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2279	dbpedia	3	73	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2021/05/1389-2/	en	PRIEST APPEALS FOR A REVIEW OF POLITICO ECCLESSIA RELATIONS	https://1.bp.blogspot.co…h-1-727x1024.jpg	https://1.bp.blogspot.co…h-1-727x1024.jpg	[ "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-O20mWZoq9LU/YKwOwGQtS4I/AAAAAAAABr0/GGDncqpR0IUqe-unw25504vrUOM6TIOyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w142-h200/awoh-1-727x1024.jpg?resize=142%2C200&ssl=1", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Mildred Wung" ]	2021-05-24T20:35:00+00:00	By Cameroon Infotrend Reverand Father Joseph Awoh, Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Buea, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Cameroon, CATUC Bamenda has pulled minds to what can be described as politico- ecclesiastical relations following a vitriolic … PRIEST APPEALS FOR A REVIEW OF POLITICO ECCLESSIA RELATIONS Read More »	en	https://i0.wp.com/camero…it=32%2C18&ssl=1	Cameroon Infotrend	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2021/05/1389-2/	By Cameroon Infotrend Reverand Father Joseph Awoh, Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Buea, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Cameroon, CATUC Bamenda has pulled minds to what can be described as politico- ecclesiastical relations following a vitriolic reflection which he released on Pentecost Sunday 2021. As if to invoke the Holy Spirit for rejuvenation of the Church like on the day of pentecost, Fr Joseph critically examines every aspect of politics in Cameroon with the pastor at the center viz a viz the social teachings of the Church. The piece being shared and forwarded on social networks is captioned “THE CAMEROONIAN PRIEST TODAY: PASTOR OR POLITICAL ACOLYTE? Read him.. In 2018, the International Crisis Group opined that the Catholic Church in Cameroon stood the best chance of mediating dialogue between the government and Anglophone separatists. However, the Crisis Group “briefing” identified an obstacle which they thought stood in the way of the Church playing this role. It stated: “At present, however, its public divisions, particularly between Anglophone and Francophone clergy, stand in the way of it playing a constructive role” . We, in the Church, have always been aware of our divisions, but I could not help feeling embarrassed by the proportions they had taken and by how they were actually undermining the work of the Church. While divisions between clergy in the Catholic Church have often stemmed from ethnic prejudices, they have also been driven by the alliances which politicians have forged with some church leaders. Examples abound. The Bishop Ndongmo case of the 1970s showed that the friendship bond between a bishop and a politician were stronger than the bonds of the episcopate and the bonds of baptism. In the 1990s when Cameroon was making the difficult transition from one party to multiparty politics, an Archbishop celebrated Mass in Bamenda for victims of military violence and for respect for human rights and another Archbishop celebrated a “counter-Mass” in Yaounde. At this point in time, Cameroon is probably more divided than at any point in her history after independence. Most of us, priests and laity, wish that our bishops would speak with one voice and give us a clear sense of direction as to where the Church stands on the social and moral issues we confront on a daily basis: bad governance, Anglophone marginalization, school boycott, deep divisions in the Anglophone (Christian) communities, etc. But, alas, our National Episcopal Conference has not been able to speak on these issues, and many Anglophone Catholics have felt abandoned by the Church at a time when they need her most. True, the last two presidents of the National Episcopal Conference have spoken out against some of the excesses of government and the separatists, but their voices have been hushed and undermined by the contradictory statements of their colleagues or the deafening silence of the Conference on matters of life and death for fellow Anglophone Catholics. It always takes tons of courage to call out incidents of injustice and human rights abuses anywhere in the world, but it is even more difficult to call to account perpetrators of injustice and human rights abuses in situations like the one we are living through in Anglophone Cameroon. The government and the separatists are likely to ask for your head on a dish! And, with the current divisions in opinion as to the line of action the Church should be taking, you will be hung up to dry should you incur the ire of either protagonist. I have already intimated above that while some Church leaders are thinking God, the Church and the common good, others are thinking tribe, power and influence, money and personal gain. St. Augustine wrote that the love of self has formed the earthly city or the city of man, while the love of God has formed the heavenly city or the city of God. These two ‘cities’ have totally different motives and goals in mind. Could the pull of the two cities in different directions be the reason for the discordant voices we hear in the Church when it comes to calling out the government on corruption, bad governance, human rights abuses, and injustice? Every Christian, priest and bishop has a right to their political opinion and, like every other human being, they cannot escape ‘the political’. We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of all of life, including our political life, so that being a good person or a good Christian is directly connected to our political systems and structures. To refuse to take a political stance is to take a political stance, which is another way of supporting the status quo. The question for the Christian must always be: how do I live as Christ wants in the current situation? And the answer to that question will sometimes (and in the Cameroonian situation, almost always) lead us to take a political stance – oppose injustice, condemn human rights violations, denounce marginalization, bad governance, corruption and the siphoning of public funds. So to live out our Christian lives as laity, priests or bishops, we have got to be political. However, we need to remind ourselves that being political is not the same thing as being partisan. Many Catholics would agree that ‘partisan politics’ is what has silenced our prophetic voice as Church. But we don’t always have to be partisan to kill the Church’s prophetic voice. In a good number of countries in Africa, including Cameroon, there is a tendency among politicians to woo church men and women of influence, in a bid to have a platform, gain respectability, and lend a modicum of credibility to what they say or do. In the face of the covid-19 hesitancy, how many ‘prophets’ and ‘bishops’ have we heard preaching that we prayed for God to save us from this pandemic and the vaccine is God’s answer to our prayer? How many of them have received government ‘support’ to do so, and how many of them have been coaxed by some government minister to preach vaccine efficacy? Politicians who lend support (as individuals) to the evangelizing work of the Church can do so from a good motive, but it is rare to find a political leader who espouses policies perfectly in line with Catholic social teaching. There is almost always ‘payback time’, almost always something the politician or their party will reap from a cozy relationship with the church leader or the Church herself. That is the reason why, in 2019, the Catholic Church in Kenya took action against individuals they believed were corrupt by rejecting their offerings and gifts. It was reported that Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Kisumu Archdiocese actually rejected a Mitsubishi Pajero SUV worth $40,000 from Deputy President William Ruto . Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, while speaking in a multisectoral initiative against corruption in 2019, warned ACK clerics against accepting corrupt money, when he said, “Let us not allow Harambee money to become a subtle way to sanitise corrupt leaders .” The Kenyan Church seems to have learned that accepting donations from corrupt politicians is courting trouble for the Church and undermining her moral authority. I wonder what they would think about Church leaders who actually go out to the politicians, soliciting donations and asking them to lead fundraising activities in the Church? I don’t want to give the impression that all politicians make friends with priests or pastors for ulterior motives, but those of them who don’t are few and far between, which is why we have to beware of the Greeks when they come bearing gifts. Some people believe that the priest-politician interaction does less to spiritualize politics and more to politicize spirituality, and the current crisis has more than confirmed this belief in many minds. Most politicians that I know in this country and elsewhere care more about their popularity and votes than they do about the spread of the Kingdom of God, and one of the things that has gagged the prophetic voice of the Church in Cameroon is religious leaders speaking less as servants of God and more as friends of politicians or of the State. As a priest, I know firsthand how frustrated some of my colleagues feel when Church leadership does not speak with one voice on some of the vexing issues of our day and they have to navigate these issues without a firm sense of direction, or when they and their flock feel abandoned to their own resources by the Church in the middle of a burning crisis. That notwithstanding, I still think that it is irresponsible for priests to use the pulpit to express their narrow, personal opinions on political issues, politicians and political parties, or to voice their disagreement with the line of action of the bishop. It is no secret that some of our Anglophone priests threw their whole weight behind the SDF Party when it was launched in the 1990s and a few did same for the Anglophone ‘cause’ at the beginning of the current crisis. There is no way we are going to preach on the gospel themes of reconciliation, justice and peace, respect for the life and dignity of the human person without making reference to the Anglophone Crisis and how the teaching of the Church applies in the circumstances. As I said earlier, the Bible always challenges us to apply the Word of Christ to our context with the question: how do I live as Christ wants in the situation in which I find myself? And I can answer that question, with all its political implications, without overtly taking sides with one party against the other, one politician against another. Our moral principles are enduring; politicians and political parties are transitory. Each of us is a politician but the difference between us and career politicians is that it is our faith that informs our politics, not the party line, not the God-fearing generous politician friend, not the tribe or ethnic group, and not personal gain of any kind This country is crying out for priests and pastors who care about the common good, respect for human life, human rights, justice and peace, and Catholics want to know how Catholic Social Teaching speaks to these and other issues of current attention. We, priests and pastors, must speak the truth forcefully and charitably and, if that offends someone’s political sensibilities, so be it. Those of us who knew them look back with nostalgia at the days of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Archbishop André Wouking and courageous priests who called out the excesses of government and spoke truth to power. These, and others like them, accorded the Church a moral high ground from which she spoke and the country listened. We look back to them with nostalgia because it would seem that priests’ and pastors’ abilities to provide moral leadership for the nation, to stand up to the political class and be the ‘voice of the voiceless’ has been seriously compromised by personal and material interests. We need the Church to be a diverse place where we work with others of different opinions and backgrounds around the common good and shared interests. We need priests and pastors whose hearts beat for God and for His people, not political acolytes. Fr. Joseph Awoh Pentecost Sunday 2021
2279	dbpedia	2	87	https://ebin.pub/ambacide-the-genocide-and-extermination-reminiscent-of-extermination-of-jews-holocaust-by-adolf-hitler-9956552488-9789956552481.html	en	AMBACIDE: The Genocide and Extermination Reminiscent of Extermination of Jews Holocaust... by Adolf Hitler 9956552488, 9789956552481	https://ebin.pub/img/amb…789956552481.jpg	https://ebin.pub/img/amb…789956552481.jpg	[ "https://ebin.pub/ebinpub/assets/img/ebinpub_logo.png", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/years-of-persecution-years-of-extermination-saul-friedlander-and-the-future-of-holocaust-studies-1nbsped-9781441112323-9781441129871.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/the-life-and-death-of-adolf-hitler.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/sobibor-extermination-camp-1942-1943-9788393792726.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/adolf-hitler-in-his-own-words-the-essential-speeches-of-adolf-hitler-9781956887129-9781956887136-9781956887143.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/the-mormon-war-zion-and-the-missouri-extermination-order-of-1838-9781594165344.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/adolf-hitler.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/techniques-in-countersurveillance-the-fine-art-of-bug-extermination-in-the-real-world-1581600208-9781581600209.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/the-nature-of-endangerment-in-india-tigers-tribes-extermination-amp-conservation-1818-2020-0192868527-9780192868527.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/haunted-laughter-representations-of-adolf-hitler-the-third-reich-and-the-holocaust-in-comedic-film-and-television-1793640157-9781793640154.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/adolf-hitler-by-adolf-hitler-ten-quotes-analyzed-to-provide-insights-of-an-evil-mind-trying-to-understand-the-nature-of-evil-through-the-nazi-dictator-own-words.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/img/200x200/ambacide-the-genocide-and-extermination-reminiscent-of-extermination-of-jews-holocaust-by-adolf-hitler-9956552488-9789956552481.jpg", "https://ebin.pub/ebinpub/assets/img/ebinpub_logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Genocide and extermination are no longer mere words, promises, hopes, etc. These acts are already a law which can be enf...	en	https://ebin.pub/ebinpub…e-icon-57x57.png	ebin.pub	https://ebin.pub/ambacide-the-genocide-and-extermination-reminiscent-of-extermination-of-jews-holocaust-by-adolf-hitler-9956552488-9789956552481.html	Citation preview Finally, Professor Tatah Mentan concludes that the pandemic genocide and extermination of Ambazonians by La République du Cameroun génocidaires can only be peacefully resolved by an internationally negotiated separation of both warring Former UN Category B Trust Territories. Tatah Mentan is an Independent Researcher, Member of the Political Commission for Nations and States under colonial rule, paciﬁst and engaged peace activist. He is a Theodore Lentz Peace and Security Studies Fellow, and Professor of Political Science. Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon Tatah Mentan Professor Tatah Mentan argues that the bloodbath was designed with a clear kinetic theological foundation as its centrepiece. The theologians of the genocide were ironically not clerics. They were rather journalists and sycophantic proregime intellectuals who apparently served as the echo chamber of the Biya genocidal regime for his Hitler-like “Final Solution” to crush and assimilate “Anglophones” – the “rats”, “cockroaches”, “secessionists”, “separatists”, or “microbes” as they were stigmatised. The suﬀering inﬂicted by Hitler on Jews fell outside the realm of expression. Often depicted as the savage lunatic who plunged the world into World War II, Adolf Hitler’s name has been on the tongues of historians, psychologists, economists, and laymen for ages. Similarly, President Paul Biya like Hitler the Monster is being depicted as the epitome of Lucifer himself. AMBACIDE Taking a look at the internet blackouts, the militarisation of towns and cities all across Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia), the indiscriminate torching of hundreds of villages, schools and health centres, the rampant gang rape of females by HIV-infected troops, mass killings of civilians, burning of innocent civilians in their sleep, disembowelling pregnant women and slaughtering them and their unborn babies, arbitrary arrests and detentions, dehumanising raids of residential areas in search of “Anglophones”, mindless torture, extortions, and looting by La République du Cameroun troops, the genocide and extermination were well planned in advance. The Genocide and Extermination Reminiscent of Extermination of Jews (Holocaust) by Adolf Hitler Genocide and extermination are no longer mere words, promises, hopes, etc. These acts are already a law which can be enforced. In practical terms, this law means no more extermination, no more mass killings, no more concentration camps, no more sterilisations, no more wanton rapes, no more killings and burning of people to conceal evidence, no more torching of habitats, no more breaking up of families. The call to stop genocide is often presented as the paramount moral obligation in contemporary global politics. The ‘Never Again’ refrain and the consistent references to the ethical value of Responsibility to Protect genocide stand as calls for urgent political mobilisation. AMBACIDE The Genocide and Extermination Reminiscent of Extermination of Jews (Holocaust) by Adolf Hitler - Tatah Mentan - AMBACIDE: The Genocide and Extermination Reminiscent of Extermination of Jews (Holocaust) by Adolf Hitler Tatah Mentan Langaa Research & Publishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda Publisher: Langaa RPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [email protected] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [email protected] www.africanbookscollective.com ISBN-10: 9956-552-48-8 ISBN-13: 978-9956-552-48-1 © Tatah Mentan 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher Dedication Charity, Ruth, Kkeleghai, Ntsondeh, Kefeyin, and Berinyuy, and other victims of Genocide and Extermination that has been raging in Ambazonia for decades. Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................... xi Introduction ...................................................................... xxi Prof. Fonkem Achankeng I Chapter One Chronology of Southern British Cameroons and Methodology of An analysis .............................................1 Chapter Two Deconstructing the Theory of Genocide according to Raphael Lemkin........................................... 29 Chapter Three The Root Causes of the Raging Genocide in Ambazonia .................................................... 55 Chapter Four UN Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of Genocide ..................................................... 109 Chapter Five Structural Violence as a Cause of and Conditions for Genocide and Extermination in Ambazonia ............................................ 147 Chapter Six Historico-Legal Path to Genocide and Extermination of Ambazonians ................................. 183 Chapter Seven The Slippery Identity Road to Genocide and Extermination ............................................................ 209 v Chapter Eight President Biya Blows the Whistle for His ‘Final Solution’ ...................................................... 255 Chapter Nine From the Anger of Despair to Resistance and Self-Defence ............................................................... 331 Chapter Ten Epilogue ............................................................................ 371 vi List of Illustrations Maps Map 1: Southern British Cameroons ............................................ 1 Map 2: Southern Cameroons and La Republique States ....................................................................... 216 Tables Table 1: Template used by Republic of Cameroun in Ambazonia ............................................................... 168 Table 2: Number of Coups in Africa by country........................ 297 Pictures Picture 1: Anti-marginalization protests....................................... 216 Picture 2: Biya depicted as Liberating Choice (Hero) of Cameroun ....................................................................... 235 Picture 3: Deceitful Propaganda Banners by CPDM Militants in French ....................................................... 237 Picture 4: Projection of President Biya as Charismatic Nationalist .............................................................. 241 Picture 5: Ambazonian, Civilians Raided, Tortured and Humiliated by the Military ..................................... 249 Picture 6: Displaced Ambazonian Families ................................. 257 Picture 7: Police Alleged to have Raped Nursing Teenage Mother in Bamenda......................................................... 268 Picture 8: The Military Massacre of Civilians in Ngarbuh ........ 273 Picture 9: Civilians Massacred and incinerated by the Cameroon Military .............................................................. 275 Picture 10: The Handicapped Mr. Chiabah before his Beheading....................................................................... 277 Picture 11: Pictures of Villages Burned to ashes ........................ 278 Picture 12: University of Buea Students Abducted for Torture ..................................................................... 279 Picture 13: Arrested Civilian Students under Torture ................ 280 Picture 14: Queen Elizabeth and Southern British Cameroons Traditional Leaders ....................................... 288 vii Picture 15: Two Maps of Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun presented to President Biya on May 20, 2010 .................................................... 351 Picture 16: Ten Stages of Genocide ............................................. 373 viii List of Acronyms ADF AGC APLM ARC ARCC ASC AU BIR CDC CENC CNDDR EU GICAM ICC IG MORISC MRC NPMB PWD Ambazonia Defence Forces Ambazonia Governing Council Ambazonia People’s Liberation Movement Ambazonia Restoration Council Ambazonia Recognition Collaboration Council Ambazonia Security Council African Union Bataillon d’intervention rapide/Rapid Intervention Battalion Cameroon Development Corporation Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Cameroun/National Episcopal Conference Comité National de Désarmement, de Démobilisation et de Réintégration/National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Committee European Union Groupement Inter-Patronal du Cameroun/Cameroon Employers’ Association International Criminal Court Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia Movement for Independence and Restoration of Southern Cameroons Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun/Cameroon Renaissance Movement National Produce Marketing Board Public Works Department ix RDPC/CPDM SCACUF SCAPO SCARM SCCOP SCNC SCYL SDF SNWOT SOCADEF UPC UN Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais/Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement Southern Cameroons Consortium Southern Cameroons People’s Organization Southern Cameroons Restoration Movement Southern Cameroons Congress of People Southern Cameroons National Council Southern Cameroons Youth League Social Democratic Front South West and North West Women’s Task Force Southern Cameroons Defence Forces Union des Populations du Cameroun United Nations x Preface This book introduces the concept of Ambacide: an intentionally arranged genocide and extermination of people of Southern British Cameroons descent by La République du Cameroun. The volume analyses the decisions that go into any systematic mobilization of resources and the design patterns for the interactions that make use of these resources to perpetrate genocide and extermination despite “Never Again” posturing by the international community (see my book The United Nations Organization: (In)Securing Global Peace and Security). Yet the monsters Ahidjo and Biya, murderers of hundreds of thousands of Southern British Cameroonians, masters of destruction and organized insanity, did not come into the world as monsters. They were not sent to earth by the devil, as some people think, nor were they sent by heaven to “bring law and order” to Cameroons, to give the country the autobahn and rescue it from its economic crisis, as many others could wrongly believe. Human destructiveness is never inborn, and inherited traits are neither good nor evil. How these traits develop depends on one’s character, which is formed In the course of one’s life, and the nature of which it depends on. The experiences one has in childhood and adolescence, and on the decisions one makes as an adult. In order not to die, all the mistreated Southern British Cameroonians tended to totally repress the mistreatment for decades, deprivation, and bewilderment they have undergone because otherwise their organisms couldn't cope with the magnitude of the pain suffered. Only after decades did they have possibilities for dealing with their feelings. If they didn’t make use of these possibilities, then what was once the life-saving function of repression could be transformed into a dangerous destructive and self-destructive force? In the careers of despots such as Ahidjo and Biya, their suppressed fantasies of revenge can lead to indescribable atrocities. This phenomenon doesn’t exist anywhere in the entire animal kingdom. For no animal is trained by its parents to deny its nature xi completely in order to become a “well-behaved” animal - only human beings act in such a destructive way. According to the reports of Camerounese criminals (and also of soldiers who volunteered to fight for the Ahidjo-Biya despots), their unconscious programming to be violent began in every case with a brutal upbringing that demanded absolute obedience and expressed total contempt for the Southern British Cameroonian. I know of no example of this which is so well-documented and which demonstrates so clearly the consequences of the psychological murder of humanity - bringing along with it a form of collective blindness - than the fateful success of the German Monster Adolf Hitler that has become a playbook in Southern British Cameroons. The UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Domestic Affairs of States (UNGA resolution 2131 (XX) 1965). The International Court was in no doubt about the existence of the principle in the Nicaragua case. However, whether the principle was reflected in the practice of States remains irrelevant when imperialist interests are concerned. The United Nations flushed Iraqi troops from occupation of Kuwait in the early 1990s. Allied forces stormed Iraq, assassinated Sadam Hussein and are still there today. Is this quietism a doctrine of Christian spirituality that, in general, holds that perfection consists in passivity (quiet) of the soul, in the suppression of human effort so that divine action may have full play? No! Is it racism? Or, why should the international community only act when it comes to Kosovo? Is the quietism intended to protect imperialist resource interests? Else, why did intervention in Libya come so handy? In the case of Iraq, was international intervention merely to garrison oil fields? Former French President Francois Mitterrand had made it clear that genocide in Africa should not be a problem! Really? The “heavy and damning responsibilities” by the French in the Rwandan genocide is eloquent testimony. With this callous indifference to Ambacide by the international community, Satan on his throne in Hell, seems a saint. xii The issue of intervention in the domestic affairs of independent countries by other independent nation(s) is therefore one of the biggest challenges bedevilling international law at the moment. This is because the need for the respect of human rights has been emphasized in recent years while, on the other hand, international law has firmly held the idea of sovereignty and its prime feature, the policy of non-interference in high regard. Indeed, sovereignty has been regarded as the foundation of modern international relations. However, the doctrine of unilateral humanitarian interventions gives state(s) powers to get involved in a countries’ affairs if there are cases of massive violation of human rights. These violations can be in the form of genocide or mass killings as it is the case in Southern British Cameroons (Ambazonia). In this manner, the doctrine of humanitarian intervention can be seen and evoked by the insensitive international community to be an affront to the principle of “non-interference” and as a result its validity has been questioned in recent times, even by the United Nations secretariat and uncaring Veto Powers. The knowledge on the concept of unilateral humanitarian intervention is significant in our modern era in that it is immoral to allow people to suffer under the guise of legal assumptions and theories. It is important to think of knowledge in a given field like genocide as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second, there are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally that become part of the lore of field. In this book, I have used a number of approaches. 1. Argumentative An argument takes a stand on an issue. In this volume On Ambacide, I examine literature in order to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature on issues like national sovereignty, territorial integrity, etc. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of rationalizations on issues of non-interference xiii in internal affairs, I discuss the hypocrisy involved in unilateral intervention in Kosovo and Libya. 2. Integrative Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on alike genocide in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems like the Geneva Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The aim was to offer a well-done integrative review to meet the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. 3. Historical Historical evidence can take a variety of forms among the most important types of historical evidence are primary sources such as original documents, artifacts, or other pieces of information that are created as Ambacide rages. So, if we are studying World War II, primary sources would include everything government documents to photographs to physical uniforms and equipment. Primary sources here are wide-ranging. Battlefield pictures of villages burnt is a primary source because it was taken right then and there, at that moment in history. Secondary sources contain useful information, but typically involve an analysis of primary source material. I wish to note here that history is more complex than many people realize. It is so much more than memorizing names, dates, and places. History is very much ‘scientific.’ It involves critical thinking. It involves formulating hypotheses based on evidence and testing them. That is what this book is about by tracing the systematic genocide and extermination of Southern British Cameroonians by personalist predatory President Ahmadou Ahidjo to the totalitarian sociopath President Paul Biya. 4. Methodological A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say (method of analysis). Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels (i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques), how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical xiv documents for use in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues like stigmatisation of target groups (Ambazonians) for extermination. 5. Systematic This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem like genocide. Typically, it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as “To what extent does A (Hate speech) contribute to B (genocide)?” 6. Theoretical The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena like genocide. The theoretical literature review by Raphael Lemkin helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. This form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems in genocide studies. The unit of analysis in genocide studies must focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework based on imperialism. The Westphalian narrative has been the compass of International Relations (IR). It sustains a Eurocentric hegemony in IR theory – ascribing to itself the nucleus of the international system. Indeed, international relations theory acts as a tool that legitimizes AngloAmerican imperialism in international studies. For instance, colonization in Africa entails the force-feeding of African materials into the Western-centric structures. This phenomenon produced a distinct (hybrid) system with exotic challenges in Africa. The manifestation of these challenges in the decolonization process is often ignored in the neo-liberal, neo-realist and structural theories. xv This suggests a gap in the existing literature, especially in the area of conceptualizing Statehood, sovereignty, power, border, and security. This book canvasses interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter. It argues that the Westphalia narrative lacks the understanding of the dynamics of contemporary African societies, and concludes by examining alternative pathways that can promote global understanding of genocide and extermination called Ambacide. Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older. Those who do so tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. But at the very moment when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood and undervalued, and increasingly monopolized by the cognitive elite. A “curiosity divide” has been opening up and this volume is intended to resurrect that spirit of curiosity to show how propaganda about humanitarianism is becoming meaningless in the face of vested interests in the international system. The atrocity crimes in Southern British Cameroons are spiralling out of control. This is exactly the kind of catastrophe that the African Union was designed to address. The organization’s constitution was specifically written to allow it to step in where its widely discredited predecessor – the Organization of African Unity – had failed to act. As its constitution puts it, the African Union can directly intervene in a member state in: “… grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.” This was introduced to ensure that Africa’s senior organization would never again allow itself to stand idly by, as it had done during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Or so we thought. Given the severity of the crisis in the Central African Republic one might expect a clarion call for action from the head of the African Union Commission. Visiting the African Union’s own website there are no appeals for troops to be rushed to Buea by the AU leadership as indicated by “Speeches of the Chairperson of the Commission.” The African Standby Force has gone the way of so many other initiatives. While African leaders have plenty of funds to lavish on their cars, palaces and planes, they deprive their military of the resources they need to do the job. As an American citizen, I have xvi witnessed troops being trained by United States Marines overjoyed to be given even small quantities of ammunition to practice live firing. Their own government refused to supply more than a handful of rounds; for fear that they would be used to stage a coup. This is all very depressing, but hardly surprising. Ambazonians have been slaughtered massively over the decades by successive Camerounese regimes from Ahmadou Ahidjo to Paul Biya. Tyranny, one may say in this case, is colour-blind and is no less reprehensible when it is committed by an African dictator. One would ask: does the African Union (AU) embody the aspirations, togetherness, and determination of the African people, especially in relation to advancing peace, prosperity, human rights and freedoms for the inhabitants of the African continent? In this regard, an objective of the AU, articulated in its Constitutive Act is to “promote peace, security, and stability on the Continent.” In realizing this objective, the AU established the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to, inter alia, promote peace, security and stability in Africa and undertake Peace Support Operations (PSOs) in accordance with Article 4(h) and (j) of the AU Constitutive Act. Recognizing the need to adopt African solutions to African problems is therefore mere shop talk. It is the past, rather than some evolutionary dynamics, which has shaped the unenviable present in Ambazonia. History leaves its mark on society. Of course, this does not mean that the legacies of history do not leave their trace on people and societies, sometimes long after a series of events or institutional arrangements of the past. The Tombel massacres of 1966 and the Lake Nyos “natural gas” slaughter of tens of thousands of villagers in their sleep cannot escape historical sight. We understand Francophone tribalistic privilege to be the systemic extension to Francophones of comparatively greater access to power and resources than people from Southern Cameroons ethnic groups in the same situation. The marginalization of Anglophone linguistic groups in the distribution of ministerial portfolios is not new. It is both unconsciously enjoyed and consciously perpetuated; it is a combination of seen and unseen, conscious and unconscious acts inseparable from Francophone-Anglophone inequities in Cameroun. xvii Linguistic French structural, institutional and systemic discrimination broadly refer to the system of structures that have procedures or processes that disadvantage Anglophones in Cameroun. Discrimination is a socially structured action that is unfair or unjustified and harms individuals and groups. It can be attributed to social interactions that occur to protect more powerful and privileged Francophone groups at the detriment of “Anglophone” groups. The deprivation due to institutional, structural and systemic linguistic (French-English) must be seen as neither accidental phenomena nor a moment of madness but a deliberate, enduring and well-planned political construction of the early 1960s that sort to establish Cameroun republic whose aim was to manage Southern Cameroonians. Francophone linguistic tribalism and bias have played an important role in the perpetuation of privilege; thus, it is critical that we understand what the two terms mean. Tribalism refers to individual (or group) level processes and structures that enable the reproduction of inequality. Systemic tribalism occurs when these structures or processes are carried out by groups with power, such as governments or businesses. The confiscation of wealth of the West Cameroon state and individual businessmen like Menyoli, Nanga, Neba, Che, Forjindam, etc.by Cameroun remain treasured in our minds. The impact of discrimination occurs at both structural and individual levels. Structural discrimination refers to macro-level conditions that limit “opportunities, resources, and well-being of less privileged groups. Individual discrimination refers to negative interactions between individuals in their institutional roles or as public or private individuals based on individual characteristics (e.g., language, etc.). Individual and structural discrimination can cause either intentional or unintentional harm, whether or not it is perceived by the individual. Discrimination can be understood as a social stressor that has a physiological effect on individuals (e.g., irregular heartbeat, anxiety, heartburn) that can be compounded over time and can lead to long-term negative health outcomes. We can therefore best define linguistic Francophone privilege as an institutional (rather than personal) set of benefits granted to xviii individuals or groups who, on nothing else but tribe alone, are linked to the ethnic Francophone people who dominate powerful positions in Cameroun’s social, political and economic institutions. In other words, purely on the basis of French linguistic connectivity, opportunity doors are open to Francophones that are not open to people from Anglophone ethnic groups. In conclusion, Ambazonia has been a massive killing field, as both the Yaounde genocidal government and colonized Ambazonians look helplessly. A thick and suffocating cloud of desperation, despondency, desolation, gloom and misery hangs in hot air over Ambaland. In international law, the principle of nonintervention includes, but is not limited to, the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state (Article 2.4 of the Charter). There is no doubt that the principle of non-intervention remains a wellestablished part of international law. The prohibition of intervention “is a corollary of every state’s right to sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.” The Friendly Relations Declaration, UNGA res. 2625(XXV 1970, includes a whole section on ‘The principle concerning the duty not to intervene in matters within the domestic jurisdiction of any State, in accordance with the Charter.’ The UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Domestic Affairs of States (UNGA resolution 2131 (XX) 1965). The International Court was in no doubt about the existence of the principle in the Nicaragua case. But whether the principle was reflected in the practice of States remains doubtful when imperialist interests are concerned. Was it illegal in Kuwait or Kosovo? The relevant factors for any analysis of genocide and extermination must therefore include the general context, systematically perpetrating culpable acts against a target group, the scale of atrocities, and the repetition of destructive and discriminatory acts. It also means the existence of a plan or policy, a perpetrator’s display of his intent through public speeches or meetings with others that may also support an inference of the required genocidal intent. xix I wish to emphasize to our readers that the names Southern British Cameroons, Southern Cameroons are rebaptized as Ambazonia. All are therefore used interchangeably. In paying my huge debt of gratitude, I wish to round up this Preface by thanking scholars in the field of genocide and human annihilation whose works I have used extensively. Despite benefitting elaborately from these scholars, the faults in this book are all mine. I take full responsibility for any of these shortcomings. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wife and children who did all humanly possible to ensure that I survived my health challenges that could have stopped this work in mid-passage. Tatah Mentan Minnesota, 2021 xx Introduction We suffocate among people who think they are absolutely right, whether in their machines or in their ideas. And for all who can live only in an atmosphere of human dialogue and sociability, this silence is the end of the world. (Albert Camus, Neither Victims Nor Executioners) Interest in the subject of genocide is increasing in postcolonial states where ruling regimes engage in abducting, disappearing, shooting, torturing, burning, crushing, raping, or killing in any other of the myriad ways governments have inflicted death on unarmed helpless citizens (Rummel, 1994). Scholars of ‘postcolonialism’ want to document and understand genocides and how to prevent them especially after the 1994 case in Rwanda where the world community led out a cry of ‘Never Again.’ How did the genocide on Southern British Cameroons aka Ambazonia come about and how is it sustained amidst an African and global culture of inhumanity and silence? Tatah Mentan’s Ambacide (the genocide on Ambazonia), is a pointer to a world of an unsuspecting people who became the victims of genocide they neither sought nor created. The following words were written about the territory in 1958 by J. O. Field, British Commissioner of Southern Cameroons in the concluding summary of his book, Introducing the Southern Cameroons. “A modern state is in the making, and today, one hundred years after the founding of Victoria, Southern Cameroons can look back with pride on its achievements and look forward to its approaching independence with quiet confidence.” This is who and where the people of the Southern British Cameroons people were before 1960, the year of African independence. As a UN Trust Territory, independence was the logical step in the life of the territory. Considering the territory’s achievements in political structures and economic potentials before 1960, independence was also the only logical next step for the people. Gardinier’s 1963 Survey Report on the territory provides ample illustration of the viable economy of the xxi territory in 1960, which we generally consider as the year of Africa’s independence. Yet, the independence of Southern British Cameroons so loftily anticipated did not come. It continued to elude the people of the Southern British Cameroons who now wish to be known and called Ambazonia. The reason is that the people and their territory of Southern British Cameroons were rather transferred by the United Kingdom (trustee) and the United Nations (trustor) to a new colonial master, who proceeded to annex and colonially occupy the territory. In place of the independence of the territory as was the case with other British and French colonies inherited from Germany after World War I – French Cameroon, French Togoland, Tangayika, Rwanda, Burundi, etc. Southern British Cameroons became annexed and recolonized by former French Cameroon. In a nutshell, rather than the independence foreseen in 1958 by J.O. Field and awaited by the people, the territory and her people reaped genocide, the subject of this book. As the subject of this book and the plight of the people of Southern British Cameroons do not come up in the evening news, the reader may want to locate this territory and the people identified and targeted for extermination in a situation imposed on them colonially. The Southern British Cameroons is found in the Gulf of Guinea and precisely on the Bay of Ambas. The territory lies between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Republique du Cameroun at the point where the West Africa Coastline turns southward to the Congo and Angola. From 1858 when Alfred Saker and the London Baptist Missionaries landed in Bimbia and named the town, Victoria, the territory was later transferred to the Germans at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 before being returned to the British following World War I. Then it was placed as a Mandated Territory of the League of Nations from 1919 and as a UN Trust Territory after World War II. With a surface area of 16, 364 sq miles, the territory had a population of approximately 8 million people in 2017 according to estimates by the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) when the current genocide began. Anyangwe (2005), a Constitutional Law expert and scholar pointed out that Southern British Cameroons aka Ambazonia is “…demographically bigger that at least 60 UN and xxii 18 AU Member States, and spatially bigger than at least 30 UN and 12 AU member States,” including, for instance, British Honduras and Fiji, the Gambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Djbouti, Burundi, and Guinea Bissau. Anyone would ask why independence was not granted the territory? Prior to 1961 when the people and the territory expected full independence in accordance with UN Charter (Art. 76b), the Trusteeship Agreement, and UNGA Resolution 1514 on the independence of all colonial countries and peoples, the people were already self-governing with recognized and marked international boundaries. They were evolving a multiparty democracy with a full functioning executive, legislature, and judiciary and had organized free and democratic elections and effected a peaceful transfer of power in 1959. The territory’s economy was not only flourishing, its communication infrastructure, included a seaport in Victoria, a Wharf in Tiko on the Atlantic coast, and a river port on the Cross River in Mamfe on the border with Nigeria in the West. The territory and people also had a hydroelectric power station in Yoke, an international airport in Tiko, and other airports in Bali and Besongabang near Mamfe. This economic infrastructure, including industries in Santa, Ombe, and Moliwe, banking, air transport company, marketing board and thriving enterprises were all destroyed by the new colonizers. That destruction was part of a grand design by the new colonizers to render the territory and her people increasingly dependent on the new colonizers in order that the people would see themselves as helpless without the colonizers. Such a colonial situation calls to mind, the O’ Henry tale, “Supply and Demand.” As the tale goes, a big white man goes down to a certain place and uses force and his wits to turn the native communities into slaves. The white man, it is said, sets himself up as king, takes the biggest house in the communities for himself, and has the natives wash the streams for gold dust that they bring only to him. To keep the colonized political economy going, the white man king gives the natives a weekly sermon in the council-house (he is the council) on the law of supply and demand. He teaches the natives not to desire anything beyond their simplest needs. They bring him all the gold and remain contented on a bit of mutton, cocoa, and fruit xxiii …All goes well or seemingly so until the natives rise against their ruler and genocide begins. The reader may substitute the natives in the tale with the people of the Southern British Cameroons who “looked forward to independence with quiet confidence” but received news of a notion called “independence by joining.” Taken unaware and without any prior suspicion, the people found themselves in the confusion posed by the Hobson choice before them. Abumbi, their real king cried out for the people, but the choice remained imposed on them. They would soon realize that they were not just “expendable” for Britain, they would become “dogs” for Republique du Cameroun fit for extermination for daring to stand up to reclaim their rightful independence as a people so recognized in history and international law. It is the pain of this situation that Tatah Mentan sees in the people of the territory going ‘from the anger of despair to resistance and self-defence.’ What is conceived beautifully in the genocide case by this author is the colonial strategy of the master using the same people of the territory as a front in killing the people. These same people only front as the ones authorising the genocide on their people because truly even those fronting are not the same people making and evaluating the genocidal policies. The custom comes with appointments! It began with Olokobi, the General of Manyu origin, who was the first general commander sent to start and oversee the genocide nowhere else than in his native Manyu. Then followed the great Prime Ministers in name only and the first ever ‘Anglophone’ Minister of Territorial Administration, who considered the ‘Anglophone Problem’ first as non-existent and then as 90% resolved by his appointment, etc. In this colonial scheme captured in Ambacide, we have officials with very high-sounding titles, placed in positions of some authority as the massacres of their people are carried out. A relative of one of the highly placed officials described the situation of his brother in a private conversation as “a trap.” The truth in every colonial setting is that the system wills simultaneously the death and the multiplication of victims… Whether the colonized are assimilated or massacred, … the onerous engine suspends between life and xxiv death, and always closer to death, those who are compelled to drive it (Sartre, 1957). It was Alessandro Portelli (1991, p. viii) who affirmed in Form and meaning in history that “there is more to history than presidents and generals,” and that history may occasionally be less welcome in some circles because “it has disarranged many accepted truths.” Otherwise, how did the people of British Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia ever imagine they would find themselves in a situation of genocide? The narratives of the people of the territory provide a basis to question the historical circumstances that brought together the territory and Republique du Cameroun, two separate UN Class B Trust Territories previously under different colonial powers. And those are the kinds of questions that led Rodcod Gobata (1996), another scholar on the political history of the territory to sum up the difficult questions as “Ironies of the history of the people of British Southern Cameroons” just like the reflections in What god put asunder by Victor Epie Ngome (1992), another Southern Cameroons’ writer. Amidst the daily killings of the people of Ambazonia, the only language anyone hears or reads from those who bothered to write or talk about the genocide was that the people targeted were “terrorists,” “secessionists” or “bandits” labelled “dogs.” Stated differently, all we hear or read on the genocide on the people of this territory is that the colonizers alone qualify to speak of the situation in the colony. The rest of the people of the colony do not have the colonizers’ experience, so they are to view the many killings of their people and the burning down of their territory only through the eyes of the colonizers, which eyes only show the smoke as Sartre once put it. Four years into the genocidal war, I was writing this Introduction in my room at the 20th Africa International Conference, when leading African scholar and conference convener, Toyin Falola, asked aloud what it would take to end the losing of many lives in Cameroon. To his question, I thought it would take telling the true story of the genocidal war and its causes which the French colonizers were working assiduously to obfuscate. From that standpoint, Tatah Mentan’s Ambacide is one of those attempts by native Ambazonian scholars to tell the genocide story of Ambazonia from the perspective xxv of the victims, who neither sought, created, nor desired the situation in which they found themselves at independence. Ambacide is a kind of anti-climax in the lived experiences of the people of Southern British Cameroons renamed Ambazonia. The author takes a people, who from a dream near heaven on earth at the dusk of European colonialism to pitch hellish darkness half a century later, where the people go from the dream of independence anticipated by J. O. Field to a genocidal war waged to exterminate them after obliterating the territory and its history from the map of West Africa. Ambacide, a concept Professor Tatah Mentan coins to title his book, analyses of the pandemic genocide and extermination of Ambazonians by République du Cameroungénocidaires. Like Abumbi earlier, Tatah Mentan cries out in agreement with Jean Paul Sartre (1957) that “Terror and exploitation dehumanize, and the exploiter authorizes himself with that dehumanization to carry his exploitation further.” In this nine-chapter book, this author chronicles the Southern British Cameroons and the methodology of analysis in Chapter One and deconstructs the theory of genocide in Chapter Two. He traces the roots of the raging genocide in Chapter Three and sheds light on the UN Convention on the Punishment and Prevention in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five, he discusses structural violence as a cause of and condition for genocide and extermination in Ambazonia. The author reviews the historico-legal path to genocide and the extermination of Ambazonians in Chapter Six. In Chapter Seven he explores the slippery road to genocide and extermination which he terms Ambacide. He focuses on President Biya blowing the whistle for his ‘final solution’ in Chapter Eight and closes in Chapter Nine titled, From the anger of despair to resistance and self-defence. In the book, the author uses specific approaches to achieve different goals. For example, the author uses argument, integration, history, methodology, systematic evidence and theory to raise and discuss the hypocrisy of the international community in addressing cases of similar conflicts; generate new frameworks and perspectives on the topic; analyse the sources that touch on the complexity of the genocide issues in the case study; highlight ethical issues and provide a framework of understanding at different levels; identify and xxvi critically appraise relevant research, and finally, examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to the issue, concept, theory, and the genocide phenomenon. Because I have had a good deal of exposure to other writings by Tatah Mentan, I am confident that what the reader has in this book is fresh and enlightening. Knowing him as one of those who would rather struggle for the truth, for justice, for an end to oppression without worrying so much about what might happen to him. Knowing the author as one worried more about what continues to happen to his people collectively if nothing gets done, I hope Tatah Mentan’s reader will calmly examine the genocide on Ambazonia with the concern the situation deserves. The issue remains whether such coexistence as intended for the Southern British Cameroons in 1961 ought to be based on genocidal force rather than on the much-trumpeted Western concepts of the democratic freedom of peoples and nations? In this connection, one continues to wonder why the architects of state formation failed to implement the warnings proffered by Woodrow Wilson (1919) and other incompatibility theorists, including Claude (1969), Mill (1972), Schermerhorn (1978),Walzer (1982), Furnivall (1986), Smith (1986)and others. These theorists always noted the need for “care to be taken to respect the natural dispositions and peculiar characteristics of peoples and races to guard against the folly of trying to unite in any one state (…) people whose differences of temperament or diversity of language, law, and tradition are so great as to be incompatible.” In the specific case of the Southern British Cameroons’ joining Republique du Cameroun in 1961, Dag Hammarskjold, UN Secretary General (1953-1961), warned that “Uniting the Southern Cameroons to the Cameroon Republique[was] like forcing a balloon under the sea. One day, it will come out.” It finally came out as predicted, and the response was genocide on the people. Like the errors of the makers of postcolonial states who lumped together in one state disparate peoples resulting in genocides, managers of many postcolonial states also continued to make several similar errors that end up leading to the failure of plural states as experienced in the former Yugoslavia and Sudan, to name just two examples. Two final questions that arise from an understanding of the genocide on Ambazonia aka Ambacide are the xxvii following: Why do powerful states continue to use recognition to honour or violate territorial entities, according recognition to the people and nations they want and refusing it to those they do not favour? In a Brexit era, how do some continue to consider it their exclusive right and power to grant self-determination to others? Professor Fonkem Achankeng I Hubert H. Humphrey International Fellow University of Wisconsin Oshkosh References Anyangwe, C. (2005). Introduction to human rights and international humanitarian law Camus, A. (2008). Neither Victims nor Executioners: An Ethic Superior to Murder. Wipf and Stock; 2nd ed. edition (July 15) Claude, I. L.(1969). National minorities: an international problem. Greenwood, Westport: Reprint of the 1955 edition Epie-Ngome, V. (1992). What god put asunder. Yaounde: Pitcher Books Field, J. O. (1958). Introducing the Southern Cameroons. Lagos: Federal Information Service Furnivall, J. S. (1986).Colonial policy and practice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Gardinier, D. E. (1963). Cameroon: United Nations challenge to French policy. London, England: Oxford University Press Gobata, R. (1996). The ironies of our history. In I spit on their graves. Bellingham, WA: Kola Tree Press O’ Henry, (2017). Supply and demand. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; Ntb edition (August 2,) Mill, J. S. (1972). Politics in plural societies: A theory of democratic instability. New York: Pearson Portelli, A. (1991). The death of Luigi Trastulli and other stories: form and meaning in oral history, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press xxviii Rummel, R. J. (1994). Death by government: The state as terrorist. New Brunswick, NJ.: Transaction Books Sartre, J. P. (1957). Introduction. The colonizer and the colonized by Albert Memmi. Boston: Beacon Press. Schermerhorn, R. A. (1978), Comparative ethnic relations: A framework for theory and research. University of Chicago Press. Smith, A. D. (1986). The ethnic origins of nations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Walzer, M. (1982). The moral standing of states: A response to four critics, Philosophy & Public Affairs 9, no. 3 (1982), pp. 209–29, reprinted in Michael Walzer, Thinking Politically: Essays in Political Theory, ed. David Miller (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2007), pp. 219–36. Woodrow Wilson (1919). The Presidency: Woodrow Wilson's Second Term (See Professor Margaret MacMillan’s Talk on CSpan. xxix xxx Chapter One Southern British Cameroons and Methodology of Analysis A Chronology The concept of historical chronology of Southern British Cameroons plays a fundamental role in human thought. It invokes notions of human agency, change, the role of material circumstances in human affairs, and the putative meaning of historical events. It raises the possibility of “learning from history.” And it suggests the possibility of better understanding ourselves in the present, by understanding the forces, choices, and circumstances that brought us to our current situation. Map 1:Southern British Cameroons Source: Archives of British Southern Cameroons 1 Humans have always been interested in their origins, but historians have been reluctant to write about the long stretches of time before the invention of writing. In fact, the deep past was left out of most historical writing almost as soon as it was discovered. This breakthrough book, as important for readers interested in the present as in the past, brings science into historical chronology of the plight of Southern British Cameroons (hereunder, Ambazonia to offer a dazzling new vision of humanity under occupation, annihilation, and colonization across time. Chronology is the arrangement of events by time. In literature, most authors write their story as a sequence of events—when you use this method, arranging events in the order in which they occurred in time, it’s called putting them in “chronological order.” Sticking with a chronological timeline is the easiest way for audiences to follow what happens and is generally the best way to show cause and effect. My aim of presenting Southern British Cameroons chronologically is not to abbreviate the reading of this book. It is rather to call on my readers to understand that the chronological arrangement of events is just the skeleton. Readers should now look for the meat to dress the skeleton in the chapters that follow. 1. Southern British Cameroons was part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom’s Administration. The Trusteeship Agreement between the United Nations and the United Kingdom was signed on 13 December 1946. 2. The name, Southern British Cameroons, comes from the fact that the British Administering Authority had divided the Trust Territory into a Southern and Northern part, even while the territory was still a League of Nations mandated territory. Southern British Cameroons was created by the British Order in Council of June 26, 1923. By this act of the colonial authority, the Southern British Cameroons became a distinct territory from Northern British Cameroons within the international system, and a unit of self-determination. 3. Southern British Cameroons therefore does not refer to the Southern part of the Republic of Cameroun, but the Southern part of the British Cameroons. 4. French Cameroun was a United Nations Trust Territory under France. 2 5. French Cameroun and British Cameroons were separate UN Trust Territories with separate agreements, and each governed separately by Article 76(b) of the United Nations Charter. Apart from the fact that they were former parts of an ephemeral German Kamerun that lasted just 30 years and which was formally dismembered by the Versailles Treaty of 1919, there was no other link between them, either in language, administration, culture, politically or otherwise. Each was being prepared for its own selfdetermination as per Article 76(b) of the UN Charter. 6. British Cameroons was ruled from Nigeria until 1954, when members of the Southern British Cameroons in the Nigerian Eastern House of Assembly walked out and returned to Buea, capital of Southern British Cameroons, where they formed a thriving parliamentary democracy which lasted until 1961. From 1954 then, the Southern British Cameroons was self-governing, with its government, Prime Minister, parliament, judiciary and House of Chiefs. It conducted its first free and fair election in which power changed hands peacefully in 1959. 7. On 1 January 1960, in application of Article 76(b) of the UN Charter, French Cameroun gained independence from France and became known as La Republique du Cameroun. 8. On 1 October 1960, Nigeria, from which Southern British Cameroons was still being ruled to some degree, also achieved independence. Since Southern British Cameroons was not a part of Nigeria, it became necessary to sort out the Southern British Cameroons situation with urgency. 9. The Administering Authority, with the pretext that Southern British Cameroons was small and not economically viable, illegally proposed what was known as “independence by joining” for the Southern British Cameroons. Under this idea of “independence by joining”, the Southern British Cameroons was going to achieve independence either by joining the Federation of Nigeria, or by joining the independent Republic of Cameroun. Independence by joining was itself a violation of UNGA Resolution 1514 of 1960 affirming that independence was the inherent and inalienable right of all colonies and trust territories as a guarantee for their enjoyment of complete freedom. 10. In pursuance of this illegal idea of “independence by joining”, a UN-organized Plebiscite was held in the Southern British Cameroons on 11 February 1961 in which the following questions were put to the people of Southern British Cameroons: “Do you wish to achieve independence by joining the independent 3 Federation of Nigeria?” or “Do you wish to achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroon?” 11. The People of Southern British Cameroons voted to “achieve independence by joining the French Republic of Cameroun”. 12. Of course, the Plebiscite was merely a mechanism used by the United Nations to discover the intention of the People of Southern British Cameroons. The proposed partners for joining, Nigeria and Republic of Cameroun, were not part of this consultation and quite clearly also, the determination of this choice by the UN could not be the implementation of the choice. The plebiscite was therefore not an agreement at all with the Republic of Cameroun; it was not also the joining contemplated in the Plebiscite questions. It was simply a question and answer session between the United Nations and the People of Southern British Cameroons, with no one else being party to it. It created no obligations for the People of Southern British Cameroons towards any third party. Only after the implementation of the intention expressed in the Plebiscite could any obligations be created. 13. As is always the case with the joining of two international territories or subjects of international law, certain due procedures had to be observed, to ensure valid legal union and safeguard the rights of all parties. 14. The terms of this “independence by joining” were governed by two important United Nations Resolutions, and the bilateral agreements between the proposed partners for the joining. Both Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroun had made promises as to what the nature of the joining between them would be. 15. The pertinent Resolutions concerned are: (1) Resolution 1541 of 15 December 1960 laying down the conditions under which a non-self-governing territory could be said to have achieved full self-government, and (2) Resolution 1608(XV) of 21 April 1961 which was adopted following the UN-organized Plebiscite in the Southern British Cameroons. 16. After the Plebiscite in which the People of the Southern British Cameroons made their choice and intention known, the UN adopted Resolution 1608(XV) on 21 April 1961 in which it endorsed the results of the Plebiscite, conducted a vote on the joining and in paragraph 5, called for the implementation of the policies reached between the parties. 17. During the vote in Resolution 1608(XV), the Republic of Cameroun voted “NO”, i.e., against union with the 4 Southern British Cameroons. This “NO” vote was instigated by France which led all the then-independent former French colonies in Africa, except Mali, to also vote “NO”. 18. The present case of the People of the Southern British Cameroons is that despite the Plebiscite and despite Resolutions 1541 and 1608(XV), the Republic of Cameroon simply ignored all the Resolutions and agreements reached and illegally occupied the Southern British Cameroons. Not one of the terms of the pertinent United Nations Resolutions was respected, nor the promises made by the Republic of Cameroon herself. 19. The People of the Southern British Cameroons are backing up their claim by challenging the Republic of Cameroun to produce the treaty of Union between them or any valid instrument of international law giving it jurisdiction over the Southern British Cameroons or a treaty in conformity with Article 102(1) of the United Nations Charter requiring all Member States to register any treaty entered into with the Secretariat of the United Nations. 20. Consequently, the current entity styling itself variously as “the Republic of Cameroun”, “Cameroon”, “the State of Cameroon” or “La Republique du Cameroun” is actually two territories separated by an international boundary. These territories are French Cameroun which achieved independence on 1 January 1960 as Republic of Cameroun, and the Southern British Cameroons presently under the illegal occupation and annexation of that French Cameroun which achieved independence from France on 1 January 1960. 21. It is within this context of the illegal occupation of their territory that the People of the Southern British Cameroons have submitted, to the AU Border Programme and all stakeholders, their border maps and the international treaties that established them, and are urging the AU and Member States to ensure that the boundaries claimed by the Republic of Cameroun in particular, comply with Article 4(b) of the African Union Constitutive Act, Article 102(1) of the UN Charter and all AU and UN principles in general. 22. In sum, the People of the Southern British Cameroons are calling for the urgent withdrawal of the forces and the administration of the Republic of Cameroon from the territory of the Southern British Cameroons and the peaceful separation of the two countries. 5 The Bakassi ICJ Ruling: 23. The People of the Southern British Cameroons are also pointing out that The Bakassi Ruling cannot serve as an international legal instrument which gives the Republic of Cameroun jurisdiction over the Southern British Cameroons, because that ruling: (i)demarcated only the boundary between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the two Cameroons (Former French Camerouns plus occupied Southern British Cameroons subsumed under one title, “Cameroon”); (ii)it did not examine the pretended claim of Former French Cameroun over the Southern British Cameroons, because the matter was never put before it; (iii)it did not address the issue of the boundary between Former French Cameroun and the Southern British Cameroons, because the matter was never put before it; (iv)it did not examine the boundaries inherited by Former French Cameroun on its day of independence, 1 January 1960, because the matter was never put before it; (v)it cannot therefore be used as an instrument through which the Republic of Cameroun can be said to have “inherited” the territory of the Southern British Cameroons close to 57 years after its independence on 1 January 1960; (vi)it cannot be used, contrary to Article 4(b) of the African Union Constitutive Act, to invent two separate dates of independence for Former French Cameroun; (vii)it cannot enable Former French Cameroun to illegally acquire territory outside of the territories it inherited at independence, namely, French Cameroun; (viii)it cannot be used as a union treaty between the Southern British Cameroons and Former French Cameroun, because it is not a treaty; and finally (ix)by virtue of Article 59 of the ICJ statutes which state that ICJ rulings are binding only between the parties, the Bakassi Ruling cannot be taken to be a ruling on the boundary dispute between the Southern British Cameroons and Former French Cameroun. The question remains unresolved. 24. It is worthy of note that the ICJ made the observation, a geographical fact, that the Bakassi Peninsula (located some 350 kilometres from the western maritime frontier of Former French Cameroun) is firmly within the Southern British Cameroons. 6 Why study Raging Genocide in Southern British Cameroons or Ambazonia? What are the lessons for us to study genocide today? Can we somehow hope that the conditions that led to the Holocaust are now well and truly behind us, that such a catastrophe could never happen again and, that whatever problems it confronts, humanity will somehow muddle through? Hardly! The intent to commit genocide in Ambazonia by the Republic of Cameroun is obviously the most difficult element to determine. To constitute genocide, there must be a proven intent on the part of perpetrators to physically destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Cultural destruction or assimilation does not suffice, nor does an intention to simply disperse a group. It is this special intent, or dolus specialis, that makes the crime of genocide so unique. In addition, case law has associated intent with the existence of a State or organizational plan or policy, even if the definition of genocide in international law does not include that element. Importantly, the victims of genocide are deliberately targeted—not randomly—because of their real or perceived membership of one of the four groups protected under the Convention (which excludes political groups, for example). This means that the target of destruction must be the group, as such, and not its members as individuals. Genocide can also be committed against only a part of the group, as long as that part is identifiable (including within a geographically limited area) and “substantial.” Indeed, genocide is a multifaceted issue often occurring as a result of social, psychological, criminological, and economic factors. Most theorists of genocide agree that no single theory could explain the complex nature that leads to the world’s most heinous crime. Theorizing on genocide is a relatively recent academic endeavour. Research on the Holocaust was sparked in the 1960s, but examining genocide as a phenomenon beyond the Holocaust did not begin until the early 1990s. In the past decades much has been written about genocide and its effects on victims, perpetrators, society, and beyond. Multiple theories have been developed to help explain how and why certain situations end in the attempted annihilation of a group of people. No theory has been able to encompass the entirety of the topic and offer an explanation that fits each possible example of genocide. Into this field comes Bradley Campbell (2015) and his theory on the geometry of genocide. As a contribution to our 7 understanding of genocide, the geometry of genocide is a new way of thinking about genocide, and processing it. Any study of genocide must begin with defining the concept to be examined. There are myriad definitions of genocide, especially when one enters the social science field. The legal definition of genocide offered by the United Nations and used by most countries is “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” The main elements of this definition include the fact that genocide is limited to groups based on nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion. This means groups targeted due to politics or gender are not considered acts of genocide. Also, genocide includes acts of killing, acts that cause serious bodily harm, acts intended to prevent birth, and moving children from one group to another. These acts are all designed to weaken or destroy a group of people by removing them completely (killing), by removing the capacity to grow (prevent birth), or by removing future generations (moving children). This definition has not pleased everyone since its inception in 1949. Many social scientists have expanded the definition to include political groups, gender, and other minority categories. There are a number of things to note about these acts. (1) The perpetrator is not necessarily a state’s government or its military, but may be an international organization, such as a UN peacekeeping one, NATO, or a terrorist or guerrilla organization, among others. (2) Regardless of under what authority genocide is done, it is formulated, planned, and conducted by individuals, and it is individuals that the ICC will prosecute for the crime of genocide. Unlike the International Court of Justice that only adjudicates disputes between states, the ICC is a criminal tribunal that will indict individuals, issue international warrants for their arrest, try, and punish them. This is made explicit in Article 27: “This Statute shall apply equally to all persons without distinction based on official capacity. In particular, official capacity as head of state or government, a member of a government or parliament, an elected 8 representative or a government official shall in no case exempt a person from criminal responsibility under this statute, nor shall it, in and of itself, constitute a ground for reduction of sentence.” (3) The perpetrator’s intent (purpose, goal, aim) is critical. According to the Report of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (PCICC), the ICC may infer such from “conduct took place in the context of a manifest pattern of similar conduct directed against that group or was conduct that could itself effect such destruction,” (Article 6a) including “the initial acts in an emerging pattern” (Article 6 Introduction). (4) The limitation of genocide to only national, ethnical, racial or religious groups is to groups that one is born into. These may be called indelible groups. In the case of a religious group, while one may choose to leave a religious group as an adult, it is rarely done and one may nonetheless remain identified with the religious group by virtue of physical characteristics, as for Jews. The crime of genocide does not apply to the intent to destroy political, ideological, economic, military, professional, or other groups. Thus, the mass murder of perhaps a million or more “capitalist roaders,” “rightists,” and counterrevolutionaries during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-69) would not be genocide. Neither would the systematic murder of tens of thousands of communists and leftists by death squads in Latin America during the 1960s to 80s. The rational often given for excluding such groups is that one joins or becomes a member of them as a matter of choice, and the nature and membership in such groups is not as clear as it is for indelible groups. (5) In the definition of genocide, the term “as such” is important. It means that the defined groups are by intention explicitly targeted for destruction, and such destruction is not the unintended outcome, by-product, or spill over of the intent to achieve some other goal, such as in defensive operations of attacks on military targets during a war or rebellion. (6) Also critical is the word “destroy.” The acts that are carried out with this intent are carefully defined in (a) to (e), above. They exclude attempts, for example, to eliminate an indelible group from a territory by ethnic cleansing (that which involves their forced or coerced removal), or the destruction of the culture of a group, as by forced education of their children in a different language and customs. While “culture” is unmentioned in the articles of the ICC’s Statute and the Report of the PCICC, and may well be included as the case law of genocide develops, “ethnic cleansing” 9 would seem to be a crime against humanity in the Statute. Under Article 7.1.d, it is unlawful to deport of forcibly transfer a population. (7) The “in whole or in part” means that there is no lower limit to the number of people on which these acts may be committed. It is genocide even any of the Acts (a)-(e) are on one person with the intent described. (8) Genocide is generally believed to involve the murder of indelible group members. But the crime does not. Acts (b)-(e) make clear genocide may also involve the intent to destroy a group by means other than killing one or more of its members. (9) In Act (b) “serious bodily or mental harm” may include acts of torture, rape, sexual slavery, apartheid, or other inhuman or degrading treatment. (PCICC, ft. 3) That these inhumane acts, among others, were explicitly included in the ICC Statute is a major advance in genocide criminal law. (10) In Act (c) “conditions of life” may include “deliberate deprivation of resources indispensable for survival, such as food or medical services, or systematic expulsion from homes.” (PCICC ft. 4) (11) The term “forcibly” in Act (e), “is not restricted to physical force, but may include threat of force or coercion, such as that caused by fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or abuse of power; or taking advantage of a coercive environment.” (PCICC ft. 5). (12) Finally, it must be noted that there are many other crimes that do not fall under the definition of the crime of genocide that are also subject to prosecution by the ICC. Under Article 7 such are systematic murder, extermination of civilians, enslavement, torture, rape, forced pregnancy, political persecution, and forced disappearances. The crux of the geometry of genocide is to be found in pure sociology. As explained by the author, pure sociology focuses only on the social, and excludes other variables like psychology. “Pure sociology explains human behaviour with its social geometry: its location and direction in social space and social time” (Ibid: 8). Social space refers to the way in which people relate to one another; people can be intimates or strangers based on their social space. A change in social time is a social change like an increase or decrease in intimacy. Taken together, changes in social space and social time explain the occurrence of genocide. 10 The root causes of genocide according to Campbell lie in either overdiversity or under-stratification and social distance. In social time, overdiversity occurs when ethnic groups that were previously separated come into contact with each other leading to ethnic conflict and possibly genocide. Under-stratification occurs when a high status group is threatened or a low status group experiences a rise in status. In social space, the greater the social distance the greater the likelihood of genocide, because the victims and perpetrators lack similarities and interdependence. When overdiversity or under-stratification and social distance increase, the possibility of genocide increases too. Campbell then proceeds to apply his theory to several case studies of genocide in an attempt to highlight how his theory works in practice. The case studies include massacres against Native Americans in California, specifically the Yuki and Yana tribes; Muslims and Hindus in India, specifically in Gujarat; Muslims in Bosnia; Tutsis in Rwanda, specifically in Nyakizu prefecture; and finally, Jews during the Holocaust, specifically in Lithuania. While Campbell is able to overlay his theory onto each of these case studies, it seems that he misses the forest for the trees. His analysis is so focused on specific sub-parts of an overall genocide that the macro understanding of the genocide as a whole is missed. Some examples will be important. When discussing the Rwandan genocide, Campbell focuses on the Nyakizu prefecture. But by doing so it is not clear that his theory would apply to the entire Rwandan genocide, or merely this one sub-set of the genocide. Is he explaining the Rwandan genocide or how the genocide occurred in Nyakizu? Similarly, when discussing the Holocaust persecution of Jewish people, Campbell focuses on the situation in Lithuania. Is he trying to explain the Holocaust or how the massacres occurred in Lithuania? With all of the literature on the Holocaust it is difficult to believe that Campbell is trying to explain the entire genocide, but is indeed only focusing on one area where his theory appears to fit. Though one still has questions about the fit, when he tells the story of one Lithuanian Jew who was not murdered because he was close to the potential perpetrator. The evidence of closeness was though only that the Jewish man spoke fluent Lithuanian. This seems like a tenuous thread on which to hang such a momentous decision as whether or not to kill this man. It also raises questions about other Jews who spoke fluent Polish or German or French, and why that was not enough to save them. 11 This area of study is more preoccupied than most with definitional issues. Lemkin 1944 originally proposed that genocide was the multimethod destruction of the social as well as physical existence of national groups, but this understanding has been modified in various ways. The 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (see United Nations 2000) maintained the core of this broad approach, slightly enlarging the range of groups while listing killing as only one of five types of genocidal acts. This became the legal and political standard of genocide, and it has sometimes been used as a benchmark in academic studies. However, it has been criticized both for omitting political groups and social classes from the list of groups and for omitting specific mention of the forcible removal of populations, historically the main method through which population groups have been destroyed. After the early academic synthesis of Kuper in 1981, writers in the emerging field of genocide studies widened the range of protected groups, either by adding to the UN list or by adopting more generic definitions (e.g., Fein 1990, Chalk and Jonassohn, 1990), and the edited volume Andreopoulos (1994). Schabas (2000), however, resists this approach. These writers simultaneously narrowed genocide to physical and biological destruction, or “mass murder,” an approach maintained in Sémelin (2007). More recently, however, there has been a return to Lemkin’s broad definition of “destruction,” and Shaw (2007) proposes a sociological restatement of this idea of “destruction.” Methodology of Analysis-Historical Political Economy “The value of history is, indeed, not (only) scientific but moral: by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies, by fortifying the will, it enables us to control, not society, but ourselves -- a much more important thing; it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather than to foretell the future” (Carl Becker, 1873-1945, U.S. historian). History is more complex than many people realize. No, for real! It is so much more than memorizing names, dates, and places. History is very much ‘scientific.’ It involves critical thinking. It involves formulating hypotheses based on evidence and testing them. That is what this lesson is about. Historical methodology is the process by which historians gather evidence and formulate ideas about the past. It is the framework through which an account of the past is constructed. In this 12 analysis, we shall combine the historical method with that of political economy to thread out state-society relations that have condemned Southern Cameroons to betrayed servitude. History is the source of all the problems that confront it. History is, at the same time, the source of their resolution. The struggle for socialism, for instance, cannot be resolved via utopian schemes, which presumably somehow fire the imagination of the oppressed. Rather, the Marxist movement seeks to analyse the historical experiences through which it has passed, drawing out, above all, the problems of working class leadership (Callinicos, 2001). I wish to note that political economy approaches highlighted the centrality of power relations to the composition and well-being of the rural population. While the class-based analysis of access to rural resources contributed to an understanding of rural residents' personal power (especially financial but also in terms of status), the wider discussion of the structures and operation of power prompted researchers to explore the relationship between the state and the rural community (Little, 2001). Importantly, this work drew on urban-based debates on the nature of the local state and on the changing mechanisms and practices of central government. At a time when the developed economies, particular the USA and Britain, were seeing attempts by the centre to curtail the responsibilities of the local state, rural research began to investigate the implications for rural areas and to document the localized power struggles and resistance that accompanied the changing balance of power. This approach has five important broad features: (1) Social phenomena exist, and can be understood, only in their historical context. For Marx (1845), societies are organized by different modes of production and structured by different class relations. It should be noted here that underdeveloped societies are not clinically divided on class basis. But the structures of domination and exploitation are built on the inherited colonial state. Thus, class analysis offers a clear insight into the internal structure, the mechanisms of power and contradictions of a capitalist society; (2) Theory loses its validity if pushed beyond its historical and social limits which means that concepts and theories are always constructed to address a particular society and historical moment; (3) Marx’s analysis is structured by the relations between theory and history. 13 For him, the historical analysis belongs within the method of the study, which contributes to understanding the past and present, but cannot be used to predict the future; (4) Dialectical materialism informs and defines the key concepts, structures, relationships and levels of analysis required to explain the concrete or complex outcomes. Marx uses dialectical materialism in Capital to understand and determine the essential features of capitalism and their contradictions, to explain the structure and dynamics of this mode of production, and to locate the potential sources of historical change; (5) Marx’s method is focused on historical change. For Marx, there is an interdependent and mutual relationship between the structures of production, the social relations and historical change. These influences are always determined by the mode of social organisation. Why Historical Political Economy? I want to begin by discussing the significance of studying the history of political economy, particularly the question of what such a study can clarify. The reason is that without understanding this point a person might end up missing the forest for the trees. A history of political economy requires above all a correct understanding of past economic and political theories. However, even if questions regarding who, when, and what are elaborated, and we gain a correct overall understanding of what has been written about various problems, this will at best amount to a collection of facts, not living knowledge or science in the true sense of the word. Political economy approaches to central–local relations provide a framework for the investigation of power in a variety of ways. Studies focused on inter agency relations, the changing role of the private sector, and the role of key actors, elites, and institutions within the policymaking process. An area of particular attention, (especially within British rural geography), was that of town and country planning, and a number of studies on the negotiation and distributional consequence of planning decisions contributed to the wider understanding of power relations and political control within the regulatory process in the countryside. One particular strand of such research sought to highlight the role and status of environmental pressure groups in an examination of the priorities of the dominant interests in the countryside. Much of this work revolved around a discussion of the changing status and power of 14 agriculture and raised questions concerning the position of farmers and landowners in relation to other interests within both urban and rural communities. Modern ‘political economy’ explores relationships among economic and political organizations, institutions, policies, and outcomes. There has never been a consensus on the theories and methods that should structure the exploration of these relationships and the debate over how best to understand these matters has evolved over time. The interpretation offered here simplifies both of these dimensions of difference. It distinguishes two periods of post-war history—the Fordist and Neo-liberal eras—based on the dominant paradigm of economic organization prevailing in the rich capitalist democracies of the global North. For each period, the most important theoretical approaches to political economy, the regions of the world to which they were applied, and the social science departments in which they were based are identified. It is argued that, in the second or neo-liberal era, political economy analyses can be broadly grouped into those that took a critical stance on existing economic paradigms, institutions and policies, and those which accepted the core assumptions of neo-classical economics and the neo-liberal policies and institutions that this approach to economics has legitimated. The relationship between area and international studies and political economy varies, both by period and, to some degree, by the type of political economy in question. Political economy analyses can also provide a platform for dialogue among stakeholders. Marxist Political Economy (MPE) denotes a range of political economy perspectives that are broadly connected to and in the tradition of the writings (notably The Communist Manifesto, Grundrisse and Capital) and insights of Karl Marx. Although this research tradition is very diverse and heterogeneous, it is nevertheless possible to identify some common key tenets. Generally, MPE comprises an integrative analysis of the economy, society and politics. These three fields are not considered as isolated but as interdependent structures that evolved historically. The analysis of class struggle, involving the exploitation of labour by capital within the capitalist mode of production, is fundamental to the understanding of dynamics within this analysis. From this perspective, capital and labour represent two antagonistic classes. The former is primarily characterized by ownership of the means of production, while the latter comprises free wage labourers in a double sense. They are free 15 from control over the means of production and free – compared with the feudal system – to sell their labour power. Capital is central to this and is primarily organized to ensure the profitability of invested money. This is why the famous notion of capital as money which begets money is formalized as M–C–M’. An integrative economic analysis, in this context, involves moving beyond a sole focus on the functioning of the economy. Thus, under capitalist conditions, labour is not only exploited but also faces alienation. This means that wage labourers are not the directors of their own work. Instead, s/he is employed in the capitalist mode of production, performing specialized tasks in commodity production, without owning the products. Moreover, the capitalist mode of production is not limited to an isolated sphere in society but structures the latter in various ways. For example, through the process of commodification, social relations that were formerly untainted by market logic, are transformed into commercial relationships, relationships of exchange, and relationships of buying and selling. MPE has the explicit aim to change the current state of economic and societal organization, with an emancipatory perspective to establish a more just society by overcoming capitalism. Although this school of thought is generally marginalized in economics faculties at large, it has gained renewed attention over the past decade. Much of the interest is due to Marx’s analysis being relevant to the analysis and explanation of the global financial crisis of 2007/2008; it has also been relevant to various other crisis movements that are linked to the economic system and seem to converge with it, e.g. the climate crisis. Moreover, new forms of protests and social movements, and intensifying social conflicts in the presence of crisis, have also created both a need and a challenge for radical academic analysis. Conception of Economy “Fundamental to any Marxist analysis is its understanding of the economy, how capital is reproduced, how profitability is maintained, and how crises develop.”(Gamble 2000:140). MPE perceives the economy as a continual process of transformation of nature and society by production. The mode of production is the historical form in which the two core dimensions of any economic organization of society are united. These two 16 central elements are the productive forces – phenomena that enable production, like technology and infrastructure—and the relations of production, referring to the class-based organization of production, distribution and consumption in society. Accordingly, MPE argues that the socio-economic character of different societies in history is characterized by the specific mode of production, like slavery, feudalism or capitalism. The historical configuration of productive forces and relations of production is a crucial point of departure for MPE. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of class struggles and the different forms of exploitation of labour power, as well as to contradictions and crisis. Thus, the economy is not conceived as a neutral platform of exchange and cooperation, but as historical and political constitution primarily characterized by asymmetric power relations, ideology and social conflicts. To understand the contemporary world economy, proponents of MPE claim that Marx’s core analysis of the capitalist mode of production in the eighteenth and nineteenth century remains a useful starting point. ‘Commodities’ are at the core of Marx’s analysis of the capitalist mode of production; they are defined as products or services sold on markets and produced by human labour power. The peculiar characteristic of commodities is their dual character—they exhibit both use value and exchange value. The capitalist mode of production is primarily defined by the neglect of the use value, while the exchange value—potentially translating into higher return on investments – is paramount. Thus, capitalist societies do not primarily produce for the needs of the population but for the sake of realizing a high exchange value—simply put, profit. MPE argues that this profit is rooted in the exploitation of labour power, more specifically the wage labourer. Capitalists only pay the workers the wage they need to reproduce their labour power even if workers generate a higher value. This surplus value is then appropriated by capitalists and then reinvested. The amassing of money as capital in the hands of the capitalist class is also defined as capital accumulation. It presents the core dynamic of the capitalist mode of production and thus implies a structural imperative of the capitalist economy to grow. Yet, as was mentioned above, the capitalist mode of production is not free from contradictions and from an MPE perspective crisis play a prominent role as recurrent patterns in capitalist development. Generally speaking, crises emerge from various contradictions that exist in the basic constitution of the 17 capitalist mode of production, but more specifically consist of a specific conjuncture of tendencies and triggers. Thus, each economic or financial crisis has links to the general contradictions of capital and to specific political, ideological and cultural circumstances. Different lineages of MPE also stress the importance of different aspects of contradictions and many argue for multiple causation, including, for example, credit insufficiency, scarcities of or political difficulties with labour supply, resistance or inefficiencies in the labour process, excess capital and wages squeezing profits. Currently, many MPE scholars argue that the tendency of the over-accumulation of capital since the 1970s is key to understanding the various financial and economic crises of the past decades throughout the globe. In this situation too much money capital is searching for profitable investment opportunities. Since investments in financial assets have become increasingly profitable in the past decades, money capital is disproportionately subtracted from industrial production and employed as fictitious capital. This form of money capital is fictitious because it is without any material basis in commodities or productive activities. Although not generating any surplus value in the labour process, fictitious capital can reproduce itself (M–M') through the representation of a claim on the realization of future surplus value. While these investments may be profitable for some money holders, the general economy suffers from rising economic inequality, lack of effective demand (which is temporarily supported by credit-funded consumption), and recurring inflation of asset prices that translate into ‘bursting bubbles’. A prime example for this process is the global financial crisis of 2007–2008 which was triggered by excessive derivatives trading (fictitious capital) in subprime mortgages. Ontology The central problem addressed by MPE is the exploitation of workers by capital, i.e. the dominance between classes and the power of capital. Thus, the unit of analysis is classes, not individuals and collective interests are determined within classes rather than between individuals. This does not mean that individuals are unable to make their own choices. However, within a certain mode of production there are powerful material and social structures (e.g. competition) that induce people to behave accordingly. Hence, MPE does not propose a universalist view of 18 humans as being necessarily competitive or collaborative but emphasizes the effects of the historically specific mode of production on the way humans behave. Within a certain mode of production, MPE historically has sought to isolate some tendencies and laws of motion in the economic, the social and the political spheres. In the capitalist mode of production, examples would be the increasing accumulation of capital and its concentration, as well as the recurring crises of capitalist production. These laws of motion are thought to be ontologically real and some MPE scholars have argued that the laws determine the behaviour of societies. Some strands of MPE have however put emphasis on over-determination, highlighting that even though laws of motion can be discerned, their interconnectedness and multiplicity makes it more difficult to make accurate statements about the behaviour of human societies. Theorizing in the field of Critical Political Economy has emphasized the concept of hegemony, stressing the historical nature of processes of societal change and the constant struggle of ideas and movements (the war of position in the words of Antonio Gramsci) for temporal and spatial dominance. According to these theorists the laws of societies and economies are more dependent on historical and cultural junctures, thus making a case against determining theorizing. A possible bridge between these two traditions is offered by critical realist theorists: they assume a real world, both in the natural and the social world, but this is subject to changes and actualizations that can originate in the actions of historical and spatially confined actors. With Marx one could restate that: Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. (Marx 1852) Notwithstanding these theoretical differences, MPE theories do generally agree that the world is not made out of particulars that can be isolated for the purpose of analysis. Instead entities like classes, firms, states, and institutions exist within a context, which is essential to their existence. By disaggregating these bigger components to their constituent part, one cannot do justice to their real nature, since at each stratum or level of organization (from subatomic particles to complex systems such as human societies) 19 there are emergent powers that are ontologically real in their own right (Sayer 1992, 119). Also, MPE gives importance to dynamic processes like e.g. class conflict or accumulation that are historically embedded and change over time. An important aspect of MPE is furthermore that Capital is not defined ontologically as a material asset (like money, machinery, etc.) but as a social relation and hence only acquires ontological existence and significance in the capitalist mode of production and the corresponding class relationships. Epistemology MPE theories do explicitly identify themselves as normative and performative and regard the positivist position of descriptive and value-free science as false and ideologically motivated. Hence, the goal of scientific analysis is to create knowledge that fosters the emancipation of those who are dominated and oppressed. According to Andrew Sayer, many proponents of critical social science (of which MPE forms part) conceive emancipation as proceeding in the following manner (Sayer 1997: 474): 1. Identify problems, unmet needs, suffering and false beliefs 2. Identify the sources or causes of these, i.e. a particular form of domination 3. Pass a negative judgement of these sources of illusion and oppression 4. Favour (ceteris paribus) actions that remove these sources As Sayer notes, there are, however, some problems with this linear progression from the scientific identification of problems towards the conclusions, particularly with respect to what constitutes emancipatory practice and which values and norms can be considered better than others, since they are backed by scientific evidence. Sayer’s critique specifically points to the need for concrete and feasible alternatives (in general terms or as thought experiments, not as detailed blueprints), which are necessary for evaluating whether a removal of a problem and replacement by something else would indeed mean an improvement or an emancipation for a certain group. Secondly, he problematizes the new emergent interrelationships that might arise once a practice is 20 replaced by another and hence emancipatory practice in one part of society might lead to repression in another. For example, Western women integrating into the paid workforce by contracting reproductive labour to women from the global south; and workers taking over a coal mine that otherwise would have to be closed might emancipate themselves but this can have negative repercussions on the environment or other communities inhabiting the area, as these may be negatively affected by pollution. MPE theorizing that operates in the philosophical tradition of critical realism holds that the link between the real world and scientific inquiry is not straightforward. They reject positivism and ‘naïve’ empiricism, which argues that the real world speaks to the scientist, who then without intermediation can represent it. Strong constructivism, the view that the scientist makes the real world by coming up with conceptions or by self-referentially talking in ways that previous scientists have come up with, is also rejected. Instead, the fallible nature of science as well as its theory-laden and standpoint-dependent character is acknowledged but still, judging whether the theory is good or bad is considered to be possible by reference to the real world. This means that social science research can be diverse, depending on the theory applied as well as the personal biography and biases (e.g. class, gender, habitus) of the researcher. Still, a judgement as to whether a particular piece of research draws valid conclusions is possible and as such objective statements about the causal mechanisms that were responsible for concrete social phenomena are feasible. The test for what is a true statement in critical realism is however somewhat more complicated than in other traditions. Given the emphasis on causal mechanisms rather than on regularities and correlations, simple statistical testing will not suffice to establish the validity of a hypothesis. Instead, from the observational evidence, abstractions have to be made in order to check the validity of a supposed causal mechanism. As such, for example, counterfactual case studies or thought experiments might have to be performed in order to check the explanatory power of a hypothesis. On the other hand, with regards to theory validation, there is great scepticism towards prediction. This is because, in over-determined and evolving open-systems conditions, for mechanisms to work as theorized they might change during the process and hence new mechanisms might emerge. 21 Methodology MPE neither works deductively nor inductively but assumes that there are multiple causalities and thus multiple ways of undertaking research. These depend on the situation, for example, the particular point of capitalist development. A central element of Marxist analysis is dialectics. Dialectics claims to transcend the classical logic of direct causation and linear relationships and replaces it with a dynamic understanding of processes as well as with different categories that would sometimes be considered to be contradictory in classical terms. An example of dialectical reasoning is given in Figure 1 (Sayer 1992:141), where simple and abstract concepts are combined with the complex, specific and contingent characteristics of a concrete situation. Regarding a typical research method, MPE
2279	dbpedia	2	13	https://bambuimajorseminary.com/foundation.html	en	St. Thomas Aquinas' Major Seminary	https://bambuimajorsemin…icon-192x192.png	https://bambuimajorsemin…icon-192x192.png	[ "https://bambuimajorseminary.com/files.ecatholic.com/11876/pictures/2023/7/St.%20Marys%20logo%20navy33f4.png?t=1690124891000", "https://bambuimajorseminary.com/img.ecatholic.com/11876/ok.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	/apple-icon-57x57.png	St. Thomas Aquinas' Major Seminary	https://bambuimajorseminary.com/foundation.html	THE FOUNDERS AND FOUNDATION HISTORY OF STAMS In May 1935, the issue of the vicariate of Buea starting its own seminary (it was not stated whether what was meant was a minor or Major seminary) was discussed at the Third General Meeting held in Soppo from May 13 to May 17, 1935. The Meeting, however, resolved that the time was not opportuned to start own seminary. Notwithstanding other efforts that were already in place, Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary (Bishop Rogan College) admitted its first batch of students in September 1964. These included George Kevin Mbayu, Michael Yuh, Evaristus Yufanyi and Patrick Nchuwa. The batch of the following year included Patrick Lafon, William Neba, John Ambe, Polycarp Fonjock, Benedict Ekang and Peter Manicap. The group that was admitted in 1964 completed Form V in 1969 but did not leave for the Major Seminary in Nigeria immediately. However, in January 1970 the two groups left for SS. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan. They could not go to Enugu because the Nigerian Civil war was still going on. The batch of 1966 of Bishop Rogan College completed Form V in June 1971. Lower and Upper VIth Forms were introduced in Bishop Rogan College in September 1971. Among these were: Joseph Akem, John Bintum, Richard Diangha, Peter Ewang, Stephen Tanyi, Decimal Okorie, Edward Ngalame, William Tardze, Moses Tazoh, Joseph Veranso and Anthony Viban. Richard Diangha, Peter Ewang and Edward Ngalame were crossing over from Bishop Rogan College. The rest came from other secondary schools in the country. The Beginning of St Thomas Aquinasâ Major Seminary, Bambui Since Bishop Rogan College, the then lone minor seminary of the Dioceses of Buea and Bamenda had started the Lower and Upper Sixth Forms, it was logical to begin to make arrangements to start a Major seminary: the Saint Thomas Aquinasâ Major Seminary, Bambui. In November 1966, with the full authorization of Bishop Jules Peeters, Bishop of Buea, the few Cameroonian Priests of his diocese held their first meeting at Our Lady of Good Counsel Presbytery, Tombel, where Father Clemens Ndze was Acting Parish Priest. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Father Pius Awa, the then Vicar General of Buea. At the meeting a significant number of Cameroonian Priests strongly advanced the view that the time had come for the Diocese of Buea to send any candidates for the ministerial priesthood that it might have to the Major Seminary at Otele, in the then Federated State of East Cameroun. These priests maintained that Reunification had already been achieved and that Cameroon was one country; the diocese of Buea was no longer a suffragan See of the Archdiocese of Onitsha (Nigeria) as had been the case up to 1961, but had become a suffragan See of the Metropolitan See of Yaounde. And there was no longer any justification for continuing to send candidates from West Cameroon for priestly formation to Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria. There were some members who did not agree with this proposal. Father Pius Awa, Vicar General, duly reported to the Bishop of Buea about the discussion held at the Meeting in Tombel. The issue seemed to have stalled for a while. Father Christian Tumi, who was present at the Tombel Meeting and who eventually became the first Rector of the Major Seminary, left for studies in France and Switzerland in 1969. He later explained: "When I left for France in August 1969 for further studies in Philosophy and Theology, there was no talk of founding a major seminary in the English-speaking part of Cameroon. The idea was brought up during the episcopal ordination of Bishop Pius Awa in 1971 ... " On Pentecost Sunday of 1971, several thousand people were present at the Consecration Grounds, the Bishop Rogan College School field to participate at the Consecration of Mgr. Pius Suh Awa, as Co-adjutor Bishop of Buea and titular Bishop of Auzegera, in accordance with the Apostolic Mandate addressed to him by Pope Paul VI, and given at St. Peter's Rome on the 20th of February 1971. Representatives from all the Parishes of the Diocese, large crowds from Bamenda and from all parts of Cameroon, as well as high dignitaries of Church and State were there. The Papal Nuncio was represented by Mgr. Pietro Sambi. Nine Bishops participated in the laying on of hands on Mgr. Pius. The Principal Consecrating Prelate was the Bishop of Buea, Mgr. Jules Peeters, assisted by two close friends of Mgr. Awa - Mgr. Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda and Mgr. Pierre Celestin Nkou of Sangmelima. The consecrating Prelates were assisted by Fr. Aloysius Wankuy of Meluf, Fr. Francis Lysinge of Fiango, Fr. J. McDermott, the Principal of St. Pius X Teacher Training College, Tatum and Fr. Charles Acha of Tatum Parish. It was at this occasion that the Organizing Committee inspired by so much foresight and representing the Catholic Laity of the Diocese of Buea and in the name of the Catholic Church in West Cameroon, requested in the Address, the erection of a Major Seminary in "West Cameroon". There were seven well-thought out requests in all in the Address but the first three are particularly relevant here and which in fact have been granted in the course of a very short time. ââ¦ we cannot end this address without laying the following requests at the feet of our Mother, the Catholic Church in West Cameroon: "First and foremost, that in consideration of the growing needs of the Catholic Church in West Cameroon, together with the problems attendant on its growth and development, taking particular cognizance of the linguistic and cultural problems peculiar to this part of the country, the faithful strongly feel that we urgently need the guiding hand of an Archbishop and therefore requesting the inauguration of an Archdiocese NOW to serve the needs of West Cameroon. Second, that the Lordships, Bishops Peeters, Verdzekov and Awa would do well to acknowledge the formidable character of the mighty task before them, and girth themselves afresh for a new launching of Catholic Evangelism in this land and of rallying the faithful round the banner of Truth, Hope and Salvation. Third, that a strong request be made to the competent authorities on behalf of the faithful of this Diocese, for the establishment of a Senior Seminary in West Cameroon." A Dutch Missionary Bishop who had taken part at the Episcopal Ordination ceremony openly expressed his utter shock and dismay that someone should have dared to make, openly, such a totally unacceptable request as the demand for the erection of a Major Seminary in the then Diocese of Buea. âIn reply to this strongly-expressed objection, the Bishop of Buea, the Right Reverend Jules Peeters, MHM, literally beat his chest, saying: "I am proud of my people!" Bishop Peeters had no part whatsoever in the drafting of the Address prepared by the Organising Committee of the Episcopal Ordination. But he trusted his Christians, and saw nothing wrong whatsoever in their publicly requesting the immediate erection of a Major Seminary in the then Diocese of Buea.â Archbishop Paul Verdzekov explained that the next day after the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Pius Awa, he left for Nigeria with Fr Martin van der Werff. Even though, Archbishop Paul Verzekov does not mention the project of a Major Seminary at the beginning of this trip to Nigeria, it is obvious that the trip was planned before the episcopal ordination of Bishop Pius Awa. He writes: âOn Monday, 31 May 1971, together with Father Martin van der Werff, I left Soppo for Enugu (Nigeria) where we arrived on Tuesday evening, 01 June 1971. We were kindly welcomed at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, by the then Rector, Mgr. John Ogbonna, a Nigerian Diocesan Priest. The purpose of my visit was to plead with the Rector and his Formation Staff that they agree to take back our Seminarians who had been undergoing their formation for the priesthood at Bigard Seminary, Enugu, right up to July 1967, but whom we had been obliged to send to SS Peter and Paul's Major Seminary, Ibadan, on account of the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. In reply to my request, Mgr. Ogbonna said. "Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, will only accept your Seminarians because you and Bishop Pius Awa of Buea are also Past Students of this Seminary. We shall also make the same concession for the Seminarians of your classmate, Bishop Joseph Ganda of the Diocese of Kenema, Sierra Leone. Were it not because the three of you are Past Students, we would feel obliged to reject your request outright. You have seen for yourself how extremely overcrowded our Seminarians are in the Chapel, in the classrooms, in the Dormitories and in the Dining Hall. On the following day, Wednesday, 03 June 1971, I went to Onitsha to pay a courtesy call on the Archbishop, the Most Reverend Francis Arinze (later Cardinal Arinze) in order to let him know the purpose of my visit. I returned to Enugu later on the same day. The following day, Thursday, 04th June 1971, Father van der Werff and myself travelled back to Mamfe.â It would seem that up to this point Archbishop Paul Verdzekov did not hold the conviction that West Cameroon could start its own Seminary. He explains: âAt no time had I really believed that we would be capable of running a Major Seminary. I imagined that we would probably have to continue to send our Seminarians to Enugu, and that we would have to continue to play second fiddle to somebody else.