Religion

18, September 2025

Yaoundé: Religious leaders urge peace as presidential election nears ⁰

Cameroon’s churches and mosques are intensifying efforts to promote calm and civic responsibility as the country prepares for its 12th October presidential election, amid fears that rising tensions could trigger violence.

The Central African nation has been rattled by years of unrest, including a separatist insurgency in its English-speaking regions and widespread allegations of corruption. Economic hardship and deepening mistrust in state institutions have heightened anxiety ahead of the polls, with analysts warning that online hate speech and political rivalries could inflame unrest before or after results are announced.

Catholic bishops have been among the most vocal religious voices calling for peace. In August, Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of the Diocese of Yagoua ordered all parishes to ring bells daily at 12:30pm for the Angelus prayer, calling on the faithful to pray for stability.

“As pastor of this diocese, I ordain that all the faithful recite the Angelus together each day to ask God for peace and entrust the elections to the Virgin Mary,” Hourgo said, adding that peace “is a gift from God but also the fruit of our daily commitment.”

Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala used his pastoral letter to denounce what he called “anti-Gospel acts,” including corruption and bad governance, which he said are fueling public discontent.

“Our country is thirsty for social justice expressed through respect for human rights,” he said. “Every Cameroonian must resolve to do his or her bit in the fight against the many ills that are destroying the country.”

During Bafoussam’s annual Peace Pilgrimage, Bishop Paul Lontsié-Keuné reminded Christians that their prayers must translate into action. “If we are sincere and really Christians, our prayer for peace must inspire our action – and our action must also be prayer,” he said.

The Council of Protestant Churches of Cameroon (CEPCA) has pledged to mobilise congregations against hate speech and promote peaceful participation in the vote. In late August, a 15-member delegation led by Rev Hamadina Salomon met with Minister of State Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh at the Unity Palace. Ngoh Ngoh, representing President Paul Biya, praised the initiative and urged clergy to act as “apostles of peace” and “guardians of stability.”

Muslim leaders have also organised a national “peace and stability” conference and collective prayers for unity, encouraging worshippers to see peaceful participation in the election as a religious duty.

Pastor Emmanuel Ngang, a traveling preacher in Cameroon’s western region, has been holding services in both city churches and rural chapels to spread a simple message: unity is stronger than division.

Ngang said he keeps his message brief and practical so congregants can take it to heart. “I remind people that peace starts with each of us,” he said. “We must speak carefully, vote honestly and keep the country together.”

His visits often include meetings with youth groups, where he encourages young people to avoid spreading inflammatory posts online.

“Many of them fear what will happen if things turn violent,” he said. “I tell them fear can paralyse us, but faith can guide us.”

Observers say that religious leaders play an outsized role in Cameroon’s public life, often serving as moral voices in a country where political trust is low. But they also walk a fine line: some critics argue that their close contact with government officials risks undermining their independence.

Still, analysts agree that their combined influence could help shape the tone of the electoral period. Faith leaders say they are not endorsing candidates but trying to keep the peace.

“My task is not to tell people who to vote for,” Ngang said after a recent service. “It is to remind them that Cameroon will still be here the day after the election – and we will still need to live together.”

Source: sightmagazine

11, September 2025

Buea: Bishop Bibi laments spiraling violence in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Days after suspected separatist fighters killed nine Cameroonian soldiers in the South West region, Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea condemned the relentless bloodshed plaguing Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

On Friday, the separatist group Fako Unity Warriors claimed responsibility for an explosive device near Malende that killed the soldiers. This attack underscores the elusive nature of peace in the Anglophone regions — a reality deeply troubling to the bishop.

“War is not something to be encouraged,” the cleric told Christians during a Sunday teaching. “God did not create us to fight each other and to kill each other,” Bibi said.

“Human life is sacred because it has its source and origin in God. When it comes into existence, it continues to have a relationship with God,” Bibi said referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“Only God, who gives human life, has the right to take it away,” the bishop emphasized.

“Those who fight and take life must know this is wrong. That is why the Church calls us to be advocates of justice and peace, ensuring our communities are free from fighting and killing,” he said.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions have been embroiled in conflict since 2016. What began as peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers against perceived marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government descended into a brutal separatist war following a harsh government crackdown.

