24, April 2025

Ambazonia Crisis: Pope Francis enduring call for peace, now a legacy ⁰

Since assuming leadership of the Roman Catholic Church three years before the 2016 outbreak of the security crisis in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions, Pope Francis has consistently advocated for a return to peace in the troubled area.

Following a 2023 pastoral visit to the Vatican, Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda, President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, detailed to international press the Catholic Church’s ongoing efforts, under Pope Francis’s direction, to resolve the conflict.

Archbishop Nkea’s statements highlighted the Church’s leading role in seeking a resolution. The Church provides aid to displaced persons, distributing food, shelter, and other necessities through diocesan Caritas organizations, with support from benefactors.

Additionally, the Church has attempted to mediate between the government and separatist factions operating both within Cameroon and abroad. The Church has consistently opposed the use of child soldiers and has emphasized the importance of maintaining open schools, stressing that education is vital for children’s future and the nation’s development.

Beyond institutional actions, Pope Francis has frequently made public pronouncements on the conflict. In September 2019, he expressed solidarity with the Cameroonian people, calling for prayers for a national dialogue aimed at resolving the crisis. He emphasized the need for “peaceful, just, and lasting solutions.”

In October 2020, following a school shooting in Kumba that resulted in student fatalities, Pope Francis condemned the crime as a “cruel and senseless act.” He called for an end to violence and the protection of children’s rights to education and a secure future. In January 2021, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin visited Cameroon to reiterate Pope Francis’s commitment to peace and reconciliation. After meeting with President Paul Biya, Cardinal Parolin conveyed the Pope’s support for peace initiatives.

“I am here to show the attention and solidarity of the Holy Father Francis towards Cameroon, especially at this time when it is experiencing a socio-political conflict in the Northwest and Southwest regions. We wish for peace to return to these regions,” Cardinal Parolin stated on the steps of the Unity Palace.

Pope Francis has consistently underscored the Catholic Church’s dedication to resolving the conflict. In 2022, during the national pilgrimage of Cameroonian bishops and faithful to the Marian shrine of Marianberg, he called for the restoration of “true and lasting peace” in Cameroon.

Like Moses, who did not see the Promised Land, Pope Francis departs without witnessing the peace he fervently prayed for in Cameroon.

Source: Sbbc

23, April 2025

Vatican: More than 20,000 gather as mourners file past Pope Francis’s open coffin ⁰

Pope Francis’s body has been moved from his residence in the Vatican to lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica

Mourners are now filing past the coffin.

The open coffin will stay in front of the Papal Altar during the three days of public mourning

Bells rang and people applauded as the procession made its way through St Peter’s Square

The Pope died on Monday morning – his funeral will take place on Saturday, attended by leaders from around the world.

As many as 20,000 pilgrims gathered at St Peter’s Square today to witness the procession of Pope Francis’s body, according to reports by Vatican media.

Many of those who witnessed the service in the square will likely also join the queue to see the Pope lying in state.

The transfer of the Pope’s coffin to St Peter’s Basilica began at 09:00 local time (08:00 BST) on Wednesday, following a prayer ceremony in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, where the Pope lived.

The procession was led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo. He is the person who runs the Vatican after the death or resignation of a pope.

Source: BBC

23, April 2025

Hajj 2025: Atanga Nji visits Ethiopian Airlines ⁰

Minister of Territorial Administration of Cameroon and President of the Cameroon Hajj Committee Paul Atanga Nji, along with his delegation visited Ethiopian Airlines’ state-of-the-art facilities.

During his visit, Paul Atanga Nji and his delegation held fruitful discussions with Ethiopian Airline Group CEO Mesfin Tasew and members of the Executive Management, according to Ethiopian Group.

During the occasion, Ethiopian Airlines reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to serving Hajj pilgrims from Cameroon, as well its regular flight services to Yaoundé and Douala.

23, April 2025

Teachers strike shuts down schools across Cameroon ⁰

Cameroon faces a major education crisis as a four-day national teachers’ strike begins on April 22nd. The “Ecole Morte” movement, led by the Collective of Teachers’ Organisations of Cameroon, unites more than a dozen unions demanding urgent reforms.

At the heart of their six key demands: the organisation of a national forum to rethink the education system, the upgrading of teachers’ special status, and a collective agreement for private school teachers. The strike follows a warning issued in March.

While the government has opened talks, including a meeting at the Ministry of Public Service on April 17, unions say the steps taken are not enough. Teachers are calling for immediate action to address chronic problems and ensure a stable environment for their profession.

Source: Africa News

22, April 2025

Cameroonians in Austria, Germany pay tributes to much-loved visionary leader ⁰

Friends and well-wishers are lauding the life and work of Enow Peter following his death. Cameroon Concord News gathered that he died of a heart attack at his work place in Vienna.

Senior Cameroonian elites in Europe and in North America have been reacting to his untimely and sudden death.

Dr Joachim Arrey of the Global Think Tank For Africa led the legion of tributes that have been paid to the late Manyu citizen from Egbekaw village.

“With the death of Enow Peter, Cameroonians in Austria have lost a valuable member who made meaningful contributions to the development of the Cameroonian community in Vienna and also in the Federal Republic of Germany,” Dr Joachim Arrey said.