â It was only after this trip to Nigeria that he suddenly changed his mind on the way back. âOn Friday morning, 05th June 1971, as Father van der Werff and myself were driving up between Widikum and Batibo, I said to him: "I am now absolutely convinced that the time has come for us to start our own Major Seminary for the English-Speaking Dioceses of Buea and Bamenda. It is true that Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, is willing to take back our Seminarians. But mindful of the extremely high enrolment in Enugu; mindful of the fact that there is only one Spiritual Director for hundreds and hundreds of Seminarians in that Institution, and mindful of the excessive overcrowding in the Dormitories, in the Chapel, in the Classrooms and in the Dining Hall, I believe that Bigard Memorial Seminary will, sooner or later run into serious problems and difficulties. Therefore we had better start our own Major Seminary." Once he had taken this decision, things moved really fast. It was one decision after the other. At the Annual plenary Assembly of the Cameroon National Episcopal Conference which was held in Yaounde in April 1971, Bishop Paul had been chosen to represent Cameroon at the Second Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which was held in October 1971. In the meantime, Bishop Jules Peeters, Bishop Pius Suh Awa and Bishop Paul Verdzekov agreed that they ought to submit a request to the Holy See, asking for the authorization necessary for the erection of a Regional Major Seminary to serve the needs of the English-Speaking Dioceses of Cameroon. So when Paul Verdzekov left for Rome in late September 1971 to participate in the Synodal Assembly of October 1971, the bishops authorized him to prepare and submit an application to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, asking that Dicastery for permission to enable them to erect a Regional Major Seminary for the above-mentioned purpose. The Archbishop explained what happened in Rome following the above dispositions: âIn the course of the month of October 1971, while I was at Rome attending the Second Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, I prepared an Application addressed to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples asking for the necessary authorization to enable us to erect a Major Seminary in the English-Speaking part of Cameroon. This Application was typed for me by Father Frans Baartmans, a Dutch Mill Hill Missionary. I submitted this Application to the Most Reverend Sergio Pignedoli, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He knew Cameroon fairly well, having been the Apostolic Delegate for Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo/Brazzaville. In fact, accompanied by Bishop Jules Peeters, Archbishop Pignedoli had once toured the length and breath of the former Diocese of Buea in the early nineteen sixties. Archbishop Pignedoli (later, Cardinal Pignedoli) read my application in my presence. He expressed immediate satisfaction, and, to my utter surprise, he said: "You will have your Major Seminary. Your boys cannot go to Yaounde. Come back and see me once more before the end of the Synodal Assembly." I paid a second visit to Archbishop Pignedoli in the course of the Second Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. He took me for lunch in a restaurant near Piazza di Spagna, and again reassured me that we would definitely have the necessary authorization, and soon, for the erection of a Major Seminary in this part of our country. He also asked me to have a talk with Mgr. Antonio Mazza, a Major Official of the Pontifical Mission Societies at the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide. I did so. I did not realize, then, that the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon would have to have its say in the case of a request for the erection of a REGIONAL Major Seminary. Being ignorant of the mind and of the procedures of the Church in such matters, I foolishly imagined that the whole process would be a matter exclusively involving the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda on the one hand and the Holy See on the other hand. However, I left Rome in November 1971, with the oral assurance from Archbishop Pignedoli that our Application would eventually be fully approved by the Holy See.â It was to pursue the same cause that Bishop Paul Verdzekov went from Rome after the Synod of Bishops to England. It can be said the project was already in full gear. He explains: âSoon after the end of the Second Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, I travelled to Mill Hill, London, where I was warmly received by Father Noel Hanrahan, MHM, seventh Superior General of Saint Joseph's Missionary Society, and by Father Ignatius Desmond Sullivan, then an elected member of the General Council of the Society. I informed them of the readiness of the Holy See to permit us to erect a Major Seminary in the English-Speaking part of Cameroon, and of my ardent hope and desire that they would assist us to staff and to run such an Institution. I considered it as absolutely normal, then, that Saint Joseph's Missionary Society would supply the Rector and the Formation Staff of the nascent Major Seminary, especially as I did not believe that in the early nineteen seventies we would be capable of supplying the first Rector of such an Institution. After listening to me with exemplary patience, and assuring me of the good will and support of Saint Joseph's Missionary Society, Father Noel Hanrahan concluded by saying: "We shall do everything possible to give you some Mill Hill Fathers as our contribution to enable you to start the Major Seminary. But there is one thing which we of Mill Hill cannot and will not accept. It is this. We simply will not accept to give you someone to be the First Rector of your Major Seminary. Times have changed. Right from the very beginning, the First Rector of the Major Seminary must be one of your own Diocesan Priests. He must be a Cameroonian." I was utterly stunned by Father Hanrahan's uncompromising insistence on the fact that the first Rector of the new Major Seminary must be one of our own Diocesan Priests. But the Superior General of Mill Hill was absolutely right. He was aware, then, of something of which I was then totally ignorant, namely, that in 1969, the Ius Commissionis, whereby the Holy See entrusted a specific territory to a clearly specified Missionary Institute had been changed to a new law, Relationes in Territoriis. This was more in the spirit and in the letter of the Documents of the Second Vatican Council.â As all the bishops of West Cameroon were working on the project, so too was the Holy See busy to ensure its realization in record time. The total commitment of the Holy See to the project can be seen in the visit of Archbishop Jean Jadot, the then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Cameroon. âEarly in 1972, Archbishop Jean Jadot, the then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Cameroon, paid an official visit to Bamenda. By then he had received his instructions from the Holy See concerning our application for a Major Seminary, an application towards which the Holy See was very favourable. In the course of our conversation in what was later to become Saint Clare's Convent, Mankon, Archbishop Jean Jadot strongly advised me to be aware of the fact that our application would come up for a full scale discussion at the Plenary Assembly of the Cameroon National Episcopal Conference due to be held in April 1972. He told me that our request for a Major Seminary would encounter stiff and determined opposition in some unidentified quarters of the Episcopal Conference. The reasons for such opposition and resistance would be essentially political, not ecclesial. I should be prepared, he said, and duly armed for that situation. He himself helped me by giving me some reasons or arguments which Bishop Jules Peeters, Bishop Pius Awa and myself would most probably need in order to argue for the feasibility and the âopportunessâ of the creation of a Major Seminary in the English-Speaking Region of Cameroon.â This caution was extremely important and the three bishops prepared themselves for the upcoming ordeal at the Episcopal Conference in Yaounde. Their preparations were apparently facilitated by the Third Catholic Convention and the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Mill Hill Missionary presence and activity in Cameroon. These celebrations took place in Bamenda and therefore the three bishops were present in one place for more than one week. Though they were busy with these events, they could find time to prepare as a group for the Conference in Yaounde. Bishop Paul Verdzekov writes: âIn April 1972, the Dioceses of Buea and Bamenda held the Third Catholic Convention at Sacred Heart College Mankon, a convention in which Father Noel Hanrahan, MHM, took part. He gave a marvelous Address to the Convention. On the Second Sunday of Easter, 9th April 1972, we celebrated the Golden Jubilee (1922 - 1972) of Mill Hill Missionary presence and activity in Cameroon. Soon after that celebration which took place in the open air on the grounds of Saint Joseph's Cathedral Parish, Mankon, the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda travelled to Yaounde for that year's Plenary Assembly of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon.â Due to the concerted action of the Bishops of West Cameroon they were able to nip the opposition to the project in the bud. At the end of the day those who were ready to oppose the project were not able to voice their opposition. âWhenever I went to Yaounde for any business whatsoever, I normally stayed with Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. He was then the Head of the Department of African Literature at the University of Yaounde, a State Institution. Bernard Fonlon furnished me with solid arguments and reasons of a theological, philosophical and cultural nature, arguments which I could use to defend the justice and âopportunessâ of our cause in front of the Bench of Bishops of Cameroon. On the given occasion, the President of the Episcopal Conference placed our request for a Major Seminary on the table for discussion, in accordance with a written request which he had received from Mgr. Antonio Mazza. The Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon, Archbishop Jean Jadot, also attended this specific session of the Conference, in accordance with specific instructions from the Holy See. He was to say nothing, his mission being merely to be a qualified witness in order to inform the Holy See on the outcome of the discussion of an issue of such historic importance. When the President of the Episcopal Conference asked the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda to explain their request to the Conference, Bishops Peeters and Awa asked me to take the floor and explain why we were asking for a Regional Major Seminary for the English-Speaking part of Cameroon. To our very pleasant surprise, it became evident that, with the exception of one or two Bishops, the overwhelming majority of the Bishops, who were hearing of our application for the first time, spontaneously and unreservedly approved our application and explicitly requested that the Holy See be informed of this approval immediately. Someone then suggested that even though the application for the erection of a Major Seminary on this side of the Mungo was accepted by the Conference, it should be on the proviso that such a Major Seminary be "un projet fÃ©dÃ©ral." This suggestion was immediately rejected by the Conference. The Bishops of Buea and Bamenda had asked for the Conference's approval for their request for authorization to erect a Regional Major Seminary, and the Conference should simply inform the Holy See that it fully and unreservedly approved, unconditionally, the request of the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda.â Consequent to the unqualified consent and approval of the Cameroon National Episcopal Conference for the erection of a Regional Major Seminary in the English-Speaking part of Cameroon and with the assurance of the benevolence of the Holy See for the project, the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda pursued preparations in earnest for the realization of the project. For this purpose, therefore, Bishop Pius Awa travelled to Rome, to MÃ¼nster in Germany and to Fribourg in Switzerland. âThe purpose of the visit was to inform Father Engelbert Kofon who was then studying in Rome; Father Clemens Ndze who was then studying in MÃ¼nster in Germany; and Father Christian Tumi who was then studying at Fribourg in Switzerland, that all three of them would be expected to serve as Formators in the projected Major Seminary on their return. In the meantime, it became obvious that on account of financial constraints, and the manifest strategy of the Cameroon Government to starve the Grants-in-Aid system out of existence, the Catholic Church was forced to close down some of our Teacher Training Centres. That is why the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda agreed that the Saint Peter's Teachers' Training Centre, Bambui, should be transferred to Tatum and merged with Saint Pius X Teachers' Training Centre, Tatum, to form one Teachers' Training College. The buildings, premises, etc of Saint Peter's Training Centre, Bambui, would then be used for the new Major Seminary.â It would seem that it was possibly at around this same time that Bishop Paul Verdzekov and Fr. Martin van der Werf (the Secretary of the Bishop of Buea) undertook a second trip to Nigeria. This first trip had taken them to Enugu and Onitsha and this second trip took them to Ibadan. It would have been an urgent study and assessment mission and meant to familiarize themselves with an on-the-spot implications of founding and running a Major Seminary. This would have been a second visit to Nigeria because during the visit of May/June 1971, they did not go to Ibadan and the visit had another purpose. Those who were in Ibadan at the time had no doubt that Bishop Paul Verdzekov and Fr Martin van der Werff came to Ibadan. Bishop Cornelius Esua also confirmed that he was in Mamfe at the time when they passed on their way to Nigeria. This could only be after January 1972. They were about 25 West Cameroonian seminarians in Saints Peter and Paul Seminary. Fr Pius Awa, the vicar General of the Diocese of Buea had visited them earlier. Fr Cornelius Esua who was serving in Mamfe at the time reports on this visit in the following words: âIn the meantime, just after the civil war in Nigeria, the atmosphere in the Major Seminary in Ibadan, where some of the Seminarians of Buea and Bamenda had been transferred because of the Biafran War, was not very good. Bishop Paul Verdzekov and Rev. Father Martin van der Werff, the Bishopâs Secretary of Buea Diocese had to go on an urgent mission to Ibadan to assess the situation. When they came back the Bishops decided that a Major Seminary should be opened in the then West Cameroon so that Seminarians from the Dioceses of Buea and Bamenda would no longer be sent to study at Ibadan or Enugu in Nigeria. I was working as a Curate in Mamfe at the time. I played host to Bishop Paul Verdzekov and Father Martin Van der Werff when they passed through Mamfe on this exploratory visit to Nigeria to see firsthand the situation in which our students were studying. When they came back, they decided that we must start our own Major Seminary.â It is in the context of the immediate preparation for the erection of the Major Seminary that the resignation of Bishop Jules Peeters as the Bishop of Buea is considered here. âOn 29th January 1973, the resignation of Right Reverend Jules Peeters, MHM who had been ordained as Bishop of Buea at Soppo on 24th August 1962, was accepted by the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI. He had earlier made up his mind after he was elected as Bishop of Buea that he would serve in that position for no more than one decade, at the end of which he would hand over to a Cameroonian. On that same day, his Co-Adjutor cum iure successionis, the Right Reverend Pius Suh Awa, automatically became the Bishop of Buea. Preparations for the erection of a Major Seminary to serve the English-Speaking Dioceses of Buea and Bamenda which had been undertaken since 1972 continued as before. Before handing in his resignation to the Successor of Saint Peter, Bishop Jules Peeters, MHM, the then Bishop of Buea, gave us what appeared to me as a very timely warning, a warning of perennial value. He said that while the new Major Seminary must be, and be seen to be, authentically Cameroonian, and authentically Catholic, the Custodians of the Major Seminary, as well as the Seminary Formators, should gently, courteously but very firmly reject any attempt to impose any foreign model on the Major Seminary, no matter how well-intended such an imposition might at first appear. Inspired by this warning and timely advice of Bishop Peeters, and considering some of the ideas which were floating around at the time, the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda addressed a joint letter to the Rector, Father Christian Tumi, urging him to exercise unrelenting vigilance, and to see to it that the Major Seminary, Bambui, be run, on a daily basis, according to the Norms, Guidelines and Orientations laid down by the competent Dicasteries of the Holy See, and periodically updated and revised by the same Holy See.â Fr Christian Tumi who had been contacted earlier by Bishop Pius Awa returned to Cameroon in good time. âIn May 1973, Father Christian Tumi returned to Bamenda after having completed his studies at the Catholic University of Fribourg. He was officially informed by me that he would be the first Rector of the Major Seminary. In the meantime, he would serve for a few months as Assistant in Saint Joseph's Parish, Bafut, pending the beginning of the Major Seminary at Bambui in September 1973.â It is clear from what has been seen above that the Bishops did not waste any time to take necessary action on the project. The application for the creation of the Major Seminary to the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples was ready in October 1971. After hearing a favourable view of the Cameroon National Episcopal Conference, expressed at its Annual Plenary Assembly in April 1972, the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples granted the permission for the erection of the Regional Major Seminary at Bambui, in the diocese of Bamenda. The original intention of the bishops and the people of West Cameroon to have a seminary which would primarily serve the needs of the English speaking dioceses of Cameroon did not disappear or lose its steam in the entire process leading up to its realization. The permission from the Holy See was granted âad experimentum et ad trienniumâ, and was communicated to the Ordinary of Bamenda by letter No. 2439/72 of October 18, 1972 through the Apostolic Nunciature at YaoundÃ©. Herewith an excerpt from the letter: âThe Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples has given its consent for the establishment of the Regional Major Seminary at Bambui, destined for Seminarians of the English-speaking ecclesiastical circumscription of Cameroon. The Sacred Congregation âDe Propaganda Fideâ has decided to approve the establishment of this Seminary âad experimentumâ and âad triennium.â Every year the Rector will have to submit a report to the Sacred Congregation and to the Episcopal Conference concerning the running of the Seminary, and at the end of the âtriennium,â the definitive decree establishing the Seminary could be obtained, as well as the approval of the Statutes.â In the meantime, at the Third West Cameroon Catholic Convention which was held at Sacred Heart College, Mankon from 6th to 9th April, 1972, the faithful reiterated their request for a Major Seminary among the suggestions or recommendations they made to the Bishops. It may be necessary to note the following suggestions: i) To encourage young Cameroonians into vocations, parents must encourage (not discourage) their children who have a call. ii) Parishes must organize certain periods (e.g. Vocation Week) to educate Christians on the need for children to be encouraged, stressing that it is an honour for a member of their family to be called to clerical or religious duties. iii) Parents should be encouraged to pay fees for their seminarian just as they pay for children pursuing other careers. iv) The Vocations Committee of every Parish Council should look into the possibility of sponsoring seminarians whose families are incapable of defraying the cost of training. The recommendations of the Third West Cameroon Catholic Convention on this question spurred the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda to continue the process which they had initiated since 1971, that is, the project of establishing a Major Seminary in this part of our country. Following these appeals of the Catholic Laity, the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda were absolutely convinced that the early establishment of a Major Seminary in this part of the country was the only adequate answer to the self evident needs. Following this state of affairs, the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda published a Joint Pastoral Letter on the Proposed Major Seminary on December 3, 1972, the First Sunday of Advent. This was the first public reaction to the persistent requests made by the Laity of the two dioceses. By this time a lot of important groundwork had been done behind the scenes. In this Pastoral Letter the Bishops justified the necessity for beginning own Major Seminary. There was a great shortage of priests in the two dioceses and reliable forecasts predict an escalation of the number of Catholics in the area. The two dioceses could not continue indefinitely to send seminarians to be trained in Nigeria because the seminaries in Nigeria were themselves short of space even for their own seminarians. In the same Joint Pastoral Letter the Bishops informed the catholic faithful that Rome had granted their request after due consultation with the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon. It was also a cause of great joy to note that the Mill Hill Missionary Society had assured them of collaboration and to supply some professors even if this was for the time being. At the same time, the Catholic faithful were challenged to take up the responsibility to support the project both financially and spiritually. Funding was not to be expected from outside as recent popes have told Africans that they âmust now be missionariesâ to themselves as they âare now an adult communityâ. This is why the bishops could assert: âFortunately, all of you are now convinced that the Church is the People of God, Laity and Clergy, which is why we need no longer persuade anyone that financial responsibility for our proposed seminary belongs to each and everyone of us.â This project was committed to the Catholic Womenâs Association in a special way. The bishops also announced both the location and when the proposed Seminary would open its doors for the first formation year. âIt is therefore our intention to start this Major Seminary at Bambui in the fourth quarter of next year, 1973, that is to say, in about ten months from now. This is why we earnestly ask all our Christians to keep this vital project in their prayers, so that it may commence properly under God's blessing, and bear good fruits for the Church which is in our midst.â As soon as this pastoral letter was published on the First Sunday of Advent 1972, it was clear that things had heated up to a hectic start of the Seminary. There were reactions and outstanding among them was the âOpen Letter to the Bishops of Buea and Bamendaâ of Professor Bernard Fonlon. Though Professor Fonlonâs Letter is dated September 16, 1973, the day after the Seminary opened for the first year it actually belongs to the interim period between the Joint Pastoral Letter of the Bishops and the opening of the Seminary. Prof. Fonlon had been a candidate for the Priesthood for Buea Diocese and was going to be the second West Cameroonian priest after Father Aloysius Wankuy. He had spent about 14 years in Priestly Formation right to the Major Seminary when just before the Diaconate Ordination he was asked to withdraw. In his letter he expressed his opinion about the type of Priests whom the people were expecting from the new Major Seminary, what should be the Curriculum of studies and the type of formation that should be given to the candidates. He believed that the candidates for the priesthood must be trained to be both saints and scholars. Bishop Paul Verdzekov made very remarkable comments about the open Letter. He wrote: âBernard Fonlon's "Open Letter" was, in my humble opinion, an exceptionally well-thought out document, written by someone who thoroughly knew what he was talking about, and in which he outlined, with his customary clarity, what Catholics in particular, and Cameroonians in general, could and should expect our Major Seminary to be. He expected our Major Seminary to produce nothing less than Saints and Scholars.â This required both a solid spiritual formation and scholarly formation. It is in this context that Bernard Fonlon wrote the following: âThere are those who would strive to convince you that, since it is in Africa, what your Seminary should produce is a CurÃ© de Campagne, a sort of rural parish priest; and they will quote the venerable St. John Vianney to support a thesis, which would lead to mediocrity. I say that there is no place for shallowness in present-day Africa. My humble but firm conviction is that, next to being a saint, our future African priest should be such a scholar, that he should be respected by the world of learning, whether they like it or not. Once in Russia, as a guest of the Soviet Writers Union, I was taken by one of their members to visit the Major Seminary of the Orthodox Church. To my astonishment, this writer, an avowed atheist, remarked: "The chaps that come out of here are extremely learned men." "How come?" said I in surprise. "They have no choice but to be," he replied "for they have to spend their whole life in relentless warfare against atheism." I do not need to remind Your Lordships that the so-called Western Civilization is saturated, through and through, by a very pernicious godlessness - pernicious precisely because, it is loud in mouthing their faith in God, in contrast to the atheism of Marxism-Leninism. In Learning, as in Saintliness, the motto of our priest should be the single word: Thorough; no superficiality should be given quarter. But what Learning, you may ask? The answer is simple: it should be first and foremost, Learning in the special fields of clerical studies - Philosophy and Theology. I have heard it said the age-long custom of basing these studies on select textbooks is being dismissed in certain quarters as old-fashioned I do not share this view. I have kept with me, for the past twenty-five years, wherever I roved, my Philosophy textbooks Cursus Philosophiae by the Gregorian Professor Charles Boyer. Today, Boyer may be dismissed, out of hand, as old-fashioned. Indeed, there are theses in Boyer which I completely reject today. But most of his thought has been the basis of my other studies, ever since. Personally, as a schoolmaster, I believe that a course based on a standard textbook, supported by other works for wider reading, would be more solid than one based on haphazard lectures. If the Church has taught Philosophy for centuries, if she has produced eminent scholars thereby, if Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are revered today as the fathers and founders of Western thought, if after the Second Vatican Council, more stress has been laid on conscientious thinking, as opposed to a mindless submission to authority, do you need again to be convinced that our future priest should be a scholar and philosopher? Do you need to be convinced that a sound, thorough course in philosophy should be a sine qua non in his formation? What goes for Philosophy applies, a fortiori, to Theology, and there is no need for me to hold forth on that. But I would add that the more profound his knowledge in Philosophy, the deeper and faster would be the studentâs grasp, not only of Theology, but of the other disciplines that come after. Hindsight brings to light, in my mind, certain defects in the method of our study of Philosophy back in the nineteen-forties. First, the texts were in Latin, a language we had not fully mastered and, therefore, a thorough mastery of the subject of which this language was the vehicle, was a hard-going task. So I believe that the basic lectures, if not the texts, should be in English. Do 1 ask you to banish Latin from your institute? Far be it from me! But I would prefer that the courses should be based, at least for a start, not on the Latin of Virgil and Cicero, but on the Latin of the Breviary, of the Missal, of the Vulgate, of the Fathers, on the soul-stirring hymns of the Liturgy and on the recent Papal Encyclicals. The firm grasp of this Latin would be made easier by the fact that these texts have excellent translations in English; it would foster and simplify the study of Horace and Virgil, later, for those with a thirst for them. I would even go further and advocate the study of Greek and Hebrew for those who intend to make Sacred Scripture their special field of further studies. The second fault I find in the study of Philosophy, in our days, is that we were narrowly limited to the study of the texts, and, apart from emphasizing that Philosophy was an ancilla to Theology, hardly one word was said on how philosophical principles could be applied in the study of other disciplines, and in the solution of the problems of life. It was only later, when I went to study Literature and Education that I discovered, to my joy, how priceless was the course I had done in Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Psychology and Ethics. Indeed, after seven years of further University studies, I came away with the conviction that I had learnt nothing essentially new. I believe, therefore, my Lords, in a priest who is a thinker and scholar, with a scientific and philosophical turn of mind. For more information on this head, I would refer you to parts two and three of my booklets: To Every African Freshman. The advocates and protagonists of the formation of a CurÃ© de Campagne would consider my proposals preposterous, seeing that the end of the formation of these priests is the pastoral care and guidance of unlettered African folk. Let them know that there are thinkers among these unlettered folks; let them remember that the number of University men among us, today, is yearly on the rise, and most of them are turned away from the Church. Let them remember that the future lettered African Intellectuals would have no patience with, or no respect for, mediocrity among clergy-men. For my part, I do not see it as a waste of talent if a priest with a Ph.D. or a D.D. is sent to man a rural parish. I am convinced that in our days and in the coming years, his influence will be as needful and as useful there, as it would be in city or college.â Another area in which the proposals of Professor Fonlon are pertinent is the area of the study of Sacred Scripture. In his words and in a way, he reiterates the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in Optatam Totius: âStudents should receive a most careful training in holy Scripture which should be the soul, as it were, of all theology. After a suitable introductory course, they should receive an accurate initiation in exegetical methods. They should study closely the principal themes of divine revelation and should find inspiration and nourishment in daily reading and meditation upon the sacred books.â(Optatam Totius, 16) In this connection Professor Fonlon writes: âThe next thing I say, my Lords, may not please your ears, and may raise wrath against me from some of your clerics. But I think it must be said. It is this: I have heard morning after morning, five-minute homilies over the B.B.C., delivered by Anglican Divines; I have heard, here in Cameroon, Cameroon Protestant preachers preach. On one such occasion, when a Presbyterian clergyman was invited to preach to us, in the University Chaplaincy here in YaoundÃ©, the Rev. Pere de Rosny, SJ, the Superior, was so moved that he said with deep sincerity, after the sermon, that we Catholics have something to learn from the Protestants in the field of preaching. I say in all candour, my Lords, that when I put this side by side with what we hear from catholic pulpits, even in developed countries, where I lived and listened, I rate our performance paltry and I give high marks to the protestant preachers. And 1 have been pondering and wondering why this should be so, what makes the difference. The reasons may be several, but one seems to me to be more certain. In my humble opinion, it is that the protestant students are steeped in Sacred Scripture. In our days in the Seminary, Scripture did not figure prominently in the curriculum. We were required to go through the Bible by ourselves, at least once in the seven-year course. I ask you, my Lords: does it not strike you as odd that four whole years should be spent in drudging at an abstract, hair splitting, syllogistic, theological course, after the manner of Medieval Disputations, while so little time is spent on the study of the living, soul-stirring Word of God himself? Does it not strike you as odd that a glib Jehovah's Witness should cite chapter and verse to support his twisted theory, while a catholic stands dumb before him? Which would be more penetrating, which is capable of rousing hearts and wills: a sermon on the Eucharist, based on the dry-as-dust theories of Hylomorphism and Hypostasis, or one steeped in the Gospel of the Last Supper? Do not misunderstand me. I am not asking you to throw Traditional Theology out of the window. 1 am only saying, from real personal experience, that a prominent place should be given to the study of the New Testament and of the Old (especially the Psalms, the Prophets, the Canticle of Canticles. the Book of Proverbs and such like) in the curriculum (in my opinion), from the first year to the last. Catholic authorities were accused in the past of deliberately preventing the faithful from searching deep into the Sacred Scriptures, and I have heard it said that, at one period in Church History the passage of the woman taken in adultery was dropped out of the text by some holier than Christ ecclesiastical zealots. The time has come to reverse the trend.â One cannot overemphasize the relevance of the presentation of Professor Fonlon here. However, it would seem that the Bishops themselves had anticipated the central place of Sacred Scripture in the study of theology. As noted already, Fonlon published these reflections on September 16, 1973. It was about the same time that Fr Cornelius Esua left for Rome to specialize in Sacred Scripture. In fact, he remembers the Open Letter vividly: âYes, I remember the Letter very well. It was published on 16th September 1973, the same month and year I left for Rome to specialize in Sacred Scriptures in the Pontifical Biblical Institute. It is a rich and scholarly letter on the formation of Priests. The opening of this Major Seminary marks an important milestone in the history of the Church in our Ecclesiastical Province. The Letter does not only indicate the purpose of a Major Seminary but also the type of Priests whom our Local Church should expect to come out from the new Seminary the Bishops were about to establish.â The mission of Fr. Cornelius Esua to specialize in Sacred Scripture coming at the same time with the publication of the Open Letter and its insistence on the centrality of Sacred Scripture in the study of theology cannot be seen as mere coincidence but rather as something that was pre-meditated by the Founding Fathers of the seminary. In this particular and specific context, one cannot end a consideration of Prof. Fonlonâs âOpen Letterâ with reference to the founding of the Major Seminary in West Cameroon without a reference to the fact that he believed very strongly that the Major Seminary must be a citadel of learning and a âveritable universityâ. He explained elaborately: âI studied for six years in the Seminary and about seven in several universities. And I have inside knowledge of both institutions; and I say that a well-staffed and organized Seminary is a veritable university; it is even more, because it lays serious stress on moral as well as intellectual education: and in my mind, a thorough moral education takes the first place. My firm conviction is that after three years of serious philosophical studies, a student who merits well should obtain a B. A. in philosophy, and after his four years in Theology, a Bachelor in Divinity. They do that in Maynooth, in Ireland. Why not in Cameroon? I know what I am talking about; for having to begin University studies all over again, after leaving the Seminary, I had to start all from scratch; thus I wasted seven precious years of my life and obtained, at thirty-six, what I should have obtained at thirty years of age. No; a well staffed and serious Seminary has nothing to envy from a secular academy. To create a Tradition of high standards, I believe that our Seminary should begin by affiliating itself to a well-established University abroad; while modifying its curriculum to suit African realities. The yearly falling of standards in our institutes of learning, the mediocrity and the laissez-faire that are fast taking root in them, should be a warning to us in the running of this Seminary. It should become an example for all to admire and imitate for its high standards of Learning and Discipline. On this head, care should be taken to see to it that the right attitude and mentality and effort should be instilled, right from the start. No quarter should be given to a lackadaisical approach, on the part of all concerned, to things of such serious import. Remember the time-tested adage in the stamping out of pernicious tendencies: Principiis obsta: kill the evil at its birth. Remember too the wise and pertinent warning of Aristotle: Parvus error in principio magnus est in fine: a little error at the start attains staggering proportions at the end.â I do not need to remind Your Lordships that the so-called Western Civilization is saturated, through and through, by a very pernicious godlessness - pernicious precisely because, it is loud in mouthing their faith in God, in contrast to the atheism of Marxism-Leninism. In Learning, as in Saintliness, the motto of our priest should be the single word: Thorough; no superficiality should be given quarter. But what Learning, you may ask? The answer is simple: it should be first and foremost, Learning in the special fields of clerical studies - Philosophy and Theology. I have heard it said the age-long custom of basing these studies on select textbooks is being dismissed in certain quarters as old-fashioned I do not share this view. I have kept with me, for the past twenty-five years, wherever I roved, my Philosophy textbooks Cursus Philosophiae by the Gregorian Professor Charles Boyer. Today, Boyer may be dismissed, out of hand, as old-fashioned. Indeed, there are theses in Boyer which I completely reject today. But most of his thought has been the basis of my other studies, ever since. Personally, as a schoolmaster, I believe that a course based on a standard textbook, supported by other works for wider reading, would be more solid than one based on haphazard lectures. If the Church has taught Philosophy for centuries, if she has produced eminent scholars thereby, if Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are revered today as the fathers and founders of Western thought, if after the Second Vatican Council, more stress has been laid on conscientious thinking, as opposed to a mindless submission to authority, do you need again to be convinced that our future priest should be a scholar and philosopher? Do you need to be convinced that a sound, thorough course in philosophy should be a sine qua non in his formation? What goes for Philosophy applies, a fortiori, to Theology, and there is no need for me to hold forth on that. But I would add that the more profound his knowledge in Philosophy, the deeper and faster would be the studentâs grasp, not only of Theology, but of the other disciplines that come after. Hindsight brings to light, in my mind, certain defects in the method of our study of Philosophy back in the nineteen-forties. First, the texts were in Latin, a language we had not fully mastered and, therefore, a thorough mastery of the subject of which this language was the vehicle, was a hard-going task. So I believe that the basic lectures, if not the texts, should be in English. Do 1 ask you to banish Latin from your institute? Far be it from me! But I would prefer that the courses should be based, at least for a start, not on the Latin of Virgil and Cicero, but on the Latin of the Breviary, of the Missal, of the Vulgate, of the Fathers, on the soul-stirring hymns of the Liturgy and on the recent Papal Encyclicals. The firm grasp of this Latin would be made easier by the fact that these texts have excellent translations in English; it would foster and simplify the study of Horace and Virgil, later, for those with a thirst for them. I would even go further and advocate the study of Greek and Hebrew for those who intend to make Sacred Scripture their special field of further studies. The second fault I find in the study of Philosophy, in our days, is that we were narrowly limited to the study of the texts, and, apart from emphasizing that Philosophy was an ancilla to Theology, hardly one word was said on how philosophical principles could be applied in the study of other disciplines, and in the solution of the problems of life. It was only later, when I went to study Literature and Education that I discovered, to my joy, how priceless was the course I had done in Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Psychology and Ethics. Indeed, after seven years of further University studies, I came away with the conviction that I had learnt nothing essentially new. I believe, therefore, my Lords, in a priest who is a thinker and scholar, with a scientific and philosophical turn of mind. For more information on this head, I would refer you to parts two and three of my booklets: To Every African Freshman. The advocates and protagonists of the formation of a CurÃ© de Campagne would consider my proposals preposterous, seeing that the end of the formation of these priests is the pastoral care and guidance of unlettered African folk. Let them know that there are thinkers among these unlettered folks; let them remember that the number of University men among us, today, is yearly on the rise, and most of them are turned away from the Church. Let them remember that the future lettered African Intellectuals would have no patience with, or no respect for, mediocrity among clergy-men. For my part, I do not see it as a waste of talent if a priest with a Ph.D. or a D.D. is sent to man a rural parish. I am convinced that in our days and in the coming years, his influence will be as needful and as useful there, as it would be in city or college.â Another area in which the proposals of Professor Fonlon are pertinent is the area of the study of Sacred Scripture. In his words and in a way, he reiterates the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in Optatam Totius: âStudents should receive a most careful training in holy Scripture which should be the soul, as it were, of all theology. After a suitable introductory course, they should receive an accurate initiation in exegetical methods. They should study closely the principal themes of divine revelation and should find inspiration and nourishment in daily reading and meditation upon the sacred books.â(Optatam Totius, 16) In this connection Professor Fonlon writes: âThe next thing I say, my Lords, may not please your ears, and may raise wrath against me from some of your clerics. But I think it must be said. It is this: I have heard morning after morning, five-minute homilies over the B.B.C., delivered by Anglican Divines; I have heard, here in Cameroon, Cameroon Protestant preachers preach. On one such occasion, when a Presbyterian clergyman was invited to preach to us, in the University Chaplaincy here in YaoundÃ©, the Rev. Pere de Rosny, SJ, the Superior, was so moved that he said with deep sincerity, after the sermon, that we Catholics have something to learn from the Protestants in the field of preaching. I say in all candour, my Lords, that when I put this side by side with what we hear from catholic pulpits, even in developed countries, where I lived and listened, I rate our performance paltry and I give high marks to the protestant preachers. And 1 have been pondering and wondering why this should be so, what makes the difference. The reasons may be several, but one seems to me to be more certain. In my humble opinion, it is that the protestant students are steeped in Sacred Scripture. In our days in the Seminary, Scripture did not figure prominently in the curriculum. We were required to go through the Bible by ourselves, at least once in the seven-year course. I ask you, my Lords: does it not strike you as odd that four whole years should be spent in drudging at an abstract, hair splitting, syllogistic, theological course, after the manner of Medieval Disputations, while so little time is spent on the study of the living, soul-stirring Word of God himself? Does it not strike you as odd that a glib Jehovah's Witness should cite chapter and verse to support his twisted theory, while a catholic stands dumb before him? Which would be more penetrating, which is capable of rousing hearts and wills: a sermon on the Eucharist, based on the dry-as-dust theories of Hylomorphism and Hypostasis, or one steeped in the Gospel of the Last Supper? Do not misunderstand me. I am not asking you to throw Traditional Theology out of the window. 1 am only saying, from real personal experience, that a prominent place should be given to the study of the New Testament and of the Old (especially the Psalms, the Prophets, the Canticle of Canticles. the Book of Proverbs and such like) in the curriculum (in my opinion), from the first year to the last. Catholic authorities were accused in the past of deliberately preventing the faithful from searching deep into the Sacred Scriptures, and I have heard it said that, at one period in Church History the passage of the woman taken in adultery was dropped out of the text by some holier than Christ ecclesiastical zealots. The time has come to reverse the trend.â One cannot overemphasize the relevance of the presentation of Professor Fonlon here. However, it would seem that the Bishops themselves had anticipated the central place of Sacred Scripture in the study of theology. As noted already, Fonlon published these reflections on September 16, 1973. It was about the same time that Fr Cornelius Esua left for Rome to specialize in Sacred Scripture. In fact, he remembers the Open Letter vividly: âYes, I remember the Letter very well. It was published on 16th September 1973, the same month and year I left for Rome to specialize in Sacred Scriptures in the Pontifical Biblical Institute. It is a rich and scholarly letter on the formation of Priests. The opening of this Major Seminary marks an important milestone in the history of the Church in our Ecclesiastical Province. The Letter does not only indicate the purpose of a Major Seminary but also the type of Priests whom our Local Church should expect to come out from the new Seminary the Bishops were about to establish.â The mission of Fr. Cornelius Esua to specialize in Sacred Scripture coming at the same time with the publication of the Open Letter and its insistence on the centrality of Sacred Scripture in the study of theology cannot be seen as mere coincidence but rather as something that was pre-meditated by the Founding Fathers of the seminary. In this particular and specific context, one cannot end a consideration of Prof. Fonlonâs âOpen Letterâ with reference to the founding of the Major Seminary in West Cameroon without a reference to the fact that he believed very strongly that the Major Seminary must be a citadel of learning and a âveritable universityâ. He explained elaborately: âI studied for six years in the Seminary and about seven in several universities. And I have inside knowledge of both institutions; and I say that a well-staffed and organized Seminary is a veritable university; it is even more, because it lays serious stress on moral as well as intellectual education: and in my mind, a thorough moral education takes the first place. My firm conviction is that after three years of serious philosophical studies, a student who merits well should obtain a B. A. in philosophy, and after his four years in Theology, a Bachelor in Divinity. They do that in Maynooth, in Ireland. Why not in Cameroon? I know what I am talking about; for having to begin University studies all over again, after leaving the Seminary, I had to start all from scratch; thus I wasted seven precious years of my life and obtained, at thirty-six, what I should have obtained at thirty years of age. No; a well staffed and serious Seminary has nothing to envy from a secular academy. To create a Tradition of high standards, I believe that our Seminary should begin by affiliating itself to a well-established University abroad; while modifying its curriculum to suit African realities. The yearly falling of standards in our institutes of learning, the mediocrity and the laissez-faire that are fast taking root in them, should be a warning to us in the running of this Seminary. It should become an example for all to admire and imitate for its high standards of Learning and Discipline. On this head, care should be taken to see to it that the right attitude and mentality and effort should be instilled, right from the start. No quarter should be given to a lackadaisical approach, on the part of all concerned, to things of such serious import. Remember the time-tested adage in the stamping out of pernicious tendencies: Principiis obsta: kill the evil at its birth. Remember too the wise and pertinent warning of Aristotle: Parvus error in principio magnus est in fine: a little error at the start attains staggering proportions at the end.â
2279	dbpedia	1	11	https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_21_xi-ordinaria-2005/02_inglese/b14_02.html	en				[ "https://www.vatican.va/img/pkeys.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/vuoto.gif", "https://www.vatican.va/img/psearch_fill.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/back.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/riga_int.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/img/sala-stampa/sala_stampa3_en.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/top.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null	14 - 08.10.2005 SUMMARY ♦ COMMEMORATION OF THE XL ANNIVERSARY OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS This afternoon, Saturday, 8 October 2005, at 4:30 p.m. with the prayer Adsumus, the Special General Congregation for the Commemoration of the XL Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops began. In the opening, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, H. Exc. Most Rev. Msg. Nikola ETEROVIĆ introduced the works with the following discourse: Synod of Bishops: privileged Expression of the episcopal collegiality Most Holy father, Venerable Synodal Fathers, Dear brothers and Sisters It is a great grace of the one and Triune God to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Synod of bishops during a Synodal Assembly. This providential coincidence locates the participants at this commemorative act in medias res. In fact, it is superfluous to describe in detail the synodal activity to those who are actively taking part in it. However, the 40th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops is an opportunity to study further in depth the theological and legal nature of this institution which, created during Vatican Council II, tried to maintain the spirit and methodology of work adapted to its properties. Not entering the concrete results, a theme which exceeds these words for the occasion, for 4 decades, the synod of bishops has had the great merit to develop the synodal dimension of the corpus episcoporum, to foment episcopal collegiality among the Bishops and with the Holy father, Bishop of Rome and head of the college itself in an environment of deep ecclesial communion. In the synodal Assemblies real episcopal collegiality is experienced, although in a different way to ecumenical councils. Before listening to the words of their Eminences the Speakers, I wish to indicate some statistical data concerning the Synod of Bishops. Established on 15 September 1965, the synod of bishops has up to now had 4 Presidents, four popes: Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. His Holiness benedict XVI is presiding over the Synod of bishops for the first time. During the brief pontificate, John Paul I, practically had no time to exercise the office of President of the Synod. Hence, Paul VI and John Paul II are two Roman Pontiffs who marked the history of the synod of bishops. Out of 11 Ordinary general Assemblies, celebrated till now, 4 were held during the pontificate of the servant of God Paul VI, respectively in 1967, in 1971, in 1974 and in 1977. The same pontiff held an Extraordinary general assembly in 1969. By number of synodal assemblies celebrated, the Servant of God, John Paul II can be called the Synod Pope. He presided over 6 ordinary general Assemblies, in 1980, in 1983, in 1987, in 1990, in 1994 and in 2001; an Extraordinary general Assembly in 1985, and 8 Special Assemblies: 1980 for Holland; 1991 for Europe; 1994 for Africa; 1995 for Lebanon; 1997 for America; 1998 for Asia; 1998 for Oceania and 1999 for Europe. In its now illustrious history, the Synod of Bishops had 4 Secretary generals: from 1967 to 1979 His Exc. the Most Rev Msg. Ladislao Rubin; from 1979 to 1985 His Exc.the Most Rev. Msg. Jozef Tomko; from 1985 to 2004 His Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M.. From 11 February 2004, this office has been covered by His Exc. The Most Rev. Msg. Nikola Eterovic. The result of the synodal experiences have been, besides other things, 8 post-synodal Apostolic exhortations: Evangelii nuntiandi; catechesi tradendae; Familiaris consortio; reconciliatio et paenitentia; Christifideles laici; Pastores dabo vobis; Vita consecrata e Pastores gregis. Then, one has to mention 6 post-Synodal Apostolic Exhoirdation of the Special Assemblies:Ecclesia in Africa; A New Hope for Lebanon; Ecclesia in America; Ecclesia in Asia; Ecclesia in Oceania; Ecclesia in Europa. The aforementioned documents have had a great influence on the life of the catholic church. In all 21 synodal Assemblies 3, 972 Fathers participated, of whom 2,474 in 11 General Assemblies, 311 in 2 Extraordinary General Assemblies and 1,187 in Special ones. The more reduced number concerns the Synod for holland with 19 Synodal Fathers. The highest number refers to the current 11th Ordinary general Assembly with 256 Synodal fathers. The Synod of Bishops has had the privilege that two cardinals, who are relator generals, of the Ordinary general Assemblies, respectively of 1974 and of 1980, became Popes. They refer to His. Em. Card. Karol Wojtyla and, then, His Em. Card. Joseph Ratzinger. During the 40 years the Synod of Bishops has undergone various amendments in the working methodology. In this assembly we are experiencing the last one, done according to the wise indications of the Holy father Benedict XVI, who has great synodal experience. The Synod of bishops is at the service of the ecclesial communion through the episcopal college whose head is the Bishop of Rome. Since the Church is always alive and young, through the grace of the Holy spirit, so also the Synod of bishops remains open to the inspiration of the Spirit of the risen Lord and is present in His church, in particular in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for the glory of god the father and the salvation of the world. The tangible sign of the SynodÂs youth is also the fact that over half of the Synodal fathers of the XI Ordinary general Assembly take part for the first time in a synodal assembly. This is a sign of hope for the future of the Church which, in spite of adversities of various nature, full of trust in divine providence, continues to carry out the mission entrusted to her by the Lord Jesus:ÂGo, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy SpiritÂ (Mt 28:19). [00201-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] The following reports and communications were presented in the Hall: I. REPORTS ● The Synod of Bishops is 40 years old - Theological aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Jozef TOMKO, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses ● Four decades of institutional development - Legal aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Péter ERDŐ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest II. NOTICES ● Particular Synod for Batavia - Special Assembly for the Netherlands H. Em. Card. Adrianus SIMONIS, Archbishop of Utrecht (Member of the synodal Assembly) ● Convocation of the Special Assembly - Special Assembly for Africa H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Paul VERDZEKOV, Archbishop of Bamenda (Member of the synodal Assembly and of the post-synodal Council) ● The Synod of Bishops in its Special Assembly for Lebanon - Special Assembly for Lebanon H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Cyrille Salim BUSTROS, of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Archbishop of Newton, United States of America (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ●Fruits of the Synod of America - Special Assembly for America H. Em. Card. Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ● Some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops - Special Assembly for Asia H. Em. Card. Paul SHAN KUO-HSI, S.I., Bishop of Kaohsiung, (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ● The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Oceania - Special Assembly for Oceania H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. John Atcherley DEW, Archbishop of Wellington (Member of the Special Assembly) read the text of Cardinal Thomas S. Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington (President Delegate of the Special Assembly) ● II Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops - I and II Special Assemblies for Europe H. Em. Card. Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid (Relator General of the II Special Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) Below are the integral texts of the reports and communications presented in the Hall in English and a presentation of the other interventions (all the integral texts were published in the multilingual edition of the bulletin, in the language in which they were presented in the Hall): I. REPORTS ● The Synod of Bishops is 40 years old - Theological aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Jozef TOMKO, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, begins his report with an introduction, giving his experiences pertaining to the Synod of Bishops and his participation in the various Synods of the past. He then continues with various points about the Synod of Bishops, which was instituted by Paul VI with the motu proprio ÂApostolica sollicitudoÂ. Later, John Paul II consolidated the autonomy and increased the authority and collegiality of the Synod. The Synod of Bishops was instituted as a Âpermanent council of Bishops for the Universal ChurchÂ, subject directly to the Pope and has its nature as a natural ecclesiastic institution, representing all the Catholic Episcopacy, and perpetual by nature. The finalities are to give information and advice; and may deliberate on certain matters, with the Roman Pontiff ratifying the SynodÂs decisions. The theological foundation of the Synod of Bishops can be found in the unity of the Church expressed by the life of communion of the local churches and the collegiality between all the Bishops (communio et collegialitas).The Synod of Bishops represents the Catholic Episcopacy in the whole world in a moral and manifest way, its decisions are consultive and may become deliberative only by mandate of the Supreme Pontiff. As for the consulting aspect of the Synod of Bishops, John Paul II goes beyond the formal and juridical aspects of the Synod vote and places it in the context of the Church as an organism of communion of faith. In conclusion, Cardinal Tomko compares the Synod of Bishops to a heart, a marvelous ecclesial osmosis that has been going on for the past forty years. [Presentation - 00164-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● Four decades of institutional development - Legal aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Péter ERDŐ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, His Em. Cardinal Peter ERDÖ, during the XI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, commented on the theme: Four Decades of Institutional Development - Juridical Aspects on the Synod of BishopsÂ. In the above report, he referred to the particular juridical nature and physiognomy of the Synod of Bishops, following the current Canon Law. Cardinal ERDÖ underlined the functions and the manifestations that were achieved by the Synod during the past decades, placing a special emphasis on some fundamental points of its development and on the main points of its ministry. He also indicated the role that the Synod has in the promotion of Episcopal collegiality and communion between the Bishops, as well as in the study and the solution on problems concerning the mission of the Church in todayÂs world. The Archbishop also underlined the importance of the Synod as a consulting organism for the Pope; also analyzing the merit of the Synod as an Assembly in favor of relationships between the Pope and the Bishops and of them altogether, facilitating the analysis of the questions relative to the different episcopal conferences in the context of the Universal Church. In the same report, the functions of the Synod were defined, explaining the differences between general, extraordinary and special, and the relationship between the Pope and the Synod was made clearer, underlining the merit of the Synod, inasmuch as it deals with themes concerning faith and traditions, observing and the consolidation of the discipline of the Church, the reality of the Sacraments and the mission of the Church in general, and the particular sensitivity in dealing with themes of daily life. The usefulness of the Synod was illustrated by Cardinal Peter ERDÖ, due to the opportunity to present moral principles applied to the social order and the ability to judge human actions, when this is demanded by the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls. [Presentation - 00135-02.02] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] II. NOTICES ● Particular Synod for Batavia - Special Assembly for the Netherlands H. Em. Card. Adrianus SIMONIS, Archbishop of Utrecht (Member of the synodal Assembly) The intervention by His Em. Cardinal Adrianus Simonis, Archbishop of Utrecht, starts with the events that, from the ÂCouncil of NoordwijkerhoutÂ,lead to the convocation, in the Vatican, from January 14th to the 31st 1980, of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of ÂThe Pastoral Situation in the NetherlandsÂ. The author notes that this convocation was originated from an intuition by Cardinal Willebrands and Pope John Paul II, who knew how to foresee the problems posed to the Church in the Netherlands in the areas of faith, doctrine, morals and discipline. And that this could have negatively influenced the Church in its entirety. He gives a brief retrospect on the participation and the results of the Synod in question. The text concludes with a rapid presentation of welcome of the decisions taken on the occasion of the Synod - which, in the majority of occasions, were not accepted - as well as the Post Synodal work, which reality has reaffirmed. In fact, todayÂs generations are marked, in a greater way, by the polarization that characterized the years of the convocation of the ÂCouncil of NoordwijkerhoutÂ and only wish to be Catholics in communion with the universal Church. [Presentation - 00124-02.02] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● Convocation of the Special Assembly - Special Assembly for Africa H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Paul VERDZEKOV, Archbishop of Bamenda (Member of the synodal Assembly and of the post-synodal Council) Almost twenty-four years after the decision of Pope Paul VI to establish the Synod of Bishops, his Successor, Pope John Paul II, announced on 6 January 1989, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, that he decided to convoke a Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. It was his desire right from the very onset, Âto ensure that this Synod would be authentically and unequivocally African. At the same time, it was of fundamental importance that the Special Assembly should be celebrated in full communion with the universal Church.