This conflict, however, is deeply rooted in Cameroon’s colonial past. Once a German colony, the territory was divided between Britain and France after Germany’s defeat in World War I. The two powers administered their respective regions — first as League of Nations Mandates and later as United Nations Trust Territories — until independence. In 1961, a UN-supervised plebiscite led to the reunification of the two Cameroons under a federal system. This federation, however, was short-lived. In 1972, it was abolished in favor of a unitary state, concentrating power in the Francophone-dominated central government.

For Anglophone Cameroonians, this dissolution marked the beginning of systemic marginalization. The grievances that fueled the 2016 protests were not spontaneous; they were the culmination of decades of pent-up frustration over the erosion of their political autonomy, cultural identity, and economic opportunities.

The human cost of the war that has been going on now for nearly nine years is staggering. Beyond the recent soldier casualties, the conflict has claimed at least 6,500 lives according to the International Crisis Group. About a million others have been forced to flee their homes to escape indiscriminate violence, burning villages, and widespread human rights abuses committed by both sides.

There are legitimate fears that more violence lies ahead as the school year begins, given separatists have long made a school boycott a cornerstone of the separatist struggle, and as the country heads to a presidential election in October.

Already, separatists have imposed lockdowns, saying they want to disrupt the new school year as well as the October presidential poll.

“Apart from the Monday lockdowns [for long, separatists had imposed lockdowns in the two regions every Monday], the ‘boys’ have said that beginning Monday September 8 when schools reopened for the 2025/2026 academic year, the two regions will be on a complete lockdown until the election in October,” taxi man and Catholic Christian, Ernest Shu Tegha told Crux.

“How do I survive for over a month if I cannot work,” he said.

Catholic bishops in the two regions have continued to plead with the separatists to allow kids back in school.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya told Crux that “it is unethical for Children to be used as a weapon of war.”

“We continue to plead that our children should be allowed to go back to school,” he said. Government officials have also been front and center in the effort to get kids back to school in the two regions.

“It is the right of every child to be educated; to have free, equitable and inclusive education,” said Dr. Asheri Kilo, the Secretary of State for Basic Education, in an interview of the Cameroon state broadcaster, CRTV.

“Why would anybody want to stop that,” she asked.

For some time, there had been an uneasy calm in both regions. In an exclusive interview on local Television channel, Equinox, Nkea said “a bit of social life has been returning to Bamenda.”

The archbishop said four years ago, the streets went quiet before 6 Pm every day. Today however, “you can see people drinking right up to ten PM. People are now free to organize funerals and weddings,” he said, but warned that such moments should not be confused with a return to peace.

“The situation is still very volatile,” Nkea said.

“I have made this distinction before. The fact that people are coming back, the fact that shops are opening more and more, the fact that people are beginning to celebrate funerals, more marriages openly and go right into the night does not explain the end of the crisis,” he explained.

“It is simply telling us that either people are getting used to the crisis or there is an uneasy detente. There’s an uneasy calm and we don’t know what can happen at any time. Let us not be deceived by social life returning to our communities and interpret that as the end of the crisis,” the archbishop added.

That warning is now materializing with the current lockdowns.

Source: Crux

8, September 2025

The Roman Catholic Church is concerned about a new term for Paul Biya ⁰

As an important presidential election is approaching in Cameroon, scheduled for October 2025, Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala has just published a sixteen-page pastoral letter in which he provides a damning assessment of the situation in his country. This situation has been exacerbated by the candidacy of the current head of state, Paul Biya, the ailing, 92-year-old candidate for re-election.

Samuel Kleda does not mince words: the archbishop regularly denounces the “moral depravity” in his country. In the letter, distributed and read in the parishes of his diocese on August 8, he speaks of “a society shaken by multiple ills that afflict all social strata.” He attributes the widespread malaise, which is fueling growing discontent in the run-up to elections, to “anti-evangelical acts” deeply rooted in the country’s governance.

These ills include governance marked by corruption, a perverted democracy, endemic poverty and unemployment, illegal immigration, a crumbling road network, difficult access to drinking water and electricity, opaque management of oil resources, injustices in the mining sector, and security crises in the English-speaking regions and the Far North. These scourges pervert the relationship between citizens and their leaders, leading to abuses of power and injustices.

The Archbishop also deplores a socially unbalanced economy, where the country’s wealth is diverted to finance the lavish lifestyles of an elite, while the majority of the population lives in poverty: “The country’s natural resources are plundered to enrich a minority, while the majority of citizens suffer from hunger,” he writes. This situation creates a gaping gap between the rich, who are increasingly prosperous, and the poor, who are increasingly deprived.