For his part, Chief Robert Mengot of the Manyu Elements Cultural and Development Association (MECA Germany) said Enow Peter was a motivator and a compatriot who was an optimist about the future of Cameroon as a nation.

Chief Eyong Paolo of MECA Nordrhein-Germany described how shocked he felt upon hearing of the sudden death of Enow Peter. Chief Eyong told Cameroon Concord News that Enow Peter during his time in Germany cared for the needy, and when Cameroonians cried for help, he answered!

Enow Peter, a native of Egbekaw village in Mamfe, graduated from Government High School, Mamfe before proceeding to the University of Calabar in Nigeria where he obtained his B.Sc and later an MSc in Austria. He leaves behind his beautiful wife and children and a bunch of siblings and friends to mourn him. May his soul rest in peace!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

22, April 2025

Over half of World Bank projects in Cameroon now flagged as high risk ⁰

More than half of the World Bank–funded projects in Cameroon are now considered “at risk” due to poor execution, slow disbursements, and looming deadlines, government officials said during a recent review of the country’s World Bank portfolio.

Out of 17 national projects backed by the World Bank, 9 have fallen behind schedule, according to Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (Minepat), which oversees coordination with the Bank. These include efforts to expand rural electricity, improve secondary education, support digital transformation, and respond to food insecurity.

Among the most critical cases is the country’s digital acceleration project, known as PATNUC, which has only used 15.4% of its CFA55 billion budget, even though it launched in 2023. “We have completed the midterm review and found good solutions to speed up delivery,” said Guy Ronel Guemaleu, deputy director of multilateral cooperation at Minepat.

Other struggling projects include the CFA87 billion rural electrification project (PERACE), which is nearing its deadline in just two months with only 45% of funds disbursed. The education-focused PADESCE project, worth CFA73 billion, is also behind, with just 42% of funds used and a closing date in December.

Cameroon’s emergency response to food insecurity (PULCCA), under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, is moving slightly faster, at 53% disbursement, but it too is set to close later this year. Another major program, PROLOG, aimed at boosting local governance and resilience, was approved in 2023 with a CFA172 billion budget but was recently rated “moderately unsatisfactory.”

Despite these setbacks, a few projects are showing strong performance. These include initiatives focused on transport development, education reform, adaptive social protection, and regional economic development (PIDREC), Guemaleu noted.

Still, the broader picture is worrying. Many of these World Bank projects target essential sectors such as infrastructure, education, health, and agriculture. Delays and poor execution risk limiting their long-term impact.

Guemaleu explained that the main issues include unrealistic planning, late approval of work plans and budgets, a poor grasp of social and environmental procedures, and weak familiarity with the rules governing project management units. He also pointed to slow procurement processes, land access problems, and long wait times for required approvals.

The current World Bank portfolio in Cameroon includes 17 national projects, 15 of which are active, with a total budget of CFA2,429 billion. As of April 2025, the overall disbursement rate stands at just 32.76%, below the expected 38% for projects that are on average 3.8 years old. For the current fiscal year, the rate is even lower—just 16.36%—with hopes to reach 20% by June 30. The undisbursed committed balance is an estimated $3.014 billion (about CFA1,844.4 billion), according to Guemaleu.

The situation is just as concerning from the World Bank’s point of view. Cheick Fantamady Kanté, the Bank’s Country Director for Cameroon, confirmed that 69% of committed funds have not yet been used. “As of March 2025, the annualized disbursement rate is at 15%, far below the 20% target,” he said. “This has been a consistent problem since the 2018 fiscal year, when the rate stood at 17.9%.”

Source: Business in Cameroon

22, April 2025

Cardinal Kevin Farrell will be the next Pope ⁰

When the world learned of Pope Francis’ death on Monday morning, an Irish-American cardinal, little known in the wider world, was the one to break the news.

After announcing that the pope had “returned to the home of the Father”, Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell took on one of his biggest roles yet: the “camerlengo”, or the person who runs the Vatican after the death or resignation of a pope.

Pope Francis nominated the cardinal for the role in 2019. The cardinal will remain in the position during the “Apostolica Sedes Vacans”, the period between the death or resignation of a pope until the election of the next pontiff.

He also will play an important role in the centuries-old ceremonies to mourn Pope Francis.

Born in 1947 in Dublin, Farrell attended the University of Salamanca in Spain and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, according to the Vatican.

He held roles in churches around the world, serving as a chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Mexico as well as at a parish in Bethesda, Maryland.

All told, the 77-year-old spent more than 30 years working for churches in the US.

Farrell was appointed Bishop of Dallas in 2007 until Pope Francis asked him in 2016 to serve as the leader of the Vatican’s new department responsible for the pastoral care of families, raising him to the rank of cardinal.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell and other Vatican officials announce the death of Pope Francis in a video statement from the Vatican on 21 April.

Years after naming him as camerlengo, in 2023, Francis chose Farrell as president of the Supreme Court of Vatican City State. He was also named president of the Commission for Confidential Matters.