Â To this Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, Pope John Paul II assigned the following theme: ÂThe Church in Africa and her Evangelising Mission Towards the Year 2000: ÂYou shall be my witnessesÂ (Acts 1:8).Â In the eyes of Pope John Paul II, it seemed appropriate to convoke this Special Assembly for the purpose of promoting Âan organic pastoral solidarity throughout Africa and the adjacent Islands.Â He added, furthermore, that in preparation for the Special Assembly, all concerned Âshould cover all the important aspects of the life of the Church in Africa, and in particular should include evangelization, inculturation, dialogue, pastoral care in social areas and the means of social communications.Â Preparation for the Special Assembly, and the celebration of the Special Assembly itself, achieved a great deal to raise awareness and consciousness about the unity of the Catholic Church in every part of the African continent. In particular, African Catholics became more conscious of the unity of Catholics of North Africa and of Egypt with the Catholics of all the countries of the Sub-Saharan Africa. AFRICA HAS CHANGED SINCE THE SPECIAL ASSEMBLY In an Address presented to the Twelfth Plenary Assembly of SECAM held at Mondo Migliore, near Rome, in October 200, five years after the promulgation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, the then-General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said, inter alia: ÂOf the fifty-three African countries, seventeen, or one-third, have been the object of armed conflicts of varying length and varying intensity, but which have once again sown death and desolation on this continent. Cardinal Schotte went on to cite Pope John Paul II who manifestly spoke of this political situation, saying: ÂToday, in the greatest silence, intimidation and killing still continue....I wish to address the political leaders of these countries: if violent attainment of power becomes the norm, if democratic representation is systematically put aside, if corruption and the arms trade continue to rage, then Africa will never experience peace or development. WHAT HAS THE CHURCH IN AFRICA DONE WITH THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ECCLESIA IN AFRICA? In an effort to implement the guidelines and Orientations given by Pope John Paul II in Ecclesia in Africa, the Church in Africa has striven, over the last ten years, to carry out what the Special Assembly prescribed with regard to Evangelisation, namely: Proclamation, Inculturation, Dialogue, Justice and Peace and the Media of Social Communication. Mindful of the fact that only 14% of the total population of Africa was made up of Catholics ten years ago, the Church in Africa has striven, over the last ten years, to intensify its Proclamation of the Gospel to Non-Christians, increasingly and unceasingly updating her channels for that Proclamation. Mindful of ChristÂs mandate: ÂGo, therefore, make disciples of all nationsÂ (Mt 28:19), the Church in Africa has recognised, over the last ten years, that the Proclamation of the Gospel is meant for all the people of Africa, without exception. With regard to Inculturation, namely, the process b y which Catechesis takes flesh in the various African cultures, the Church in Africa has certainly endeavoured to carry out the clear Orientations of the Special Assembly in this regard,. Two fundamental criteria of genuine Inculturation have ever been kept in mind by African bishops, namely, compatibility with the Gospel and communion with the Universal Church. With regard to the Liturgy in particular, it must be recognised that errors have indeed occurred, here and there, out of ignorance of what Ecclesia in Africa actually said about Inculturation. While such few and scattered errors certainly need to be firmly corrected, the overall picture, with regard to Inculturation, especially in the Liturgy, demonstrates that over the last ten years, the Church in Africa has endeavoured to be uncompromisingly faithful to the following words of Pope John Paul II addressed to the Bishops of Kenya in May 1980: ÂBy respecting, preserving and fostering the particular riches and values of your peopleÂs cultural heritage, you will be in a position to lead them to a better understanding of the mystery of Christ, which is also to be lived in the noble, concrete and daily experience of African life. There is no question of adulterating the Word of God, or emptying the Cross of its power (cf. 1 Cor 1:17), but rather of bringing Christ into the very centre of African life and of lifting up all African life to Christ. Thus, not only is Christianity relevant to Africa, but Christ, in the Members of his Body, is African.Â With regard to Dialogue, the Church in Africa has certainly endeavoured, ever since the publication of Ecclesia in Africa ten years ago, to foster and encourage better relationships and cooperation with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities. Wherever possible, the Church in Africa has concretely manifested her willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation with Islamic Communities. With regard to dialogue with African Traditional Religion, the Particular Churches of Africa have certainly striven over the last ten years, in different ways, to follow the Orientations of Ecclesia in Africa. In this Dialogue with Adherents of African Traditional Religion, the African Bishops, while openly rejoicing on account of the innumerable Âseeds of the WordÂ which they contain, and on account of the fact that they can constitute a preparation for the Gospel, have, nevertheless, been mindful at all times of the following words of Pope Paul VI: ÂWe wish to point out, above all today, that neither respect for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised, is an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Christ. On the contrary the Church holds that these multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ....Â In the realm of Justice and Peace, the Church in Africa has certainly striven to be Âthe voice of the voicelessÂ as demanded by the Special Assembly. Active Justice and Peace Commissions have been set up in most Parishes, in most Particular Churches, and at the level of several Episcopal Conferences. Finally, with regard to the Means of Social Communication, ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ certainly gave our Particular Churches much needed impulsion towards active evangelising action in the world of the Media which are more recognised as a cultural world of its own and in need of being evangelised. THE CHURCH IN AFRICA HAS CHANGED SINCE THE PROMULGATION OF ECCLESIA IN AFRICA The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ, came twenty-six years later, in harmonious continuity with the famous phrase pronounced by Pope Paul VI in Rubaga Cathedral, Uganda, on 31 July 1969: ÂBy now, you Africans are missionaries to yourselves. The Church of Christ is well and truly planted on this blessed soil.Â The Pontiff was addressing the closing session of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). In an Address given by the current Chairman of SECAM at Notre Dame University, Indianapolis, on 3 March 2005, we are informed that Âthe African Church itself has taken a new face since 1994...In the ten years between 1994 and 2004...about 65% of the African episcopate has been replaced since our last Synod ten years ago.Â In his Address to the Plenary Assembly of SECAM in October, 2300, Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte made the following pertinent observation: ÂWhile on the one hand, the rapidity of Episcopal renewal is a cause of joy because of the new sap that is flowing in the veins of the episcopal body and the fountain fo youth which it is procuring for it, on the other hand, it implies a certain apprehension, for most of the new Pastors have not fully participated in the Synod. Now the implementation of the resolutions of ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ require first of all, a change in mentality in order to go beyond ethnic ideologyÂeach Pastor taking pains to act in such a way that each of his faithful feels truly a member in a total capacity of the ChurchÂFamily of GodÂto combat the corruption in society and to encourage civil peace.Â At the General Audience on Wednesday, 22 June 2005, the Successor of St. Peter, Benedict XVI, received the Members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. To all, Pope Benedict XVI said, inter alia: ÂIn a special way, I greet the Members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops who are meeting during these days at the General Secretariat of the Synod. Confirming what my venerable and dear Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had decided on 13 November last year, I wish to announce my intention to convoke the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa. I have the hope that such an Assembly will give a new impetus to evangelisation on the African Continent, to a consolidation and growth of the Church and to the promotion of reconciliation and peace.Â The decision of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, to convoke, in the future, the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, in harmonious continuity with the First Special Assembly, happily meets the hopes, desires and prayers of the Catholics of the African Continent. [Integral text - 00123-01.06] [NNNNN] [Testo originale: inglese] ● The Synod of Bishops in its Special Assembly for Lebanon - Special Assembly for Lebanon H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Cyrille Salim BUSTROS, of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Archbishop of Newton, United States of America (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) The text by the Synodal Father H. Exc. Most Rev. Msg. Cyril Salim Bustros on ÂThe Synod of Bishops in the Special Assembly for LebanonÂ presents a reflection on the outcome of the Assembly gathered around Pope John Paul II in November of 1995, written in the form of a report. Starting with the causes for the conflict between Christians and Muslims that occurred in Beirut in 1975, he shows the reasons for the convocation of the Synodal meeting and the reactions of the Apostolic Exhortation ÂNew Hope for LebanonÂ, promulgated by Pope John Paul II on May 10th 1997. The Apostolic Exhortation by the Holy Father was welcomed by all of Lebanese society, civil and religious. The presence at the Synod of the Orthodox, Protestant and Muslim (Shiite, Sunnite and Druze) Delegations thus witnessed the unity and the spirit of collaboration that Lebanese society must pursue in the spirit of dialogue and conviviality between the religions. Lebanon, John Paul II stated, is more than a nation, it is a message, for the Orient and for the West, of conviviality and of collaboration between the various religions. The report presents, finally, the results of the social changes that emerged from the Synodal reflections and from the encounter between Muslims and Christians. [Presentation - 00162-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: French] ●Fruits of the Synod of America - Special Assembly for America H. Em. Card. Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) In the text by the Synodal Father His Em. Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez titledÂFruits of the Synod for AmericaÂ, the main aspects of the various phases of the Synod on the theme: ÂEncounter with the Living Jesus Christ, the Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in AmericaÂ, were mentioned, as well as the reflections emerging from it. The Synod, convoked by Pope John Paul II in 1994, in preparation for the Great Jubilee, was celebrated in the Vatican from November 16th to December 12th of 1997. About the preparatory phases of the Synod work, the elements of unity between the two Churches present emerged, the most recent on the United States of America and Canada and the one on South America. The first of these common elements is faith in Christ. During the course of the work of this Synod and afterwards, we can see the rise of mutual respect, of a spirit of collaboration between the parts, the knowledge of the common problems and an exchange of spiritual and material gifts, fruits of the spirit so hoped for by the Synod. Some examples of post-Synodal work were also mentioned, which revealed the will to put into practice the spirit of unity and communion expressed in the Synod. This also deals with the welcoming and the application of the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, ÂEcclesia in AmericaÂ, signed by Pope John Paul II in 1999. After its publication, all over the Continent, Plenary Assemblies followed, to study pastoral proposals and common projects animated by a spirit of solidarity. Finally, there is a list of some experiences deemed of particular significance, such as the one promoted by the Bishops of the Dioceses at the border between Mexico and the United States, which organized reunions on the migrants. [Presentation - 00137-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Spanish] ● Some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops - Special Assembly for Asia H. Em. Card. Paul SHAN KUO-HSI, S.I., Bishop of Kaohsiung, (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) FOREWORD I was asked to present a report on the positive results of the The Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops. To present a brief but also comprehensive report on all the positive results seems difficult, not only because the time given to me is too short, but also because there is a great variety of particular Churches with different Apostolic traditions, liturgies, spiritualities, theological schools, missionary activities, etc., not to mention their socio-economical, geo-political, cultural and racial differences. I choose, therefore, to highlight only some positive results on the following three thological areas, namely Christological, Pneumatological and Ecclesiological for which the Synod Fathers have had special concerns. 1. ON CHRISTOLOGICAL AREA: 'THE UNIQUENESS AND UNIVERSALITY OF SALVATION IN JESUS' ("Ecclesia in Asia" n.14) This fundamental article of the Christian faith has been challenged in the last decades even by some Christian theologians. They proposed their arguments from two sources. One source is the statistical fact that there are so many great religions, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity in Asia, except in the Philippines is still a tiny minority after two thousand years of Jesus' birth. Another source is from the Vatican Council II's document"Lumen Gentium" (n.16) on the salvation of the non-Christians. Their conclusion from both arguments is that Jesus Christ is not the unique but one of many saviours. Here is not the proper place to discuss and refute the above mentioned arguments against the uniqueness and universality of salvation in Jesus, but only to present a brief report on the positive result of the Special Assembly in this special Christological area. To my own knowledge, all the particular Churches in Asia under the leadership of their Bishops now are grasping the above mentioned article of doctrine of faith more firmly than before the Special Assembly. And the few people, who provoked the arguments against the article of faith, are keeping quiet either in teaching or in writing. 2. ON PNEUMATOLOGICAL AREA: 'THE SPIRIT IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHRIST' ("ECCLESIA IN ASIA' N.l6) The tendency of the above mentioned few people to separate the activity of the Holy Spirit from that of Christ would jeopardize the truth of Jesus as the unique Saviour of all. Most of them who proposed that the Holy Spirit as an alternative to Christ works separately through the other religions for the salvation of people, would like to promote more easily the interreligious dialogue. It is not the proper purpose of this paper to discuss and refute the above mentioned tendency, but only to present the positive result of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops in the Pneumatological area. After the publication of "Ecclesia in Asia", at least I have not read any new books or articles contrary to the consensus of the Synod Fathers and teaching of "Ecclesia in Asia" in regard to the pneumatological theology. 3. ON ECCLESIASTICAL AREA: 'THE UNION AND UNITY OF TIlE CATHOLIC CHURCH' ("ECCLESIA IN ASIA" DO. 24-28) Communion and unity are the characteristics of the Catholic Church. But some political powers in Asia assume the very internal affairs of communion and unity of the Catholic Church as their own national affairs. Their main purpose of doing this is to create an "Independent Church" modeled on that of the Anglican Church. The great concern of the Synod Fathers for the above mentioned danger is reflected very clearly in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Asia" (nn. 24-28). After the publication of "Ecclesia in Asia", both the particular Churches and the political powers know very well that the bottomline of the Catholic Church's doctrine of faith on communion and unity cannot be compromised, though the danger is not yet over. But there are signs that the position of the political powers on this area is mitigated as little bit lately. CONCLUSION In a very short time and limited space I have pointed out some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops on the above mentioned three theological areas. There are many other positive results in many other areas, such as pastoral, missionary, social, charitable, etc. If you want to know more, you can read my longer report. [Integral text - 00163-02.06] [NNNNN] [Original text: English] ● The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Oceania - Special Assembly for Oceania H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. John Atcherley DEW, Archbishop of Wellington (Member of the Special Assembly) read the text of Cardinal Thomas S. Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington (President Delegate of the Special Assembly) Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, begins his report with an introduction, giving his experiences pertaining to the Synod of Bishops and his participation in the various Synods of the past. He then continues with various points about the Synod of Bishops, which was instituted by Paul VI with the motu proprio ÂApostolica sollicitudoÂ. Later, John Paul II consolidated the autonomy and increased the authority and collegiality of the Synod. The Synod of Bishops was instituted as a Âpermanent council of Bishops for the Universal ChurchÂ, subject directly to the Pope and has its nature as a natural ecclesiastic institution, representing all the Catholic Episcopacy, and perpetual by nature. The finalities are to give information and advice; and may deliberate on certain matters, with the Roman Pontiff ratifying the SynodÂs decisions. The theological foundation of the Synod of Bishops can be found in the unity of the Church expressed by the life of communion of the local churches and the collegiality between all the Bishops (communio et collegialitas).The Synod of Bishops represents the Catholic Episcopacy in the whole world in a moral and manifest way, its decisions are consultive and may become deliberative only by mandate of the Supreme Pontiff. As for the consulting aspect of the Synod of Bishops, John Paul II goes beyond the formal and juridical aspects of the Synod vote and places it in the context of the Church as an organism of communion of faith. In conclusion, Cardinal Tomko compares the Synod of Bishops to a heart, a marvelous ecclesial osmosis that has been going on for the past forty years. [Presentation - 00164-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● II Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops - I and II Special Assemblies for Europe H. Em. Card. Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid (Relator General of the II Special Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) His Em. Cardinal Rouco Varela speaks about the Special Assembly for Europe II of the Synod of Bishops, on the theme: ÂJesus Christ, Alive in His Church, the Source of Hope for EuropeÂ, which took place in the Vatican from October 1st to the 23rd 1999. He was the General Relator and stated that Âit was an authentic event of the ChurchÂ, underlining the opportunity that would have allowed the reflection on the situation in Europe, almost an examination of the conscience, which the celebration of the Great Jubilee for the Year 2000 had invited the whole Catholic Church. The 288 participants, of all ages and coming from all the European countries, all spoke the languages of Europe, coming from the most diverse situations, more than half of them had never been a part of a Synodal Assembly and did not know each other. Yet this did not stop them from finding a renewed and tangible Catholic unity, Cardinal Varela underlined, as well as a harmony on the diagnosis of the European situation in which, after the geo-political reunification, was possible to better perceive the spiritual damages caused by the immanent humanism in its different ideological versions. Therefore, being Âthe hour of truth for Europe, this was the right time for the Hour of the Gospel... the hour for the renewed proclamation of the kerygmaÂ and, on this point, the conviction of the Synodal Fathers was clear and full of hope. Even in Europe there was the need to start again from the beginning, from an essential and clear proposal of the Mystery of Christ. The fact that the sacramental life of the Church is, in part, inseparable from new evangelization was also underlined, because Christian life emerges from the Eucharist and from the other sacraments. The new evangelization, Cardinal Varela continues, has its instruments and its style: dialogue. Dialogue with culture and society through adequate institutions such as schools and Universities, the health and political institutions, those for aide, ecumenical dialogue between the different Christian professions, in particular the need for mutual understanding and charity between the Catholics and the Orthodox, dialogue between the new movements and the ecclesial communities as instruments that the Holy Spirit gave to the Church for the new evangelization and the old institutions and all were invited to communion with the Bishop in the local Church. Cardinal Varela concluded by asserting that Old Europe was expecting words for the future and hope and that the Synod of 1999 and the Apostolic Exhortation ÂEcclesia in EuropaÂ, signed by John Paul II on June 28th 2003, answered with a proposal and an appealÂ Jesus Christ and conversion to the One who has the Word of Eternal Life. [Presentation - 00136-02.03] [NNNNN] [Original text: Spanish]
2279	dbpedia	2	52	https://www.academia.edu/57302344/Catholic_Church_in_selected_African_countries	en	Catholic Church in selected African countries	http://a.academia-assets.com/images/open-graph-icons/fb-book.gif	http://a.academia-assets.com/images/open-graph-icons/fb-book.gif	[ "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/academia-logo-redesign-2015-A.svg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/academia-logo-redesign-2015.svg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/single_work_splash/adobe.icon.svg", "https://0.academia-photos.com/attachment_thumbnails/72268981/mini_magick20211012-9598-ocg8p6.png?1634023511", "https://0.academia-photos.com/69038420/31927021/29089650/s65_rafa_.pokrywi_ski.jpg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loaders/paper-load.gif", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Rafał Pokrywiński", "get-money.academia.edu" ]	2021-10-12T00:00:00	Catholic Church in selected African countries				https://www.academia.edu/57302344/Catholic_Church_in_selected_African_countries	As we continue to celebrate the 50-year Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, we recall the historical foundations of African Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in the People of God Model of Church and in the communion ecclesiology of Vatican II. A study of five documents of Vatican II reveals that Small Christian Communities are one of the great fruits of the council and an awakening of the church as the People/Nation of God. The founding fathers of AMECEA had a vision of implementing Vatican II’s ecclesiology of communion in Eastern Africa that focused on the communion (koinonia) and service (diakonia) aspects. Both African Synods built on the foundations of Vatican II and highlighted the pastoral and missionary role of SCCs. This article integrates the positions of three speakers at the Theological Symposium 2013. Pastoral, parish-based SCCs are part of the “new face” of the parish and a significant part of a new way of being parish from below. The parish is a communion or network of SCCs within the “communion of communities” ecclesiology. Today there are over 160,000 Small Christian Communities in the nine AMECEA countries in Eastern Africa. Kenya alone has over 45,000 SCCs. We are optimistic that the experience of SCCs as a New Model of Church from the grassroots as witnessed by SCC members in Africa will bring significant changes in new pastoral structures corresponding to our contemporary communion ecclesiology and the ecclesial reality on the local level. A Vision for research from the African Synods Benedict XVI provides a useful vision statement regard the need for research in Catholic institutions of higher learning Given the great ferment of peoples, cultures and religions which marks our age, Catholic universities and academic institutions play an essential role in the patient, rigorous and humble search for the light which comes from Truth… " Dear brothers and sisters in Catholic universities and academic institutions, it falls to you, " on the one hand, to shape the minds and hearts of the younger generation in the light of the Gospel and, on the other, to help African societies better to understand the challenges confronting them today by providing Africa, through your research and analyses, with the light she needs. (AM 136) Both African synods have indicated important areas for research in African Catholic Institutes of Higher learning. These include African Theology, Inculturation, Liturgical Inculturation, publishing books on Catholic Truth, undertaking assignments given by Bishops, and the Study of cultures (EA 103; AM 131). In addition the areas of marriage, the veneration of ancestors, and the spirit world are of particular importance but such research should be carried out in association with the bishops (EA 104). This is because " The cultural aspects of problems in Africa need studying from the theological, sacramental, liturgical and canonical points of view ". (EA 104) Benedict XVI added two other important areas: Youth evangelisation and ministry (AM 135) as well as Challenges in African societies today (AM 135). It is clear that this last area goes beyond the focus on culture presented earlier and raises a whole host of research areas within philosophy, history, scripture, systematic theology and social sciences which could motivate our research in the future. It merits particular attention What about Seminaries? Major Seminaries provide appropriate religious formation and instruction in duties proper to the priesthood for young men who intend to become priests (CIC 235 §1). Seminaries fall under the dicastery of the Clergy (MI 2013). Catholic Institutes of Higher learning fall under the dicastery of Catholic Education. However in many of our countries, seminaries also provide the major concentrations of highly qualified Catholic theologians, philosophers, as well as academics in other fields in the humanities. Seminaries are often consulted by bishops in a wide range of theological and pastoral questions. Seminary staff also provide a significant number of future local bishops. For these reasons, seminary staff should also be considered as an important locus for the production of Catholic knowledge on local issues. In an increasingly globalized world such The very first Small Christian Communities (SCCs)/Basic Christian Communities (BCCs) in Africa started in DRC in 1961.The very beginning of SCCs in Eastern Africa can be traced back to the parishes of the Luo-speaking Deanery (especially Nyarombo, Ingri and Masonga Parishes) in North Mara in Musoma Diocese in northwestern Tanzania in 1966. The AMECEA Study Conference on “Planning for the Church in Eastern Africa in the 1980s” in Nairobi, Kenya in December, 1973 stated: “We have to insist on building church life and work on Basic Christian Communities in both rural and urban areas. Church life must be based on the communities in which everyday life and work take place: those basic and manageable social groups whose members can experience real inter-personal relationships and feel a sense of communal belonging, both in living and working.” This pastoral policy was in the context of the statement: “We are convinced that in these countries of Eastern Africa it is time for the Church to become truly local, that is, self-ministering, self-propagating and self-supporting.” This is rooted in the theology that SCCs are not optional, but are the basic unit/basic cell/basic building block/basic foundation/most local expression of the Catholic Church. The AMECEA Study Conference on “Building Small Christian Communities” took place in Nairobi, Kenya in 1976. The key statement was: "Systematic formation of Small Christian Communities should be the key pastoral priority in the years to come in Eastern Africa.” This is the single most important statement made about SCCs. The meeting went on to affirm the essential ecclesial character and characteristics of Small Christian Communities by stating: “The [Small] Christian Communities we are trying to build are simply the most local incarnations of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” A major step was the First African Synod in Rome in April, 1994 on the theme "The Church in Africa and Her Evangelizing Mission to the Year 2000” with five main topics: "Proclamation of the Good News of Salvation", "Inculturation," "Dialogue", "Justice and Peace" and the "Means of Social Communications." Of the 211 interventions during the first two weeks of the First African Synod, there were 29 interventions on SCCs (the fourth highest number after the topics of justice, inculturation and laity). The last 10 years has seen the increasing involvement of SCCs in promoting forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, justice and peace in Africa. There is considerable documentation on how some of the 20,000 base communities (another name for SCCs) were involved in the reconciliation and healing ministry in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. Research in Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan indicates that women are better in peacemaking than men. Men tend to emphasize power and control while women emphasize personal relationships. The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) in Lusaka, Zambia produced guided reflection pamphlets on justice and peace topics for SCCs to generate faith-based action. The various reflection methods in the Lumko Program especially related to social justice are used throughout Africa. Today there are over 180,000 Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in the Catholic Church in the nine AMECEA countries. Tanzania has over 60,000 SCCs and Kenya has over 45,000 SCCs. Since 1973 they have been a key pastoral priority in Eastern Africa as a “New Way of Being (Becoming) Church” and a “New Pastoral Model of Church.” The rich experience of the church in Eastern Africa especially pastoral, parish-based SCCs is contributing to the other parts of Africa and to the World Church. SCCs is a pastoral model of church integrally connected to the structures, ministries and activities of the parish. This helps local Catholics feel that “they are the church” and more responsible (“ownership”) for church life and decision making. SCCs are becoming more involved in justice and peace issues. What is the future? Many African SCCs have emerged from reading the contemporary signs of the times in Africa and responding to today’s reality. Cardinal Polycarp Pengo of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the former President of SECAM, calls SCCs “a special or privileged instrument of evangelization.” Tanzanian theologian Laurenti Magesa emphasizes: “For the future of Christian mission, specifically in Africa, we can say without hesitation that the development of small faith communities is an indispensable requirement.” They can play a major role in the New Evangelization. Already as a new way of being church and a new model of church (closely related to the Church as Family and the Communion of Communities Models of Church) African SCCs are influencing the World Church. SCCs in Africa will continue to develop in the spirit of the Spanish proverb popular with the Base or Basic Christian Communities in Latin America: "We create the path by walking."
2279	dbpedia	1	4	https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/living-as-a-catholic/out-in-the-community/bamenda/	en	Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth,	https://www.portsmouthdi…AS-690x450-1.jpg	https://www.portsmouthdi…AS-690x450-1.jpg	[ "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DiocesanCrest_wordsside_trans-1.png", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/4e1d59_2f4169e01b704b3ea73329937b1c183f_mv2-610x576.jpg", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/4e1d59_8278e18ddef64637a9edceac766377de_mv2-610x576.jpg", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/4e1d59_977555eaa8d0420daec3839806aad65b_mv2-768x576.webp", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/3.webp", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1.webp", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2.webp", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/4.webp", "https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DiocesanCrest_trans_nospace.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2021-09-23T14:59:07+00:00		en	https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/wp-content/themes/Eldo/images/favicon.ico	Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth	https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/living-as-a-catholic/out-in-the-community/bamenda/	Bishop Philip invites you to join him at St John’s Cathedral, Portsmouth on Saturday 6th July for a Mass of Thanksgiving at 11 am to mark the 50th anniversary of the link between the Archdiocese of Bamenda and the Diocese of Portsmouth. He will be joined by Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda and Fr Bernardine Nsom, who will lead a delegation of 13 priests, religious and laity from Bamenda, visas permitting. Please join us at the Cathedral for what promises to be a joyous Celebration Mass, followed by an exhibition and displays in the Discovery Centre, ending with Evening Prayer & Blessing at 4 pm. We are expecting to be joined by some 100 members of the Cameroonian Community from around the UK! Please come for all or any part of the day. Prayer for the Golden Jubilee of the Bamenda-Portsmouth Link Heavenly Father, we thank you for the bond of love and friendship which has existed between the Archdiocese of Bamenda and the Diocese of Portsmouth for fifty years. We are deeply grateful to you for the spiritual and material benefits this union has yielded. Guided by your Word and filled with your Holy Spirit, may we receive the grace to grow in partnership and understanding as we celebrate as one body, sharing in the one bread of Christ. Bless those who have made selfless sacrifices to sustain us, especially the priests who have served in our dioceses. May their work be rewarded in the abundance of your grace. May Mary Immaculate, St Joseph, St Edmund and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, our Patrons, intercede for us. Amen. Twinned with Bamenda Bamenda is the capital of North West Province in Cameroon, West Africa. In 1970 the Bamenda Diocese had been created with Paul Verdzekov appointed as the first bishop. In 1974, Bishop Derek Worlock of Portsmouth and Bishop Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda initiated our diocesan twinning as a practical demonstration of the Pope’s Vatican II document “Gaudium et Spes” (‘Hope & Joy’). To support this twinning relationship, the Diocese of Portsmouth comprises a team that supports, enables, directs and develops the relationship and ecclesial exchange between the Diocese of Portsmouth and the Archdiocese of Bamenda. This includes promoting prayer for one another, practical and financial support for projects, the organisation of exchange visits, the promotion of the link in our schools and parishes, and the sharing of news and information. Priests and lay people of Portsmouth are appointed by the bishop to the Portsmouth Bamenda Committee which serves the link on behalf of the Diocese. Currently, there are six fine priests from Bamenda serving in the parishes across our diocese and over the past 40 years more than £1,000,000 has been raised by Portsmouth parishioners for projects that have been successfully implemented in the areas of Faith, Health, Education and Social Welfare, locally by Ad Hoc committees in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Click here to view the recent letter from Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth to Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda. Socio Political Situation These are very challenging times, particularly for the people of our sister diocese in Bamenda with the deteriorating socio political situation in Cameroon. The situation in the Cameroon has complex origins in the relationship between the French and English speaking provinces and in the recent imposition of controls by the political authorities. The situation has led to much violence and atrocities. The International Crisis Group has stated that “both sides have committed abuses against the population, including burning villages, closing down schools and killing civilians. Violence has claimed around 3,000 lives, displaced half a million people and compelled another 40,000 to flee to Nigeria. It has deprived 700,000 children of schooling in their home areas and left one in three people in the Anglophone regions in need of humanitarian aid”. The Catholic Church has been forthright in condemning the violence on all sides and advocating for peaceful dialogue. We have heard many shocking stories from our friends in Bamenda and Bishop Philip asks for your prayers for peace, reconciliation and a just outcome. Find out More
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2279	dbpedia	2	25	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/category/religion/world-religion/page/8/	en	World – Page 8 – Cameroon Intelligence Report	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIRlogo.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Same-sex-marriage.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cardinal-sarah.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/pope-arrives.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Iraqi-cleric.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Francis-and-Benedict.jpeg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Monsig.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Rev-Dr-Agbaw-Ebai-Maurice.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/editorialDesk.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dr-Joachim-Arrey.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Manyu-Women.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biya-aging-disgracefully-.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15443061_1288047547922035_8881697775161873782_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/88274b.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15723506_1297938123599644_5496544536068955670_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Buhari-and-Paul-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6a00d83451ce8669e2019aff3bc5c1970d.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/dist/images/gdpr-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2021-03-15T17:45:27+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/favicon.ico		null	Vatican’s Doctrinal Office: Catholic Church Cannot Give Blessings to Same-Sex Unions The Vatican’s doctrinal office on Monday clarified that the Catholic Church does not have the power to give liturgical blessings of homosexual unions. Answering the question “does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?,” the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith responded, “negative.” In an accompanying note, the doctrine office explained that blessings are sacramentals, and “consequently, in order to conform with the nature of sacramentals, when a blessing is invoked on particular human relationships, in addition to the right intention of those who participate, it is necessary that what is blessed be objectively and positively ordered to receive and express grace, according to the designs of God inscribed in creation, and fully revealed by Christ the Lord.” “Therefore, only those realities which are in themselves ordered to serve those ends are congruent with the essence of the blessing imparted by the Church,” the CDF said. “For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex.” The ruling and note were approved for publication by Pope Francis and signed by CDF prefect Cardinal Luis Ladaria and secretary Archbishop Giacomo Morandi. The CDF’s note did not state the origin of the dubium submitted to the doctrinal office, but noted that “in some ecclesial contexts, plans and proposals for blessings of unions of persons of the same sex are being advanced.” In recent years, German bishops in particular have been increasingly outspoken in demanding “discussions about an opening” towards acceptance of practiced homosexuality and the blessing of homosexual unions in the Church. Following consultations in Berlin in late 2019, the chairman of the marriage and family commission of the German bishops’ conference declared that the German bishops agreed that homosexuality was a “normal form” of human sexual identity. The topic also plays a central role in one of four forums that constitute the controversial “Synodal Process” underway in Germany. The CDF explained in 2003 that “the Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.” German bishops who have publicly voiced support for the blessing of same-sex unions in the Catholic Church include Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, and Bishop Heinrich Timmerervers of Dresden-Meißen. Bishop Bätzing, the president of the German bishops’ conference, in December 2020 called for changes to the section on homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Expressing openness to blessings of homosexual unions, he said, “we need solutions for this.” On Feb. 23, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz defended his support for a book of blessings and rites for homosexual unions. The book followed a May 2020 publication from Austria about how same-sex couples might receive a formal, liturgical blessing. Kohlgraf suggested that Catholics with homosexual inclinations cannot all be expected to live chastely. The call for liturgical blessings of same-sex unions is part of a wider push by some German bishops to change the Church’s teaching on a number of issues, including on the sacraments of priestly ordination and marriage. CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German partner agency, reported that Bishop Bätzing has suggested that the Vatican Synod of Bishops on synodality, scheduled for October 2022, could help implement German “Synodal Way” resolutions not only in Germany, but throughout the Catholic Church. Source: National Catholic Register Cardinal Robert Sarah: “I have never opposed the pope.” Cardinal Robert Sarah on Wednesday rejected claims that he and Pope Francis are enemies, in his first interview since stepping down from his Vatican post. In an interview with an Italian newspaper published March 10, the Guinean cardinal said that he had “tried to be a loyal, obedient, and humble servant of the truth of the Gospel.” “Even though some journalists continually repeat the same nonsense,” he told Il Foglio, “I have never opposed the pope.” An English translation of the cardinal’s interview was published on Wednesday by the National Catholic Register. On Feb. 20, Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Sarah’s resignation as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Sarah had submitted his resignation to the pope when he turned 75 in June 2020, as Church norms dictate. Before his resignation, Sarah was the most senior African prelate at the Vatican, appointed head of the liturgy department by Pope Francis in November 2014. Sarah said in his interview that when Pope Francis told him that he had decided to accept the resignation, “I immediately replied that I was happy and grateful for his decision.” “I am happy and proud to have served three popes — St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis — in the Roman Curia for more than 20 years,” the cardinal continued. “Some people insinuate without reason or even being able to provide concrete and credible proof that we were enemies, it’s not true! Pope Francis likes frankness. We have always worked together with simplicity, despite the fantasies of journalists,” he said. Sarah criticized the idea that his former role leading the Congregation for Divine Worship was “an honorary position, but of little importance.” “I believe that the responsibility for the liturgy puts us at the heart of the Church, of her raison d’être. The Church is neither an administration nor a human institution. The Church mysteriously prolongs Christ’s presence on earth,” he said. Sarah quoted the Second Vatican Council document Sacrosanctum concilium, which says that the liturgy is “a sacred action surpassing all others” and “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows.” “The Church exists to give men to God and to give God to men,” Sarah explained. “This is precisely the role of the liturgy: to worship God and to communicate divine grace to souls. When the liturgy is sick, the whole Church is in danger because her relationship with God is not only weakened but deeply damaged.” He recalled Benedict XVI’s comment that the crisis of the Church is “essentially a crisis of the liturgy because it is a crisis of the relationship with God.” “If God is not at the center of the Church’s life, then she is in danger of death,” the cardinal said. Sarah also emphasized that the liturgy is about God, not the community or individual. This reality, he said, is expressed well when the liturgy is said ad orientem, meaning with the priest facing the altar, or liturgical East, rather than the people. The cardinal also explained why he thought that silence was important in the liturgy. “When man remains silent, he leaves a place for God,” he said. “On the contrary, when the liturgy becomes chatty, it forgets that the cross is its center, it organizes itself around the microphone.” He said these questions are crucial, “because they determine the place we give to God,” and lamented that they had become “ideological.” Factional struggles within the Church are a source of suffering for him, he said. “Too often we act as if everything is a question of politics, power, influence and the unjustified imposition of a hermeneutic of Vatican II that totally breaks and is irreversibly at odds with Tradition.” He declared it “false” that he was opposed to the Second Vatican Council because he spoke of a sense of the sacred in the liturgy. “I don’t believe that the struggle between progressives and conservatives has any meaning in the Church. These categories are political and ideological,” he said, adding that “the Church is not a field of political struggle.” “The only thing that counts is to seek God ever more deeply, to meet him there and humbly kneel down to adore him.” It was unfortunate, Cardinal Sarah said, that there are “ideologues” who set the pre-Council Church against the post-Council Church. According to the cardinal, these people “are dividers; they are doing the work of the devil.” “The Church is one, without rupture, without changing course, because her Founder ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,’” he said. “She goes towards God, she directs us towards him. From the profession of faith of St. Peter to Pope Francis through Vatican II, the Church turns us towards Christ.” Now that he is retired, Sarah said that he intended to continue working and was happy to have more time to pray and read. “I will continue to write, to speak, to travel. Here in Rome, I continue to receive priests and faithful from all over the world,” he said. Sarah will continue to serve as a member of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, where he said he saw “with immense joy how the Church is bursting with holiness.” “More than ever the Church needs bishops who speak clearly, free and faithful to Jesus Christ and to the doctrinal and moral teachings of his Gospel,” he said. “I intend to continue this mission and even amplify it.” Source: Catholic News Agency Pope visits Iraqi Christians, leads prayer for ‘victims of war’ in Mosul Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for “victims of war” outside a centuries-old church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, heavily damaged by the Islamic State group. The 84-year-old, travelling under tight security, led a prayer service for the victims of the war in Mosul, an ancient crossroads whose centre was reduced to rubble by fierce fighting to oust the Islamic State (IS) group. Francis said that the exodus of Christians from Iraq and the broader Middle East “does incalculable harm not just to the individuals and communities concerned, but also to the society they leave behind”. The visit to Mosul follows an interfaith rally on Saturday where the pope reinforced his message of inter-religious tolerance and fraternity during the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, a country riven by religious and ethnic divisions. “We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion,” Francis said as he urged Iraq’s Muslim and Christian religious leaders to put aside animosities and work together for peace and unity. Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace” aims to reassure the country’s ancient, but dwindling, Christian community and to expand his dialogue with other religions. The leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics on Saturday met Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric, the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who agreed that Iraq’s Christians should be able to live in “peace”. “We all hope that this visit will be a good omen for the Iraqi people,” Adnane Youssef, a Christian from northern Iraq, told AFP. “We hope that it will lead to better days.” The Christian community of Iraq, a Muslim-majority country of 40 million, has shrunk from 1.5 million before the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein to only 400,000 now, about one percent of the population. “This very important visit will boost our morale after years of difficulties, problems and wars,” said an Iraqi Christian leader, Father George Jahoula. Rebuilding efforts Back in 2014, when IS militants swept across one third of Iraq, Pope Francis had said he was ready to come to meet the displaced and other victims of war. Seven years later, after a stop early Sunday in the Kurdish north of Iraq, he got to see for himself the devastated Old City of Mosul and efforts to rebuild it. Pope Francis will also visit Qaraqosh, further east in the Nineveh Plain, which is one of Iraq’s oldest Christian towns. It was largely destroyed in 2014 when IS rampaged through the area, but its residents have trickled back since 2017 and slowly worked at rebuilding their hometown. To honour the pope, local artisans have woven a two-metre (6.5-foot) prayer shawl, or stole, with the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” prayers carefully hand-stitched in golden thread in Syriac, a dialect of the language spoken by Jesus Christ, which is still used in Qaraqosh. Pope Francis’s Iraq schedule The pope’s programme in Iraq includes visits to the cities of Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Mosul, Qaraqosh and Erbil. He will traverse some 1,445 kms in a country where tensions still linger and where more recently the scourge of Covid-19 has led to record numbers of infections. Pope Francis will travel in an armoured car through the customary crowds that flock to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church. At times he will be required to travel either by helicopter or plane over areas where jihadists belonging to the Islamic State group are still present. Proceedings kicked off Friday with a speech to Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, addressing the security and economic difficulties confronting Iraq’s 40 million people. The pope also discusses the persecution of the country’s Christian minority. On Saturday he was hosted in the holy city of Najaf by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority for many Shiites in Iraq and the world. The pope also made a trip to the ancient city of Ur, which according to the Bible is the birthplace of the prophet Abraham, a figure common to the three monotheistic religions. There he prayed with Muslims, Yazidis and Sanaeans (a pre-Christian monotheist religion). Francis will continue his journey on Sunday in the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq, the cradle of Iraqi Christians. He will then head to Mosul and Qaraqoch, two cities marked by the destruction of Islamic extremists. The pontiff will conclude his tour by presiding over an open-air mass on Sunday in the presence of thousands of Christians in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. This Kurdish Muslim stronghold has offered refuge to hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Muslims who fled the atrocities of the Islamic State group. Holy mass in stadium Security will be extra-tight in the north of Iraq, where state forces are still hunting IS remnants and sleeper cells. Many thousands of troops and police have been deployed as the pope has criss-crossed the country, taking planes, helicopters and armoured convoys to cover more than 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) in-country. The other major challenge is the Covid-19 pandemic, as Iraq has recently been in the grip of a second wave, with a record of more than 5,000 cases in a day. Iraqi authorities have imposed lockdown measures to control crowds, but thousands of faithful were expected to flock to a stadium later Sunday in the northern city of Arbil to hear the pope. Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s oil-rich northern Kurdish region, has been a relative haven of stability and a place of refuge for many Christians who fled IS. Several thousand seats in the Franso Hariri stadium will be left empty to avoid creating a super-spreader event when Iraqis come to hear the Catholic leader, known here as “Baba al-Vatican”, deliver the holy mass. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) The Holy Father begins historic visit to war-ravaged Iraq as ‘pilgrim of peace’ Pope Francis landed in Iraq Friday to begin his historic trip to the war-battered country, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world’s oldest and most persecuted Christian communities. The pope, who wore a mask during the flight, kept it on as he descended the stairs to the tarmac and was greeted by two masked children in traditional dress. A red carpet was rolled out on the tarmac at Baghdad’s international airport with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on hand to greet him. The 84-year-old, who said he is making his first-ever papal visit to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace,” will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when he meets Iraq’s top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. The four-day journey is the pope’s first abroad since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which left the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics saying he felt “caged” inside the Vatican. While Francis has been vaccinated, Iraq has been gripped by a second wave with a record of over 5,000 new cases a day, prompting authorities to impose full lockdowns during the pontiff’s visit. Security was tight in Iraq, a country that is still hunting for Islamic State (IS) group sleeper cells after years of war and insurgency. Only days ago, a barrage of rockets ploughed into a military base hosting US troops. Hundreds of people had gathered along the airport road with hopes of catching a glimpse of the pope’s plane touching down. Iraqis were keen to welcome him and the global attention his visit will bring, with banners and posters hanging high in central Baghdad, and billboards depicting Francis with the slogan “We are all Brothers” decorating the main thoroughfare. Services in ravaged churches, refurbished stadiums Francis will preside over a half-dozen services in ravaged churches, refurbished stadiums and remote desert locations, where attendance will be limited to allow for social distancing. Inside the country, he will travel more than 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) by plane and helicopter, flying over areas where security forces are still battling IS remnants. For shorter trips, Francis will take an armoured car on freshly paved roads that will be lined with flowers and posters welcoming the leader known here as “Baba Al-Vatican”. The pope’s visit has deeply touched Iraq’s Christians, whose numbers have collapsed over years of persecution and sectarian violence, from 1.5 million in 2003 to fewer than 400,000 today. “We’re hoping the pope will explain to the government that it needs to help its people,” a Christian from Iraq’s north, Saad al-Rassam, told AFP. “We have suffered so much, we need the support.” ‘Too many martyrs’ The first day of the pope’s ambitious itinerary will see him meet government officials and clerics in the capital Baghdad, including at the Our Lady of Salvation church, where a jihadist attack left dozens dead in 2010. He will also visit the northern province of Nineveh, where in 2014 IS jihadists forced minorities to either flee, convert to Islam or be put to death. “People had only a few minutes to decide if they wanted to leave or be decapitated,” recalled Karam Qacha, a Chaldean Catholic priest in Nineveh. “We left everything — except our faith.” Some 100,000 Christians — around half of those who lived in the province — fled, of whom just 36,000 have returned, according to Catholic charity “Aid to the Church in Need”. Among the returnees, a third have said they want to leave again in coming years, dismayed by Iraq’s rampant corruption, persecution and poverty, which now affects 40 percent of the population. The exodus is a loss for all of Iraq, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Oriental Churches and will accompany the pope to Iraq. “A Middle East without Christians is like trying to make bread with flour, but no yeast or salt,” he said. The visit aims not only to encourage Christians to stay in their homeland, but even prompt some emigres to return from nearby Lebanon and Jordan, or further afield like Canada and Australia. In a video address ahead of the trip, Francis evoked “the wounds of loved ones left behind and homes abandoned,” saying there had been “too many martyrs” in Iraq. “I come as a pilgrim, a penitent pilgrim to implore forgiveness and reconciliation from the Lord after years of war and terrorism.” ‘Minarets and church bells’ The pope has insisted on the visit despite resurging violence. Rocket attacks across the country have left three people dead in recent weeks, including a US contractor who died Wednesday. Francis’ determination to travel to areas long shunned by foreign dignitaries has impressed many in Iraq — as has his planned meeting with Sistani, 90, the top authority for Iraq’s Shiites. A highly reclusive figure who rarely accepts visitors, Sistani will make an exception to host Francis at his humble home in the shrine city of Najaf on Saturday. Banners all over Najaf have celebrated “the historic encounter, between the minarets and the church bells”. Francis, a major supporter of inter-religious dialogue, will afterwards head to the desert site of Ur, where Abraham is thought to have been born. There, he will host an interfaith service that will bring together not only the Abrahamic religions but also include followers of other beliefs, including Yazidis and Sabeans. The Pope’s programme in Iraq includes visits to the cities of Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Mosul, Qaraqosh and Erbil. He will traverse some 1,445 km in a country where Iraqi-American tensions still linger and where more recently the scourge of Covid-19 has led to record numbers of infections. Pope Francis will travel in an armoured car to avoid the customary crowds that flock to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church. At times he will be required to travel either by helicopter or plane over areas where jihadists belonging to the Islamic State group are still present. Proceedings kick off Friday with a speech to Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, addressing the security and economic difficulties confronting Iraq’s 40 million people. The pope is also expected to mention the persecution of the country’s Christian minority. On Saturday he will visit the holy city of Najaf, where he will be hosted by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority for many Shiites in Iraq and the world. The pope will make a trip to the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace, according to the Bible, of the prophet Abraham, a figure common to the three monotheistic religions. There he will pray with Muslims, Yazidis and Sanaeans (pre-Christian monotheisms). Francis will continue his journey on Sunday in the province of Nineveh (northern Iraq), the cradle of Iraqi Christians. He will then head to Mosul and Qaraqoch, two cities marked by the destruction of the Islamic extremists. The pontiff will conclude his tour by presiding over an open-air Mass on Sunday in the presence of thousands of Christians in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. This Kurdish Muslim stronghold has offered refuge to hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Muslims who fled the atrocities of the Islamic State group. (FRANCE 24 with AP and REUTERS) Pope Francis to meet top Shiite cleric Sistani on Iraq visit Pope Francis is to meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during the first-ever papal visit to Iraq in March, a senior Catholic cleric told AFP on Thursday. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a “private visit” between the two religious figures at Sistani’s residence in the shrine city of Najaf, “without formalities.” Sistani, 90, is never seen in public and rarely accepts visitors. The confirmation of the bilateral meeting comes weeks after other parts of the Pope’s visit were set. Sako said he hoped the two figures would sign the document on “human fraternity for world peace,” an inter-religious text condemning extremism. Pope Francis signed the document with the leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019. Sako said the pope was hoping for endorsement from an influential Shiite cleric like Sistani. “He would represent the second major part of Islam signing on to this historic document,” the cardinal told AFP. Pope Francis is set to be in Iraq from March 5 to 8 with an ambitious programme that will take round the country. In Baghdad, he will hold a mass at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation, where a deadly attack in 2010 left dozens of celebrants dead. He will also travel north to Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh plains, overrun by the Islamic State group in 2014, and the nearby Kurdish regional capital Arbil. Following his visit to Sistani, he will travel to the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born. The Pope will hold an inter-religious prayer service there, to be attended by representatives of Iraq’s various faiths — Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Yazidi and Sabean, Sako said. – ‘A source of hope’ – Iraq once counted more than 1.5 million Christians, but the community has been ravaged by successive conflicts. Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by IS in 2014 further hit all minority communities. Now, an estimated 400,000 Christians remain in Iraq, out of a total population of 40 million. Many have expressed hope that the Pope’s visit will highlight the challenges facing the community, including prolonged displacement and little representation in government. “It will be a comfort and a source of hope,” Sako said. He said Christians were suffering from the weakness of the Iraqi state, compared to other armed actors and even tribes that were threatening the presence of minorities. “It’s like the Middle Ages,” said the cardinal. Much of Iraq is no longer experiencing active conflict but a twin suicide blast a week ago killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more. The Pope condemned that attack as a “senseless act of brutality.” But overall, Iraqis have been more concerned by a severe economic downturn prompted by the collapse in world oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused thousands of deaths in the country over the past year. The spread of the virus appears to have slowed according to official numbers, and Pope Francis was recently vaccinated. Source: AFP Pope Francis, ex-pope Benedict get virus vaccines Both Pope Francis and his predecessor, former pope Benedict XVI, have received the coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican said on Thursday. The Argentine pontiff, 84, has previously spoken of the importance of the jab in the fight against Covid-19, which has severely curtailed his own love of being among his flock. Under the Vatican’s vaccination programme launched Wednesday, “the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered to Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said. It had already been reported that Francis, 84, had received the jab on Wednesday, but officials declined to confirm the news. The Vatican News portal said Benedict, 93, was given a dose on Thursday morning. The former pontiff, who stepped down in 2013, lives in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens. In an interview broadcast at the weekend, Francis urged people to get the vaccine. “There is a suicidal denial which I cannot explain, but today we have to get vaccinated,” he told Canale 5. The Vatican in December said it was “morally acceptable” for Catholics even where the vaccines had been developed using cell lines from aborted foetuses. In his Christmas message last year, Francis also added his voice to calls for vaccines to be available across the globe, not just in rich countries. He urged “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet”. – Iraq trip in doubt – The Argentine has been forced to limit his interaction with the public since the virus first swept Italy early last year, notably switching his weekly Wednesday audiences online. Francis conceded at the weekend that his historic trip to Iraq planned for March, the first visit by a pope to the Middle Eastern country, could be in doubt. Recalling how he was forced to cancel his foreign trips last year due to the pandemic, he said: “I don’t know if the upcoming trip to Iraq will happen.” He added: “I cannot in all conscience encourage gatherings.” There are serious concerns about how Francis would cope if he himself became infected, given both his age and his history of lung problems. The pope almost died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy, according to biographer Austen Ivereigh, and had part of one of his lungs removed. He recalled the incident in a recent book, “Let Us Dream”, saying: “I have some sense of how people with coronavirus feel as they struggle to breathe on ventilators.” Media reports suggested Pope Francis received the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which was authorised for use in the European Union on December 21. Source: AFP The Holy Father says Diego Maradona on the field was a poet, a great champion who brought joy to millions With a ball made from rags and surging adrenaline, the young Jorge Bergoglio and his friends pulled off “miracles” playing football in the street, Pope Francis recalled on Saturday. Now 84, the Argentine pope remembered “the joy, the happiness on everyone’s faces,” after the 1946 victory of his Buenos Aires team, San Lorenzo, in a 31-page interview about sport published Saturday in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. The first pope from Latin America called Diego Maradona a “poet” on the field, as he weighed in on the joys of sport. Expounding on themes of hard work, sacrifice and camaraderie, Francis shared memories of the makeshift footballs that sufficed to exhilarate him and his boyhood friends. “Leather cost too much and we were poor, rubber wasn’t used so much yet, but for us all we needed was a ball of rags to amuse ourselves and to create miracles, almost, playing in the little square near home,” Francis said. Acknowledging he was “not among the best” of the footballers, Bergoglio played goalkeeper, which he characterised as a good school for learning how to respond to “dangers that could arrive from anywhere”. The pontiff — described by the paper as “a pope of the people in the most noble sense of the term” — touched on the need for teamwork and working towards a shared goal. “Either you play together, or you risk crashing. That’s how small groups, capable of staying united, succeed in taking down bigger teams incapable of working together,” he said. The interview, which took place in early December at the Vatican, also saw the pope condemn doping in sport and stress the need to nurture talent through hard work. “It’s not only a cheat, a shortcut that revokes dignity, but it’s also wanting to steal from God that spark which, through his mysterious ways, he gave to some in a special and greater form,” he said. Francis called the Olympics “one of the highest forms of human ecumenism”, involving “sharing effort for a better world”. – Fragile poet – He recalled meeting Argentine footballer Maradona, who died in November, during a “match for peace” in Rome in 2014. “On the field he was a poet, a great champion who brought joy to millions of people, in Argentina as well as Naples. He was also a very fragile man,” Francis said. The pontiff said that after learning of Maradona’s death, he prayed for him and sent a rosary to his family with some words of comfort. The pope, who has made inclusion of marginalised people one of the central themes of his papacy, shared his amazement and emotion at the accomplishments of the athletes who compete in the Paralympic Games, while expressing disappointment at “rich champions” turned “sluggish, almost bureaucrats of their sport.” Sport, he said, was marked by the efforts of so many of those who, “with sweat on their brows” beat those born with “talent in their pockets” “The poor thirst for redemption: give them a book, a pair of shoes, a ball and they show themselves capable of unimaginable achievements.” Source: AFP Covid-19 dampens Christmas cheer in Bethlehem, Rome and beyond Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. The Italian government’s 10 pm curfew prompted pastors to move up services, with “Midnight” Mass starting Thursday evening in some churches as early as a couple hours after dark. Pope Francis, who has said people “must obey” civil authorities’ measures to fight the spread of Covid-19, fell in line. This year, the Christmas vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was moved up from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Normally, seats at the vigil Mass are quickly snapped up, by Romans and by tourists, but the pandemic has reduced tourists in Italy to a trickle. In keeping with social distancing measures, barely 200 faithful — instead of several thousand — spaced out in the basilica’s pews and wearing masks, attended Francis’ celebration of the Mass. A row of fiery red poinsettia plants warmly contrasted with the sumptuous cold marble of the basilica. Francis in his homily offered reflections on Christmas’ significance. “We often hear it said that the greatest joy in life is the birth of a child. It is something extraordinary and it changes everything,” he said. A child “makes us feel loved but can also teach us how to love.” “God was born a child in order to encourage us to care for others,” said Francis, who has made attention to the poor and unjustly treated a key theme of his papacy. Celebrations elsewhere in Europe were canceled or greatly scaled back as Covid-19 infections surge across the continent and a new variant that may be more contagious has been detected. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. In normal times, voices of children singing carols while tinkling metal triangles can be heard all day. The decades-old custom, in which children go house to house and receive small gifts, was banned this year. Groups of children managed to honor the tradition by singing to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by video link. Throughout the pandemic, one of the hardest-hit churches in New York City has been Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Church leaders say more than 60 members of the congregation — which numbered about 800 before the pandemic — have died of COVID-19, almost all of them part of the community of some 400 who attended services in Spanish. Despite their own heartbreaks, congregation members — many of them immigrants — donated coats, scarves and other winter clothes for more than 100 migrant minors at a detention center in Manhattan. While many other New York City churches have resumed in-person services, Saint Peter’s continues to offer its Masses only online. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service. In Bethlehem, officials tried to make the most out of a bad situation. “Christmas is a holiday that renews hope in the souls,” said Mayor Anton Salman. “Despite all the obstacles and challenges due to corona and due to the lack of tourism, the city of Bethlehem is still looking forward to the future with optimism.” Raw, rainy weather added to the gloomy atmosphere, as several dozen people gathered in the central Manger Square to greet Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Youth marching bands playing Christmas carols on bagpipes, accompanied by pounding drummers, led a joyous procession ahead of the patriarch’s arrival early in the afternoon. “Despite the restrictions and limitations we want to celebrate as much as possible, with family, community and joy,” said Pizzaballa, who was to lead a small Midnight Mass gathering later in the evening. “We want to offer hope.” Thousands of foreign pilgrims usually flock to Bethlehem for the celebrations. But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away. The restrictions limited attendance to residents and a small entourage of religious officials. Evening celebrations, when pilgrims normally congregate around the Christmas tree, were canceled, and Midnight Mass was limited to clergy. The coronavirus has dealt a heavy blow to Bethlehem’s tourism sector, the lifeblood of the local economy. Restaurants, hotels and gift shops have been shuttered. It was not the usual raucous Christmas eve in Mexico City. The big celebration was a ceremony where the country’s first coronavirus vaccine shots were administered. On Christmas Eve, parents usually take their kids to a downtown plaza where actors dress up as the Three Wise Men or Santa Claus and pose in front of elaborate backdrops resembling the sets of popular children’s movies. But this year, the Wise Men and Santas were banned. Mexico’s other grand tradition, Midnight Mass, was canceled in many parishes. Still, Zoé Robledo, director of Mexico’s social security system, said the start of the country’s COVID-19 vaccine program made it “an unforgettable Christmas.” Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beaches remained open, but a City Hall decree aimed at limiting gatherings prevented drivers from parking along the shore. Rain also kept beachgoers at home. Thomas Azevedo and his 9-year-old son braved the bad weather to set up a small stand, selling beer and caipirinhas made from fresh fruit. By early afternoon, he hadn’t sold a thing. “It’s not so much the rain; in previous years it was full of tourists at Christmas. This year there’s no one,” said Azevedo, 28. Australians had until recently been looking forward to a relatively Covid-19-free Christmas after travel restrictions across state borders relaxed in recent weeks in the absence of any evidence of community transmission. But after new cases were detected over the past week, states again closed their borders. While many places around the globe were keeping or increasing restrictions for Christmas, Lebanon was an exception. With its economy in tatters and parts of its capital destroyed by a massive Aug. 4 port explosion, Lebanon has lifted most virus measures ahead of the holidays, hoping to encourage spending. Tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates have arrived home for the holidays, leading to fears of an inevitable surge in cases during the festive season. Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East — about a third of its 5 million people — and traditionally celebrates Christmas with much fanfare. “People around us were tired, depressed and depleted, so we said let’s just plant a drop of joy and love,” said Sevine Ariss, one of the organizers of a Christmas fair along the seaside road where the explosion caused the most damage. Source: AP Tribute and account on Monsignor Theophilus Ibegbulam Okere of Nigeria Cameroon Concord News Group’s Nchumbonga George Lekelefac is more than thrilled to write an account of his extensive experience with Msgr. Professor Theophilus Okere before his death on October 20, 2020 in Owerri, Nigeria. As young people, we have heard our own elders, teachers and priests say-“Okere Bu Agbara’’–(Okere is a deity) in clear deference to his prodigious attributes and awesome intellect. Nchummbonga had the privilege to interview Msgr. Okere on Saturday, October 10 at his residence in Owerri. He travelled from Cameroon to Nigeria to carry out a scientific research on Prof. Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon and his first stop was in Owerri, where the classmate of Dr. Prof. Fonlon lived. He is Msgr. Alphonsus Aghiazu, and happens to be the oldest Monsignor in South-East Nigeria. After his conversation with Msgr. Alphonsus, he recommended we also get the opinion of Msgr. Okere who lived nearby from his parish of residence: St. Paul Parish, Owerri. Msgr. Alphonsus was so helpful and even sent his driver to take our Nchumbonga Lekelefac to Msgr. Okere’s house. When he arrived the house of Msgr. Okere that Saturday, October 10, 2020, Msgr. Okere was very strong and active. He was putting on a white shirt and white shorts, and he was sitting in his extremely large sitting room writing. He later said he was writing a book on Monsignor Martin Maduka. He remembered most of the Cameroon seminarians he had studied with like: Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, Bishop Pius Awa, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Fr. Clement Ndze. Later he changed and dressed in his Monsignor Cassock and we began the three hour interview. We began by asking him what his secret was because he looked quite young and active. He smiled and said: “The grace of God is the secret, and of course, discipline in whatever goes into his stomach. He was very excited and strong during the interview. We were able to video the entire conversation. After the interview, he gave us a handwritten tribute he had produced on Prof. Dr. Fonlon on Saturday, October 10, 2020, barely ten days to his death. Msgr. Okere informed us after our conversation that he was not in the best of health. He revealed that with his age, he was on drugs. Biography of Msgr. Okere Msgr. Okere was born on August 2, 1935 in the bucolic village of Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala, Imo State, he has left indelible marks on the sands of time. As was noted by one of his students, Professor Obi Oguejiofor, a Catholic priest, and lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Monsignor Okere “is indeed a great theologian, in any case, one of the greatest we ever had in Nigeria. He is also one of the few Nigerian philosophers repeatedly quoted in internationally published works both in discussions and in bibliographies. There is indeed hardly any comprehensive work on African philosophy, especially from the United States, which omits a mention of his name.” Msgr. Okere had his elementary education at St. James School, Nnorie (1942-46), St. Finbarr’s School, Okpala (1947-48) and St. Desmond, Mbutu Okohia (1949). In 1950, he enrolled at the Holy Ghost College, Owerri, for his secondary education but a year later, he proceeded to the St. Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala, as one of the pioneer students. In 1956, he proceeded to Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, and was ordained a priest on August 5, 1962 by the then Bishop of Port Harcourt, G.M.P. Okoye. Msgr. Okere: The Philosophy Teacher and Seminary Founder He returned to his alma mater, Bigard Enugu, in 1972 where he taught Philosophy for four years before crossing over to Bigard Memorial Seminary, IkotEkpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene), in 1976. He later became the Rector of the school in 1981, a position he held for two years when he founded the Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri, where he was between 1983 and 1992. A man adept at multi-tasking, as the Rector of Seat of Wisdom Seminary. It is his long stay in the seminary system that has made him pre-eminent as the spiritual and intellectual father of more than half of the priests serving today in Igbo land. Hundreds of these men of the cloth adoringly greet him with “OkerewuAgbara” as a tribute to what they perceive as his versatility and his encyclopedic wealth of knowledge. Msgr. Okere: The Editor Msgr. Okere was also the founding editor of Journal of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN) and its first president. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite International Professor of Philosophy On leaving the seminary system after 21 years of service, in 1992, Msgr. Okere taught Philosophy at the Jesuit University in Philadelphia, United States of America. Msgr. Okere: Man of Initiatives Later, he returned to Nigeria in 1999, and was the initiator as well the first president of Whelan Research Academy for Religion, Culture and Society founded in memory of the first diocesan Bishop of Owerri, Joseph Brendan Whelan (CSSP). In addition, he was the first President of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria and has between books and articles, lecture and homilies, over 200 titles to his credit. Msgr. Okere: Magister Magnus to Bishops and Archbishops A measure of his greatness as a teacher can be gleaned from the fact that out of the 16 Catholic dioceses in the old Eastern Region made up of nine states, only the Archbishop of Owerri and bishops of Nnewi and Abakaliki, did not pass through his tutelage. The other bishops, including Archbishop Valerian Okeke of Onitsha, Archbishop Joseph Ekuwem of Calabar, Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah of Nsukka and Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia were all his students. Msgr. Okere: Internationally Recognized Prof. Oguejiofor weighs in: “Okere’s voice has been heard in many forums and in different contexts. That voice sounds louder in philosophical studies. Internationally, he owes much of his reputation to his ground-breaking thesis, ‘Can there be an African Philosophy?’ part of which was published as ‘African philosophy: A Historico-Hermeneutical Investigation into the Condition of its Possibility’. These two works belong to the most influential writings in contemporary African philosophical discussion and became the foundation of the hermeneutical current in African philosophy, where it viewed that the philosophy of a people, and a fortiori, African philosophy should emerge from the hermeneutics of their culture, to became the rallying point for such thinkers as Tsaney Serequeberhan of Eritrea, Ntumba Tsahiamalenga and NkombeOleko of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).“In his recent book, Brief History of African Philosophy, Barry Hallen gives this current and Okere himself a special place among the important philosophy movements in the African continent in our time. Hence, Okere’s prowess in philosophy has earned him a special place on the pages of the history of African Philosophy.” Msgr. Okere: Intellectual Giant Recognised as an intellectual giant, Monsignor Theo Okere was an enigma to our generation; to the extent that his outstanding intellectual personality, uncommon achievements made people think that a god was sent to them in form of a human being. We have been awed by his intellectual records and breakthroughs in Nigeria and in different parts of the world particularly the noble record he left at Catholic University of Louvain. Fr Okere led the way as the first PhD holder in Philosophy from the oldest and the most celebrated Catholic University in the world; thereby blazing the way for Nigeria and Africa with his seminal thesis “Can there be an African Philosophy? A historical-hermeneutical investigation into the conditions of its possibility.” It was wondered how Father Okere, a mere mortal, had won scholarships with which three other Nigerian priests studied in Louvain. His philosophical and theological prowess in Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu, where he lectured and revolutionized philosophy from 1972 to 1976 and in Bigard Memorial Seminary Ikot-Ekpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary) from 1976 to 1983 where he also lectured and later served as Rector before moving to establish a new Major Seminary in Ulakwo Owerri-The Seat of Wisdom Seminary as the Rector and builder from 1983 to 1992 was highly distinguished. Msgr. Okere: Man of Publications Ugo Jim-Nwoko wrote from Abuja noted that despite the burden of administrative and pastoral duties of running and managing senior seminaries, Msgr. Okere found time to do some notable book publications, such as, African Philosophy: A Historico Hermeneutical Investigation, Identity and Change – Nigerian Philosophical Series; Religion and Culture; Public Lectures in Washington D.C, Rome and in his alma mater Louvain Belgium. A collection of all his writings over the years was written, sponsored and published by some of his students entitled: “Theophilus Okere in his own words.” It is a fitting tribute to a man who has lived his 80 years on earth and still counting for others. After the conference, Msgr. Okere showed me these two volumes and I was very elated to see all the wonderful and exceptional work he had done over the years. Msgr. Okere: The Priest, The Scholar, The Teacher Martins UbaNwamadi notes in his Tribute to Monsignor Theophilus Okere, priest par excellence, literary icon that: “The anecdote of ‘the Blind men and the Elephant’ keeps popping up each time one thinks of the perception of very Reverend Monsignor TheophilusIbegbulam Okere by different people. Many see him as priest. A priest! Yes, that is what he is, first and foremost, and a very good one at that. Some see him as a teacher, a teacher indeed of the scholastic tradition with pedigree linking him to St. Thomas Aquinas. Yet, for others he is Rev. Fr Theophilus Okere, the accomplished literary man”. Msgr. Okere: A Polyglot Msgr. Okere was fluent in his native Umuonyike, Nnorie dialect of Igbo land, English, French, German, Latin. During my interview with him, I marveled at the way he quoted sentences in Latin. Msgr. Okere: Perfect Gentleman For those who have had close social contact with him, he was the fine, humble and perfect gentleman in whom all that is perfect in every culture blends. My personal experience with him testified this. Despite all he had achieved, he was very humble and outgoing with me in his house. Msgr. Okere: Man of Music Msgr. Okere was considered as a distinguished singer. He could sing well. His angelic voice at mass and digital dexterity with the songs and musical instruments were the first and the only way we could make meaning of the biblical and catholic assertions of the quality of voice and of songs the Angels use daily; singing praises to God in the heavenly places. Msgr. Okere: Intellectual and Man of Letters In order to capture the quintessential Theophilus, Martins UbaNwamadi notes that one sees him as encapsulating all of these in optimal proportions and blend. In the performance of any role, he brought in every attribute of every other role. At the pulpit, he made parishioners realize that he was also a literary icon, a philosopher, a teacher, a polyglot, and so on. In his conversation, it was clear that he was a priest, an Alter Christus (Another Christ). Msgr. Okere: Fluent in the English Language Msgr. Okere proceeded to Ireland in 1962 where he read English Language and Literature at the University College, Dublin, for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English at the University College, Dublin, graduating with honours in 1965. Msgr. Okere was considered as a great orator who knew how to transmit his messages across to his audience. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite Philosopher Msgr. Okere studied Philosophy at the prestigious Catholic University of Louvain, obtaining a PhD in Philosophy in 1972, the first Nigerian to do so. His Doctorate dissertation, “Can there be an African philosophy”: A Hermeneutical inquiry into the condition of its possibility” was groundbreaking, for it set the stage for later researches in African philosophy, having demonstrated definitely that philosophy, any philosophy and therefore African Philosophy, can be itself, only as a hermeneutics or interpretation of its culture. And since his own culture is Igbo, the logic of his thesis has placed him as one of the foremost Igbo thinkers. Msgr. Okere: Man of Culture Msgr. Okere’s commitment to and familiarity with Igbo culture were all manifested in his conversations, writings, lectures and sermons to the extent that he was once dubbed as “an unrepentant native”. Msgr. Okere: The Roman Priest Monsignor Okere served the church in various capacities including a tenure as consultor to the Vatican Dicastery at the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with non-believers. Msgr. Okere: Laureate of Prestigious Lectures He is a laureate of the two prestigious lecture series in Igbo land; Odenigbo (1997) and Ahiajoku (2007) both of which he delivered in Igbo Language, which was later adapted from the “Biography of Very Rev. Monsignor Theophilus I. Okere” written by Dr Augustine Okere and Fr. George Nwachukwu. Msgr. Okere: Man filled with Anecdotes It was at the Seat of Wisdom that some of Msgr. Okere’s anecdotes became accessible to many. Looking at his young and new students of philosophy at the Seminary in the late 80’s; Msgr was quoted to have told the seminarians “you have got the Seat, but yet to get the Wisdom”. And perhaps, contemplating on the challenges at the rudimentary stages of the development of the seminary and its students said: “The Wisdom is not yet seated”. As a man of quality and substance, he was inclined to promote innate grit in a human being than outward shadow, when he said: “Height was not one of the characteristics of a homo sapiens”. Msgr. Okere: His Faithfulness in Friendship Late Geoffrey Jim-Nwoko narrated the wizardry of his classmate, the young Theophilus Okere at the elementary education in St. James Catholic School Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala between 1942 and 1946. He mentioned that Fr Okere visited Umuchie Eziama to see his old Catholic teacher and in-law, Michael Jim-Nwoko whom he credited with bringing football to Nnorie his community, for the first time in the 1940s.This gesture of his demonstrated his humility and gratitude. Many also observed the high degree of Msgr Okere’s faithfulness to friendship and brotherhood, in good and in bad times, by the way he related with his friend, schoolmate and brother priest, Msgr Clement Chigbu. On Thursday November 12, 2020, Monsignor TheophilusOkere’s remains were laid to rest. He has just left to meet with his and our God. May Msgr. Okere rest in peace. Amen. James White Comb Riley said of death: “I cannot say, and I will not say that he is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, he has wandered into an unknown land. And let us dream how very fair, it needs must be since he lingers there… I say, he is not dead; he is just away”. Monsignor Theophilus Okere’s prints will forever remain in the sands of the history of Nigeria, Africa in particular, and the entire world in general. Please. Msgr. Okere, when you get to heaven, do not forget to extend our greetings to Professor Doctor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. He will be very happy to continue a fruitful philosophical discourse with you, and Dr. Fonlon will be happy to thank you for the wonderful tribute you wrote on him. For your life of selflessness, industry, simplicity, humility, total selfless service, honesty, and integrity, you – Msgr. Okere- will remain as an enduring compass and example to those who strive for moral rectitude. Adieu ‘OkerewuAgbara’. Written by Nchumbonga George Lekelefac
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REVOLLO BRAVO, Mario (1919-1995) Birth. June 19, 1919, Genoa, Italy, where his father was Colombian consul in that city. He was the third of the six children of Enrique Revollo del Castillo and Soledad Bravo Arbélaez. Education. Studied at the Minor Seminary of Bogotá (bachillerato; at the Major Seminary of Bogotá, from 1936 to 1938 (philosophy); then, he went to Rome to study; while in Rome, he resided in the Pontifical Collegio Pio Latinoamericano; studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from 1939 to 1943 (theology); and at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, where he obtained a licenciate in Sacred Scriptures. Priesthood. Ordained, October 31, 1943, Gesú church, Rome, by Luigi Traglia, titular archbishop of Cesarea di Palestina, vice-gerent of Rome. Incardinated in the archdiocese of Bogotá. Further studies, Rome, 1943-1948. In Bogotá, chaplain to Catholic schools, 1948-1967; faculty member of the Major Seminary, 1948-1960 and 1963-1964; pastoral ministry, 1967-1970; archdiocesan secretary of Education and Catechesis, 1965; pastoral ministry and archbishop's representative to the regional council of SENA, 1970-1973; director of the journal El Catolicismo, 1949-1966; press director for the 39th International Eucharistic Congress and papal visit to Bogotá, August 1968. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Tinisa di Numidia and appointed auxiliary of Bogotá, November 13, 1973. Consecrated, December 2, 1973, Bogotá, by Cardinal Aníbal Muñoz Duque, archbishop of Bogotá, assisted by Alfredo Rubio Díaz, archbishop of Nueva Pamplona, and by Pablo Correa León, bishop emeritus of Cúcuta. His episcopal motto was Vis pacis. Vicar general for pastoral ministry, 1973-1978. Attended the Third Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 27 to October 26, 1974. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Nueva Pamplona, February 28, 1978. President of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, 1978-1984. Attended the Third General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Puebla, México, January 27 to February 13, 1979; the Fifth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 26 to October 25, 1980; the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 28, 1983. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Bogotá, June 25, 1984. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of S. Bartolomeo all'Isola, June 28, 1988. Attended the Fourth General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 12 to 28, 1992. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Bogotá, December 27, 1994. Death. November 3, 1995, died after a long battle with cancer, in Bogotá. Buried in the metropolitan cathedral of Bogotá (1). Webgraphy. Photograph and biographical entry, in Spanish, archdiocese of Bogotá; Archbishops of Bogotá, in Spanish, archdiocese of Bogotá; photograph and arms, Araldica Vaticana. (1) This is the text of the inscription on his valut, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: CARDENAL MARIO REVOLLO BRAVO ✩ 15 VI 1919 † 3 XI 1995 (74) 13. CLANCY, Edward Bede (1923-2014) Birth. December 13, 1923, Lithgow, diocese of Bathurst, Australia. Son of John Bede Clancy, a school teacher, and Ellen Lucy Edwards. He had three sisters, Kathleen (deceased), Mary and Iris; and a brother, Brother Ken, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (+ April 6, 2018, at 92). His mother died when he was young and he was brought up by his headmaster father, who imbued young Edward (Ted) with the disciplined spirit of the times. Education. Studied at Holy Camp Public School, Grenfell; St. Monica's Primary School; and Good Samaritan School, Richmond; and Marist Brothers' College, Parramatta; then at St. Columba's College, Springwood; at St. Patrick's College, Manly; at the Pontifical International Athenaeum Angelicum, where he obtained a licentiate in theology in 1955; at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, where he earned a licentiate in Sacred Scriptures in 1955; at the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in theology in 1965. Priesthood. Ordained, July 23, 1949, at St. Mary's metropolitan cathedral, Sydney, by Cardinal Norman Thomas Gilroy, archbishop of Sydney. Father Edward Idris Cassidy, future cardinal, was ordained in the same ceremony. Pastoral ministry in the archdiocese of Sydney as curate in Belmore, 1949-1952. Further studies, Rome, 1952-1955; while in Rome, he resided at Collegio San Pietro. Pastoral ministry in Sydney, 1955-1958, as assistant priest of Elizabeth Bay, and later Liverpool; faculty member, St. Columban College Seminary 1958-1961; he was also dean of discipline. Further studies in Rome, 1961-1963. Chaplain of the University of Sydney and professor of theology of St. Patrick's College, Manly, 1963-1973. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Ard Carna, and auxiliary of Sydney, October 25, 1973. Consecrated, January 19, 1974, Sydney, by Cardinal James Darcy Freeman, archbishop of Sydney, assisted by Cardinal James Robert Knox, archbishop of Melbourne, and by Thomas Vincent Cahill, archbishop of Canberra. His episcopal motto was Fides mundum vincit. He was entrusted with the pastoral care of the western part of the city, Blacktown, devoting himself with particular care to the construction of new churches and parochial schools. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Canberra and Goulburn, November 24, 1978. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Sydney, February 12, 1983. Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) in January 1984. President of the Australian Episcopal Conference, 1986-2000. In 1986, at his suggestion, the dioceses of Parramatta and Broken Bay were formed (by splitting the archdiocese of Sydney) so that parishioners had more access to their bishop. Attended the Seventh Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 30, 1987; member of its general secretariat, 1987-1990. During his episcopate, he established the Australian Catholic University and was its founding chancellor; oversaw the renovation St. Mary's cathedral and the completion of the two spires in architect William Wardell's original 1860's plans for the basilica; and St. Patrick's College of Manly saw the transition to the new Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Homebush. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of S. Maria in Vallicella, June 28, 1988. Member of the Congregation for Bishops, and of the Pontifical Councils for Social Communications and for the Pastoral of Health Care Workers. Attended Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990; member of its general secretariat, 1990-1994. Member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See, October 1988 through November 6, 1995. In 1992 he was made a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) for service to religion, learning and the disadvantaged in the community. Attended the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994; president delegate; member of the general secretariat, 1994-1998. Attended the Special Assembly for Oceania of Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998. He was scolded by the Vatican for setting up a heroin injecting room in Kings Cross, run by the Sisters of Charity at St Vincent's Hospital in 1999. Special papal envoy to the Marian Congress on the Holy Trinity, Manila, Philippines, January 27 to 29, 2000. He completed St. Mary's Cathedral by having its spires built and erected in 2000. Special papal envoy to the Ninth World Day of the Sick, Sydney, February 11, 2001. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, March 26, 2001. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned 80 years old, December 13, 2003. His support, especially in Rome, resulted in the eventual canonization of Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop; she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the cathedral of Sydney on January 19, 1995; and later, canonized on October 17, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. The latter visited him during the journey undertaken in Australia in July 2008 on the occasion of World Youth Day. Death. August 3, 2014, peacefully, early in the morning, at the Mount Saint Joseph's Hostel and Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor at Randwick, where he had been receiving care for the past eight years. A priest friend was by his bedside when he died. He was survived by two sisters, Iris and Mary, and his brother, Brother Ken Clancy, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Upon learning the news of the death of Cardinal Clancy, Pope Francis prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent a telegram of condolence to Peter Andrew Comensoli, titular bishop of Tigisi di Numidia, apostolic administrator of Sydney (1). There was a funeral mass at St. Mary's metropolitan cathedral, Sydney, on Saturday August 9, 2014, presided by the apostolic nuncio to Australia and concelebrated by Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and former classmate of Cardinal Clancy; sixteen bishops, among them the apostolic administrator of Sydney, Peter Andrew Comensoli, titular bishop of Tigisi in Numidia; and the auxiliary bishop of Sydney, Terence John Gerard Brady, titular bishop of Talattula; as well as dozens of priests. He was buried in the crypt of the cathedral following the funeral Mass. In 2002, in recognition of his contribution to the foundation of the Strathfield Campus, the Australian Catholic University built and named The Edward Clancy Building. It now houses the School of Exercise Science, School of Educational Leadership, the Centre for Leadership Studies and the Bachelor of Teaching/Bachelor Arts program. Webgraphy. Photograph, arms and biography, in English, archdiocese of Sydney; photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; his arms, Araldica Vaticana; A faithful son of the church: former Sydney Archbishop Edward Clancy dies by Kerry Myers, The Sydney Morning Herald, August 3, 2014 - 3:36PM; Archbishop Edward Clancy on his way to Paradise by Stephanie Wood, The Sydney Morning Herald, August 3, 2014 - 7:06PM. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office: To Monsignor Peter Comensoli Apostolic Administrator Archdiocese of Sydney I WAS SADDENED TO LEARN OF THE DEATH OF CARDINAL EDWARD BEDE CLANCY, ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF SYDNEY, AND I OFFER MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES, TOGETHER WITH THE ASSURANCE OF MY PRAYERS, TO YOU AND TO ALL THE FAITHFUL OF THE ARCHDIOCESE. I JOIN YOU IN COMMENDING THE LATE CARDINAL'S SOUL TO GOD THE FATHER OF MERCIES, WITH GRATITUDE FOR HIS YEARS OF EPISCOPAL MINISTRY AND HIS WISE PASTORAL LEADERSHIP OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY, AS SEEN IN HIS CONCERN FOR THE NEEDS OF THE POOR, HIS SUPPORT FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION AND HIS BROAD ECUMENICAL AND CIVIC VISION. TO ALL PRESENT AT THE MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL AND TO ALL WHO MOURN CARDINAL CLANCY IN THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION, I CORDIALLY IMPART MY APOSTOLIC BLESSING AS A PLEDGE OF STRENGTH AND CONSOLATION IN THE LORD. FRANCISCUS PP. Analogous telegram was sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of State. This is the text of the inscription on his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: EDWARD BEDE CARDINAL CLANCY SEVENTH ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY BORN IN LITHGOW 13th DECEMBER 1923 ORDAINED PRIEST SYDNEY 3rd AUGUST 1949 COMPANION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA 1992 RETIRED MARCH 26th 2001 DIED 23rd JULY 2014 (75) 14. NEVES, O.P., Lucas Moreira (1925-2002) Birth. September 16, 1925, São João del Rey, Brazil. The eldest of ten children of Victor Neves, a shoemaker, and Margarita Moreira, a school teacher. His father's ancestors descend from African slaves, who came from Benin. He was a first cousin of Tancredo Neves, prime minister of Brazil, who although elected president, never took office due to ill health. Education. Studied at the Minor Seminary of Mariana; then, joined the Order of Preachers; made his solemn profession on March 7, 1945; studied at the convent Santo Alberto Magno, São Paulo, (philosophy, 1945-1947) and at the Saint-Maximin Theological School, Var, Fréjus-Toulon, France (theology, 1947-1951). Priesthood. Ordained, July 9, 1950, Saint-Maximin, Var. Further studies, 1950-1952. In Brazil, vice-master of novices and students, 1952-1953; sub-prior of the Dominican convent of Rio de Janeiro; ecclesiastical assistant of the Catholic University Youth, São Paulo, 1952-1953; director of the journal Mensageiro do Santo Rosario, Rio de Janeiro, 1954-1962; ecclesiastical assistant of the Catholic University Youth, Rio de Janeiro, 1954-1959; spiritual counselor of the Christian Family Movement; its national vice-assistant, 1959-1965; spiritual counselor to intellectuals and artists, especially theater, in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, 1962-1967; official in the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Brazil, 1966-1967. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Feradi maggiore and appointed auxiliary of São Paulo, June 9, 1967. Consecrated, August 26, 1967, São João del Rei, by Cardinal Agnelo Rossi, archbishop of São Paulo, assisted by Delfim Ribeiro Guedes, bishop of São João del Rei, and by Alain Marie Hubert Antoine Jean Roland du Noday, O.P., bishop of Porto Nacional. Attended the Second General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Medellín, Colombia, August 24 to September 6, 1968. President of the Brazilian Cáritas, 1971-1974. Vice-president of the Council for the Laity, March 7, 1974; December 10, 1976. Attended the III General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Puebla, México, January 27 to February 13, 1979. Secretary of the S.C. for Bishops and promoted to the rank of archbishop, October 15, 1979. Secretary of the Sacred College of Cardinals, November 15, 1979. He received a doctorate honoris causa in theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas of Rome in 1986; and another one from Providence College, Rhode Island, United States of America. He was decorated as commendatore of the Ordem de Rio Branco (1986); Grão Cruz da Ordem do Mérito Militar (1988); Honorary Citizen of São Salvador da Bahia (1988); Mérito da Aeronáutica (1991); and Mérito da Marinha (1994).Transferred to the titular see of Vescovio, January 3, 1987. Transferred to the metropolitan see of São Salvador da Bahia, July 9, 1987. A prolific author of newspaper columns, theater criticism and books, efforts that earned him membership in the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the Roman Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio, June 28, 1988. Attended the VIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990; relator general; member of its general secretariat, 1990-1994. Attended the IV General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 12 to 28, 1992. Attended the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, Vatican City, April 10 to May 8, 1994. Special papal envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress, Santiago del Estero, Argentina, August 31 to September 4, 1994. President of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil, 1995-1998. Attended the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997. Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops ad iuris normam and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America ad iuris normam, June 25, 1998; he was first Latin American to occupy the presidency of this commission. Bishop of the title of the suburbicarian see of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, retaining in commendam the title of Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio, June 25, 1998. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, June 25, 1998. Attended the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998; the II Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 23, 1999. Resigned the prefecture and the presidency, September 16, 2000. Death. Sunday September 8, 2002, at 5 p.m., of diabetes related complications, assisted by one of his sisters, at the Pius XI Clinic in Rome, where he spent his last week, undergoing daily dialysis due to acute kidney deficiency. After learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope John Paul II sent his sister, Mrs. Judith Moreira Neves, a telegram of of condolence (1). The funeral Mass took place at the patriarchal Vatican basilica, on Wednesday, September 11. Although in attendance, Pope John Paul II did not celebrate the Mass himself due to ill health, but delivered the homily. The Mass was presided by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, vice-dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by the cardinals. Buried in the metropolitan cathedral basilica of São Salvador da Bahia, as he had requested shortly before his death (2). The Memorial Dom Lucas Moreira Neves, established in São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, in 2003, houses a museum. Webgraphy. Biography, in English, Encyclopaedia Britannica; photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; photograph and arms, Araldica Vaticana. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Holy See Press Office: PROFUNDAMENTE CONSTERNADO PELA PASSAGEM SUA EMINÊNCIA CARDEAL LUCAS MOREIRA NEVES, DESEJO MANIFESTAR MINHAS SINCERAS CONDOLÊNCIAS A VOSSA SENHORIA E DEMAIS MEMBROS FAMILIA ENLUTADA. PEÇO A DEUS TODOPODEROSO QUE RECOMPENSE ABUNDANTEMENTE ESTE FIEL SERVIDOR DA IGREJA NO BRASIL E DESTA SÉ APOSTOLICA, EM DIVERSOS DICASTÉRIOS DA CÚRIA ROMANA. AO INVOCAR DO ALTÍSSIMO A PAZ E O CONFORTO ESPIRITUAL EM SUFRÁGIO DA SUA ALMA, APROVEITO A OPORTUNIDADE PARA RENOVAR MEUS PÊSAMES AO OUTORGAR, EM SINAL DA MINHA, BENEVOLÊNCIA, UMA PROPICIADORA BÊNÇÃO APOSTÓLICA EXTENSIVA FAMILIARES E AMIGOS CARDEAL NEVES IOANNES PAULUS II (2) This is the text of the inscription on his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: DOM FREI LUCAS CARDEAL MOREIRA NEVES, OP. ARCEBISPO DE SÃO SALVADOR DA BAHIA PRIMAZ DO BRASIL 1987 - 1998 SÃO JOAO DEI REY MG - 16.09.1925 + ROMA. 08.09.2002 "PASSOU SUA EXISTENCIA NA BUSCA DO ROSTO SERENO E RADIOSO DO SEU SENHOR AGORA O ENCONTROU" (76) 15. HICKEY, James Aloysius (1920-2004) Birth. October 11, 1920, Midland, diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America. Son of James Peter Hickey, a dentist who taught his son about charity by example, treating patients who could not pay for their dental care during the Depression, and Agnes Ryan. He had an elder sister, Marie, who predeceased him. Education. Studied at the Sacred Heart Seminary College, Detroit; at the Catholic University of America, Washington; at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he earned a doctorate in canon law; and at the Pontifical Angelicum University, Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in theology. Priesthood. Ordained, June 15, 1946, Saginaw, by William Francis Murphy, bishop of Saginaw. Pastoral ministry in the diocese of Saginaw, 1946-1947. Further studies, Rome, 1947-1951. In Saginaw, pastoral ministry; secretary to the bishop, 1957-1966; founder and rector of St. Paul Seminary. Attended the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965; as expert and assistant to Bishop Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki of Saginaw. Domestic prelate of His Holiness, October 31, 1963. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Taraqua and appointed auxiliary of Saginaw, February 18, 1967. Consecrated, April 14, 1967, cathedral of St. Mary, Saginaw, by John Francis Dearden, archbishop of Detroit, assisted by Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki, bishop of Saginaw, and by Stephen Aloysius Leven, titular bishop of Bure, auxiliary of San Antonio. His episcopal motto was Veritatem in caritate. Rector of the North American College, Rome, March 1969. Transferred to the see of Cleveland, May 31, 1974. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Washington, June 17, 1980. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of S. Maria Madre del Redentore a Tor Bella Monaca, June 28, 1988. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990; member of the general secretariat, 1990-1994. Attended the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994. Special papal envoy to the ceremonies for the 150th anniversary of the erection of the diocese of Cleveland, U.S.A., August 17, 1997. Attended the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years of age, October 11, 2000. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, November 21, 2000. Death. October 24, 2004, at 6:15 a.m., in his sleep while suffering from pneumonia, at the Jeanne Jugan Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Washington, D.C. After learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope John Paul II sent Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, a telegram of condolence (1). The funeral took place in the basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (2); Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, penitentiary major emeritus and former archbishop of Washington, represented the pope; the main celebrant was Cardinal McCarrick. The late cardinal was buried in St. Francis Chapel of the metropolitan cathedral, the burial chamber for the archbishops of the archdiocese of Washington (3). Cardinals Patrick O'Boyle and William Wakefield Baum are also buried in that chamber. Bibliography. Bransonm, Charles N. Ordinations of U.S. Catholic bishops, 1790-1989. A chronological list. Washington : National Conference of Catholic Bishops ; United States Catholic Conference, 1990, p. 151; Code, Bernard. American Bishops 1964-1970. St. Louis : Wexford Press, 1970, p. 9 MacGregor, Morris. "Hickey, James Aloysius." New Catholic encyclopedia : jubilee volume, the Wojtyła years. Detroit, MI : Gale Group in association with the Catholic University of America, 2001, p. 309-310. Webgraphy. Photograph and biography, in English, archdiocese of Washington; photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; his arms, archdiocese of Washington; his arms, Araldica Vaticana. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Press Office of the Holy See: To My Venerable Brother Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Archbishop of Washington DEEPLY SADDENED BY THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JAMES ALOYSIUS HICKEY, I OFFER HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO YOU AND TO ALL THE CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND LAITY OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON. RECALLING WITH GRATITUDE CARDINAL HICKEY’S UNFAILING COMMITMENT TO THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL, THE TEACHING OF THE FAITH AND THE FORMATION OF FUTURE PRIESTS, I JOIN YOU IN PRAYING THAT GOD OUR MERCIFUL FATHER WILL GRANT HIM THE REWARD OF HIS LABORS AND WELCOME HIS NOBLE SOUL INTO THE JOY AND PEACE OF HIS ETERNAL KINGDOM. TO ALL ASSEMBLED FOR THE SOLEMN MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL I CORDIALLY IMPART MY APOSTOLIC BLESSING AS A PLEDGE OF CONSOLATION AND STRENGTH IN THE LORD. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II (2) He was dressed in a white miter and the same white vestments he wore when he was consecrated bishop in 1967. As he had requested, his hands were entwined with a rosary that had been owned by his mother and he wore a ring given him by Pope John Paul II. Under his hands was a prayer card from his 1946 priestly ordination with a quote from Saint Paul: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ”. (3) This is the simple inscription in his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: JAMES CARDINAL HICKEY 1920 - 2004 ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON 1980 - 2000 (77) 16. SZOKA, Edmund Casimir (1927-2014) Birth. September 14, 1927, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America. Son of Casimir Szoka, from Belarus, and Mary Wolgat, from Poland. They divorced when Edmund was about three years old. He was raised in the Muskegon area. Education. Studied at Saint Paul's Seminary, Grand Rapids; at Saint John's Interdiocesan Seminary, Plymouth (bachelor of arts); at the Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit (theology); and at the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome (licentiate in canon law). Besides his native English, he spoke fluent Polish. Priesthood. Ordained, June 5, 1954, St. Peter cathedral, Marquette, by Thomas Lawrence Noa, bishop of Marquette. Pastoral ministry in the diocese of Saginaw and secretary to its bishops, 1954-1962. Chaplain at the Sawyer Air Force base, 1956. Further studies, Rome, 1957-1959. In Saginaw, official of the diocesan ecclesiastical tribunal, 1960-1971; assistant to the chancellor secretary, 1962-1969; pastoral ministry, 1962-1971. Accompanied Bishop Thomas Lawrence Noa to the first session of the Second Vatican Council, 1962. Prelate of honor of His Holiness, November 14, 1963. Vicar for religious and vicar general of Marquette, 1968-1971; chancellor, 1971. Episcopate. Elected bishop of Gaylord, June 11, 1971. Consecrated, July 20, 1971, Our Lady of Mount Carmel cathedral, Gaylord, by Cardinal John Francis Dearden, archbishop of Detroit, assisted by Charles Alexander Salatka, bishop of Marquette, and by Joseph Crescent McKinney, titular bishop of Lentini, auxiliary of Grand Rapids. His episcopal motto was To live in faith. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Detroit, March 21, 1981. Attended the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 28, 1983. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio, June 28, 1988. Member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of Holy See, 1989. President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, January 22, 1990 to October 15, 1997. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Detroit, April 28, 1990. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990. Special papal envoy to the National Catechetical Congress, Manila, Philippines, December 5 to 8, 1990. Attended the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Europe, Vatican City, November 28 to December 14, 1991. Special papal envoy to the Holy See's Day, International Exposition, Taejon, South Korea, September 19, 1993. Attended the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, Vatican City, April 10 to May 8, 1994; the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994. Special papal envoy to the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of 26 Japanese saints, Nagasaki, Japan, February 5, 1997. President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City, October 14, 1997. Special papal envoy to the ceremonies of the reconsecration of the cathedral of Minsk, Belarus, October 21, 1997. Attended the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997; the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, April 29 to May 13, 1998; the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998. Special papal envoy to the concluding celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the first evangelization of Japan, in Kagoshima, October 11, 1999. Special papal envoy to the millennial celebrations of archdiocese of Wrocław, Poland, June 24, 2000. President of the Governatorato for the State of Vatican City, February 22, 2001. Papal delegate to the inauguration of the "Pope John Paul II Cultural Center" in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, March 21-22, 2001. Attended the Tenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 27, 2001. Participated in the conclave of April 18 to 19, 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI. Reappointed president of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City, April 21, 2005. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005; by papal appointment. On June 22, 2006, the pope accepted, according to canon 354 of the Code of Canon Law, his resignation as president of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City and president of the Governatorato of the same state, asking him to remain in the posts until September 15, 2006, with all inherent faculties of those offices. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years old on September 14, 2007. He resided in Northville, Michigan, in retirement. He suffered from congestive heart failure in his last years. Death. Wednesday night August 20, 2014, of natural causes, in Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Michigan; he received the last rites from Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit. Upon learning the news of the death of Cardinal Szoka, Pope Francis prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit a telegram of condolence (1). Funeral services and visitation took place at the cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Visitation took place Sunday and Monday between 2:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m. as well as Tuesday morning between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. His funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday at 11 a.m., and presided by Archbishop Vigneron. Burial took place at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan (2). Bibliography. Carson, Thomas. "Szoka, Edmund Casimir." New Catholic encyclopedia : jubilee volume, the Wojtyła years. Detroit, MI : Gale Group in association with the Catholic University of America, 2001, p. 417-418. Webgraphy. Photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; his arms Araldica Vaticana. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Press Office of the Holy See: To The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron Archbishop of Detroit Having learned with sadness of the death of Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, archbishop emeritus of Detroit, I offer heartfelt condolences to you and to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese. Recalling with gratitude the late Cardinal's tireless episcopal ministry in Gaylord and Detroit, and his years of service to the Apostolic See and the Vatican City State. I willingly join you in commending the soul of this generous servant of Christ and the Church to the merciful love of God our heavenly Father. To all who mourn Cardinal Szoka in the hope of the resurrection I cordially, impart my Apostolic Blessing Has a pledge of Consolation and peace in the Lord. FRANCISCUS PP. (2) This is the text of the inscription on his tomb, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: HIS EMINENCE EDMUND CARDINAL SZOKA ARCHBISHOP OF DETROIT, 1981 - 1990 DIED 8-20-2014 (78) 17. PASKAI, O.F.M., László (1927-2015) Birth. May 8, 1927, Szeged, Hungary. Son of Ádám Paskai and Mária Ördög. They were Jews who had converted to the Roman Catholic faith before the arrival of their son and who later died during the Holocaust. Education. Joined the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) and chose the name Pacifik upon entering the order. Studied at Franciscan houses of formation; at the Franciscan theologate, Gyongyos; at the Central Seminary, Budapest; and at the Academy of Budapest, where he obtained a doctorate in theology. Priesthood. Ordained, March 3, 1951. Pastoral ministry in the diocese of Nagyvarad, 1951-1952. Further studies, Budapest, 1952. In Szeged, episcopal master of ceremonies, 1952-1955; faculty member and librarian of its seminary, 1955-1962. Prefect of the Interdiocesan Seminary, faculty member and spiritual director, 1962-1965. Faculty member and spiritual director, Central Seminary, Budapest, 1965-1973; rector, 1973-1978. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Bavagaliana and appointed apostolic administrator of Veszprém, March 2, 1978. Consecrated, April 5, 1978, parish church of Szent Marguerite, Veszprém, by Cardinal László Lekai, archbishop of Esztergom, assisted by László Kadar, archbishop of Eger, and by Imre Kisberk, bishop of Székesfehérvár. His episcopal motto was In Virtute Spiritus. Transferred to the see of Veszprém, March 31, 1979. Promoted to coadjutor archbishop of Kalocsa, April 5, 1982. Attended the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 29, 1983. President of the Episcopal Conference of Hungary, 1986-1989. Transferred to the metropolitan and primatial see of Esztergom, March 3, 1987. Attended the Seventh Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 30, 1987. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of S. Teresa al Corso d'Italia, June 28, 1988. Became archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest when the name of the see was changed, May 31, 1993. Attended the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994; the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 23, 1999; the Tenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 27, 2001. On December 7, 2002, the pope accepted his resignation from the pastoral government of the archdiocese presented in conformity to canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law. Participated in the conclave of April 18 to 19, 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI. In 2005, he became the Spiritual Protector of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (Paris/Orléans Obedience). Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years of age on May 8, 2007. On October 23, 2008, he was elected honorary citizen of Esztergom. On July 17, 2011, he celebrated a requiem mass for Otto von Habsburg, Hungary's last Crown Prince and pretender to the throne, in St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest. After he retired, he lived in Esztergom-Szentgyörgymezo, near St. Adalbert basilica. Death. August 17, 2015, in the morning, from a cancer recently diagnosed, in Esztergom. Upon learning the news of the death, Pope Francis prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent Cardinal Péter Erdö, archbishop of Budapest-Esztergom, a telegram of condolence (1). The funeral took place on Saturday August 22, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. in the metropolitan cathedral basilica of Esztergom. Previously, at 10 a.m., presided Cardinal Erdö, who also delivered the homily. Concelebrating were Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków, Poland; Cardinal Josip Bozanić, archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia; Ivan aško, titular bishop of Rotaria, auxiliary of Zagreb; Alberto Bottari de Castello, titular archbishop of Oderazom, apostolic nuncio to Hungary; twenty one bishops and about three hundred priests. Present were Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, representatives of the public, social and cultural life; members of the diplomatic corps; and representatives of sister churches. The faithful filled the cathedral basilica to capacity. Previously, at 10 a.m., a Rosary was said before the coffin of the late cardinal. Burial took place in the crypt of the metropolitan cathedral basilica (2). Bibliography. Chapeau, O.S.B., André and Charles N. Bransom. "Franciscan bishops." Franciscan Studies, XLVIII (1988), 317; Beke, Margit. "Paskai III. László. 1987. március 3. - 2002. december 7." in Esztergomi érsekek 1001-2003. Budapest : Szent Istvan Tarsulat, 2003, p. 405-408; In virtute spiritus : a Szent István Akadémia emlékkönyve Paskai László bíboros tiszteletére. Edited by Stirling János. Budapest : Szent István Társulat, 2003; Paskai, Antal. Menekülésünk története 1944-1945 [The Story of our Escape 1944-1945], Budapeszt: Kármelita Rendház, 2009; Tusor, Péter. Purpura Pannonica : az esztergomi "bíborosi szék" kialakulásának elozminyei a 17. században = Purpura Pannonica : the "Cardinalitial See" of Strigonium and its Antecedens in the 17th Century. Budapest : Róma : Research Institute of Church History at Péter Pázmány Catholic University, 2005. (Collectanea Vaticana Hungariae, Classis I, vol. 3), pp. 210 and 330. Webgraphy. Phoograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; photograph and biography, in English, Wikipedia; photograph, arms and biography, in Polish, Wikipedia; his arms, Araldica Vaticana. (1) This is the text of the telegram of condolence, taken from the Press Office of the Holy See: His Eminence Péter Cardinal Erdö Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest I was saddened to learn the news of the death of His Eminence Cardinal László Paskai, OFM. I offer prayerful condolences to you, the clergy, men and women religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, and I thank Almighty God for his many years of service to the Church in Hungary. In commending his soul to the merciful love of the Father and uniting myself spiritually to all assembled for the solemn funeral rites, I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord. Francis PP. Analogous telegram was sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of State. (2) This is the text of the inscription on his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: † PASKAI LÂSZLŎ OFM. BÎBOROS, PRÎMÂS, ESZTERGOM-BUDAPESTI ÉRSEK 1927 - 2015 “IN VIRTUTE SPIRITUS” (79) 18. TUMI, Christian Wiyghan (1930-2021) Birth. Wednesday October 15, 1930, in Way'ngoylum, a quarter in Kikaikilaki, diocese of Kumbo, Bui Division, North West Region, Cameroun (1). He is the fourth of seven children, five girls and two boys, of Thomas Tumi and Catherine La'ka, who was about 117 years old when she died; two boys died before the birth of Christian; the youngest child was a girl named Celine. He was baptized one week after his birth. His middle name, Wiyghan, means "he is on a journey and will be here just for a moment", reflecting pessimism given the early death of his two older brothers; it proved to be unfounded. His first name is also listed as Christian Wiyghansaï Shaaghan; and his last name as Ntoumi. He received first communion in 1939. Education. Initial studies at the Catholic school in Kikaikelaki; when the family went to Nigeria, he continued his primary studies at the school in Jos, where he obtained the First School Leaving Certificate; he decided to become a teacher, his first love, he started studying at the College of Mary Immaculate Kafanchan, Jos, Plateau Province, Nigeria, where he graduated three years later with a teacher's Grade III Certificate; while attending the college, a friend of his, Stephen Sunjo, a student at Saint Theresa Minor Seminary of Ibadan, inspired him with the idea of entering the priesthood; after a period of discernment, he entered the Saint Theresa Minor Seminary, Okeare, Ibadan, Nigeria in 1954; he obtained the Ordinary Level certificate five years later; Major Seminary of Ibadan; after his first year of philosophy, his family decided to return to Cameroun, and he followed them and transferred to the Seminary of Enugu, as a student of the diocese of Buea, where he had been received by its bishop; there, he studied philosophy and theology for six years; in 1969, he was sent to the Theological Faculty of Lyon, France, where he obtained a master's in philosophy; and two years later, one in theology; with permission from his bishop, he went to the Catholic University of Fribourg, Switzerland, for his post-graduate studies; he obtained a doctorate, magna cum laude, in philosophy in 1973. Priesthood. Ordained, April 17, 1966, Regina Pacis cathedral grounds, Small Soppo Buea, by Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, M.H.M., bishop of Buea; he celebrated his first mass in his village, Way'ngoylum, on the following April 24. He ministered as curate of the parish of Fiango, Kumba, for a year; then he was named professor of philosophy at the Minor Seminary of Soppo, where he remained from 1967 until 1969; and also served as cathedral parish curate. Further studies in France and Switzerland, 1969-1973. He returned to Cameroun in 1973 and was curate of Bafut for a brief time. He was entrusted with the mission of setting up the Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, archdiocese of Bamenda, which he opened with twelve students and was its rector from August 13, 1973 until 1979; he introduced the teaching of Hebrew and Greek, knowing these subjects were indispensable to priests who would want to pursue further studies. Episcopate. Elected bishop of Yagoua, December 6, 1979. Consecrated, January 6, 1980, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Pope John Paul II, assisted by Eduardo Martínez Somalo, titular archbishop of Tagora, substitute of the Secretariat of State, and by Ferdinando Maggioni, titular bishop of Subaugusta, auxiliary of Milan. In the same ceremony was consecrated Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., archbishop of Milan, future cardinal. His episcopal motto was Me voici je viens faire ta volonté. Promoted to coadjutor archbishop, with right of succession, of Garoua, November 19, 1982. Attended the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 28, 1983. Succeeded to the metropolitan see of Garoua, March 17, 1984. He received the pallium in Garoua on January 6, 1985, from Donato Squicciarini, titular archbishop of Tiburnia, pro-nuncio in Cameroun, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroun from 1985 until 1991; and president of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa, positions he used to ask for a Catholic University of Central Africa to be created in Yaounde; he served as the university's grand chancellor until November 11, 2009, when he stepped down. He welcomed Pope John Paul II in Garoua on August 11, 1985. Attended the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985. Apostolic visitator to the major seminaries in Malawi and Zambia. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Ss. Martiri dell'Uganda a Poggio Ameno, June 28, 1988. He was the first cardinal from Cameroun. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990; one of its three president delegates; member of its general secretariat, 1990-1994. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Douala, August 31, 1991; he was installed the following September 28; he was apostolic administrator of Garoua until the appointment of his successor, Bishop Antoine Ntalou of Yagova, on January 23, 1992. Received the pallium from Pope John Paul II in the patriarchal Vatican Basilica on June 29, 1992. Attended the Fourth General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 12 to 28, 1992; the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, April 10 to May 8, 1994; one of its three president delegates; member of the Council of the General Secretariat of the Special Assembly for Africa. Special papal envoy to the Ghana National Eucharistic Congress, Tamale, January 4 to 12, 1998. Participated in the conclave of April 18 to 19, 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI. On October 15, 2005, when he turned seventy five years old, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law, canon 401 § 1, he submitted his resignation from the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Douala; the pope accepted the request nunc pro tunc, that is requesting that the cardinal should continue to govern the archdiocese for some time. Participated in the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, October 4 to 25, 2009, Vatican City, on the theme "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: You Are the Salt of the Earth; You Are the Light of the World". His resignation from the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Douala was accepted by the pope on November 17, 2009; he was succeeded by Samuel Kleda, until then archbishop coadjutor of that see; the cardinal was apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until the installation of his successor on January 9, 2010. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years old on October 15, 2010. In July 2019, he received the Nelson Mandela Prize for promoting peace and respect for human rights, after the start of the crisis in the north and south-west of Cameroun. On November 5, 2020, he was kidnapped by a group of armed men in the northwest region between the city of Kumba and Bamenda, the regional capital. He was released on November 6, 2020. Death. Saturday April 3, 2021 at 1:15 a.m. in his residence where he had returned the previous day after having been interned in a private clinic in Douala for a week. His death was announced by his successor, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, through a press release. After learning the news of the death of Cardinal Tumi, the pope sent Archbishop Kleda a telegram of condolence. The funeral program for the late Cardinal was made public on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 through a press release signed by Father Timothée Ouwe, the Chancellor Secretary of the Archdiocese of Douala. The funeral took place on April 19 and 20, 2021 in Douala. The late cardinal was buried on Tuesday April 20, 2021 in the bishops' vault, located in the cemetery of the Bonadibong district, in front of the Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul cathedral of Douala. Bibliography. Lingo, Célestin. Christian Cardinal Wiyghan Tumi : premier Cardinal Camerounais. s.l. : s.n., 1995; Sofack, Noël. L'affaire cardinal Tumi d'octobre 2000 : un débat revisité : pour comprendre le rôle politique de l'Église dans un Etat laïc. Cameroon? : s.n., 2002; Tumi, Christian Wiyghan. Le Cardinal Christian W. Tumi face à la presse : texte intégral de la conférence de presse donnée à Yanoundé le 11 juin 1990. Yaoundé : s.n., 1990; Tumi, Christian Wiyghan. The political regimes of Ahmadou Ahidjo, and Paul Biya, and Christian Tumi, priest. Douala, Cameroon : s.n., MACACOS, 2006. Responsibility: Christian Wiyghansaï Shaaghan Cardinal Tumi ; preface by Paul Verdzekov; Tumi, Christian Wiyghan ; Oum, Edouard. Christian Cardinal W. Tumi : le normalien devenu cardinal. Yaoundé? : s.n., 2006. Note: "Ce livre est également publié en anglais sous le titre "From college of teachers to college of cardinals". Responsibility: entretiens avec Edouard Oum ; préface de Victor Tonye Bakot. Webgraphy. Photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; Les Confessions du Cardinal Tumi, in French, Camerpress, Agence Camerounaise d'information; arms and photograph, Araldica Vaticana; Hommages: Une médaille d’Officier pour la mère du Cardinal Christian Tumi, 237online.com, 30 juin 2015; Crisis in Cameroon: Cardinal Tumi criticizes military violence, CNA/EWTN News, Douala, Cameroon, Jan 24, 2018 / 04:28 pm; Cameroun – Christian Tumi : «L’État n’a pas annulé la conférence», 237online.com, 21 novembre 2018; Le Cardinal Christian Tumi dément la tenue de la conférence anglophone, 237online.com, 30 mai 2019; Camerun. Al cardinale Tumi il premio Nelson Mandela by Tiziana Campisi, Vatican News, Città del Vaticano, 21 luglio 2019, 13:59; Cardinal calls for schools to reopen in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, Crux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Jul 25, 2019; Cardinal backs federal union to end Cameroon’s ‘Anglophone crisis’, Crux, Aug 3, 2019; Cameroon’s cardinal optimistic about president’s planned ‘national dialogue’, Cux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Sep 12, 2019; Cameroon’s cardinal: Anglophone independence must be on agenda, Crux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Sep 25, 2019; Cameroun : Le Cardinal Christian Tumi souffle sur sa 89ème bougie by Jean-Paul Kamba, SJ (Avec Paule Valérie Mendogo), Vatican News, Cité du Vatican, 15 octobre 2019, 16:47; Cameroon cardinal: Christians called to be ‘rebels against evil’, Crux, Nov 10, 2019; Cameroun: Le cardinal Christian TUMI favorable pour le mariage des prêtres, 237online.com, Dec 30, 2019, with video; Cardinal Tumi says things improving in Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone areas, Crux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Jan 27, 2020; Crise anglophone : les séparatistes font pression sur le Cardinal Tumi by Gustave Epok, Actu Cameroun, 7 Fév 2020; Camerun, smentita la liberazione del cardinale Tumi rapito ieri by Gabriella Ceraso, Vatican News, Città del Vaticano, 06 novembre 2020, 07:48; Cameroon: abducted Cardinal Tumi released, Vatican News, 06 November 2020, 12:10; Camerún: Liberación del cardenal Tumi by Anne Kurian Montabone, Zenit, noviembre 06, 2020 14:18; Cameroon's abducted Cardinal Tumi release, La Croix International, November 6, 2020; Africa/Camerun - Il Cardinale Tumi, rilasciato ieri, “sta bene e gode di buona salute”, Agenzia Fides, Yaoundé, sabato, 7 novembre 2020; A video of Cardinal Tumi during his captivity has emerged by Paul Samasumo, Vatican News, Vatican City, 10 November 2020, 15:18; Video viral: Cardenal secuestrado sorprendió a sus captores con valiente promesa, ACI Prensa, 12 de noviembre de 2020 - 6:35 PM; Video shows 90-year-old cardinal telling kidnappers: ‘I will preach what is the truth’ by Courtney Mares, Catholic Herald, November 13, 2020 at 9:13 am; Retired cardinal calls on Cameroon's president to "declare amnesty" by Lucie Sarr and (with RFI), La Croix International, November 18, 2020; "La paix dépendra de Paul Biya"(Le cardinal Christian Tumi), Deutsche Well, 18.11.2020, with audio; Africa/Camerun - Il Cardinale Tumi chiede amnistia e ritiro dell’esercito per fermare il conflitto secessionista, Agenzia Fides, Yaoundé, giovedì, 19 novembre 2020; Cameroon cardinal says he ‘refused to be tortured psychologically’ during kidnapping, Crux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Nov 24, 2020; Cameroun – Crise anglophone/Cardinal Christian Tumi : « Il ne faut pas que les gens croient que eux qui sont au pouvoir aiment le pays plus que nous autres » by Pierre Arnaud Ntchpda, Cameroon-Info.Net, Yaounde - 23-Jan-2021 - 14h59; Cameroon cardinal says schools boycott turning people against Anglophone separatists, Crux, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Feb 11, 2020; Spiritualité : Christian Tumi s’initie à la religion ancestrale, Actu Cameroun, 15 Mar 2021; Hommage : qui était le cardinal Christian Tumi? by Christian Happi, Actu Cameroun, 3 Avr 2021; Muere arzobispo figura de la paz en zona anglófona de Camerún, infobae, 3 de Abril de 2021; Décès de Christian Tumi, premier cardinal camerounais by Franck Foute, jeune afrique, Yaoundé, 03 avril 2021 à 12h12; È morto il cardinale Tumi, L'Osservatore Romano, 03 aprile 2021; Décès du cardinal camerounais Christian Tumi, médiateur dans la crise anglophone, Voice of Africa (VOA), 03 avril 2021; La morte di Christian Tumi, coscienza del Camerun by Anna Pozzi, MondoeMissione, 3 Apr 2021; Cameroon mourns the passing away of Christian Cardinal Tumi, africanews, April 3, 2021, with video; Cameroon’s lone cardinal and ‘fearless preacher’ dies on Good Friday by Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux, Yaoundé, Caneroon, Apr 5, 2021; Avant de mourir, « le Cardinal Tumi a refusé d’être évacué », selon Elie Smith (journaliste) by Christian Happi, Actu Cameroun, 5 Avr 2021; Décès du Cardinal Tumi, apôtre de la réconciliation au Cameroun by Mathilde de Robien, Aleteia, 05/04/21; « C’était un homme extraordinaire » : le Cameroun pleure le cardinal Christian Tumi by Josiane Kouagheu, Le Monde Afrique, 05 avril 2021 à 13h00; Cameroun - Carnet noir: Les obsèques du Cardinal Christian Tumi auront lieu les 19 et 20 avril 2021 by Adeline Atangana \| Cameroon-Info.Net, Yaoundé - 07-Apr-2021 - 12h21; Kidnapping des prêtres au Noso : un proche du défunt cardinal Tumi envoie un message fort aux Amba boys by Erel Djene, Actu Cameroon, 29 Mai 2021. (1) At the time of the cardinal's birth, Cameroun was a French and British mandate territory; it became independent on January 1, 1960, becoming the Republic of Cameroun. (2) This is the text of the inscription on his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: S. Eminence Christian Cardinal TUMI Né le 15 Octobre 1930 KIKAIKILAKI (KUMBO) Décédé le 03 Avril 2021 à Douala A L’AGE DE 91 ANS (80) 19. GROËR, O.S.B., Hans Hermann (1919-2003) Birth. October 13, 1919, Vienna, Austria, of German parents; moved with his parents to Czechoslovakia in 1929 and lived there for ten years; attended Austrian schools; kept Czech citizenship until 1939. His second baptismal middle name was Wilhelm. Education. Studied at the Seminary of Hollabrunn; and later, at the Seminary of Vienna, where he earned a doctorate in theology. Priesthood. Ordained, April 12, 1942, Sankt Andreas chapel, archbishop`s palace, by Cardinal Theodor Innitzer, archbishop of Vienna. Military service and chaplain in Petronell and Bad Voeslau, 1942-1946. Prefect of studies, minor seminary of Hollabrunn and further studies, 1946-1952. Faculty member, Institute of Hollabrunn, 1952-1974; organizer of the traditional pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Roggendorf; chamberlain of honor, July 31, 1963; rector of the shrine and director of pilgrimages, 1969-1976; National spiritual director of the Legion of Mary, 1974. Joined the Order of St. Benedict at the abbey of Göttweig, diocese of Sankt Pölten, in 1974; took the name Hermann; solemn profession, September 8, 1980, in Göttweig. Spiritual director and rector of the church of the convent of Mariendorf, Marian shrine of Our Lady of Roggendorf, 1982-1986. Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Vienna, July 15, 1986. Consecrated, September 14, 1986, metropolitan cathedral of Vienna, by Cardinal Franz König, archbishop emeritus of Vienna, assisted by Karl Berg, archbishop of Salzburg, and by Stefan László, bishop of Eisenstadt. His episcopal motto was In verbo autem tuo. Ordinary for the faithful of the Byzantine rite residing in Austria, February 21, 1987; resigned the post, September 14, 1995. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Ss. Gioacchino ed Anna al Tuscolano, June 28, 1988. He was twice elected head of the Austrian Bishops' Conference. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990; the Special Assembly of the Synod of the Bishops for Europe, Vatican City, November 28 to December 14, 1991; the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994. President of the Austrian Episcopal Conference; reelected, he resigned two days later, April 6, 1995. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Vienna, September 14, 1995, under accusations of sexual abuse. After his resignation, he became abbot of the monastery of Roggendorf until 1998. Relinquished all ecclesiastical duties and privileges as an archbishop and cardinal and left Austria, after he was asked to do so by Pope John Paul II, April 14, 1998. He never admitted any guilt. State prosecution never took place because the statute of limitations had long since expired when the allegations occurred. At the request of the Vatican, he spent several months near Dresden, Germany. Later, he lived in retirement at the priorate of Sankt Josef, Marienplatz, Maria Roggendorf, Austria. Death. March 24, 2003, during the night, of pneumonia, at a hospital in Sankt Pölten, about 40 miles west of Vienna, where he was being treated for cancer. Upon learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope John Paul II sent Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., archbishop of Vienna, a telegram of condolence (1). Buried in the cemetery of the Cistercian monastery of Marienfeld, Austria (2). Webgraphy. Photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; his arms, Araldica Vaticana; photographs and biography by Mr. Eman Bonnici, in English, Find a Grave; Cardinal silent on sex claims by Adrian Bridge, Independent, Vienna, Friday 28 April 1995 00:02; Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër Dies at 83, The New York Times, The Associated Press, March 25, 2003; A cardinal is accused: the Groer case by Dennis Coday, National Catholic Reporter, Apr 4, 2014. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Press Office of the Holy See: Seiner Eminenz Hochwürdigstem Herrn Kardinal Christoph Schönborn OP Erzbischof von Wien Eerzbischöfliches Palais Rotenturmstr. 2 A–1010 Wien MIT TRAUER HABE ICH DIE NACHRICHT VOM HEIMGANG IHRES VORGÄNGERS IM AMT DES ERZBISCHOFS VON WIEN, DES HOCHWÜRDIGSTEN HERRN KARDINALS HANS HERMANN GROËR OSB AUFGENOMMEN. MIT GROßER LIEBE ZU CHRISTUS UND SEINER KIRCHE HAT ER IN TREUE ZUM NACHFOLGER PETRI DAS ERZBISTUM WIEN VON 1986 BIS 1995 UNTER DEM MOTTO „IN VERBO AUTEM TUO" GELEITET UND STAND AUCH EINIGE JAHRE AN DER SPITZE DER ÖSTER-REICHISCHEN BISCHOFKONFERENZ. IN DEN LETZTEN JAHREN, DIE ER ZURÜCKGEZOGEN VERBRACHTE, WAR ER VON KRANKHEIT GEZEICHNET. INDEM ICH IHNEN VERSICHERE, DAß ICH BETEND AM GEDENKEN, DAS DIE ERZDIÖZESE WIEN IHREM FRÜHEREN OBERHIRTEN SCHENKT, ANTEIL NEHME, EMPFEHLE ICH IHN DEM HERRN, DEM ER SEIN LEBEN ÜBEREIGNET HATTE. MÖGE IHM DER EWIGE LOHN ZUTEIL WERDEN, DEN DER HERR SELBST SEINEN TREUEN DIENERN VERHEIßEN HAT. AUF DIE FÜRSPRACHE MARIENS, DER MUTTER DER PRIESTER, ERTEILE ICH ALLEN, DIE UM DEN VERSTORBENEN TRAUERN, ALS UNTERPFAND REICHEN GÖTTLICHEN TROSTES DEN APOSTOLISCHEN SEGEN. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II (2) This is the simple inscription in his tomb, provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: HANS HERMANN CARD. GROER 13.10.1919 24.03.2003 (81) 20. MARTIN, Jacques (1908-1992) Birth. August 26, 1908, Amiens, France. His baptismal name was Jacques-Paul. Education. Studied at the University of Strassbourg, where he obtained a licentiate in letters); at the Pontifical French Seminary, Rome; at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, from 1929 to 1936, where he obtained a doctorate in theology; thesis: "Le Louis XIV de Charteaux, Dom Innocent Le Masson"); at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Rome, from 1936 to 1938 (diplomacy); and at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law. Incardinated in the diocese of Nice. Priesthood. Ordained, October 14, 1934, in the chapel of the Seminary of Saint-Esprit, in Paris, by Henri Friteau, C.S.Sp., titular bishop of Jabruda and vicar apostolic of Loango, Congo. Further studies, Rome, 1934-1938. Joined the Vatican Secretariat of State, 1938. Member of the papal delegation to the 34th International Eucharistic Congress, Budapest, Hungary, May 12, 1938. Privy chamberlain supernumerary, June 2, 1941. Domestic prelate of His Holiness, June 20, 1951. Special envoy to the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of coronation of Haile Selassie I, emperor of Ethiopia, 1954. Canon of the patriarchal Vatican basilica and protonotary apostolic supernumerary, December 10, 1958. Accompanied Pope Paul VI in his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, January 1964. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Neapoli di Palestina, January 5, 1964. Consecrated, February 11, 1964, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Cardinal Paolo Marella, archpriest of the patriarchal Vatican basilica and prefect of the S.C. for St. Peter's basilica, assisted by Angelo Dell'Acqua, titular archbishop of Calcedonia, substitute of the Secretariat of State and secretary of the Cipher, and by Paul-Pierre Philippe, O.P., titular archbishop of Eraclea, secretary of the S.C. of Religious. Appointed prefect of the Papal Household, April 9, 1969. Promoted to archbishop and and appointed prefect emeritus, December 18, 1986. Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the deaconry of Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re, June 28, 1988. Lost the right to participate in conclave when turned eighty years of age, August 26, 1988. Death. September 27, 1992, in the early hours of the morning, after suffering a severe heart attack, in his residence in Vatican City. Pope John Paul II presided over the exequies celebrated in the patriarchal Vatican basilica, on the following Thursday October 1; the cardinals present in Rome concelebrated with the pope, who also pronounced the homily. Buried in the chapel of the canons of St. Peter's basilica, Campo Verano cemetery, Rome. His body was transferred to "Reconciliazione" chapel, basilica of Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re, Rome, on December 2, 1997 (1). Bibliography. Chapeau, O.S.B. André and Fernand Combaluzier, C.M. Épiscopologe français des temps modernes, 1592-1973. Paris : Letouzey et Ané, 1974, p. 405-406; Martin, Jacques. Oltre il portone di bronzo. (Appunti di un cardinale vissuto a fianco di 6 Papi). Milan: Edizioni Paoline, 1996. Webgraphy. Biography, in French, Wikipédia. (1) This is the text of the inscription on his crypt, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: IACOBUS CARD. MARTIN TIT. SACR.MI. CORDIS CHRISTI REGIS IN CAELESTIBUS CUM CHRISTO 26 · VIII · 1908 27 · IX · 1992 (82) 21. HENGSBACH, Franz (1910-1991) Birth. September 10, 1910, Velmede, archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany. Son of Johann and Theresia Hengsbach; he had five brothers and two sisters. One of the brothers, Paul, was also a diocesan priest and died on November 4, 2018 at 90. Education. Institute of Brilon, Brilon; Seminary of Paderborn, Paderborn; Seminary of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau; Theological Faculty, Münich (obtained a doctorate in theology in 1944; dissertation: Das Wesen der Verkündigung - Eiene homiletische Untersuchung auf paulinischer Grundlag). Priesthood. Ordained, March 13, 1937, Paderborn, by Kaspar Klein, archbishop of Paderborn. Vicar, Herne-Bukau, St. Mariren, 1937-1946. Secretary general of the Academy Bonifat-Eingung in Paderborn, 1946-1948. General secretary of the Central Committee for the Preparation of German Catholics, 1947. Director of the archdiocesan pastoral office of Paderborn, January 1, 1948-1958. Domestic prelate of His Holiness, 1952. General secretary of the Central Committee of German Catholic, April 30, 1952. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Cantano and appointed auxiliary of Paderborn, August 20, 1953. Consecrated, September 29, 1953, metropolitan cathedral of Paderborn, by Lorenz Jaeger, archbishop of Paderborn, assisted by Wilhelm Weskamm, bishop of Berlin, and by Friedrich Maria Rintelen, titular bishop of Cusira, auxiliary of Paderborn. Transferred to the see of Essen, November 18, 1957. Founder of "Adveniat", organization of the German episcopate to assist the church in Latin America. Military ordinary for Germany, October 10, 1961 until May 22, 1978. Attended the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. Attended the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to November 6, 1971. Grand prior of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. President, German episcopal commission for Universal Church affairs, 1976. Member, Council of the European Episcopal Conference, 1977. Attended the Third General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, Puebla, México, January 27 to February 13, 1979. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario, June 28, 1988. Lost the right to participate in conclave when turned eighty years of age, September 10, 1990. Resigned the pastoral government of the diocese of Essen, February 21, 1991. He was known throughout Germany as the "workers' bishop". He wore a piece of coal in his bishop's ring to symbolize his concern for miners and other workers. Death. June 24, 1991, in a hospital in Essen, from complications after a stomach surgery. Buried in the crypt of the cathedral of Essen (1). A lifesize colored statue of the cardinal was erected in the cathedral grounds of Essen on the occasion of the centenary of his birth in 2010. The conference center for the training of priests, pastoral education and retreats in the diocese of Essen is named the "Kardinal-Hengsbach-Haus" in his honor. Bibliography. Brandt, Hans Jürgen ; Hellmich, Klaus. Zeitzeuge Kardinal Franz Hengsbach : zum Gedenken an den Gründerbischof des Bistums Essen, 1910-1991. Essen, Germany : Verlag Ferdinand Kamp GmbH & Co., 1991; Gatz, Erwin. Die Bischöfe der deutschsprachigen Länder, 1945 2001 : ein biographisches Lexikon. Unter Mitwirkung von Franz Xaver Bischof ... [et al.] ; herausgegeben von Erwin Gatz. Berlin : Duncker & Humblot, 2002, p. 192-198. Webgraphy. His arms, Araldica Vaticana; 30 anni fa la morte del Cardinale Hengsbach by Nario Mancini, ACI Stampa, Essen, 24 giugno, 2021 / 9:00 AM. (1) This is the text of the inscription on his vault, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: FRANZ KARDINAL HENGSBACH 10. SEPT. 1910 24.JUNI.1991 BISCHOF VON ESSEN 1958-1991 (83) 22. SLADKEVIČIUS, M.I.C., Vincentas (1920-2000) Birth. August 20, 1920, Guroniai, parish of Šv. Jurgio in Žasliai, diocese of Kaišiadorys, Lithuania. He was the youngest of the five children of Mykolas Sladkevičius and Uršule Kavaliauskaite, a family of farmers; the other siblings were Ona, Emilija, Jonas and Marija. He was baptized in that parish church. His father died when he was nine years old. Education. Initial education at the elementary school in Žasliai, in 1926; in 1932, he went to the Gymnasium of Kaišiadorys; in 1933, to the Catholic Gymnasium of Kaišiadorys; in 1934, to the Jesuit Gymnasium of Kaunas; from 1939 to 1944, he studied at the Theological Faculty of Kaunas, where he obtained a licentiate in theology in 1944. Priesthood. Ordained, March 25, 1944, Kaunas, by Juozapas Skriveckas, archbishop of Kaunas. Incardinated in the diocese of Kaišiadorys. On April 10, 1944, he celebrated his first mass at the parish of Šv. Jurgio in Žasliai. From 1944 to 1948, he was chaplain in the parish of Švč. Trejybés in Kietaviškése; in the parish of vč. M. Marijos Émimo ị dangų in Merkiné; in the parish of Kristaus Atsimainymo in Aukštadvaris; in the cathedral-parish of Kristaus Atsimainymo in Kaišiadorys; in the parish of v. Jono Krikštytojo in Čiobiškis; in the parish of vč. Trejybés in Nedzingéje; in the parish of v. Juozapo in ešiuoliuose; and in the parish of St. v. Jono Krikštytojo in Kuktiškése. From 1948 to 1952, he was parish priest of vč. M. Marijos Émimo ị dangų in Inturkéje. In 1952, he was named prefect of the Theological Seminary in Kaunas, as well as lecturer of dogmatics. In 1956, he was named named canon of the cathedral chapter of Kaišiadorys. Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Abora and auxiliary, sedis datus, of Kaišiadorys, November 14, 1957. Consecrated, December 25, 1957, in secret, in the kitchen of the parish-house of v. Antano Paduviečio, in Birštonas, by Teofilius Matulionis, bishop of Kaišiadorys, without co-consecrators. His episcopal motto was Fac Meum Signum in Bonum. In March 1958, he was expelled from his office by the Soviet authorities. Until 1959 he lived in a private flat in Kaunas. Impeded from exercising his episcopal ministry by the government, he resided in Neumunélio Radviliškis, diocese of Panevėž ys, under virtual house arrest from 1963 to 1982; from 1970, he was allowed to administer the sacraments in private in the parish of vč. M. Marijos in Nemunélio Radviliškis. He joined the Congregation of the Marian Clerics of the Immaculate Conception in secret; took the temporary vows in 1972; and the final vows in 1975. In 1976, he was sent to Pabiržé, diocese of Panevéžys, until 1982; in 1980, he was allowed to celebrate the mass privately in the parish of vč. Trejybés. Appointed apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Kašiadorys, July 15, 1982. Elected president of the Episcopal Conference of Lithuania, April 27, 1988. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella, June 28, 1988. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Kaunas, March 10, 1989. He received the pallium from Pope John Paul II on June 29, 1989, at the patriarchal Vatican basilica. Attended the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Europe, Vatican City, November 28 to December 14, 1991. On September 6, 1993, he welcomed Pope John Paul II to Kaunas. The Holy Father referred to the cardinal as a "diligent servant of God who can undoubtedly be considered the 20th century's model of morals, service to God, truth and humanness". In December 1993, he received the honorary citizenship of Kaunas. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, for having reached the age limit, on May 4, 1996. In 1998, he was decorated with the merit cross, first class, of the Order of Merit of "Vytautas Magnus" of the Republic of Lithuania. Death. May 28, 2000, after suffering from prostate cancer for seven years, in his apartment at Valančius gatve 6, Kaunas, while receiving the last rites. After learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope John Paul II sent Sigitas Tamkevičius, S.J., archbishop of Kaunas, a telegram of condolence (1). The funeral was celebrated in the metropolitan cathedral-basilica of Kaunas on Thursday June 1, 2000; his remains were buried in that same cathedral-basilica (1). On June 2, 2001, in commemoration of the first anniversary of his death, in Kaunas, at M. Valančiaus gatve 6, a memorial exposition was opened in the apartment where he lived from 1990-2000. In 2001, a street in the city of Kaunas was named "Kardinolas Vincentas Sladkevicius". In 2003, a stamp with his portrait was issued by the Republic of Lithuania. In 2006, a coin with his portrait was also issued by the Republic of Lithuania. In 2007 a monument in his honor was erected in the grounds of the Transfiguration cathedral in Kaišiadorys. His apartment in Kaunas, where he spent his last years and died, has been since converted into a museum. Bibliography. Laurinavičius, Jonas. Guronys: Kardinolo Vincento Sladkevičiaus tévišké. Kaišiadorys, 1995; Laurinavičius, Jonas.Kaišiadorių krašto ž monés: 100 biografijų. Kaišiadorys : Kaišiadorių Muziejus, 2002; Laurinavičius, Jonas. Kilnus artimo meilés liudytojas (Kardinolas Vincentas Sladkevičius). Kaišiadorys, 2001; Petraitiene, Irena. Kardinolas : Jo Eminencijos Vincento Sladkevičiaus laikas ir asmenybe. Kaunas : Santara, 2000; Sladkevičius, Vincentas. Laimékime gerumu: Kardinolo V. Sladkevičiaus mintys. Compiled by Jonas Laurinavičius. Kaišiadorys, 2001; Sladkevičius, Vincentas. Padaryk mane gerumo ženklu: prisiminimai apie kardinolą Vincentą Sladkevičių. Compiled and prepared by Irene Petraitiené. Kaunas, 2003. Webgraphy. Biography, in Lituanian, Wikipedia; his death notice and biography, in Lithuanian, archdiocese of Kaunas; photograph and biography, by Eman Bonnici, in English, Find a Grave; his effigy on a coin and biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; photographs, Araldica Vaticana; Cardinal Sladkevicius by Michael Bourdeaux, The Guardian, Tuesday 6 June 2000 20.17 EDT; 50 litas coin dedicated to Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevicius (1920-2000), Lietuvos Bankas; his monument, Panoramio; Remembering Lithuania’s Cardinal Sladkevicius 12th Anniversary 2012 by by KR Slade, VilNews, 2011. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Press Office of the Holy See: A Monsignor Sigitas Tamkevičius S.I. Arcivescovo di Kaunas Rotušés 14/A 3000 Kaunas - Lituania APPRESA CON PROFONDA EMOZIONE LA NOTIZIA DELLA PIA DIPARTITA DEL VENERATO CARDINALE VINCENTAS SLADKEVIČIUS ARCIVESCOVO EMERITO DI KAUNAS ESPRIMO LA MIA INTENSA MESTIZIA PER LA SCOMPARSA DI UNO ZELANTE SERVITORE DEL SIGNORE CHE NEL SUO LUNGO MINISTERO ECCLESIALE È STATO AUTENTICO TESTIMONE DEL VANGELO (.) SACERDOTE DI INTEGRA FEDE E FERVIDA PIETÀ PUR IMPEDITO PER LUNGHI ANNI DALL’ESERCIZIO DELLA SUA MISSIONE EPISCOPALE E CONFINATO MAI SI È LASCIATO INTIMIDIRE DANDO SEMPRE LUMINOSO ESEMPIO DI INDOMITA FIDUCIA NELLA PROVVIDENZA DIVINA E DI LEALE FEDELTÀ ALLA SEDE DI PIETRO (.) RENDO GRAZIE A DIO PER QUESTO EROICO PRESBITERO E VESCOVO CHE EGLI HA DONATO ALLA SUA CHIESA ED ELEVO FERVIDE PREGHIERE PERCHÈ LO ACCOLGA NEL GAUDIO ETERNO MENTRE INVIO A LEI ALLA CHIESA LITUANA ED A QUANTI CONDIVIDONO IL DOLORE PER LA SCOMPARSA DI QUESTO FRATELLO A ME TANTO CARO LA CONFORTATRICE BENEDIZIONE APOSTOLICA IOANNES PAULUS PP. II (2) This is the text of the inscription on his tomb, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: S.R.E. CARDINALIS VINCENTAS SLADKEVICIUS ARCHIEPISCOPUS METROPOLITA KAUNENSIS 1920 - 2000 (84) 23. MARGÉOT, Jean (1916-2009) Birth. February 3, 1916, Quatre-Bornes, diocese of Port-Louis, Mauritius. Son of Joseph Margéot and Marie Harel. Education. Secondary education at Collège Père-Laval (later Collège du St. Esprit) and Collège Royal, Port-Louis; in 1933, he was admitted to the French Seminary, Rome; did his ecclesiastical studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (licentiate in philosophy and in theology). Priesthood. Ordained, December 17, 1938, patriarchal Lateran basilica, Rome. Returned to Mauritius on August 25, 1939. In 1939, he was named parochial vicar at La Visitation, in Vacoas, where he quickly organized the Catholic Youth Association. On April 28, 1940, he was named spiritual director of the Légion de Marie, which he promoted with great success throughout the country. Later, he was vicar at St.Pierre-ès-Liens, Moka; at Ste. Thérèse, Curepipe; at Notre Dame du Rosaire, Quare Bornes; at St. Sauveur; at Bambous; and at the cathedral of St. Louis. At the end of 1945, at the invitation of Bishop François Émile Marie Cléret de Langavant, C.S.Sp., of Saint-Denis, he went to La Réunion to establish the Légion de Marie. In 1947, he represented the diocese in Antananarivo, in the celebrations marking the canonization of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. On December 29, 1947, he was named secretary of the Roman Catholic Education Authority, with residence in the presbytery of the cathedral; on June 20, 1952, he became its president. Founder of "Foyers de Notre Dame" in 1953. Founder of "Foyer Monsignor Murphy", for the formation of native clergy. He was administrator of the diocese during the illness of Bishop Daniel Liston, C.S.Sp. He became the first Mauritian vicar general of the diocese of Port Louis on April 1, 1956; occupied the post until June 1, 1968; vicar capitular, June 1, 1968, at the resignation of Bishop Liston; occupied the post until February 6, 1969. Domestic prelate of honor of His Holiness, September 19, 1956. On that same date, he was named prelate of the Maison du Pape. Pastor of the parish Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Rose-Hill, when that important parish of Plaines-Wilhems passed from the Jesuit Fathers to the diocesan clergy in October of 1957. Because of the long absences of Bishop Liston in Rome during the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, he was closely associated with the direction of the diocese. In 1963, he founded l'Action Familiale to face the problems created by the population increase. Named member of the Pontifical Commission for the Family, he participated in two of its sessions in Rome. At the beginning of 1968, when the country lived serious social disturbances related to its independence, he was the trusted pastor who accurately listened to Catholic community. In the same way, he ensured the successful progress of the Church within the new Mauritian state, recently created. In Lent 1969, he asked the clergy and the faithful to work for the development of the country. Episcopate. Elected bishop of Port-Louis, February 6, 1969. Consecrated, May 4, 1969, shrine of Marie-Reine-de-la-Paix, Port Louis, by Paolo Mosconi, titular archbishop of Leges, pro-nuncio in Madagascar, assisted by Angelo Innocent Fernandes, archbishop of Delhi, and by Georges-Henri Guibert, C.S.Sp., bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion; 80, 000 people attended the ceremony, which was considered the most important in the history of the city until then. His episcopal motto was Non ministrari sed ministrare. Named assistant at the Pontifical Throne on October 10, 1972. Attended the Fifth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 26 to October 25, 1980; the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985. President of the Episcopal Conference of Indian Ocean, 1985-1989. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of S. Gabriele Arcangelo all'Acque Traversa, June 28, 1988. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990. Resigned the pastoral government of the diocese of Port-Louis, February 15, 1993. He went to reside at the Convent of Bonne Terre, where he continued giving retreats and conferences; in October 2005, he was affected by a grave illness; after a period of convalescence, he resumed all his normal activities. Attended the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, Vatican City, April 10 to May 8, 1994. Special papal envoy to the celebration of 150th anniversary of the evangelization of New Caledonia, Numea, May 22, 1994. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years of age, February 3, 1996. Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key, March 12, 1997. In February 1999, he played an important mediation role to calm the disorders that affected the country. He was the first bishop and the first cardinal from Mauritius. Death. Friday July 17, 2009, at 9:40 a.m., local time, in his room in the pavillion situated in the convent of the Filles de Marie, Bonne-Terre, Vacoas. Although still mentally lucid, his health had deteriorated since the stroke that he suffered back in 2005. He was a priest for over 70 years, a bishop for 40, and a cardinal for 21. His body was taken from his residence to the cathedral of St. Louis on Friday July 17, at 5 p.m., and there it laid in state from 6 p.m.; a book of condolences was available. The funeral Mass was celebrated on Sunday, July 19, at noon, at the Shrine of Marie-Reine-de-la-Paix; the body of the cardinal was taken from the cathedral at 11 a.m., accompanied by members of the SMF and the orchestra of the police. A national day of mourning was decreed by the Republic of Mauritius for the occasion. Interment followed in the the cathedral choir; only relatives and priests were present. Upon learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent a telegram of condolence to Bishop Maurice Piat of Port-Louis; and the family of the late cardinal. Bibliography. Margéot, Jean ; Nagapen, Amédée; Appassamy, Freddy ; Dinan, Jacques ; Foy, Joseph. Cardinal Jean Margéot, évêque de Port-Louis de 1969 ` 1993 : livre-souvenir publié à l'occasion de la messe d'action de grâce célébrée au Monument Marie, Reine de la Paix, le dimanche 16 mai 1993. Port Louis : Diocèse de Port-Louis, 1993; Margéot, Jean ; Le Gall, Robert. Le voyage intérieur : Dialogues sur la prière et la méditation. Paris : Presses de la renaissance, 2007; Tong, Franéçoise Yaw Kan ; Conchiano Mootoosamy. Cardinal Jean Margéot, premier Mauricien évêque et cardinal. Préface pour Cardinal Bernardin Gantin. Rose-Hill, Mauritius : Ile aux Trésors, 2006. Webgraphy. Photographs, audios and biography, in French (site created to celebrate his 90th birthday on February 3, 2006); photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; photographs and arms, Araldica Vaticana; photograph and biography, in French, diocese of Port-Louis; and the diocese of Port-Louis. (85) 24. WU CHENG-CHUNG, John Baptist (1925-2002) Birth. March 26, 1925, in the village of Ho Hau, in the country of Wu-hua (Province of Guangdong) diocese of Shui-tsai (Kaying), China. From a poor family. Son of Shing Sing Wu and Mary Chow. He was baptized in the parish church of the same village. Education. Primary education in Ho Hau; then, he studied at the Seminary of Kaying from 1940 to 1946 (secondary education); at the South China Regional Seminary, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, from August 1946 (philosophy and theology); and at the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law, summa cum laude, on June 23, 1956; his thesis was De forma canonica extraordinaria celebrationis matrimonii. Priesthood. Ordained, July 6, 1952, cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong, by Antonio Riberi, titular archbishop of Dara, nuncio to China. Pastoral ministry at the Refugee Center at Tung Tau Tsuen, Kowloon, Hong Kong, now a part of St. Patrick's parish, 1952-1953. Further studies in Rome, 1954-1956. July 1956: Sent to the United States to gain experience in diocesan administration, working respectively at the chancery of the archdiocese of New York (July-September 1956); of Boston (September-December 1956); and of Chicago (December 1956-January 1957). Pastoral ministry in the diocese of Hsin-chu, Taiwan, May 1957-1975; moderator of the diocesan synod, 1971-1972. Episcopate. Elected bishop of Hong Kong (Xianggang), April 5, 1975. Consecrated, July 25, 1975, cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong, by Cardinal Agnelo Rossi, prefect of the S.C. for the Propagation of the Faith, assisted by Petrus Pao-Zin Tou, bishop of Hsinchu, and by Frederic Anthony Donaghy, M.M., bishop of Wuchow (Wuzhou). His episcopal motto was Veritatem in caritate. Attended the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985. Led delegations in official visits to the People's Republic of China in 1985, 1986 and 1994. Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 28, 1988; received the red biretta and the title of Beata Vergine Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano, June 28, 1988. Special papal envoy to the National Missionary Congress of the Philippines, Cebu, September 27 to October 1, 2000. He was the first cardinal from Hong Kong. Death. September 23, 2002, at 6 a.m., from advanced stages of melanoma and bone marrow cancer, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. After learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope John Paul II sent Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, S.D.B., of Hong Kong a telegram of condolence (1). His funeral Mass, held on September 28, 2002 at 10 a.m., was celebrated by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, sent over for the occasion from Rome by Pope John Paul II. Buried in St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. On September 28, 2022, the remains of the cardinal were exhumed from St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery, and reburied in the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Hong Kong. A Eucharistic celebration for the occasion was held at the cathedral on October 4, 2022. Bibliography. Brender, Andreas ; Kierein-Kuenring, Mandred D. Catholic Hierarchy in China since 1307. Cluj-Napoca, 2012, pp. 204 and 246. Webgraphy. Photograph, arms and biographical information, in Chinese and English, Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Archives; photograph and biography, in Italian, Sala Stampa della Santa Sede; photograph and biography, in English, Holy See Press Office; his arms, Araldica Vaticana; Hong Kong remembers Cardinal Wu on 20th anniversary of his death, AsiaNews.it, Hong Kong, 10/02/2022, 12.26. (1) This is the text of the telegram, taken from the Holy See Press Office: Bishop Joseph Zen Hong Kong ON LEARNING OF THE SERENE AND HOLY PASSING OF CARDINAL JOHN BAPTIST WU I EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES AND JOIN YOU AND THE CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND LAITY OF HONG KONG IN COMMENDING YOUR FORMER SHEPHERD TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER'S MERCIFUL LOVE. MINDFUL OF THE LATE CARDINALS LIFE-LONG, DEDICATED SERVICE OF THE CHURCH AS PRIEST AND BISHOP AND WITH IMMENSE GRATITUDE FOR HIS FRUITFUL AND UNTIRING COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SEE AND WITH ME PERSONALLY THROUGHOUT MY PONTIFICATE, I AM CERTAIN THAT HIS MEMORY WILL LIVE ON IN THE COMMUNITY HE SO FAITHFULLY SERVED, INSPIRING ALL TO EVER GREATER GENEROSITY IN CHRISTIAN LIVING. AS A PLEDGE OF COMFORT IN OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST I IMPART MY APOSTOLIC BLESSING TO ALL WHO MOURN HIM IN THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION IOANNES PAULUS PP. II BALTHASAR, Hans Urs von (1905-1988) Birth. August 12, 1905, Lucerne, Switzerland. Of an old patrician family. Son of Oscar Ludwig Carl von Balthasar, the Lucerne canton builder, and Gabrielle Pietzcker, co-foundress and first general secretary of the Swiss League of Catholic Women. He had a sister, Renée, who was superior general of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint-Marie des Anges from 1971 to 1983; and a younger brother, Dieter, who served as an officer in the Swiss Guard. He was baptized and received first communion in the Franciscan church of Lucerne. He had an extraordinary talent for music and for a long time he wavered between musical and literary studies. Education. Initial studies at the Benedictine high school, Engelber, Switzerland; Jesuit high school, Feldkirch, Switzerland; left a year before graduating; the program in German studies, leading to a doctorate, consisted of nine study semesters alternating between three universities: University of Zürich, Switzerland; University of Vienna, Austria; and University of Berlin, Germany (dissertation: Geschichte des eschatologischen Problems in der moderners deutschen Literatur, 1930). In the summer of 1927, he attended a thirty-day retreat directed by Father Friedrich Krtonseder, S.J.; this was a decisive turning point in his life. Joined the Society of Jesus, October 31, 1929; novitiate at Feldkirch of the Jesuit Province of Southern Germany, November 18, 1929-1931; one of his classmates was Alois Grillmeier, future cardinal; philosophy at Berchmanskolleg, Pullach, Münich, 1931-1933; theology at Fourviere, Lyons, 1933-1937; he studied under Henri de Lubac, future cardinal (obtained licentiates in philosophy and theology). Priesthood. Ordained, July 26, 1936, Münich, by Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber, archbishop of München und Freising. Associate editor of the journal Stimmen der Zeit, München, Germany, 1937-1939. Jesuit tertianship, Pullach, Münich, Germany, 1939; under the direction of Father Albert Steger; he did another thirty-day retreat. University chaplain, Basel, Switzerland, 1940-1948 (1). Founder and director of "Johannes Verlag", Einsiedeln, publishing firm, 1947. With Adrienne von Speyr, a Swiss physician and visionary and the wife of Werner Kaegi, later professor of history at Basel, he founded and worked in the Community of Saint John, Basel, Switzerland. His Jesuit superiors thought that this work was not compatible with membership in the Society. Left the Society of Jesus on February 11, 1950; it was not until February 2, 1956, that the bishop of Chur, Switzerland, granted him incardination in his diocese. Publisher and theological writer, Basel, Switzerland, 1950-1988. For several years, he fell out of favor and was not invited to be present at the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. Doctor honoris causa, theological faculty of Münster, Germany, and Edinburgh, Scotland, 1965. Doctorate in theology honoris causa, University of Fribourg, 1967. Pope Paul VI appointed him member of the International Theological commission, 1969; remained a member until his death. Co-founder, with Joseph Ratzinger, future cardinal and Pope Benedict XVI, of Communio: International Catholic Review. Attended the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to November 6, 1971; assistant to the special secretary. Received a doctorate honoris causa in human letters, The Catholic University of America, Washington, United States of America, 1980. Received the "Pope Paul VI International Prize", June 23, 1984. Attended the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985; special guest. Awarded the "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Prize" in Innsbruck, Austria, May 22, 1987. The announcement of his creation as a cardinal was made on May 29, 1988; he had declined the promotion in the past. Episcopate. Asked the pope to be excused from receiving episcopal consecration because of advanced age. Cardinalate. He was to be created cardinal deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere in the consistory of June 28, 1988 but died two days earlier. He is considered one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the 20th century. He was called "the pope's favorite theologian" in the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and greatly influenced Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's theological thought. Feeling the end was near, he wrote to a friend: "Those above, seem to have a different plan", shortly before his elevation to the Sacred College of Cardinals and his unexpected demise. Death. June 26, 1988, Basel, suddenly, as he was preparing to celebrate morning mass. Buried in his family's vault at the cemetery of Sankt Leodegar im Hof church, Lucerne (2). Beatification. His cause of beatification was introduced by the Associazione Le Porte del Cielo of Fara in Sabina without nihil obstat on March 20, 2018. Bibliography. -Balthasar, Hans Urs von. Man in History. A Theological Study. New York : Sheed and Ward, 1982; -Balthasar, Hans Urs von. My work : in retrospect. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 1993. (Communio books). Note: Translation of: Mein Werk--Durchblicke; -Balthasar, Hans Urs von. Romano Guardini: reform from the source. Translated by Albert K. Wimmer and D.C. Schindler. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2010; -Balthasar, Hans Urs von ; Chantraine, Georges. Le cardinal Henri de Lubac, l'homme et son œuvre. Paris : Editions Lethielleux ; Namur : Culture et vérité, 1983. (Sycomore., Série "Chrétiens aujourd'hui" ; 9); -Balthasar, Hans Urs von ; Nichols, Aidan. Mysterium Paschale : the mystery of Easter. Edinburgh, Scotland : T & T Clark, 1990; -The Cambridge companion to Hans Urs von Balthasar. Edited by Edward T. Oakes and David Moss. Cambridge, U.K. ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004. (Cambridge companions to religion); -Cornati, Dario. L' amore che tutto compie. Verità e giustizia di agape in Hans Urs Von Balthasar. Città del Vaticano : Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2018. (Collana Orizzonti, 2); -Dickens, William Thomas. Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological aesthetics : a model for post-critical biblical interpretation. Notre Dame, Ind. : University of Notre Dame Press, 2003; -Hans Urs Von Balthasar. Edited by Martin Redfern. Sheed and Ward : London, 1972; -Hans Urs von Balthasar. Cento anni dalla nascita. Milano : Editoriale Jaca, 2005; -Mongrain, Kevin. The systematic thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar : an Irenaean retrieval. New York : Herder & Herder, ©2002; -Nichols, Aidan, O.P. A key to Balthasar : Hans Urs Von Balthasar on beauty, goodness, and truth. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, ©2011; -O'Donnell, John. Hans Urs von Balthasar. Michael Glazier : Collegeville, 1992. (Outstanding Christian Thinkers); -Schindler, David. L. Hans Urs von Balthasar: His life and work. San Francisco : Communio Books, Ignatius Press, 1991; -Scola, Angelo. Hans Urs Von Balthasar. A Theological Style. Eerdmans : Grand Rapids, 1995. Webgraphy. Biography and bibliography, in English, Ignatius Insight; biography, in English, Wikipedia; bibliography and biography, in German, Academic dictionaries and encyclopedias his arms, Araldica Vaticana; Von Balthasar a Patmos by Cardinal Angelo Scola, Avvenire, 13 settembre 2013; Testimone instancabile della luce. L’eredità di Hans Urs von Balthasar a trent’anni dalla morte by Jacques Servais, L'Osservatore Romano, 26 giugno 2018; Hans Urs von Balthasar, le théologien qui a remis l’expérience de la beauté au centre de la foi by Jules Germain, Aleteia, 26 décembre 2018, with video; Una fede semplice. Incontri - Hans Urs von Balthasar by Elio Guerriero, L'Osservatore Romano, 09 gennaio 2020; Did Hans Urs von Balthasar teach that everyone will certainly be saved? by Mark Brumley, The Catholic World Report, March 27, 2020; Hans Urs von Balthasar, Covid-19, and the redemption of human anxiety by Sean Salai, S.J., The Catholic World Report, October 25, 2020; In defense of Hans Urs von Balthasar by Larry Chapp, The Catholic World Report, December 28, 2020; La teologia poetica di Dante. Sublime bellezza ed etica nell’Alighieri secondo Hans Urs von Balthasar by Bruno Forte, L'Osservatore Romano, 10 maggio 2021; A Pontificate under the Banner of Mary: Hans Urs von Balthasar on Pope Saint John Paul II, The Catholic World Report, October 22, 2021; Per abolire l’antica messa in latino c’è voluto Francesco. Nemmeno von Balthasar ci aveva mai pensato by Sandro Magister, Settimo Cielo, 20 gen 2021; Pio V, Francesco e Von Balthasar: piccola quaestio disputata by Andrea Grillo, Munera, 20 gennaio 2022; New book introduces readers to central focus of von Balthasar’s theology by Carl E. Olson, The Catholic World Report, September 27, 2022; Quando Dio semina il fuoco nel cuore del mondo. Balthasar e Ratzinger, o la fedeltà a Dio, all’uomo e al Creato by Elio Gueriero, Servizio Informazione Religiosa, 5 Gennaio 2023; Sull’uso equivoco di due principi intorno al ministero femminile. Letture forzate di Von Balthasar e Tommaso d’Aquino by Andrea Grillo, Munera, rivista europea di cultura, 9 Aprile 2023. (1) At the beginning of the Second World War, his superiors gave him the choice of going to Rome as a professor of the Pontifical Gregorian University or to Basel as a student chaplain; in Rome, he and other Jesuits were to set up an institute for ecumenical studies, a project that never materialized; he chose Basel because he preferred pastoral ministry. (2) This is the inscription on his tomb, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta: HANS URS KARDINAL von BALTHASAR Top Consistories Catalogs Home