But the Archbishop of Douala also does not spare Cameroon’s democratic system, which he describes as “corrupt.” He denounces a political system marked by institutional violence, intimidation, and lies: “A democracy where political actors are despised, brutalized, and imprisoned is doomed to failure,” he asserts.

The exodus of young people is described as a “brain drain.” Bishop Kleda notes that, faced with the lack of hope for a better future, thousands of young people are leaving the country, sometimes risking their lives, in search of better employment, living, and educational conditions abroad. “This flight deprives Cameroon of its young talents, scientists, engineers, and health professionals, to the benefit of countries offering better opportunities,” he laments. This phenomenon, he believes, seriously compromises the nation’s future.

The Archbishop also highlights the security crises tearing the country apart. In the English-speaking regions, where a secessionist conflict that began in 2016 has already caused more than 6,500 deaths and displaced 800,000 people, he condemns both the atrocities committed by the separatists—assassinations, assaults, and kidnappings—and the brutality of the army, which “razes entire villages on mere suspicion.”

In the Far North, attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram are sowing terror and devastation. Faced with these dramatic situations, Archbishop Kleda urges the government to redouble its efforts to restore peace in all regions affected by these crises.

As the presidential election approaches on October 12, 2025, Kleda appears to be suggesting that Cameroonians mobilize for a change in governance: “Choosing a president of the Republic is a civic duty that falls to each of us and will shape the future of our country,” he declared.

Kleda’s remarks sparked strong reactions, particularly from those close to President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and is running for an eighth consecutive term at the age of 92. Professor Owona Nguini, an ally of the president, accused the archbishop of meddling in politics: “The bishop has strayed from his priestly mission to engage in partisan politics,” he declared.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Archbishop Kleda concluded on a note of hope, inviting Cameroonians to unite in prayer: “On the eve of the presidential election, I invite you all to join me, your brother, so that together we may raise our voices to Almighty God, to implore peace for our country, a spirit of love and service in families and for each of us,” he wrote.

It is a peace and social cohesion that is at risk of being undermined as the October 2025 election draws closer.

Source: Crux

26, August 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Archbishop Nkea says priests ‘ready to die for the Gospel’ ⁰

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda in Cameroon’s North West region says priests serving in the war-ravaged English-speaking regions of Cameroon “are ready to die for the Gospel.”

Nkea was speaking to Crux on the sidelines of the 78th Ordinary Meeting of Bishops of the Bamenda Episcopal Conference that took place in Bamenda from Aug. 16-22.

The Archdiocese of Bamenda oversees the suffragan dioceses of Buea, Mamfe, Kumba, and Kumbo and covers the entire English-speaking regions of Cameroon, areas devastated by nearly nine years of ongoing conflict.

The conflict stems from the complex colonial legacy and post-independence political arrangements in the country.

Following the defeat of Germany in World War I, the German colony of Kamerun was partitioned under League of Nations mandates, with France administering the larger eastern section and Britain governing two smaller non-contiguous areas – Northern and Southern Cameroons – adjacent to Nigeria.

In 1961, a UN-sponsored plebiscite resulted in the reunification of the British Southern Cameroons with the former French territory to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

The federal structure was dismantled in 1972 following a controversial referendum in favor of a centralized unitary state dominated by a Francophone majority government.

This centralization led to decades of perceived marginalization among Anglophones, which make up roughly 20 percent of the population, who felt their distinct legal and educational systems based on British common law, cultural identity, and political participation were eroded.

Resentment festered over the systematic appointment of Francophones to key positions in Anglophone regions, the exploitation of their rich natural resources, and the perceived imposition of French language and practices in Anglo-Saxon schools and courts.

The pent-up frustrations erupted into large-scale protests in 2016 led by lawyers and teachers demanding reforms.

The government took a hardline, ultimately escalating the crisis into a violent armed conflict with separatist groups declaring independence for the self-proclaimed republic of “Ambazonia.”

The conflict has led to at least 6,500 deaths, according to the International Crisis Group. Nearly a million people have been forced to flee from their homes, with over 70,000 people seeking refuge in Nigeria.

The conflict has also made investments in infrastructure difficult, worsening an already dilapidated road network.

Nkea told Crux that amid the conflict and the social difficulties, Catholic priests and Bishops in the region have kept faith with their mission of spreading The Good News.

“Priests have given their lives for the faith. They are ready to die for the gospel, and therefore, where there is a Christian, there is a priest,” the archbishop told Crux.