How the next Pope is chosen

As camerlengo, Cardinal Farrell will be tasked with making arrangements for the conclave, the process through which the next pontiff is selected.

Technically, a camerlengo can become pope, as has happened twice in history: Gioacchino Pecci (Pope Leo XIII) in 1878 and Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) in 1939.

The cardinal also will preside over the certification of Francis’s death, laying his body into the coffin. After that, the cardinal is expected to lead a procession moving the pope’s body from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica.

The ceremony could take place as soon as Wednesday morning, according to the Vatican.

Source: BBC

22, April 2025

Pope Francis’s funeral to take place on Saturday ⁰

Pope Francis’s funeral will take place on Saturday at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST, 08:00 GMT), the Vatican confirms.

The Vatican has also released images of Pope Francis in an open coffin, dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand

He will be taken to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, where his casket will remain until burial for the public to pay their respects

The pontiff’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from Catholics across the globe. From South Sudan to Argentina, Poland to the Philippines, the BBC reports from across five continents.

Source: BBC

21, April 2025

Who can become the Pope? ⁰

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, after 12 years as spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

His death has set in motion the centuries-old process of electing a new Pope.

What does the Pope do?

The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholics believe he represents a direct line back to Jesus Christ. He is considered a living successor to St Peter, who was chief among Christ’s initial disciples, the Apostles.

That gives him full and unhindered power over the entire Catholic Church and makes him an important source of authority for the world’s roughly 1.4 billion Catholics.

While many Catholics often consult the Bible for guidance, they can also turn to the teachings of the Pope, which govern the Church’s beliefs and practices.

About half of all Christians worldwide are Roman Catholics. Other denominations, including Protestants and Orthodox Christians, do not recognise the Pope’s authority.

The Pope lives in Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world. It is surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome.

The Pope does not receive a salary, but all his travel costs and living expenses are paid for by the Vatican.

What happens when the Pope dies?

A papal funeral has traditionally been an elaborate affair, but Pope Francis recently approved plans to make the whole procedure less complex.

Previous pontiffs were buried in three nested coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Pope Francis has opted for a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc.

He has also scrapped the tradition of placing the Pope’s body on a raised platform – known as a catafalque – in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing.

Instead, mourners will be invited to pay their respects while his body remains inside the coffin, with the lid removed.

Francis will also be the first Pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

He will be laid to rest in the Basilica of St Mary Major, one of four major papal basilicas in Rome.

A basilica is a church which has been granted special significance and privileges by the Vatican. The major basilicas have a particular connection to the Pope.

Who chooses the new Pope?

The new Pope has to be chosen by the Catholic Church’s most senior officials, known as the College of Cardinals.

All men, they are appointed directly by the Pope, and are usually ordained bishops.

There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, 138 of whom are eligible to vote for the new Pope.

The others are over the age of 80, which means they cannot take part in the election, although they can join in the debate over who should be selected.

How is the Pope chosen and what is the conclave?

When the Pope dies (or resigns, as in the rare case of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013), the cardinals are summoned to a meeting at the Vatican, followed by the conclave, as the election is known.

During the time between the Pope’s death and the election of his successor, the College of Cardinals governs the Church.

The election is held in strict secrecy inside the Sistine Chapel, famously painted by Michelangelo.

Individual cardinals vote for their preferred candidate until a winner is determined, a process which can take several days. In previous centuries, voting has gone on for weeks or months. Some cardinals have even died during conclaves.

The only clue about how the election is proceeding is the smoke that emerges twice a day from burning the cardinals’ ballot papers. Black signals failure. The traditional white smoke means the new Pope has been chosen.

How is the decision about the new Pope made public?

After the white smoke goes up, the new Pope normally appears within an hour on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square.

The senior cardinal participating in the conclave will announce the decision with the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “we have a Pope”.

He will then introduce the new Pope by his chosen papal name, which may or may not be his original given name.

For example, Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but he chose a different name for his papacy in honour of St Francis of Assisi.

Who can become the Pope?

In theory, any Roman Catholic man who has been baptised can be considered for election to become Pope.

In practice, however, the cardinals prefer to select one of their own.

When the Argentine-born Pope Francis was chosen at the previous conclave in 2013, he became the first pontiff ever to hail from South America, a region that accounts for roughly 28% of the world’s Catholics.

But historical precedent suggests the cardinals are far more likely to pick a European – and especially an Italian.

Of the 266 popes chosen to date, 217 have been from Italy.

Source: BBC

21, April 2025

Pope Francis dies aged 88 ⁰

The Pope, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday

World leaders pay tribute to his “contagious smile” and “boundless compassion”, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling him a “man of humility”

His death comes a day after he appeared in St Peter’s Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers

He was recently discharged from hospital last month after five weeks of treatment for an infection.

The pontiff’s death not only follows the most important calendar event for Catholics, but falls into the special jubilee year, which comes around every 25 years.

The jubilee kicked off when the Pope opened the usually bricked-up Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica on 24 December, and sees millions of pilgrims descend on the Vatican to pass through the doorway and seek forgiveness for their sins.

Tens of thousands of Catholics had gathered for the Easter Mass in this special year.

Source: BBC