in which Francis called for global unity and help for nations suffering from conflicts and humanitarian crises.
“At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters,” he said.
Stressing that health is an international issue, he appeared to criticise so-called ‘vaccine nationalism’, which UN officials fear will worsen the pandemic if poor nations receive the vaccine last.
“May the Son of God renew in political and government leaders a spirit of international cooperation, starting with health care, so that all will be ensured access to vaccines and treatment. In the face of a challenge that knows no borders, we cannot erect walls. All of us are in the same boat,” he said.
Italians are under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The restrictions mean people are not be able to go to St. Peter’s Square or the basilica for papal events, all of which have been moved indoors.
Christmas is above all a time to help others because Jesus himself was born a poor outcast, Francis said on Thursday night at his Christmas Eve Mass, which started two hours early so the few participants could get home in time before a 10 pm curfew.
“May the Child of Bethlehem help us, then, to be generous, supportive and helpful, especially towards those who are vulnerable, the sick, those unemployed or experiencing hardship due to the economic effects of the pandemic, and women who have suffered domestic violence during these months of lockdown,” he said in his Friday address.
He also asked to comfort those suffering from humanitarian crises or natural disasters in Burkina Fasso, Mali, Niger, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Source: REUTERS