“The priests are determined, and we have very heroic priests and nuns who are running hospitals, running health centers, schools and other social services,” he said.

The archbishop noted that while conflict and inaccessibility present real challenges, they are external to the core mission of the Church.

“Those two problems are not problems of evangelization. They are social problems, but they don’t touch our spreading the gospel,” he told Crux.

“Personally, when traveling to areas inaccessible by car, I park the vehicle and continue by bike. For places even bicycles cannot reach, we proceed on foot. We see videos and accounts of priests and bishops walking great distances to connect with their communities. I want to emphasize that these transportation challenges are social problems, not obstacles to evangelization itself,” the archbishop explained.

“Wherever there is a Christian, we make every effort to reach them,” he said, emphasizing the determination of the clerics and religious in the two regions to leave no believer “without spiritual support,” regardless of their location or the challenges involved in reaching them.

Youth education and economic empowerment

The bishops during their meeting also addressed what Nkea called the “desperate situation” of unemployed youth amid the socio-political turmoil, and said the Church was revolutionizing education access to ensure that no youth is left behind.

He said this is done not only by making sure that schools are open, but through the establishment of diocesan-wide Education Funds.

These funds, supported by benefactors and friends of the dioceses, specifically target underprivileged children who cannot afford school fees, as exemplified by the Archbishop’s Education Fund in Bamenda covering costs for students in places like Mbesa.

“If you go to St. Agnes School Mbesa, there is an archbishop’s batch there. And from the first year…and they are now in their fourth year, the archbishop pays a percentage of their school fees every year just to ensure that these children have the opportunity to go to school,” Nkea said.

Recognizing the limitations of purely general education, the bishops have also emphasized a strategic pivot towards technical and professional training. They are adding technical sections to existing colleges and developing vocational training centers across dioceses, aiming to equip those who dropped out due to the crisis or other reasons with practical skills for self-reliance and establishment in life.

The bishops toured the sprawling campus of the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) in Bamenda, to assess its significant infrastructure modernization.

Nkea said it has been equipped with WiFi-connected classrooms, large digital screens enabling international lectures, like recent medical training from Dallas, and new facilities designed to ensure competitiveness and sustainability.

These upgrades, he said, are essential to accommodate rapid growth and position CATUC for the future in the digital age.

Justice and peace in an election year

The bishops during their meeting also prioritized the critical issue of justice and peace, acknowledging its significance, especially in a year in which some 8.2 million Cameroonians are expected to vote for a president.

Drawing inspiration from the National Episcopal Conference, they resolved to actively engage in the upcoming presidential and other elections.

“We are going to deploy election observers in all the polling stations in our ecclesiastical province to have a feel of what Cameroonians will go through in these elections and be able to make an evaluation after,” Nkea told Crux.

He urged Cameroonians to foster a sense of peace before, during and after the elections, noting that he has witnessed too much death and devastation in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and it won’t be a good thing that “our country witnesses such devastation again.”

Source: Crux

24, August 2025

Obala: Bishop Sosthène Leopold Bayemi will be cleared of harassment charges ⁰

His Lordship Bishop Sosthène Leopold Bayemi of the Obala Diocese is reportedly implicated in a sex scandal by a dodgy Francophone so-called whistleblower. An audio recording circulating on social media accuses the Roman Catholic cleric of sexual harassment.

Our senior correspondent in Yaoundé the nation’s capital reported late today that the Bishop of Obala will be cleared of charges of sexual harassment soonest and that the Diocese of Obala will emerge stronger and united.

“Bishop Sosthène Leopold Bayemi will be acquitted of making sexual advances against members of his community as alleged by a person operating deep within a political space in Yaoundé” Rita Akana said.

Rita Akana pointed out that the Roman Catholic Church in the Centre and South regions has been standing shoulder to shoulder with the corrupt ruling CPDM party and that Bishop Sosthène Leopold Bayemi is simply paying the price of trying to maintain the status quo.

“The Vatican is very much aware that the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon does not have kissing and hugging issues! let alone porn videos,” Rita Akana furthered.

Bishop Sosthène Leopold Bayemi is heading a very poor diocese in the outskirts of Yaoundé that relies on financial donations coming mainly from senior political elites running state affairs in Yaoundé.

The allegations, reported by N’zui Manto, are causing uproar in the Christian community, especially as the bishop was among those at the Unity Palace to support the 93 year old President Paul Biya for the October presidential election.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

24, August 2025

Battle for Etoudi: Yagoua Catholic Diocese directs daily Angelus Prayer for peace ⁰

Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of the Catholic Diocese of Yagoua in Cameroon has directed daily Prayer of Angelus and other forms of prayer for peace as the Central African nation approaches October presidential election.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Thursday, August 21, Bishop Hourgo invites all institutions in his Episcopal See, including Parishes and communities of women and men Religious to unite in prayer to be marked by bells scheduled to “ring each day at 12:30 p.m. sharp.”

“As the Pastor of this Diocese, concerned for peace, justice, and the unity of our nation, considering the gravity of the moment our country is experiencing as the presidential election… I decide and ordain that at the signal of the bell, all the faithful are required to recite the Angelus Prayer, in unity with the entire Diocesan Church,” he says.

The Cameroonian Catholic Bishop recalls that the mission of the Christian is to be a peacemaker and a witness of hope in the world and directs that the Angelus prayer be said at the end of each Eucharistic celebration.

The particular intention of the Angelus Prayer, he says, is “to implore from God the precious gift of true peace for our country and to entrust to the Virgin Mary, through her grace, the hope of a peaceful and just political alternation.”

Bishop Hourgo explains that the Angelus Prayer seeks to ask for the “Lord’s blessing so that our Nation remains stable before, during, and after the presidential election of October 12, 2025.”

“I recommend to Priests, men Religious, women Religious, and leaders of Christian communities to ensure the strict application of this decision and to raise awareness among all the faithful,” he says.

He appeals, “May each of us take to heart this spiritual endeavour, convinced that peace is a gift from God but also the fruit of our daily commitment.”

Catholic Bishops in Cameroon have been vocal in expressing their concerns for peace as the country heads for the presidential election.

Source: aciAfrica

21, August 2025

Pope Leo XIV ‘seems to be enjoying’ the papacy ⁰

As Pope Leo XIV passed the 100-day mark in his pontificate, one native Chicagoan – Leo’s own older brother, John Prevost — said the new pontiff is having a good time of it in the job so far.

“He seems to be perfectly at ease,” the 71-year-old John Prevost told Chicago local NBC affiliate 5 Chicago television in an exclusive interview that aired this week. “He seems to be enjoying it,” the middle brother of the three boys – Louis Jr., John, and Robert – born to Louis and Mildred Prevost said, “this is a natural.”

John Prevost, a retired school principal, told 5 Chicago life has been busy for him since his baby brother’s election on May 8th.

“It’s non-stop,” Prevost said. “People know who I am when they see me. They seem to think I look like him,” he said, admitting “there might be a family resemblance.”

Prevost told 5 Chicago much of the attention has been good, and some of it – like constant prayer requests – sometimes difficult. “It’s been – some of it – good,” he said. “Some of it’s been kind of sad, a lot of it unexpected,” he continued.

“I get letters almost daily,” Prevost said, “to ‘please, have your brother pray for my son, who has got a debilitating disease, we’ve tried – we’re looking for a miracle.’ Those things are sad.”

The election of John Prevost’s brother, Robert Francis Prevost, has also been an occasion for discovery of the family’s history.

Prevost said it was news to him when the family tree compiled by the eminent Harvard historian and genealogist, Henry Louis Gates Jr. Henry, American Ancestors, and the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, discovered his family’s Creole roots.

“We knew nothing of that,” Prevost said, quickly adding, “let me change that – I knew nothing of that. When we talk about, that this is a pope of the people, boy, is he a pope of the people!”

Leo still makes time for his brother, too.

“We do the Wordle and we do the Words With Friends, and now I usually ask him, ‘Who did you meet [who is] famous?’”

Asked whether he has any inside knowledge of Leo’s plans to visit his native city, John said, “The only thing we know for sure is, he’s going to be here for my funeral,” making sure to add that he isn’t sick.

To hear John Prevost tell it, his baby brother responded playfully.

“They may have to keep the body on ice for a while,” John recalled his brother the pope telling him, “but I’ll get there.”

The brothers’ sense of humor was on display in the interview, with John – the middle brother – giving Leo, the youngest, as good as he got.

“The oldest is an experiment,” Prevost said. “The youngest gets spoiled,” he continued. “The middle,” he concluded, “comes out right.”

John Prevost also said he is more careful of his privacy these days.

“I no longer answer the phone unless I know who it is,” he said. “I try to behave a bit better, maybe,” he also said.

Prevost did tell a story about a call he placed to a kind Chicagoan who had Aurelio’s pizza – his famous brother’s favorite – sent to Rome, with the phone number in the order. “Let’s call him,” Prevost recalled Leo suggesting.

“So, we did dial that number, and the man answered the phone, and I said, ‘Is this Mr. —–? Because I don’t remember the name, and he said, ‘Who’s calling?’ and I said, ‘John Prevost.’ ‘Who?’ ‘John Prevost.’ ‘Are you, by any chance, the brother of the pope?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir, I am.’ He said, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ [And I said,] ‘On the line to talk to you is the pope’.”

John Prevost also showed he could have the sort of keen eye that makes for a good Vatican analyst.

“Pope Francis gave him another title just before his death,” Prevost said, remembering how Francis raised his brother to the rank of cardinal bishop mere months before he passed. “He’s signaling something here,” Prevost said.

Prevost also recalled a particular of the 2023 consistory in which Francis created his brother a cardinal. “Why was my brother named first?” Prevost wondered. “What was the pope saying by calling him up first? It wasn’t alphabetically, it was – so, those things signaled to me.”

“[They were] very close,” Prevost also said of the relationship between his brother – now Pope Leo XIV – and Pope Francis. “They were very good friends,” he said.

Having a brother become pope may well be the archetypical “hometown boy makes good” story, but John Prevost suspects the brothers’ parents would be quietly proud of their son, were they alive.

“I don’t know that they would go around bragging, because they weren’t bragging people, you know? I don’t think you’d see my mom saying, ‘Well, my son is the pope.’ I don’t think that would happen,” Prevost said.

Prevost said he thinks his brother is doing a good job so far.

“Oh, I definitely think the Church is in good hands,” he said. “I think, what people don’t know is, he’s taking this very seriously.”

“It may not look look [like it] when you see him enjoying himself,” Prevost said, “but this is quite a burden on his shoulders and he’s praying for the world.”

Source: Crux

16, August 2025

Bishop of Bafoussam urges citizens to vote with conscience in October presidential poll ⁰

Bishop Paul Lontsié-Keuné of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Bafoussam has called on citizens of the country to remain vigilant, uphold truth, and vote with integrity in the country’s upcoming elections, warning against corruption, tribalism, and the sale of conscience.

In his Thursday, August 14 homily during the Diocese’s annual Peace Pilgrimage, Bishop Lontsié-Keuné described the Church event as “a rather special context”, coming less than two months before the October 12 Presidential Poll.

Bishop Lontsié-Keuné noted that pre-electoral attitudes can shape the post-electoral context, urging citizens to examine their speech, reject inflammatory language, and ensure that prayers for peace inspire concrete action.

“If we are sincere and really Christians, and not traitors, then our prayer for peace must inspire our action, and our action in return must also be prayer. We have the two sides of a coin,” he said.

Bishop Lontsié-Keuné spoke about the need for the Church to speak, especially in the face of wrongdoings, noting that silent “would be to be an accomplice of evil”.

“We who observe the simple sociopolitics of our country cannot be silent,” he said. “To be silent would be to be an accomplice of evil. To be silent would be to abandon these people who are the voice of those who have the mouth to speak and no longer know how to speak,” the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop said.

The Bishop reminded the people of God that the pilgrimage has long been a moment for Bafoussam’s Catholics to look to heaven and implore the Virgin Mary for peace in Cameroon. But he cautioned against any misunderstanding of that commitment.

“We are not naive. It must be understood by all: it is not because we pray for peace that we are naive. We cannot ask for peace and crucify the poor. We cannot ask for peace and crucify anyone who dares to open his mouth,” the Catholic Church leader said.

He insisted that “the path of peace is the truth” and warned against the illusion of power or wealth:

“It is no longer by their army… It is no longer by the beautiful discourse… nor by their wealth. Peace protects the people, and the people protect peace. But a people that murmurs… the murmur can be the source of death,” Bishop Lontsié-Keuné said.

Addressing the pilgrims, he urged, “Wake up! Do not sleep! The Holy Spirit that we received… is the sacrament of Christian maturity… [that] must give us to exorcise fear… to bear witness to the Gospel. And we do not bear witness to the Gospel by lying to you but by telling it to you.”

“It is not a spirit of fear that God gave us, but a spirit of strength, of love, and of tenderness… Is a confirmed person afraid of death? Do not be afraid!” the Local Ordinary of Bafoussam, since February 2022, following his transfer from Cameroon’s Yokadouma Catholic Diocese, where he had started his Episcopal Ministry in July 2017, said.

He called Christians to remember their baptism and to allow the Holy Spirit, “a spirit of truth”, to guide every aspect of life.

“To be a Christian is to be forced on a daily basis to be led by the Holy Spirit… There is no space where we put Him aside to wait for Sunday… Our conviction of faith must be a personal answer to the question that Jesus asked: ‘For you, who am I?’” he posed.

Bishop Lontsié-Keuné provided the contrast between authentic Christian maturity and the political reality in which he said some leaders send their children abroad and travel overseas for medical care while the majority suffer.

Reflecting on tribalism, the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop said, “The word ‘tribalism’ does not exist in the Christian lexicon… Who told you that in Cameroon there are sub-Cameroonians and super-Cameroonians?… We are all sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, and everyone has the right to life.”

He called on the faithful to “behave” as Christians, allowing the Holy Spirit to act in their lives, and to discern “which side we must be on” in the light of the Gospel.

Turning to the upcoming elections, Bishop Lontsié-Keuné did not endorse any candidate but made a strong moral appeal.

“By voting, refuse to sell your conscience, whatever the proposed price. No one must, at any stage of the process, change the value of the vote of a single citizen,” he said.

The Catholic Bishop warned against “electoral irresponsibility,” which “undermines confidence… weakens democracy, leads to instability and violence,” and called for election officials to act with integrity.

He emphasized that all who call themselves Christian must ensure that their faith informs their political actions.

Bishop Lontsié-Keuné repeated the profile of a leader outlined by Cameroonian students in Bouillac: integrity, humility, a clear vision for national development, the ability to unite, a commitment to reconciliation, and the capacity to inspire confidence and manage the economy responsibly.

“Choosing is renouncing,” he said, adding, “Christ invites us to renounce lies… and to reject whatever compromises the dignity of the poor.”

Bishop Lontsié-Keuné called on civil society to educate the population to critically evaluate campaign promises and to salute the courage of those — journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens — who “dare to say what no one wants to say.”

He insisted that the Church seeks “peace in law, justice, truth, light, and love,” not peace based on force or inequality.

“As long as the right of the force will take over the force of the right, the people will die… and we will scream, scream, scream until we are heard,” Bishop Lontsié-Keuné said.

He warned that manipulating votes is “to steal nationality” and “to subjugate” citizens. He urged the faithful to guard their vote, saying, “Otherwise, it will be useless to register and to vote.”

“May the Spirit be with you in the strength to walk in the light, whatever it costs… Our Lady of Peace, pray for us. God bless you. Amen,” Bishop Lontsié-Keuné implored.

Source: aciAfrica

14, August 2025

Rome: Philémon Yang meets Pope Leo XIV ⁰

Pope Leo XIV received Philémon Yang, the president of the UN General Assembly, on August 11, as his one-year presidential term nears its completion. Neither the Vatican nor the United Nations issued a statement on the topics of the conversation.

The president of the UN General Assembly, elected by his peers, chairs the meetings of the body. Shortly after Pope Francis’s death, Yang, a Cameroonian diplomat, paid tribute to the late Pontiff as “a moral voice and a global conscience. With humility and courage, he championed the dignity of the marginalized, the poor and the voiceless.”

Source: Catholic World News

11, August 2025

Archbishop Kleda issues critique of the Biya regime ahead of elections ⁰

As Cameroon heads to a presidential election in October, Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala has sharply criticized President Paul Biya’s government, painting a dark picture of a country so rich in natural resources, but whos resources are so badly managed.

In a 16-page Pastoral Letter released August 8, the leading Catholic noted that “our society is shaken by multiple ills that afflict all social strata.”

“The unease that is currently eating away at our country and causing widespread discontent among citizens in this pre-election period stems from anti-evangelical acts that have been instituted in the management of our country,” the archbishop said, and proceeded to list the anti-evangelical acts: “Poor governance and corruption, distorted democracy, widespread poverty and unemployment, illegal immigration, the dilapidated road network, difficult access to water and electricity, the murky management of oil, injustices in mining, and the Anglophone and security crises in the Far North.”

He said such evils pervert relations between citizens and rulers, leading to abuse of power and injustice.

“However, at present and at all times, our country thirsts for social justice, which is expressed through respect for human rights and the development of everything that allows it to flourish and fulfill its vocation,” Kleda said.

He denounced the “atrocious suffering that particularly affects the poorest and weakest, held hostage by the chains of corruption and injustice,” explaining that the country’s vast natural resources are being plundered to fund the opulent lifestyle of members of the government, while the vast majority of citizens are starving.

He said this has created a socially unadjusted economy in which the rich grow richer as the poor grow poorer, noting that it has been caused by “the refusal to promote integral human development that benefits everyone.”

For him, the challenge facing Cameroon’s leaders lies in “respecting and implementing the concept of the common good.”

He blasted those in government for failing to make Cameroonians their priority, saying that “the focus is on the individual, the group, the clan, the ethnic group, the lobby.”

This state of affairs sacrifices the majority of the population, pushing them toward impoverishment and misery that is destroying Cameroon and jeopardizing “the future of millions of people, especially young people.”

A corrupt democracy

The Douala archbishop also took a swipe at the country’s democratic experiment, saying that it has failed to respect the cannons of working democracies: Tolerance, dialogue, transparency, justice and truth. Instead, Cameroon’s democracy is “tainted by institutional violence, intimidation, and a lack of transparency, truth, and justice.”

For him, a democracy where “political actors are despised, brutalized, and imprisoned is doomed to fail.”

He criticized Cameroon’s political actors for failing to engage in meaningful which prevent “the consolidation of peaceful coexistence.”

Brain drain

The prelate expressed anger that the failure to offer young people hope for a better country is forcing thousands of young people to leave the country, sometimes at the risk of losing their lives, in search of “greener pasture” abroad where they feel sure to get decent jobs, and better living and educational conditions.

“This brain drain is emptying our country of intelligent, skilled young people, scientists, engineers, and health professionals, to the benefit of countries offering better living and working conditions,” Kleda said.

The archbishop also spoke about the opaque management of resources, noting that it is paradoxical that Cameroon that is so blessed with hydraulic potential still has problems of access to drinking water and electricity. He said the “numerous energy development projects, such as hydroelectric dams,” were designed “to enrich corrupt officials through kickbacks.”

He noted further that the management of Cameroon’s oil revenue remains “a complete mystery, because the hydrocarbon sector is controlled by a group of individuals who award themselves exploration and drilling contracts, oil contracts, and marketing rights.”

Kleda finds it unacceptable that hydrocarbons are “not serving the national economy, but are the preserve of a small circle of political power that awards itself contracts and positions and arrogates all rights and privileges to itself, while the majority languishes in poverty.” The same is true of the mining sector.

The Douala archbishop equally addressed the security problems plaguing the Central African nation, decrying the incapacity of the government to find solutions to the crisis rocking Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. The conflict that started in 2016 has so far left at least 6,500 people dead, and a further 800,000 people forced out of their homes.

He blasted separatist fighters in the two regions for killing, committing acts of assault and kidnapping people, but Kleda didn’t have kind words for the military either, explaining that there is “the brutality of the army, which razes entire villages on the mere suspicion of support (for the enemy).”

In the far north of Cameroon, the terrorist group Boko Haram is spreading terror and desolation. Faced with these extremely painful and worrying situations, Kleda is asking the government to spare no effort to “restore peace in all crisis-hit regions.”

With a presidential election scheduled for October 12, the archbishop seems to suggest that it was time Cameroonians vote Biya out of office.

“On the eve of the presidential election in October 2025 in our country, I invite you all to join me, your brother, so that together we may raise our voices to Almighty God to implore peace for our country, a spirit of love and service in families, and for each one of us,” the archbishop said.

“Choosing a president of the Republic is a civic duty that falls to each and every one of us, and which will shape the future of our country. That is why our civic action must lay the foundations for a new and prosperous society, based on peace and justice, and focused on the well-being of us all,” he said.

“I invite all people of good will to change their mindset and attitude, to undergo a profound inner transformation, to embark on a new path and to renew their lives in order to become ‘peacemakers’ (Mt 5:9), according to the will of our Lord,” he added.

Biya will face eleven other candidates at the poll as he seeks an eighth consecutive term of office. The 92-year-old leader has been in power since November 1982.

Kleda’s outing has sparked bitter reactions among the president’s henchmen. Professor Owona Nguini, a political scientist and close ally of the president accused Kleda of using the pulpit for partisan politics.

“The Pastoral letter is clearly partisan in nature. The bishop in my opinion stepped away from his priestly mission to engage in partisan politics,” he said.

Source: Crux