2279	dbpedia	3	86	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/archbishop-nkeas-reaction-to-article-on-controversy-of-monsignors-in-bamenda/	en	Archbishop Nkea’s Reaction to Article on Controversy of Monsignors in Bamenda	https://thesunnewspaper.…wnkea-photo2.jpg	https://thesunnewspaper.…wnkea-photo2.jpg	[ "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/The-Sun-logo.png", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/jad20210210-ass-cameroun-bamenda-andrewnkea-photo2-300x286.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/aaaassd.jpg", "https://www.kerawa.com/oc-content/uploads/201712/20171213-145833-3005621-2017121302583297446.jpg-864333.jpg", "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPCqXT58MO92ErcQq2LXhe5HcmlQ8qHQ4U_MohTeUdzcPGXlQyvQ", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/advertisementsvtc.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2023-01-30T12:49:12+00:00	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac Last week, January 19, 2023, I wrote an article titled “Controversy rages overappointment of Five Monsignors in the Archdiocese of Bamenda” which was published in The SUN Newspaper on Monday, January 23, 2025, on page 8 and 9. Before I analyze the response of Arc	en	https://thesunnewspaper.…avicon-32x32.png	THE SUN NEWSPAPER CAMEROON	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/archbishop-nkeas-reaction-to-article-on-controversy-of-monsignors-in-bamenda/	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac Last week, January 19, 2023, I wrote an article titled “Controversy rages overappointment of Five Monsignors in the Archdiocese of Bamenda” which was published in The SUN Newspaper on Monday, January 23, 2025, on page 8 and 9. Before I analyze the response of Archbishop Nkea, I would like to succinctly recap the points of our article. The article was concerned with four points: 1) Did Pope Francis inform the appointment of five monsignors to Archbishop Nkeavia phone or was it done through the formal way, that is, through the Secretariat of State to the Nunciature in Yaoundé, Cameroon?2) I disagreed with Archbishop Nkea regarding his exaggeration that the appointment was a surprise for Bamenda. My point was based on the fact that it is Archbishop Nkea who initiated the process by forwarding these names to the Holy See for confirmation by the Pope, therefore, the Pope did not surprise Bamenda, for it was the handwork of Archbishop Nkea; 3) I objectively and constructively criticized Archbishop Nkea for distracting a whole Eucharistic celebration just to announce the creation of five new monsignors by citing two great theologians of the Eucharist (Cardinal Ratzinger and Cardinal Arinze). In his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy” published by Ignatius Press in 2000, then Cardinal Ratzinger expressed that whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. (Cf. Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 198.) In addition, Cardinal Francis Arinze stated vehemently fervent on the Question and Answers Session in 2007 at the Totus Tuus Conference that: “…we do not come to mass to enjoy. We do not come to mass to admire people and clap for them and say, repeat, repeat, excellent. That is alright for the auditorium, for the theater.” (Nchumbonga Lekelefac, ‘Francis Cardinal Arinze: 90th Birthday Festschrift,’ 2022, Volume 1, page 434). Archbishop Nkea interrupted the mass and made the announcement of the appointment of monsignors immediately after the Lord have mercy. To my mind, that announcement could have been done at the concluding rite of mass, because during mass, there should be no interruption whatsoever to make announcements. Above all, the theme of that celebration was the opening of the Eucharistic year; and 4) I congratulated Archbishop Nkea for having recognized these five priests by forwarding their names to be confirmed as monsignors by the Pope and I encouraged other bishops in the Ecclesiastical Province to emulate Archbishop’s Nkea’s example. Having reiterated these four points, I would like to continue with our topic of today. Reaction of Archbishop Nkea On Sunday, January 22, 2023, at about 16:23, I received a response from Archbishop Nkea regarding the article which read: “Young man, I thought you were establishing a research institute to document facts about our local Church for posterity. I did not know that you would be caught up in this temptation of cheap journalism of commenting on unverified facts and insulting the hierarchy in public. I saw one of your write-ups in which you vented your personal anger on the Bishops of Kumba and Kumbo. George you have to grow up. I sincerely hope that you will change this attitude of yours and use your talents more constructively. If not, stop sending me your write-ups. Otherwise, I will block you from my mailing list. Be assured of my prayers. God bless.” Before I react to this message, I would like Archbishop Nkeaand lectors to lucidly understand what journalism is from the mouth of Pope Francis who appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe, Cameroon on 10 July 2013 with right of succession. (Cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 403.3 and canon 409.1). Mission of a genuine journalist explained by Pope Francis Now, on 17 November 2021, Pope Francis paid tribute to journalists saying that society today is in “great need” of journalism to hold power to account and uncover truths which might otherwise remain hidden from public view. As you could see, the journalist is out to account and uncover truth which might otherwise remain hidden from public view, which is exactly what we have been doing with our institute of research, documentation, language and culture. Further, in a speech honouring two veteran Vatican journalists, Pope Francis thanked the journalistic community for helping to uncover sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and its wider role searching for the truth. Pope Francis said journalism was a mission to “explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with more confidence.”That is exactly what our institute has been doing. We have taken the mission to enlighten the world how things are done in the church so that they could be aware. Moreover, Pope Francis underscored that three verbs characterize good journalism: listen, investigate and report.Pope Francis said that to listen is a verb that concerns the journalists, but it concerns us all as a church, at all times and especially now that the synodal process has begun. For a journalist, listening means having the patience to meet face-to-face with the people to be interviewed, the protagonists of the stories being told, the sources from which to receive news. Listening always goes hand-in-hand with seeing, with being present: certain nuances, sensations, and well-rounded descriptions can only be conveyed to readers, listeners and spectators if the journalist has listened and seen for him – or herself. We have made it a priority to listen to grievances, investigate and report them to our lectors who have a right to know the TRUTH. In addition, Pope Francis noted, citing his year’s message for Communications Day that we need journalists who are willing to “wear out the soles of their shoes”, to get out of the newsroom, to walk around the city, to meet people, to assess the situations in which we live in our time, noting that listening is the first word that came to his mind. That is exactly what our research institute has been doing. We have travelled far and wide to interview people to uncover hidden truths and to educate. As if that was not enough,the Pope noted that journalism is about investigating, which is a consequence of listening and seeing adding that every piece of news, every fact we talk about, every reality we describe needs to be investigated highlighting that at a time when millions of pieces of information are available on the web, and when many people obtain their information and form their opinions on social media, where unfortunately the logic of simplification and opposition sometimes prevails, the most important contribution that good journalism can make is that of in-depth analysis. That is what we have attempted to do so far. Pope Francis stressed that “In contrast with information on the internet, journalists can offer context, precedent, and interpretation that help to explain the fact that has happened”. That is exactly what we did with the appointment of monsignors in Bamenda by attempting to inform the people that there was a controversy regarding the appointment of five monsignors in which I attempted to explain to the lectors how monsignors are appointed in the Catholic Church. Finally, Pope Francis added that: “To listen, to investigate, and the third verb, to report: I don’t have to explain it to you, who have become journalists precisely because you are curious about reality and passionate about telling it. Reporting means not putting oneself in the foreground, nor setting oneself up as a judge, but allowing oneself to be struck and sometimes wounded by the stories we encounter, in order to be able to tell them with humility to our readers.He noted that today we need journalists and communicators who are passionate about reality, capable of finding the treasures often hidden in the folds of our society and recounting them, allowing us to be impressed, to learn, to broaden our minds, to grasp aspects that we did not know before. In order to do this, I need to be objective and independent without taking sides from anybody. This is a mission which we must fulfil. Weonly write what we know to be true after thorough investigation, whether it hurts or not, for our mission is to uncover the truth of the reality of our Ecclesiastical Province so that healing could take place. My Reaction to Archbishops Nkea’s Message As you could see from the message of Pope Francis, the journalist is about reporting, uncovering truths which means not putting oneself in the foreground, nor setting oneself up as a judge, but allowing oneself to be struck and sometimes wounded by the stories we encounter, in order to be able to tell them with humility to our readers. That was exactly what we did. I heard about a controversy, which is the reality and I decided to document, and report it without judging or taking sides. I did not say Archbishop Nkea told a lie. I simply said it was not the formal way that the Holy See informs the appointment of monsignors and I enlighten my readers on how the process is carried out, for I am curious about the reality and passionate about telling it. That is the mission of a journalist as Pope Francis has clearly explained. Now, let me comment on the message of Archbishop Nkeaunder 4 points: 1)Archbishop Nkea begins his message to me by addressing me ‘young man.’” This address could portray someone who COULD be a bully, that is, a blustering, browbeating person who is habitually threatening to others who are weaker, smaller and who thinks that he is high up there while all the others are below. I would like Archbishop Nkea to know that we are equal by our baptism, brothers in Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”(1 Corinthians 12:13). Secondly, I would like to humbly and respectfully remind Archbishop Nkea that we are different only in function and that his function is not greater than mine, for we are both players in this team which is called the church, and that each player is equal by baptism and that each player matters, regardless of his state in the church as Cardinal Francis Arinze has repeatedly illustrated (Cf. Nchumbonga Lekelefac, Bernard Fonlon Crusaded to Sainthood in Africa, Enugu, page 701), for it is not the state that matters in the Church, it is FIDELITY TO THE STATE that matters. Thus, no matter your state – lay person, cleric (deacon, priest, bishop), what matters is your faithfulness to your duty, not your state. Could it not have been better and respectful for Archbishop Nkeato address me accordingly by writing “Dear Mr Nchumbonga George Lekelefac,”instead of addressing me as “young man”? 2)Our research institute is aimed at documenting facts for posterity. Does it mean that controversies should not be documented? Does it mean that we should not be the voice of the voiceless? Are we not in a civilized society where intellectuals and journalists observe, listen, report and document events with critical minds? And was the distraction by Archbishop Nkea during the Eucharistic celebration not a fact or was it not? Also, is the orientation and enlightenment of the people of God in Bamenda on the formal way of nominating monsignors not a fact? What did I report in my article that was not a fact? I noted that I do not know with certitude whether Pope Francis informed Archbishop Nkea by phone and I educated the public on the process of appointment of monsignors which Archbishop Nkea portrayed as a mystery and as a surprise from Pope Francis which is not true because it is Archbishop Nkea who initiated it and not the Pope. Was I wrong to state that fact? What facts is Archbishop Nkea talking about? Pope Francis underscored that “today we need journalists and communicators who are passionate about reality, capable of finding the treasures often hidden in the folds of our society and recounting them, allowing us to be impressed, to learn, to broaden our minds, to grasp aspects that we did not know before. That is exactly what we did which Archbishop Nkea is uncomfortable with. Archbishop’s Nkea’s mindset to my mind is still old school. Times have changed and Archbishop Nkea needs to update his mindset with regards to his understanding on what journalism is all about. I think he could learn from Pope Francis. 3)Archbishop Nkea noted that he did not know that I would be caught up in this temptation of cheap journalism of commenting on unverified facts and insulting the hierarchy in public. What cheap journalism is Archbishop Nkea talking about and what unverified facts? And what insults is he talking about to the hierarchy in public? Since when did truth become an insult when Archbishop Nkea has repeatedly said that: “Only the truth matters? Why is Archbishop uncomfortable with the truth? Should the truth be hidden when it is not in his favour? Is Archbishop Nkea a politician, a diplomat or a genuine pastor of souls? I leave you to answer this question. The coat of arms of Archbishop Nkea has the words “In spiritu et veritate” (In spirit and truth) and this echoes values that the late Saint Pope John Paul II had, his main “model of spirituality”, which he held dear. So, when has the truth now become an insult and why is Archbishop Nkeaso interested in hierarchy and is it wrong to constructively criticize hierarchy? Why should journalists not uncover truth about hierarchy in public? Witness, that it is thanks to this uncovering of issues by journalists that the sexual abuse crisis has been uncovered. Now, on 17 November 2021, Pope Francis paid tribute to journalists saying that society today is in “great need” of journalism to hold power to account and uncover truths which might otherwise remain hidden from public view. So, why is Archbishop Nkea uncomfortable when the truth is uncovered and why does he see it as an insult to hierarchy in public? It seems to me (my opinion) that Archbishop Nkea does not understand the function of a journalist. I hope he could learn from Pope Francis who has stated that the function of a journalist is to uncover truth and document reality and events which might otherwise remain hidden from public view. And that is exactly what our instituteis doing. Is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church untouchable? No! Is it perfect? No! The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is made of human beings who make mistakes. Jesus Christ is not hierarchy. Jesus Christ is the founder of the church and that is why the church is holy through him. Therefore, Archbishop Nkeacould focus more on Jesus Christ, not on hierarchy. We all know the terrible abuses and covered truth that the so-called hierarchy has done in the past in the church. The hierarchy is not perfect! The covering of sexual abuses and so on by some members of the hierarchy simply confirms that the hierarchy is not perfect and that the so-called hierarchy has done much harm to the people of God in the history of the church. Times have changed and the hierarchy has to be constructively criticized when it is not doing humble service to the people, for it is about serving the people and not haughty power. It is because of all this silence in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda that some bishops think they are “Pantocrators or literally defined as ‘ruler of all, almighty, or all-powerful.’ I would like to respectfully and humbly remind Archbishop Nkea that he is not a ‘ruler of all, almighty, or all-powerful’, for he is simply a sinner whom God has called from among the people to serve his people as a simple pastor of souls and not as a diplomat nor a bully. In the church in Europe and America, the bishop is seen as a servant and minister of souls and it is the constant constructive criticism that challenges them to do their work well for they are accountable to the people. Every genuine leader must be accountable to his people. They have been able to understand the positive side of constructive criticism. Whereas, in Africa, some of our bishops like Archbishop Nkeathink that they are rulers and kings who should not be criticized because of their wanton interest in hierarchy. Some Bangwa people noted when he was appointed archbishop of Bamenda and elected president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) that he could be Cameroon’s next cardinal. To my frank mind, what matters is not to become a cardinal or pope, for what matters is to live a life emulating Jesus Christ who did not come to be served, but to serve, and who was a very humble person, even though he was the son of God. That is the legacy we wish archbishop Nkea to leave behind, not haughty power, but humble service to the people of God in the TRUTH. The hierarchy is not perfect, for only God is perfect. Hierarchy in the church is meant to provide order, not to lord it over on others as Archbishop Nkea is trying to portray. The people of God have the right to constructively criticize their shepherds when they are not fulfilling their mission, because they are accountable to the people. They are there toserve as humble servants. Lay men are not only there to contribute funds when the bishops need. They are also there to criticize them constructively when they go wrong. On January 25, 2023, in an interview with Associated Press, Pope Francis confirmed that if he resigned, he would like to be called “bishop emeritus of Rome.” He also said that if and when the time comes he would like to live in the diocese’s residence for elderly priests as any other retired priest would do. The Pope said that for him it is important to emphasize that the pope is a “bishop in communion with all other bishops rather than a ‘power player.’”Likewise, Archbishop Nkeacould know he is not a “power player,”rather, he is called to be a simple pastor of souls. Thus, let him not forget that he was called from among the peoples. Pope Francis also spoke of the criticisms he’s recently faced from cardinals and Curia members. He said it’s unpleasant, but at least it is a sign that there is freedom of speech. We all know that Archbishop Nkea is the first bishop in Cameroon to be appointed by Pope Francis in 10 July 2013 as Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe, Cameroon, barely about 4 months after Cardinal Bergoglio was elected on 13 March, 2013. That is why we expect that Archbishop Nkeacould emulate Pope Francis in the way he understands hierarchy and power in the church. Pope Francis noted on November 12, 2018 that the bishop is an Administrator of God not of Goods. He also said that a bishop, above all must be humble and meek, a servant not a prince, and he should be aware of the fact that he was chosen from among people. Finally, in his 8 Beatitudes for Bishops, on November 23, 2021, Pope Francis noted: “Blessed is the bishop who considers his ministry a service and not a power, who makes meekness his strength, gives everyone a right to a place in his heart, so as to give the promised land to the weak.” It is my humble wish that Archbishop Nkea could portray humble service in his episcopal ministry of a bishop. His response to simply portrays someone who think he has power over others to do what he wishes in the liturgy of the Eucharist and one who thinks no one should constructively criticize him. 4) Archbishop Nkea noted in his message that he saw one of my write-ups in which I vented my personal anger on the Bishops of Kumba and Kumbo and noted that I need to grow up. I would Archbishop Nkea to note that bishops are not kings or princes who cannot be criticized constructively. The articles I wrote on Bishop George Nkuoregarding his gross abuse of power is a fact.I am an independent journalist and I have the right to listen to the grievances of some priests of the diocese of Kumbo, investigate and report.They are human beings who deserve respect and humble service from you, the bishops, not haughty power. The mission of the journalist is to uncover truths by listening to the grievances of the people of God and stating them clearly. That is why I do not hide my identity when I write my writeups, because I am truly convinced about what I write. My writing the truth has nothing to do with growing up. I constructively criticized Bishop Agapitus because as a journalist, I listened to seminarians whom he terribly maltreated as rector and I thought it important to include it in my open letter of the Golden Jubilee of Bambui Seminary so that reconciliation and healing could take place. With regard to Bishop Nkuo, I criticized his gross abuse of power in the diocese of Kumbo with regards to the way he has treated some of his priests whom I gave examples. These are uncovered truths that should be reported and that is the work of a journalist. Therefore, Archbishop Nkea could try to be objective without taking sides. We know that late Bishop Awa groomed Archbishop Nkea and Bishop Nkuo to be future bishops, but that does not mean that Archbishop Nkea must support Bishop Nkuo. As a metropolitan, we expected Archbishop Nkea to be objective without taking sides. The errors committed by these two bishops (Bishop Nkuo and Agapitus) could be attended to for healing and reconciliation to take place. Hiding them is not the solution. That is what some bishops did with regards to sexual abuse of minors and where did it land? Covering truth does not solve any problem, it only worsens it, for if the walls of a house are cracking up, you do not save that house by covering the cracks over with paper as Archbishop is trying to instruct me to do. No! The only right thing to do is to pull it down to its foundations and raise it up anew which is what I am trying to do by uncovering these truths. To cure a disease, as I have said, above, a doctor is often obliged to rip his patient open to find the source and cause of it. It is therefore necessary to lay our ailings bare so that, with this evidence naked before our eyes, each one may examine his conscience and see his own portion of blame, if any, and correct himself for the good of all. Thus, seeing where we went astray and what to do, we shall be better able to right all wrongs and put our Ecclesiastical Province on its feet. 5) Lastly, Archbishop Nkea noted that he sincerely hopes that I will change this attitude of mine and use my talents more constructively. If not, I should stop sending himmy write-ups. Otherwise, he will block me from his mailing list. I would like Archbishop Nkea to know that as archbishop, he has to be open to constructive criticism whether he likes it or not, for there is freedom of speech in the church. So, whether Archbishop Nkea blocks me or not, let him know that his blocking me will not stop me from uncovering the truth. Thus, it would be best for Archbishop Nkea to do the right thing as a humble pastor of souls, following the example of Archbishop Verdzekov. Let Archbishop Nkea know that people are reading and taking note of his attitude. Therefore, blocking me does not solve any problem. Instead it simply portrays a leader who has decided to close himself from the reality. Iwill continue to send my writeups to the archdiocese of Bamenda so that the people of God may record them for posterity. Pope Francis has made that clear. If Archbishop Nkea does not wish to know what people are saying about him, then he is just the opposite of Pope Francis. As a religious leader, know that you ought to be open to constructive criticism even if it hurts. That age of silence has past. It is now time to listen, investigate and report the truth and the media is the best place to make them known worldwide. We have Archbishop Verdzekov as an example in the province which you could emulate. As an archbishop, you have the obligation to read and listen to what others are saying about your activities, even if you disagree, because you are not a king nor a prince. You are a pastor of souls who is accountable to the people of God. Most importantly, I am an independent ecclesiastical journalist and canon lawyer who is out to be a voice of the voiceless, those who cannot write and bring up their cases, grievances and sufferings to ecclesiastical authorities. I am passionate about documenting the realities in our Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and Cameroon and I am ready to call a spade a spade without any fear of ecclesiastical authority thanks to my state and experience inside the church, not to cause confusion, but rather to uncover and enlighten truths that no one has ever dared to document in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. Conclusion It is my wish that Archbishop Nkea could emulate the example of Pope Francis who has made it clear that there is freedom of speech in the church and that the bishop is not a power player, but a humble servant to the people of God, in fact, the servants of the servants of God.
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"https://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Derick-1.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	https://www.ofmcapcamero…esus-150x150.jpg		https://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/	Novices get set for First Profession No Comments Novices get set for First Profession After 12 months of discernment into the Franciscan Capuchin way of life , Brothers Lidwin Ndzedzenyuy Venban, Brandon Njoke Nchang, Ginoel Keliewoh, Brendan Wiyfengla and Albert Kilofonyuy, get set to pronounce their first vows in July 14, 2024 in Saint Theresa’s Parish Church Sop at 10:00AM. As they get set for this great day in their life, may Saint Francis and Saint Clare, intercede for them. Les Aspirants à Toket No Comments LA SESSION DES ASPIRANTS CAPUCINS A TOKET (DU 7 AU 9 JUIN 2024) « Venez et voyez. Ils vinrent donc et virent où il demeurait, et ils demeurèrent auprès de lui ce jour-là » Jn. 1 :39 La session des aspirants capucins du Cameroun s’est tenue du 7 au 9 juin 2024 à Bafoussam, précisément à Toket. A cet effet, huit (08) jeunes, venus des différents coins du pays ont assisté à cette rencontre : Bovra Jérome (Yagoua), Gejung Brandon (Bamenda), Ambrose Nyuykighan (Kumbo), Bole Bibou Bienvenu (Yagoua), Zogning Thomas d’Aquin (Bafoussam), Priestly Liynuy (Kumbo), Fonkeu Remi (Yaounde), Chin Priestly (Yaounde). Durant cette session qui a débuté le 7 juin 2024 à partir de 17heure, plusieurs activités ont été menées. Ainsi donc, le vendredi a été une journée consacrée à l’accueil et présentation des différents assistants. Par ailleurs, le programme de la rencontre toute entière a été aussi présenté par le Frère Cedric Verbe après avoir prononcé son mot de bienvenu. Après cette présentation, le frère Christophe chargé des aspirants souhaita à son tour la bienvenue à tous les participants. Et la journée fut clôturée par la prière du couché. La journée de samedi 8 juin fut pour sa part déterminante pour la session, car elle a connu le déroulement de la plupart des activités. C’est ainsi, après s’être resourcer de la grâce matinale via la messe, nous nous entamions avec le premier entretien conduit par le Frère Cedric. Il nous a entretenu sur le thème : « La Fraternité, un grand don Franciscain ». De cet entretien, il ressort que le don est quelque chose de gratuit, donnée sans aucune exigence, et la fraternité, comme un grand don aux franciscains à travers la personne de Saint François d’Assise, renvoie donc à la vie en frère. Suivant les explications, le Frère a présenté les valeurs de la fraternité franciscaine : la prière commune, le repas commun, les chapitres qui désigne les rencontres fraternelles dans le but de programmer, exhorter, corriger, évaluer les uns les autres ainsi que les activités de la fraternité ; le travail, le partage, les sorties communautaires, la récréation/sports/moment des divertissements. Il a mentionné aussi la dimension fraternelle des vœux de pauvreté, chasteté et obéissance. Pour donner le sens ou enrichir cette vie en frère, certaines valeurs sont importantes à cultiver : le respect mutuel, le pardon mutuel, la confiance, la tolérance, la présence effective. En somme, il a souligné que nous devons toujours penser, parler et agir communauté (always think, speak and act community) Après cet échange, nous avons entamé une autre phase : les rencontres personnelles et les travaux communautaire. A 15h :30, nous avons repris avec une autre conférence, présentée par le frère Christopher : Pourquoi voulez-vous devenir Capucin ? la réponse permettra donc de déterminer le degré de l’amour que l’on a de vouloir adhérer cette vie. Suite à cet entretien, nous avons effectué une marche à la paroisse Saint Charles Lwanga de Ngouache. L’hors du repas, pour conclure officiellement la session, nous nous sommes échangés les mots des remerciements. Le dimanche, dernier jour de la session fut ouvert par les laudes suivie de la messe. Après le petit déjeuner, les frères sont rentrés chacun à sa destination. Bovra Jérome et Chin Priestly FIVE FRIARS ORDAINED PRIESTS No Comments PRIESTLY ORDINATION OF FIVE CAPUCHIN BROTHERS MARKS CELEBRATION AT BAMBUI Bambui, June 29, 2024 A momentous occasion unfolded at the Capuchin Friary of Bambui as five brothers – François Djorwe, Philip Mbungai, Rene Mbakou, Fabrice Awembom, and Michel Tiague- were ordained to the priesthood, bringing immense joy to the Capuchin Custody of Cameroon and the wider Church. About the ordinations in Bamenda of four friars (François, Philip, Rene, and Fabrice), the ceremony, conducted by Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda, commenced with a solemn Holy Mass at 9 AM, at Saint Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral Bamenda, coinciding with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Alongside the four Capuchin brothers, two Jesuit priests and one Conceptionist were also ordained. Notably, Father Bernadine Gam, the newly ordained Conceptionist, had spent three years at the Capuchin Friary of Bambui during his theological studies at the Major Seminary of Bambui. The ordination ceremony also included eleven deacons, among whom two were destined for the Archdiocese of Bangui in the Republic of Central Africa, and nine for the Archdiocese of Bamenda. In his insightful homily, Archbishop Nkea underscored the significance of Saints Peter and Paul as co-founders of the Church of Rome, emphasizing the unity of the Catholic world under the leadership of Pope Francis. He quoted Saint Augustine, highlighting the Church as the mother of all believers and stressing the importance of fidelity to the Holy Father in Rome for authentic Catholic identity. Archbishop Nkea exhorted the newly ordained priests and deacons to dedicate their lives to the service of Christ and His Church, emphasizing the primacy of proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments to the faithful worldwide. Following the solemn ceremonies in the Cathedral of Bamenda, festivities continued at the Friary of Bambui, where a celebratory feast honored the four newly ordained brothers amidst a spirit of jubilation and communal rejoicing. Meanwhile, in Douala, Brother Michel Tiague was also ordained on the same day, adding to the blessings received by the Church on this memorable occasion. Looking forward, the brothers continue to offer prayers for Brothers Elvis Tadzenyuy and Gotran Tata, who are set to be ordained priests on August 16th, 2024, at Saint Theresa Parish in Sop, within the Diocese of Kumbo. As the Capuchin Order and the Church in Cameroon celebrate these ordinations, the community remains united in prayer and support for the ongoing vocations within its midst. Gideon N. WIRSIY. Celebrating the “Cook” No Comments 23 YEARS BY FIRE Mr Laisin Edwin, the friar’s long serving cook in the custody (23years) is appreciated by Shisong Fraternity as he quits his noble profession as COOK. This ceremony of thanksgiving took place in the Sacred Heart Fraternity (Shisong) on Sunday 14 April 2024. While thanking God for such a figure “Ta Lai” (as called by many friars) who had served different generations of friars, the House Guardian of Shisong, Br. Felix Afoni, implored the Most High’s blessings upon him and his lovely family for good health, peace and harmony. Celebrating Fraternal Proximity No Comments Fraternal proximity On Sunday 31st of march 2024, Easter Sunday, the fraternity of Shisong entered the Novitiate Fraternity Sop. This was a moment to celebrate ‘fraternity’, to celebrate ‘brotherhood’ in the context of Jesus’ victory over death through his Resurrection. This fraternal moment was spiritually filled as brothers all gathered for vespers. From the chapel, all proceeded for supper where the Guardian of Sop, Br. Cornelius B. Wirsiy welcomed all the friars, expressing to each, showers of Easter wishes and blessings. This fraternal moment continued the next day with prayers, mass, works, lunch to share the Easter Joy as brothers. The fraternal joy was heightened with the birthday celebration of some friars (Br. Cornelius, the Guardian and Br. Gui noel). An Easter Football Encounter between the Postulants and the Novices spiced this moment of fraternal proximity. The day ended with another great fraternal touch: the GREAT TOMBOLA. Oh! What a joy when brothers live together. And the Lord gave me brothers. ministries in bambui No Comments RECEPTION OF MINISTRIES IN BAMBUI FRIARY FEBRUARY 12, 2024. Today, February 12, 2024, St. Francis’ Capuchin Friary Bambui, Cameroon, lives another great event and moment in the life of nine friars who received the ministry of lector (Brs. Keflet Aseni, Gideon Nyuyshiyi, Magloire Demaya, Melchizedek Kpudzeka, Dimitri Mbombo, Herbert Yenika, Mbimenyuy Bongli, Achilis Ntumnyuy, and Emmanuel Fang) and four other friars, who received the ministry of Acolyte (Brs. Zachaeus Ntumnyuy, Steven Italo, Adolf Baba, and Anicet Njutapvoui). This celebration began at 5:30pm with vespers in the Fraternity chapel, followed by the Eucharistic celebration, animated by friar students, officiated by the Custos, Br. Kenneth Ayeni Kinyuy, and concelebrated by all the other Friar formators of the fraternity. In his homily, the custos dwelt on the word: Scroll, which appears a number of times in Holy Scripture, and holds the content of divine revelation. He focused more in the book of the Apocalypse (5:6) where we read that the scroll had seven seals and only Christ could break it or open it. Therefore, this seal must be continuously opened and this can only be realized when people give up everything and avail themselves as ministers and servants of the Scroll breaker, who himself is the Word. The Custos underlined that if today, people fail to persevere in the faith, resolve to embrace violence and other forms of evil, then we, as ministers and servants of the Word, need to ask ourselves if truly we are breaking the seals of the scroll and planting them in the lives of the people. Therefore, as Franciscans, with the gospel being our rule of life, our intellectual, moral, and spiritual influence should create positive marks in the society. To the Lectors in particular, the father custos exhorted them to explore the Wisdom of God found in Sacred Scripture, in fact, to become Scriptures for others to read through their life of witnessing. To the Acolytes, the custos made reference to the book of Daniel (5:1-25), where Belshazzar took the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem and drank fromthem together with his noble men and concubines, and immediately a hand appeared and wrote on the wall declaring the ruin of his pride, and the end of his reign. Consequently, the Acolytes were called upon to show reverence to the sacred vessels, for their care of these sacred vessels would portray the place God occupies in their lives, the reverence they have for the Holy. To crown it all, the preacher, reminding all friars that they are all vessels that still require the infilling of the Holy Spirit, urged that we all pray and work to avoid externalism and truly serve faithfully the Lord in the ministries in which we have all been called. Feelings of Brothers after the reception of Ministries FRIAR THADDEUS ESOPE (OFM CAP) 12/02/2024 Visit to the novitiate No Comments MOTHERS VISIT THEIR CHILDREN VISIT OF CWA, SOP PARISH TO THE NOVITIATE FRATERNITY, FRIDAY- FEBRUARY, 9 2024. It was at about 12:25 PM that a large crowd of Catholic Women Association (CWA), dressed in their marian uniform stormed the friary and all settled around the fount of Our Lady, singing Marian songs. This was an occasion for these mothers to express their joy for the presence of the Capuchin Friars in Sop Parish. The Divisional President of the CWA, Mme Cornelia Liydzeka, speaking on behalf of the mothers, expressed her joy for the presence of the friars, reminding them that their tradition of visiting the Novitiate Fraternity and bringing them some food stuffs as mothers, has not and will never be forgotten. On his part, the Fraternity Guardian, Br Cornelius Bamenjo expressed his heartfelt thanks to the mothers, for always coming to their assistance, spiritually as well as materially. No Comments Consecrated Life Celebrated / La Vie Consacrée Célébrée Celebration of Consecrated Life in Bambui Deanery Friday, February 2, 2024. Sr. Marceline Mokia Mbuh, a Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto (Bambili), tells us that this celebration took place in Bambili with the Sisters of Christ, the Capuchin sisters of Mother Rubatto, The Capuchin Friars, and the Marist Fathers, all present in the Deanery. It was an occasion to thank the Lord for his call and a moment to renew the call to follow Christ. The message retained for the day was: “Consecration is not a burden rather a joy. It does not bring sorrow, it brings joy. Consequently, a sad religious is a contradiction”. Thus, celebrating this day, according to sr. Marceline, remains an occasion for people to know who we are, the life we have chosen and the value of consecration in the world today. Moreover, it is necessary to let young people know that it is not what they are that makes them happy but who they are. All in all, my wish and prayer is that all Consecrated Persons, beginning from me, radiate joy to the world. Sr. Marceline Mokia Mbuh, Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto Was Consecrated Life celebrated in Mamfe Diocese? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy (Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, Mamfe), what have you to tell us about the celebration of Consecrated Life in Mamfe? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy tells us it was a wonderful celebration in Mamfe, on Sunday February 4, 2024, around their Chief Shepherd, Mgr. Aloysius A. Fondong. She tells us that, they as Consecrated Persons in the Diocese of Mamfe, did celebrate their consecration in the context of the Silver Jubilee of the Diocese. She makes us understand that the Bishop thanked all Consecrated men and women for the witnessing in his Diocese. He equally reminded them of the Letter of Pope Francis calling on consecrated men and women to go back to the roots. Sr. Kinyuy tells us that this celebration gave her an opportunity to revisit, to revise, to check, to edit, infact, to evaluate her calling, and motivation for choosing this life. As her own message of the day, sr. Kinyuy said: “If we are to be true witnesses we must do so in joy. The inner joy that the challenges of life cannot take away”. She profited to check the things she clings to, which take her off from the lane, from the life she has willfully accepted to live. How to do away with what prevents her from being faithful to her spouse, was the assignment she gave herself. The Bishop, Aloysius A. Fondong, left a question to all Consecrated men and women present, that if their founders and foundresses were to come back to this life, will they really recognize them as their disciples? A question Sr. Elizabeth rephrased as: if my foundress, Mother Rubatto was to come back, will she recognize me as her daughter? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy (Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, Mamfe) World day of consecrated life in the Archdiocese of Bamenda The day of Consecrated Life in the Archdiocese of Bamenda was celebrated in Bambui Deanery, precisely in Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bambili, on Sunday the 4th of February 2024, in the presence of Mgr. Andrew Fuanya Nkea, the Archbishop of Bamenda Archdiocese. The Archbishop ceased this opportunity to express his gratitude to all Consecrated Persons in the Archdiocese, for their close collaboration with him and for their life of witness amongst God’s People. He encouraged the Christians present at this solemn occasion to always support the Consecrated Persons God has given them. To the young people present, he exhorted them to embrace this way of life without fear, without hesitation for God who calls, gives the grace even though we need to collaborate with his grace. Other activities spiced the day, such as, Choral music, sketches, and fashion parades. Br. William Kongnyuy (OFM. Cap. Bambui) Bafoussam Diocese was not left out “IT’S OUR LIFE, IT’S OUR FEAST” was the slogan adopted to adorn the day of the Consecrated Life in Bafoussam. The celebration of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Bafoussam took place at the St. Joseph Cathedral Bafoussam, with about 44 Religious Orders/Congregations/Secular Institutes/New Communities. The celebration was preceded in February 1, 2024, with activities such as: a visit to an orphanage in Kouogouo II (Bafoussam Deanery), a friendly match with the Diocesan clergy and religious men at the Cathedral Stadium, a friendly match between the religious women, vespers and a cultural evening at the Cathedral hall. February 2, 2024, at 9:55, Consecrated Men and Women, working in the Diocese of Bafoussam, coloured the Cathedral with their presence at the Eucharistic celebration presided over by His Lordship, Mgr. Paul Lontsie-Keune, Bishop of Bafoussam. Commenting on the Table of the Word, the Chief Shepherd, expressed gratitude to all the consecrated men and women for their presence in the Diocese, for the touch they give to the lives of the faithful in the Diocese, stressing that the Church in Bafoussam needs them and loves them. He encouraged the all present saying that in the face of secularism and all the ills society undergoes, all that the world proposes to man in today’s society, consecrated persons should still stand as witnesses and true witnesses to Gospel life. He acknowledged challenges that come as a result of their consecration, saying that some, as a result of those challenges start nurturing the idea to quit. He reassured such consecrated persons to go back to the first day they made their step into the congregation. He regretted too the fact that elderly consecrated persons turn to devalue the young ones who just come into the life, telling them they have no space because they have made no experience of religious life, hence, making life a hell for the young ones who come into this way of life with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. He cautioned such persons that even a postulant has something to offer into the congregation, for it is not the number of years spent in the congregation that makes one holy. Moreso, the Bishop exhorted all Consecrated Persons to live their consecration with Joy, for without joy, we start dying and our consecration dies too. To crown it all, Mgr. Paul underlined that Consecrated Life has its beauty and value only through the cross. He then admonished that each Consecrated Persons sees meaning in his or her daily cross as a test to his or her consecration. The novelty brought by His Lordship, Bishop Paul to this solemn celebration of Consecrated Life, was his invitation to the Diocesan Group “Sainte Anne” (a group for widows) to participate at this celebration. He said that like Anne, the widow in the Bible, they too have consecrated their lives to serve the Lord in his Holy Temple and in the upbringing of their children. He then encouraged them to be faithful to the Lord and in the upbringing of their children. Br. Cedric Verbe K. (ofm Cap.- Bafoussam) How was it in Kumbo Diocese? The celebration of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Kumbo began on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 8:30am, with the talk at the Cathedral on: DO OUR LIVES AS CONSECRATED PERSONS REFLECT THE JOY OF ETERNITY. This talk helped the participants to revive their calling as missionaries of joy in a society and in an environment where many are saddened due to the socio-political climate and its effects on the populace. After the talk, came sporting activities with two matches of football: the first being: Religious Women against the Youths of Meluf Denary and the last match, Religious Men against the Diocesan Clergy. On the D-Day, that is, February 2, 2024 at 9am, a Holy Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral Church with the Chief Shepherd, Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo Diocese. A beautiful celebration animated by Shisong Community of the Tertiary Sisters of Saint Francis. The Bishop used the occasion to remind all consecrated Persons to get back to the roots of their call and to use this moment to renew their calling. He expressed the desire that the celebration be extended to all the Faithful, since we are all consecrated, each in his or her own way. The day ended with some refreshment, and recreational activities. Capuchin Postulant, Paulino – Shisong Br. Albert kilofonyuy (Capuchin Novice) gives his own witness In the Diocese of Kumbo, the World day of consecrated life which is celebrated on the 2nd day of February as the D-day, rather started with some sporting activities on the 1st of February 2024. These activities took place in the SAC Nso sports complex. On the 2nd day of February, the world day of consecrated life, the events of the day started with Holy Mass at the Kumbo Cathedral at 9:00am. This Mass was celebrated by his Lordship Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo. The liturgy was superfluous and well animated. What marked most Br. Albert was the fact of seeing many congregations still present in Kumbo in spite of the socio-political situation. This brought to mind the fact of Consecrated Persons being signs, pointers to the future reality; their presence have given hope to the hopeless, and life to the lifeless. May God’s Holy Spirit continue to accompany all Consecrated Persons in being true witnesses to the society. And in Rome, how was it celebrated with the Pope? Br. Peter Tar tells us more Reflecting on the prophetic anticipation of the Lord’s arrival as foretold by the prophet Malachi, the Pope said that while the people were long for their salvation, prophets kept their hope alive through their prophecy like Malachi in the first Reading for today– “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple”- the Pope upheld the figures of Simeon and Anna, who after being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they waited in hope everyday in the temple for the fulfillment of the promised salvation. “It is good for us to look at these two elders who were waiting patiently, vigilant in spirit and persevering in prayer. Their hearts have stayed awake, like an eternal flame. They are advanced in age, but young at heart,” he said. They did not allow their age to weigh down on them nor given in to disappointments and hardship. In the child Jesus, they were able to see the promised Messiah to the nations. He went on to say that waiting for God is vey important in our faith journey because everyday the Lord visits us, therby revealing himself to us in an unexpected way. We therefore should wait in an expectant hope. The worse thing that can happen to a Consecrated person is to let our spirit doze off; to let the heart fall asleep; to lock hope away in the dark corners of desolation and resignation. Simeon and Anna’s ability to preserve the flame of hope is an indication to Christians, in a world filled with distractions, to remain with their eyes fixed on God in expectation. “By staying awake in expectation of the Lord, they are able to welcome him in the newness of His coming,” he said. And directly addressing Consecrated men and women, he says that there is the present danger of running behind doing things to the detriment of our religious calling. That sometimes we risk our community and personal life by calculating the odds of success, instead of cultivating in total humility the small seed that has been entrusted to us. That we have lost the ability of patient waiting with open hearts for the Lord like Simeon and Anna. Obstacles to waiting The Pope then identified two obstacles that hinder the ability to wait. The first, he said, is the neglect of the interior life, where weariness prevails amazement, where habit takes the place of enthusiasm, where conflicts or negative experiences turn us into bitter persons. He says it is not good to ruminate on bitterness, but to recover the lost grace through an interior life through the spirit of joyful humility and silent adoration in order to reawaken the amazement of the first day of our profession. The second obstacle is adapting to a worldly lifestyle that ends up taking away the Gospel. This is characterized by speed, activism, and the pursuit of immediate gratification. In this case, silent is banished and lost from religious communities. He then calls us to slow down the pace at which we are going. “Where silence is banished and lost, waiting is not easy, for it requires an attitude of healthy passivity, the courage to slow our pace, to not be overwhelmed by activities, to make room within ourselves for God’s action,” he said. The Pope continued with a call to cultivate a spirit of waiting, careful that “the spirit of the world does not enter our religious communities, ecclesial life and our individual journey, otherwise we will not bear fruit.” Like Simeon, he added, “Let us also pick up this child, the God of newness and surprises. By welcoming the Lord, the past opens up to the future, the old in us opens up to the new that he awakens.” Pope Francis concluded his homily reminding those present that “these questions are for us, for our communities and for the Church.” “Let us be restless, let us be moved by the Spirit, like Simeon and Anna. If, like them, we live in expectation, safeguarding our interior life and in conformity with the Gospel, we will embrace Jesus, the light and hope of life.” Br. Peter Tar (ofm Cap. Rome) Emmaus Center No Comments Emmaus Outreach Centre Bamenda – Caring for the MENTALLY DISABLEDhttps://www.emmausoutreach.org/ WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER? No Comments Where is your brother? The Capuchin Friars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, from Sunday the 7th of January to Saturday the 13th of January 2024, gathered in the Dominican Nunery, Bambui, for their annual retreat, preached by Br. Author Nga Abanfegha. This spiritual exercise, had as anchor, the question by God to Cain in the book of Genesis (4:9): Where is your brother (Abel)? Where is my brother? Br. Author, the retreat director, helped the friars to reconsider the place of FRATERNITY in the life of a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, who rejoiced in his Testament saying: “And the Lord gave me brothers.” The preacher stressed we all are members of the same family as friars, infact, that we are all in the same boat where, what affects one, affects all. Biblical personages were examined in line with the brotherhood such as: Esau and Jacob (Gn. 25:27-34), whereby the conflict between the two brothers brought about their separation especially at the moment Jacob received the blessings of his brother Esau. The page on Joseph and his brothers in Gn. 37 was another opportunity to examine how brotherhood could be shattered; where the brothers of Joseph (all sons of the same father) cultivated hatred for Joseph because he was so loved by Jacob more than the others, he came reporting his brothers to their father (Gn. 37:2), above all, his dreams injected jealousy into the life of his brothers; the consequence being their hatred and desire to eliminate their own brother. Another picture of brotherhood brought for meditation was the story of the Lost Son – the younger brother. At his return, his elder brother refused to welcome him. These stories were therefore seen as realities that a fraternity like ours could undergo, where a brother could fight to be at the place of the other through fraud as in the case of Jacob, where out of hatred and jealousy, a brother could desire to eliminate the other as did the brothers of Joseph and even reject a brother as did the eldest son in the parable of the Lost Son. But in the case of Andrew and Simon, we see a brother who works for the other’s good. Andrew sees Jesus, then goes to bring his own brother to Jesus. Brothers bringing each other to Jesus As a result, the retreat director, Br. Author, therefore asked each friar to bring the other friar closer to Jesus, to have the good of each other at heart, avoiding all that destroys, harms or shatters fraternity. This would help us avoid the response given by Cain to God: “I do not know, Am I my brother’s guardian?” (Gn. 4:9) Twins Speak (paroles aux jumeaux) No Comments Paroles aux Jumeaux (Twins Speak) “And the Lord gave me brothers” (Saint Francis of Assisi). In gratitude to God for the richness in vocation for the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (4 final professed friars and 9 Capuchin deacons), the wish is to hear these friars tell us their feelings, and their motives for accepting to make such steps into the Order. What do they wish for the Order, the Church and God’s People? We shall listen to some of them speak to us. Over to you brothers? Final Professed and Deacons Br. Adolph Baba Br. Adolf is happy to give himself to the Order and for the Order accepting him . http://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Ptt-2023-12-08-at-10.36.50.ogg Deacons Br. Rene Mbaku Brother Rene is grateful to God for his love and mercy, for having looked upon him, by raising him to the ministry of the Word, a ministry which is not for export, a ministry that carries a message he has to propose to others and to impose on himself, since he has to read the Gospel, believe in it and then, put it into practice. Br. Elvis Tardzenyuy Before the ordination, I was cogitating on the word Reverend. After ordination, many will be calling me Reverend. So, I asked myself if all would end only at that calling. I therefore told myself : “Elvis, that calling of Reverend should be in perfect harmony with your acts.” Truly, I am happy to be ordained a Deacon for the Order and for the Church. I am happy because God has given me this wonderful gift of ministering to His people. This is something wonderful for me. I do not merit it, but his love has made me who I have become. So, my duty and task is SERVICE. Having been ordained, I even asked to know what had changed in me. I am still Elvis, right? But then, something more has happened to Elvis, something spiritual has taken place in me. So, 1Tim. 4:13 is a text that has inspired me in accepting this call to be a minister of God : “Devote yourself to reading, preaching and teaching until i come.” This phrase of St. Paul sums my mission: one who reads (the word of God), preaches (more by deeds) and teaching (according to the mind of the Church). I therefore pray to be a faithful deacon, a faithful servant of God for the rest of my life. May God give me this single grace. Br. Esope Thaddeus Moseu I thank God Almighty for this grace to share in this ministry, it’s a great joy, I thank my parents for accepting that I follow God’s call, I thank my formators from postulancy till date, I pray for continues grace to be a good and fruitful minister of the word, and to be part of the goodness of God in and for our custody. “Your word Lord is a lamp for my feet”. This is the phrase that leads me into the ministry. Sometimes in life, it is difficult to predict which path to take or steps to make, but I came to realise that at the moment of confusion, the answer is the bible, that is, God’s Word. In it, I gain consolation for my worries. The above word of action has been a source of comfort and guidance to me, I have seen, I still see and will stil see God’s hands in my life and vocation. In fact, His Word serves as a source of illumination in the darkness of my journey, providing clarity and wisdom, peace and fulfilment, knowledge and truth and hope. Despite all, God’s faithfulness still leads me on to a place of purpose and fulfilment. Br Michel Laubryl Tiague I thank God for having called me to serve at his altar as a deacon. I’m very happy for this great gift to me and to the Order at large. Before the Ordination I chose as Motto 2Tim 4:2 to preach the Word at all time, welcomed or unwelcomed… because the world is fast changing and the tendency is to please the people and not say what the Word of God demands of us. So I resolutely take upon myself to proclaim it with boldness and therefore live accordingly. I sincerely thank the Community of Bambui and the Custody for making that day a wonderful day. May God continue to bless and strengthen us in this path of life. Br. François Djorwe After the ordination I was very happy and at the same time challenged by what I had brought myself into. This is due to the fact that, today we live in an era where the world is proposing ideas that are very appetizing, ideas which even contradict the Gospel message. So, I chose as motto: Let thy will be done not mine. (Lk 22:42b), as a reminder, that l have been ordained to always search, know and do the will of God. In fact, this is not only a motto but a prayer. Consequently, my vision has always and remains, being a happy and a faithful servant of God wherever I find myself no matter the circumstance. Br. Fabrice Awembom I feel very happy and grateful to God for my ordination on this day. I have done nothing to merit this grace and can only express my gratitude to the one who had ordained this from the beginning of time. I equally feel grateful to all who have been journeying with me and have contributed in one way or the other to bring this day to it’s realization. May God himself be their reward. We are merely servants…”(Lk. 10:17). God’s call, is always a call to loving, humble and selfless service and not to self-glorification. Such is the ministry of the diaconate to which he has called me. I therefore find in this verse in Luke’s gospel a true reflection of what Jesus expects of me as a deacon in the church of which he is the head and it is my wish to commit myself to it with an undivided heart: humble, loving and selfless service in the name of Christ. Br Philip Nyuysemo Mbungai I, Br Philip Nyuysemo Mbungai, OFM cap, feel so happy as I see myself continuing on my vocational journey. I’m glad for God’s call and for His Grace that have led me this far. I chose as my motto: Do to me according to your word (Lk 1:38) this is supported by Psalm 51:11, “Do not cast me away from your presence nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit.” All of these, remind me of the one who has called me and whose will I have to carry. It is for me to be a true servant, dedicated and ready to go out to serve my neighbours, knowing that it is in His will and spirit that I act. Beloved brothers, may the Lord of all goodness, bring to fulfilment the good work started in you. May St. Francis and St. Clare intercede for you. TWINS IN BAMBUI No Comments TWINS IN BAMBUI Final Profession and Diaconal Ordination Great things we have promised God, greater things has he promised us, says Saint Francis of Assisi. Saturday, 2nd December 2023, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (OFM. Caps), Custody of Saint Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, was graced with a twin celebration, that is, the Final Profession of four friars (Zachaeus Ntumnyuy, Italo-Steven Lele, Adolph Baba and Anicet Ariel) and the Diaconal Ordination of 10 friars (9 Capuchins: Brs. Francois Djorwe, Esope-Thadeus Moseu, Phillip Mbuhngai, Ignasius Kenso, Rene Mbaku, Elvis Tardzenyuy, Michel Tiague, Gotrand Tata and Fabrice Awembom and an Augustinian, friar Michael). This twin event took place in the capuchin friary of Bambui. The Holy mass was presided over by Mgr. Angelo Pagano, Apostolic Vicar of Harar-Ethiopia, the ordaining minister; while the Perpetual vows were received by Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, Regular superior of the Capuchin Brothers in Cameroon. May the Lord bless these our brothers in the various steps undertaken, to be witnesses of His love amongst His people. Pax et Bonum Br. William Kongnyuy A Domus Ordinis in Buea? What a blessing!!! No Comments The official blessing & opening of the Capuchin friary in the Diocese of Buea as a Domus Ordinis by the Provincial Minister Angelo Borghino on the 29th September 2023 One of the greatest fruits of the Extraordinary Custody Assembly convoked by the General Curia animated by the General Councillor fra. Kilian Ngitir, who providentially is the second Cameroonian Capuchin friar, accompanied by Fra. Akilu Petros from the Solidarity office of the Order and the Provincial Minister fra Angelo Borghino held from the 25th – 26thof September 2023, was the official opening of the Capuchin friary in Buea. The Occasion commenced with a Pontifical high mass presided over by fra Kilian Ngitir, concelebrated by Fra Kenneth Kinyuy (Custos), fra cyril Kerla (Guardian of the said fraternity) and the Provincial Minister. Furthermore, in attendance was the august guest, fra Akilu Petros and fra Theophile Seka, a member of that fraternity. The blessing proper of the sacred vessels, the Lectern, the liturgical books, the Cross of Saint Damian and the general blessing of the house graced the Capuchin presence in the Diocese of Buea with a Domus Ordinis a Landmark in the administration of fra. Kenneth Kinyuy and his council, the first indigenous Major superior of the Capuchins in Cameroon as the Custody celebrated her 40th Anniversary (1982- 2022). Immense thanks go to the mother Provincial for her love, accompaniment, and sacrifices. Immense thanks equally go to Fra Nestor Nyamnjo, the project coordinator for his ingenious and meticulous follow up of this noble project till this stage. We cannot forget our benefactors especially Mr. Divine Feh a great and God-given Contractor, for his untold contributions. The story began on the 18th May 2021 with the pecking of the foundation, then the digging and casting of pillars. In the twinkle of an eye the first decking. Then, came the second and third floors. God has been faithful till this blessing and opening of the house this 29th September 2023, feast day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael. Fra. Theophile Seka ofmcap A Summary of the Custody’s Assembly No Comments CUSTODY’S ASSEMBLY- DOMINCAN CONVENT-BAMBUI September 25-26, 2023 A summary of the discussions at the Custody’s Assembly, held in the Dominican Convent (Bambui) Monday, 25 September 2023 The assembly doors opened at about 9am (Monday, 25 Sept. 2023), with 63 participants. Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, the Custos, welcomed all the brothers present. He expressed gratitude for the presence of the brothers especially the presence of Br. Kilian Ngitir (General Councilor for Africa), Br. Wachamo Aklilu Petros (from the solidarity office in the Curia), and the Provincial Minister, Br. Angelo Borghino, for making it for the Assembly. The Custos, Br. Kenneth, basing on the word “rapprochement”, indicated that the assembly would be a moment of verification, whereby information received by the Curia and the Provincial has to be verified and clarified so that we all, as friars, move on the same footing and to the same direction. Br. Kilian intervened after the Custos. He expressed the General Minister and his council’s worry about Cameroon concerning the postulancy project and other projects of the Custody. He acknowledged the fact that the postulancy had been an urgent project for the past 9 years, a project which is being realized today in Mbohtong. He indicated that this giant project was happily welcomed by the Curia even though, along the lines, the project has undergone some misunderstandings, reasons for their presence at Assembly, an opportunity for clarity to be made on the Postulancy project and to see together the steps to take for the realization of this noble project so dear to the Custody. After the intervention from the Curia, through Br. Kilian, the Provincial Minister spoke up. He spelt out that the assembly is convened because of the need to enlarge our reflection as a custody, on the custody and its future. Moreover, pointing to the numerous projects of the custody as a major concern, the provincial explained that the fundamental question is not on the mistakes made about these projects not discussed or clarified with him, but on the mentality behind these projects. He even enquired to know if it was important to build people or the walls. He further highlighted the place of authority as service. In his presentation about the animation of the custody’s life by the council, two points were looked into: firstly, that the Custos and his Council ought to animate spiritually, pastorally, and fraternally the life of every fraternity and brother. He stated that in all the superior does, he must ask himself how what he does is of help to the brothers to faithfully respond to the call of Jesus Christ. Secondly, that listening to the brothers is of prime importance in animating the brothers and of great value or service to fraternal life. Moreover, Br. Borghino, the Provincial Minister, gave guidelines on how to animate the custody based on his own experience as councilor and provincial. The need of the custos to visit brothers in their fraternities and in their functions such as bursars, guardians etc. The need to create active commissions to assist the council. Giving more accent to formation of brothers in the custody and that a healthy relationship exists between the superiors and the formators. After the Provincial’s interventions, brothers went into constituted groups of 7 to evaluate the Custody’s activities. This evaluation was guided by the following questions: QUESTION ONE Approximately five months after the celebration of the custody chapter, how do we evaluate the significant events and moments, as well as the problematic ones? For those who did not participate in the chapter, what perception or feedback could they have gotten? What effect did I have within the various fraternities? QUESTION TWO At the custody level we can reflect on these elements: =how do we live the relationship with the custody? What feeling of real belonging do we live and express? Do we feel like active members, who live responsibly, or passive members, who use the custody for their own projects? How do we evaluate our personal commitments in the life and activities of the custody? How is the quality of our communication with each other and with those in charge and service of authority? How do we use forums and social media? To what extent are they constructive and unifying instruments rather than a source of division? What real openness do we experience with respect to the national territory, starting from vocational animation? What are our expectations for the future of the custody? Are our current activities and commitments helping us achieve these goals? How do we live the relationship with the province, what are the expectations? What can and should we grow and improve on? QUESTION THREE At the initial and ongoing formation level: how do we evaluate the initial formation path in the custody, what are the strong points and what are the weak ones? What evaluation do we give to ongoing formation? What opportunities can we avail ourselves of and what are the lacks? The feedback from this workshop was a great help to the brothers to see what has been done, what needs to be improved and how to move on as a Custody. TUESDAY: 26 September 2023 The second day of the Assembly had as vision, to tackle the projects of the Custody and to bring out solutions to the uncompleted structures. Br. Wachamo Aklilu (from Ethiopia), working in the solidarity office in the Curia, being the first to intervene for the day, briefed the brothers on the following points. Firstly, he expressed his joy of being present in the custody, indicating it was his second time of coming to Cameroon since 2009 with the inauguration of the Cardiac Center. Then, he presented to the brothers the structure of the solidarity office. He further explained the difficulty of assisting the brothers of the Custody in their projects as a result of the financial crisis that undergoes the Curia. After his presentation, the brothers went into groups to continue reflecting on the life and projects of the custody through the following questions: At the level of projects how do we evaluate the strong commitment sustained in the construction projects still underway? What sharing took place within the custody At the ecclesial level we can ask ourselves: What participation do we experience in the events of the dioceses in which we are inserted? What is our contribution to the journey of the local church with our own charism? What is our involvement and our communion with the bishops, with the priests, with other men and women religious? How do we evaluate bishops’ relationships with our superiors? Sharing general observations: joys, worries, fears, hopes etc. After the interventions from the brothers in response to the questions, Br Tobias then greeted the brothers, informing them of his departure for mission to America, precisely in the province of New Jersey. From his intervention, came closing remarks. The first closing remark from the Custos, Br. Kenneth, who said that what had provoked the Assembly was a mistake in the construction of giant structures in the custody; a mistake God has used to reunite us and to help us reunite our ideas for the good of our Custody. The Custos appreciated the Provincial Father for having a critical eye on him and on our custody. He concluded by thanking the Provincial for being always a father who leads the custody into the “promised land”. The remarks of the Custos were then followed by those of the Provincial, who in the first place, thanked the brothers for making the Assembly a fruitful one through their frankness and sincerity. He acknowledged being hard on the brothers, yet underlined he has a responsibility before the province to respond to each member of the province. About the construction of the postulancy, he pleaded that each brother of the Custody sacrifices something in view of the structure. Lastly, he acknowledged the fact that the Custody needs to move towards autonomy, knowing there are modalities to be arrived at. Consequently, there is a need to start reflecting on such modalities. Br. Aklilu Petros, on his part, equally expressed his joy of meeting the brothers and sharing with them. He appreciated the hard work of the brothers, and encouraged all to keep striving always for the good of the custody, which one day, shall be raised to a Province. Finally, came the words of Br. Kilian, who articulated his satisfaction for the spirit of collaboration amongst the brothers, exhorting them to continue to strive for perfection, valuing each other as a gift. He added that brothers do away with their differences and learn better ways of handling them. This will then foster unity amongst the brothers and in the custody as a whole. We thank God for having led us throughout this family gathering. Pax et Bonum Br. Cedric Verbe Kohyen Custody Assembly in the Dominican Nunery – Bambui No Comments Monday, the 25 September 2023, the Capuchin Brothers of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, in their numbers ( around 59), in the presence of the Curia (represented by Br. Kilian) and in the presence of the Provincial Minister (Br. Angelo) gathered for an assembly in the Domincan Nunery in Bambui. This assembly has as goal, reuniting all friars of the Custody, evaluating the life, projects and activities in and of the Custody, five months after the Custody Chapter. The fruits of the Chapter shall be published in the next hours. Silver Jubilee celebration No Comments 25 Years of Religious Life Silver Jubilee 2023 Already 25 years (07/09/1998-07/09/2023) since Brothers Vitalis T. Nyuysever, Donatus M. Wirkom, Francis B. Dor and Cyril Kerla vowed their Yes to God. This anniversary was hectically celebrated in Shisong Sacred Heart Parish (Kumbo Diocese), on Saturday 09-09-2023. It was a moment to thank God for his faithfulness and love; a celebration prepared for through a spiritual retreat in St. Mary of the Angels’ Fraternity Sop, preached by Fr. Andrew Ngah Solii (a priest from Kumbo Diocese). He invited the brothers to look back at the years past, and then, thank God for the 25 years of witnessing as friars. Furthermore, he indulged them to beg from God, forgiveness for the moments of poor witnessing. This would permit them to start afresh the life they had embraced, following the invitation of St. Francis to the friars as he neared death: “Let us begin again for until now we have done nothing.” Before this great celebration, the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, in his circular of August 30, 2023, had addressed the brothers saying: “Dear Brothers Vitalis, Donatus, Francis and Cyril, I humbly beckon you to strive and persevere in your Religious Franciscan-Capuchin vocation in such a way as to become a vivid response to God’s injunction in Leviticus, ‘The Jubilee will be a holy thing for you.’ (25:12). Holiness is the universal target we must never lose sight of. The jubilee is an opportunity to bring back to mind this reality.” Dear Jubilarians (Brothers Vitalis, Donatus, Francis and Cyril), may God, through the intercession of St. Francis and St. Clare, through the maternal intercession of Mother Mary, continue to bless, guide and lead you in this noble and happy vocation. Bayon s’occupe ses jeunes No Comments Bayon s’occupe ses jeunes En vue d’occuper les enfants de Bayon durant cette période des vacances, la Paroisse Sainte Famille, sous la direction de son curé (fr. Felix Ayuvea) et son vicaire (fr. Valery Tukov), avec l’assistance des frères René, François et Nestor, a organisé un camp des jeunes dans lequel ont participé les jeunes de la Paroisse Sainte Famille de Bayon ainsi que les jeunes de Melon 2 (accompagné par le frère Nestor de la communauté des Frères de l’Emmanuel Melong 2). Ce camp des jeunes de Bayon avec les jeunes de Melon 2 a eu lieu à l’enceinte de l’école catholique de Bayon du 11 au 16 août. Ce camp s’est tenu sur le thème “ne vous laissez pas égarer par toutes sortes des doctrines étrangers”, avec un effectif de 70 participants. Les thèmes suivants ont enrichis le séjour des jeunes: Que personne ne méprise pas ta jeunesse (les défis actuels qui menace la vie des jeunes), les risques et les effets néfastes des pratiques sexuelles dans la vie des jeunes, les jeunes face aux défis de la société : la nécessité d’une bonne formation de la conscience morale, et, La Vierge Marie: modèle pour les jeunes. En plus des thèmes développés pour la formation ou la culture des jeunes, les activités spirituelles (messes quotidiennes, confessions, écoute, exposition sur la vie des saints…) et les activités récréatives (le sports, la soirée culturelle) ont meublées leur présence à Bayon. Que toute gloire soit rendue à Dieu Père, Fils, Esprit Saint; à notre Mère la Vierge Marie, nos saints patrons, nos anges gardiens, à toutes personnes de bonne volonté de nous avoir assisté tout au long de ce camp de jeunes à Bayon. les jeunes après la messe l’équipe organisatrice Brothers fetch water for the children la détente Fishing for the Custody and for the Order No Comments Fishing Vocations for the Custody and for the Order The first two weeks of July 2023 in Bafoussam Diocese, i.e., from the 5th – 9th of July and from the 12th – 16th of July 2023, were great moment of fishing vocations for the Custody and for the Order in Bafoussam Diocese. For Kumbo Diocese, this same experienced was made from the 25th – 30th of June 2023. These moments permitted the Franciscan Capuchin Charism to be sold to the young who gathered for various vocation camps. La joie de la jeunesse May the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of St. Francis and all Franciscan Saints, help the young, touched by the Franciscan charism, respond positively to God’s call into the Order. Holiday Program in Bambui: Hotcake for children No Comments Holiday Program in Bambui: Hotcake for children “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt. 19:14) Bambui Fraternity organises and hosts a special holiday program for children. This program under the chairmanship of the House Guardian of St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity Bambui, Br. Terence Sahven is aimed at helping kids in and around Bambui develop skills in variant domains of life such as reading and writing, computer elementary, playing of musical instruments such as the piano and the guitar, the fabrication of rosaries and bangles, and the production of liquid soap. Moreover, sports such as football, and other games form part of this holiday program for learning without playing makes Jack a dull boy. The various lessons are dispensed by the Capuchin students (Brs. Esope, Ignatius, Fabrice, Elvis, Augustine, Anicet, Keflet, Gideon, Immanuel) under the umbrella of brothers Terence, Jude, Martin and Aloysius. This program which started on the 18th of July, and shall run till the 29th of August 2023 every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00am to 12:00pm and every Sunday afternoon from 2:00pm to 5:00pm in the Capuchin friary Bambui, with free registration. The very first day of the session that took place on Tuesday, 18th of July 2023, recorded about a hundred and fifty-six children (156 children), ranging from the ages 5 to 19. This number is due to a great sensitisation by the friars, the desire of the parents to have their children occupied during this period in order keep them from idleness, in fact, to help them avoid being the devil’s “workshop” and above all, the desire of the children to learn and develop talents or treasures hidden in them. Making of rosaries/bangles/liquid soap with Br. Anicet Reading and writing with Br. Augustine Computer lessons with Br. Gideon Piano classes with Br. Elvis Guitar classes with Br. Ignatius Sports/games with Brs. Esope/Anicet/Immanuel Hence, while we pray and hope for the best as this program unfolds for our children, who at the end should be each proud to say: “I was there”, we equally are open to welcome suggestions and free donations (material/personal skills/financial) to assist this maiden holiday program for our children. May St. Francis and St. Clare intercede for us. Br. Esope MOSSEU Thaddeus (OFM Cap) Vows Refreshed No Comments Vows refreshed The Constitutions of the Capuchin Lesser brothers, paragraph 23,4 states: “Formation in our Order is implemented in two phases: initial and ongoing. Initial formation includes intitiation into consecration according to our form of life, lasting until perpetual profession.” Therefore, brothers in initial formation after the novitiate experience, are bound to renew their vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, following the formula approved by the Holy See for the Franciscan First Order and for the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis (cf. Constitution, par. 21). As a result, brothers, who, in July 15, made their First Profession, are bound to renew those vows until the day they become perpetually professed or permanent member of the Order. Brothers listening to some admonitions Through this renewal, a brother continues to examine his call into the Order and verifies if he can fully embrace and live the life as it ought to be lived. May God continue to assist you with His Holy Spirit and through the intercession of Francis and all Franciscan Saints to remain steadfast to you call brothers. A Time to Cross-Over No Comments A time to cross-over There is a time for everything. A time to begin and a time to end. The Order celebrates his brothers who move-on to other stages of formation. Postulants making a step into the novitiate (July 14, 2023); and novices making a step out of the novitiate through their embrace or Temporary profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience (July 15, 2023). Postulants getting set to cross-over into the novitiate The reception of the probation habit * The novices pronouncing their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience inorder to embrace the Capuchin life as Lesser Brothers Brothers Godlove, George and Sergius make their triumphal entery into the Order Brother George MBUYE, before crossing-over to a new stage of life as a friar in Temporal vows , makes a flashback to his dreams as he prepared to enter the novitiate as well as share his experiences in the novitiate. A POSTULANT’S DREAM FOR THE NOVITIATE Every postulant’s dream at the end of the Postulancy is to put on the habit of probation. It is a sign of progression into the life from one stage to another stage but this is just the surface of what the Novitiate can impart on us and so there is need to go deep and have mature expectations or dreams for the Novitiate. To begin, I dream to be a Holy Friar; a good capuchin brother and to follow the path of St. Francis of Assisi. I hope during the 12 months, it will help mold and build me to be God’s best friend. Secondly, I expect to interiorize the Franciscan values, learn the capuchin way of praying and working which has given the Order and the Church many capuchin saints and blessed. To go further, I hope I get to be a fraternal brother who can make his community livable and loving. All in all, I expect to be initiated into the Franciscan Family, the capuchin brotherhood, so that I can be of value to the community and to the world. I pray to be a good example of Saint Francis, loving God and his creation always and everywhere. Brother George, at the end of his novitiate year, desires to share his novitiate experience. Have his novitiate dreams been realized? He tells us more? MY EXPERIENCE AS A NOVICE IN THE CAPUCHIN NOVITIATE FRATERNITY In the first place experiences shape each and every one. God speaks through events, He daily communicates to all who seek his face on how particular assignment(s) should be carried for the benefit of Heaven and earth. John Main in his book “The Joy of Being” says “the church cannot effectively proclaim a past experience. It can only proclaim what it is actually experiencing. It can only proclaim what it is. Therefore, if the gap between what we believe and what we experience makes us inauthentic, our message can convince no one until it has so convinced us that we are transformed by it”. We vow to live obedience, chastity and poverty. It is in this connection that one who is a novice and has embraced the depths of intense initiation into the truth that the capuchin spirituality and charism holds to it members, should make them all authentic in living fraternal life and observing the rule which is the gospel. In fact, fraternal life is built on prayer, manual work, recreations and visitation of the sick which helps me grow in total consciousness of the presence of God. This is to ascertain that life not based on prayer, a church that is not spiritually founded, a world that is not prayerfully sophisticated, cannot be a world, a church or life that is fully alive. Consequently, for me to be fully alive, as a novice, the foundation stone is prayer without which I am inauthentic in everything that a capuchin novice should be. Novitiate is a decisive stage in the capuchin life where one gets deep into his call to follow Christ in the footsteps of Saint Francis. As a matter of fact, the novitiate helped me to make the longest journey of my life which is the journey of myself to my inner self. The gospel, that is, the good news I listened to at every Eucharistic celebration made me good and new as well as the journey to my inner world throughout this one year of experience made an authentic change of goodness and newness in my being. I underline this aspect because once in the novitiate, one is called to a spirit of the Holy Scripture where one doesn’t just read to digest its fundamentals but also to listen to Christ who speaks and instructs. In a nutshell, my experience as a novice is the experience of myself which revealed to me the light that lies hidden within and the darkness of my very person which calls to total surrender of my being to the true identity of who a capuchin is and should always be. By Mbuye George The Novitiate Year draws to a close No Comments In few days from now, the novitiate year will end for some and begin for others. Infact, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins in Cameroon, will soon put to birth three children in the persons of Br. Godlove Lendzemo, Br. George Mbuye and Br. Sergius Yovla through their temporary profession, marking an end to their novitiate/canonical year. May St. Francis, St. Clare and other Franciscan Saints pray for you and for us all brothers. Happy Birthday to the Capuchin Order No Comments July 3, 2023, the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchins celebrates their 495th anniversary of existence. It was in July 3, 1528 that, through the good offices of Catherine Cibo, Duchess of Camerino, the Capuchin reform was approved by Pope CIement VII in a brief Exponi nobis given at Viterbo and on the same day officially “sealed,” that is issued in the form of a bull beginning with the words: Religionis Zelus. To mark this celebration, the Provincial Father of the Friars of Lombardia, Fra. Angelo Borghino addressed the sons of Francis in the following words: Dear Brothers Today, July 3, marks the anniversary of the approval of the bull Religionis Zelus. This circumstance offers an opportunity to be reminded of that spirit of “reform” which characterized our beginnings and which continually challenges us as a proper dimension of our journey, both on a personal and fraternal level. With this we are once again invited to refocus our lives in the following of Christ, obedient, poor and chaste, in order to take on his “form” more and more, through that path of conformation to Christ and to his sentiments towards the Father, which constitutes the ‘heart’ of our life of consecration. The beauty of following Christ, according to that particular form to which in freedom we have been delivered, will become increasingly persuasive for us and a witness to those who meet us to the extent that the desire for conversion and change in our hearts remains alive and awake. The anniversary of July 3 comes at the time when the Provincial Council meets again in view of the “List of Appointments and Transfers.” All this is part of that journey of continuous reform to which our very choice of life always leads us back and which, as provincial minister and council, we are called to accompany and support. May the Immaculate Virgin, patroness of our Order, St. Francis, St. Clare and all our saints, especially Blessed Innocent of Berzo and Blessed Arsenio of Trigolo, accompany our renewed commitment to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ and to serve the Kingdom of God according to those circumstances and ways to which we will be called. Fraternally Brother Angelo Borghino Minister Provincial The Curia’s Formation Team in Cameroon No Comments Br Jaime Rey, Secretary of formation from General Curia visits Cameroon. He arrived Cameroon on Wednesday 24 May 2023 and quits for another mission on Wednesday 31 May 2023. We thank God for his presence and for the impact his presence has had and will have in the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon as far as the formation of brothers is concerned. Congratulations to Br. Gioacchino No Comments GOLDEN JUBILEE 50 YEARS ALREADY!!! No Comments Br. Gioacchino Catanzaro warms-up to celebrate 50 years of Priestly Ministry Gioacchino.aigd Br. Gioacchino Catanzaro, we celebrate you for your 50 years of service as a Priest and a faithful servant of God in His vineyard (27 May 1973 – 27 May 2023). This celebration will be marked by a solemn mass celebrated in the Bambui Conventual Chapel (Bamenda) on Saturday 27 May 2023 at 11 am. We cease this occasion Abba, to thank you for dedicating almost half of your priestly ministry (i.e. 22years from December 2000 till date), for the people of God in Cameroon. May our Good and Holy God, who began this good work in you, bring it to fulfilment. Forty-six, confirmed Soldiers for Christ in SAPCCCOL-Mbohtong No Comments Confirmation in SAPCCCOL Mbohtong-Sunday, May 7, 2023 Saint Anthony of Padua’s Catholic Comprehensive College (SAPCCCOL) Mbohtong is a co-educational institution; i.e. general education and technical/commercial education. Presently, this beautiful institution hosts over 150 students (both borders and day students) from different areas and different cultural backgrounds, giving a stupendous environment for both intellectual work and human/moral integration. In SAPCCCOL, students learn to accept, love and help one another. On Sunday the 7th of may 2023, the Bishop of Kumbo, Mgr. George Nkuo, paid an august visit to this fabulously decked city of wisdom. This visit, after seven years since his last visit to the school, was an occasion for 46 of the students to receive the sacrament of confirmation in the presence of their fellow students, parents and teachers. The Bishop was over-joyed by the ambiance created by the members of the entire SAPCCCOL family, and in his Homily, encouraged the students, as well as each and every Christian to be a true witness to the faith, and a valiant soldier of Christ. He affirmed time and again, that SAPCCCOL is a school like no other, and a place to be. He equally exhorted the parents to do well to send their children to Saint Anthony, and for those whose children are still out of home, to bring them back home, where education is not only qualitative, but equally affordable and accompanied by moral upbringing. Let us all join hands to give a good name to Kumbo. No one present at this event, could succeed to hide the joy that enveloped the atmosphere. Parents, teachers, students and invitees were all thrilled by the beauty of the event. Students welcome the Chief Shepherd The Bishop with the entire christian community of Mbohtong present at his august visit Students enjoying their beautiful campus Br. William Kongnyuy From Mbohtong, Sunday 7th of May 2023. The Chapter Experience – MELONG II No Comments The Chapter Experience at Melong II The Custody’s 11th Chapter experience which took place from the 18th to the 22nd of April 2023 at the Retreat Center of the Frères Franciscains de l’Emmaunuel in Melong II, ended with a great success. This is due to the fact that almost every Cameroonian friar, leaving in or out of the Cameroonian territory, made it for this beautiful Family time. Within this period of the Chapter, a series of reports were presented such as: The Triennal report of the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, a report on the state of finances in the Custody from Br. Aloysius Ngonbi, a presentation on Economy and Custody life: a determinant of fraternal relations by Br. Author Nga and Br. Aloysius Ngongbi, a presentation on the Ratio Formationis of the Order by Br. Kilian Ngitir (General Councilor for Formation in the Order), and a report on the situation of the Custody’s websites (www.emmausoutreach.org / www.ofmcapcameroon.org) by Br. Cedric Verbe. These reports gave to all friars a general view of what the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy and his Councilors (Br. Peter Ghani, Br. Author Nga, Br. Aloysius Ngonbi, Br. Martin Dikwa) had realized within their 3-year mandate of shepherding. Having gone through these reports, there was need to elect the new shepherds of the custody, which took place on Friday 21st April from 9 am to about 11:25 am. The following brothers accepted to serve their brothers in the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon for three years: Custos: Br. Kenneth Kinyuy 1st Councilor: Br. Peter Ghani 2nd Councilor: Br. Aloysius Ngongbi 3rd Councilor: Br. Cyril Kerla 4th Councilor: Br. Derick Ajende Ajende May they be led by the Holy Spirit in this holy mission to the brothers. Before the official close of the Chapter, there was a need to listen to experiences from brothers in Collaboration: Br. Mark Ndifor and Br. Siver Kibuh (from Kenya), Br. Tobias Wirmum and Br. Mbuh Bertrand (from Gabon), Br. Frederick Bohtila Njumferghai (from Zambia), Br. Calvin Nshalai and Br. André Litika (From Equatorial Guinea), Br. Br. Kilian Ngitir, Br. Joseph Dufe, Br. Peter Tar, Br. Valentine Fuhnui, and Br. Nji Noël (from Italy). Closing remarks were then given by Br. Angelo Borghino, the Father Provincial, who in persona, had presided over the Chapter. All ended with a mass of thanksgiving on Saturday 22nd April 2023, after which all friars departed to their various fraternities. The Finally in Melong II, living the Chapter Experience No Comments Finally in Melong II to live the Chapter experience Tuesday 18th April 2023, the Capuchin Friars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (those resident in the country and those coming in from other mission territories such as Italy, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia) started arriving Melong II (the Retreat Center of the Emmanuel Brothers) for a 3 days study and evaluation of the Custody’s affaires within which, new shepherds will be chosen to watch over the friars of the Custody for a period of 3 years. This is a joyful moment, a time of meeting to share with one another. The Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy welcoming all the brothers, did acknowledge the fatherly presence of the Provincial, Br. Angelo Borghino, the Custos for Tchad / Central Africa, Br. Martial, and the presence of the 13 friars, participating for the very first time at this Custody’s Chapter. In fact, how beautiful it is when brothers meet each other. Brothers in a fraternal moment The hall, well disposed for work How beautiful it is meeting each other. The joy of meeting a brother A gradual match to Melong II for the Elective Chapter No Comments As the day for the Chapter draws nearer, brothers in and out of the Country are warming up for their 11th Custody Elective Chapter. At this chapter, 13 brothers will be making their entry for the First Time (Brs. Anthony, Junior, Valerie, Gerald, François, Thaddeus, Philip, Ignatius, Rene, Elvis, Michel, Gotran, Fabrice). May the Holy Spirit accompany all the friars before, during and after this family gathering. Hymn for 40yearsexc The custody’s Elective Chapter fast approaches (18 April – 22 April 2023). Brothers are approaching already the Chapter’s residence: Emmanuel Brothers’ Retreat Center Melong II. May the Holy Spirit lead us safely into this holy ground, accompany us throughout our deliberations and empower us in the mission to be carried out after the Chapter. May St. Francis of Assisi and the college of Franciscans in heaven, intercede for us. Aspirants of the Ruby Jubilee No Comments Fra Christopher Shiyghan, coordinator for Aspirancy, encounters Capuchin Aspirants from different regions of the country. His first encounter took place in the Our Lady of Angel’s Novitiate House Sop (Kumbo Diocese) from the 27th to the 29th December 2022 with six (6) aspirants, all from Kumbo. This encounter was enriched with talks such as: Vocation in the Bible, presented to the young aspirants by Br. Peter Ghani. Then, the second talk was on Vocational Discernment, presented by Br. Christopher Shiyghan. This period of encounter permitted the young and vibrant aspirants to have a taste of the life of the Capuchin Friars Minor in Cameroon through their actuosa participatio in fraternal activities: Prayers, Work, Meals and fraternal recreation. Fra Christopher, according to the call to proximity, proceeded with his august visit to the aspirants from Bafoussam, Bayon, and Buea. This encounter took place from Friday 17th – Sunday 19th of March 2023, in the fraternity of Balengou, under the guardianship of Fra. Emil Nyuyki. These aspirants, seven in number, that is, 3 from Bafoussam, 1 from Bayon, and 3 from Buea, equally enjoyed some fraternal moments with the brothers: prayers, meals, work and individual sharing with Fra. Christopher. They were drilled on the topic: Vocational Discernment, a topic geared at helping them make informed choices for their future, choices that would enhance their lasting happiness. His last proximate encounter (still to be announced) will be in Bambui, with all aspirants of the Capuchins in and around Bamenda. Sunday Reflections with Fr. Dufe Joseph No Comments 2 Sam. 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matt. 1:16, 18-21, 24 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the BVM Fr. Dufe Joseph OFM Cap. This year the Church has shifted the celebration of the Solemnity of St. Joseph from 19 March to this Monday so as not to interrupt the Sunday liturgy and thus preserve the Lenten journey that we have been observing. The father figure of Joseph keeps coming to mind at an era where the same figure in our society is being put into question, especially by some modern medical technological measures whereby a lady can just walk into the hospital and ask to me made pregnant through seminal injection, with sperm gotten from someone whom they do not care to know, and whom the child will never know. Furthermore, Joseph stands as a figure of defence in the same society which offers death of woman and/or child as the solution to what has commonly become known as “unwanted pregnancies”. In the first case, no one cares to know the father of the child. In the second case, the father is known but his identity is hidden, so the elimination of the child becomes the immediate solution. A journey through the bible tells us that not so much is said about this man, Joseph. In fact the gospel of Mark has just no mention of his name at all. John mentions the name only 2 times, and in doubtful negative situations: “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth’” (John 1:45-46). This means that Joseph cannot have such a son. In the second instance they are actually admitting that Jesus is the son of Joseph but doubting the son’s divine nature. The Jews “were saying, ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know” John 6:41-42. On the other hand Matthew mentions Joseph’s name 7 times and Luke 5 times. Even as such, none of them gives any details. There is no mention of his place and date of birth, and worst of all, he is not said to have ever mentioned a word – one retreat mistress has said that “Jesus” is the only word of Joseph. The members of the great association known as the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA) great each other thus: “St. Joseph, man of honour, pray for us”. This greeting is drawn from the Gospel text of today, which is one of the references of Matthew. There are 6 qualities that make Joseph a man of honour, and which we are invited to imitate: 1) Sparing other people’s publicity. There is a strong tendency in us to rejoice at talking about the faults of others thus exposing their faults to the world; 2) Listening to God: many of us find it difficult to obey God in the face of social pressure such as the one that Joseph found himself in; 3) Obedience: after listening to the word of God, the big challenge is to put it to practice; 4) Putting the word of God in practice: Joseph dutifully gave the name that the angel instructed when finally the child was born; 5) Responsible Parenthood: Joseph remained close to his wife and child, especially during the flight to Egypt and when Jesus got missing in the temple. Many men feel that fatherhood ends at reproduction; 6) Silent Listening: so many of us talk so much that we find it hard to listen to our interlocutor, especially when we have taken a few cups of alcohol. Talking too much cheapens the value of words because in the end, supply is always more than demand. These qualities, and more, made Joseph to stand out as a shining example of an honourable man. Yes, honour is earned and not bought nor inherited; this happens when we live a virtuous life. As man of honour, Joseph was a man of virtue; he put together all the theological and cardinal virtues and lived them: he loved, lived in faith and hoped; he was prudent, just, temperate and courageous, and went just for what matters, the details. The name Joseph means “God adds”. Through his cooperation with the divine plan, God added another person into humanity, the person who was to change the history of the world. A man wrote a book and gave the title: “How to change your wife in 30 days”. By the end of one week he had sold 2 million copies. He later on discovered that he had made an error. He decided to correct the title: “How to change your life in 30 days”. For the next one month he sold only 3 copies. When it comes to changing other people’s life we are experts. But when it comes to changing ours it becomes a problem. Joseph would have loved to change the life of his wife, were he in our shoes, but he rather changed his own life and his plans to suit that of God, and took Mary into his home. This is a great act, it is his own “Yes” which perfectly married the great “Yes” of his wife, and which changed the course of history. Each and everyone of us can change others, we can change the whole world, but only if we each change our lives. Let us pray, on this solemnity of St Joseph, that God may give us a little of the spirit of Joseph, this great man of honour. 4th Sunday of Lent Year A 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Eph. 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Fr. Dufe Joseph OFM Cap. God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart. What a challenge to us! This is the message from the first reading, which leads to the anointing of David as the king of the people of Israel. This message makes us appreciate the reason why Jesus did not allow himself to be defeated by the tricky question of the disciples concerning the blind man – as to who sinned in order to have provoked blindness in him. Even after being cured, the controversy did not stop. There were doubts right from his own neighbours as to whether this was the same man who was blind or this was another person. People had believed that since he was born blind he was destined to live and die blind – a kind of compartmentalisation that most of us are guilty of. This is how man thinks, yes, and not how God thinks. In fact, the controversy even included Jesus, as to whether he could be from God or was he some kind of sinner, infringing on the Sabbath – this was the confusion among the Pharisees to whom the cured man was taken. In a way, the Liturgy of the Church, on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as the Laetare Sunday (Joyful Sunday) invites us to retrace one of the fundamental dynamics of our baptismal rebirth, which is the passage from the darkness of sin and error into the light of God, which is the Risen Christ. This is the experience of man who suddenly finds himself cured of his blindness. Already in the Old Testament Revelation, as seen in the anointing of David, the Lord God had shown the People of Israel how much the Creator’s judgment was deeper and truer than the thoughts of the creature. The Lord had thus indicated what the only true criterion for judging a man was, and where man could meet God’s gaze and enter into relationship with him. This place is the heart. By “heart,” of course, the Bible does not mean the center of the innermost drives or the organ that regulates blood flow in the organism-man, but man’s “sacrarium,” his conscience, where he is given the possibility to listen to the very voice of God and recognize it, and so produce the effects of the light which are complete goodness and right living and truth – no matter what others think. However, unable to remain faithful to what is truest in him, man reverts back to his own petty criteria, producing every wickedness, injustice and falsehood, in order to govern himself, obtaining what, from time to time, he decides to be his good, and hoping to become thus “like God”. God, however, does not give up. He comes to each of us in the twofold way narrated by the Gospel. First, he does so through sacramental signs just as in the ritual performed by Jesus on the blind man. He cleanses us and then places us on the second pedestal, which is that of mission. Siloam is a pool which name means “sent”. We are not sent until we have been made clean. The cleansing process is a very difficult process, but we must go through it if we are to be who we are called to be, not blind people but people of light. Christ, sent by the Father, takes upon himself all our sins, even to the ultimate consequences of our blindness, right to the point of allowing himself to be stripped naked, crowned with thorns and nailed to a cross, rejected by his own people and abandoned by his closest friends. This unheard-of love of Christ can only definitively, in time, overcome all fear of our limitations, for there is nothing about us that can prevent him from loving us. May it not surprise us that suffering humanity and suffering individual human beings could sometimes become objects of human experimentation. Did the disciples not use the blind man as their specimen for the determination of sinfulness! “Who sinned”, they asked. And did the neighbours of the man not use him as a specimen of identity and finally take him to the experts of human degradation, the blind Pharisees! “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” they wondered. And did the Pharisees themselves not use Jesus as the specimen for their religious hypocrisy! “This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath… How could a sinner produce signs like this”! And only the man who had benefitted from the healing could tell his personal story, even if he was to know the complete version only a short while later. We are always on the way, but sure that one day we will reach. This is the virtue of hope. Even until now, like the man whose eyes were opened, we may not claim to have known Jesus fully; at least we do have some knowledge of him, based on what he has done for us, and this makes us bond to him. It is precisely this indestructible bond, based on his love and faithfulness to us that encourages us to seek to know him the more. Let us ask, through Mary Most Holy, the grace to be faithful to the truth, to the facts of our lives, grasping the hand that, in every circumstance, Christ extends to us; let us, thus, be shaken out of the torpor or inertia that always undermines us, in order to live totally by Christ, the crucified and risen Love, in this life and in eternity. Explore the talents of Capuchin Friars in Cameroon No Comments Fra Joseph N. Dufe, in one of his most recent compositions, honours our Mother Mary with a beautiful Magnificat in the “NSO” dialect called “Lamnso”. Fra Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila, a writer, in one of his opuses, gives the world ways to work towards perfection. Where can one find true and lasting happiness? Where can one get true peace? Fra Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila invites you to read on and find it out for yourself The rise in suicide cases and mental challenges stem from a lack of self-acceptance and the nature of human beings to search for happiness in the wrong places, a Cameroonian Catholic Priest has said. Fr. Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila says that the more the world develops technologically with people amassing more material wealth, the more they continue to search for happiness which they hardly ever find. When this happens, individuals find life meaningless, the Priest says. “Suicide cases are on the rise all over the world because people are not happy. Many feel deceived even in relationships. This is because they are questing for joy in wrong places and never find it,” Fr. Bohtila told ACI Africa in an interview Monday, June 14. The Franciscan Friar of the Capuchin Priest who is based in Zambia has authored a book, “The Spiritual Perfection of the Human Being” which he says is an invitation to find happiness from within. The book draws teachings from St. Augustine of Hippo’s book, Confessions, which bears one of the Saint’s most popular invocations, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” According to Fr. Bohtila, St. Augustine of Hippo is the model for people looking for internal peace, those who wish to know about themselves and to realize that they were created in the image of God who makes their joy complete. “A human being today is always out of himself, is always distracted,” the 45-year-old Cameroonian Priest tells ACI Africa ahead of his book launch slated for June 22. He adds, “Most of the time we are absent minded. We are far, we are pulled by the fascinating world around us and we don’t have that self-acceptance.” The 100-page book published by the Pauline Publications Africa is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, the Priest talks about the human being created in the image of God as a call to perfection. “The perfection we are talking about is coming back to ourselves and discovering who we are,” Fr. Bohtila says, and adds, “Human beings have ventured far and even travelled to the moon. But we believe that the most important journey for a man is when he goes back to himself and realizes who he really is. Only then do we discover the greatness of our mind and the greatness of God in us.” “Through travelling back to ourselves, we come to discover that the God or the greatness we are searching for is still within us,” the Priest says. The second chapter addresses the consequences of sin and goes back to the fall of Adam and Even. The Capuchin Priest says that the two who wanted to be like God provide lessons for the society today where not many people are satisfied with who they are. “Adam and Eve wanted to rejoice in a power that was greater than their own. They wanted to become like God. A creature cannot take the place of God,” the Priest says, adding that the conduct of Adam and Eve is “a fundamental problem today.” “Most of the time, the human being doesn’t accept himself the way he is. We want to become someone else. And that’s where our sadness begins,” he says. He further says that his book is aimed at helping people to arrive at self-acceptance, and to know their rightful place in creation so as to live fulfilled lives. The book also addresses the issue of the divided will and the challenges that people encounter as they make life choices. This, according to the Cameroonian Priest, is the struggle that St. Augustine experienced when he talks about being “divided in himself.” Fr. Bohtila says that many times, people are divided and that in making choices, many are “prompted by egoistic motives and distorted emotions.” “We have distorted desires. And so that one blurs our reasoning faculty and our intellectual faculty,” he says, and adds, “We need to be clear in our rationality, in what we are choosing. But now because we are moved by emotions, passions, sometimes our choices are wrong. And those wrong choices don’t help us to grow.” In the third chapter, the Priest author talks about the healing power of the grace of God. It is this power that St. Augustine of Hippo discovers when he realizes that “he has been moving out of himself and leaving all the good inside.” Fr. Bohtila says that the world, especially today, needs the message of St. Augustine of Hippo who is honored as a great doctor of the Church. The Saint is described as one of the Latin Fathers of the Church “and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul.” The contribution of St. Augustine of Hippo to Christian teaching has been said to have created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions and The City of God are said to have helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. Fr. Bohtila says that he has always looked up to St. Augustine of Hippo and started writing the book that is pegged on the Saint while he undertook his research in Rome. “I think that the human heart today, despite all the things that we possess even in the advancement of material things in technology, that human being keeps searching for happiness somewhere,” the Priest says. He adds, “The more we possess things, the more we want more things, which means that the human heart is not satisfied by the things we possess. This is what St. Augustine implies when he says that our hearts will remain restless, until they come to rest in God.” Fr. Bohtila says that the fundamental relationship stressed upon in the book is to come back to oneself and to realize that the true meaning of life is found within. Shisong Fraternity joyfully welcomes Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar No Comments Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar, visits the Sacred Heart Fraternity Shisong. He arrived Shisong on Friday, March 3, 2023 and left for Bambui, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. The joy flowing from his visit to the fraternity inspired the House Guardian of the Sacred Heart fraternity Shisong, Br. Felix Afoni to say: “To have a provincial bursar amongst us is something very important”. His visit, as a consequence, has permitted him to see the reality of our suffering people, to encounter brothers in their reality and to evaluate some projects undertaken by the Custody to mark their 40 years of presence in the Cameroonian soil. May God in his goodness, grace his presence amongst us. Pax et Bonum Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, we love you No Comments Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, we love you Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, Feb. 26, 2023 made you 6 years of age in the heavens above (Feb. 26, 2017 – Feb. 26, 2023). In March 3, 2017, the earth from which you were created, opened its mouth to swallow you. We continue to thank God for your life; we miss you; we love you. In the context of the Ruby Jubilee celebration of the Franciscan Capuchin Way of Life in the Cameroonian soil, know, you have left us a mark, your immemorable mark as the first Cameroonian Capuchin friar to inaugurate that journey of no return. May you continue to rest in peace brother, for you have become “an elder yourself”. Pray for us your younger brothers who daily battle to win ourselves from the rage of Satan, so that when our own time of departure from this pilgrim world reaches, we joyfully match to meet the Lord for whom we had earnestly served. Lerone-Alex, you were a very talented friar: a composer, a poet, a pianist; in sports, you excelled beautifully. We miss those beautiful moments with you Bro. But know, you remain special. We love you Br. Lerone-Alex, we miss you. A gradual move towards the 11th Custody’s Elective Chapter: The Phase of Guardians and Bursars of the Custody No Comments A gradual move towards the 11th Custody’s Elective Chapter: The Phase of Guardians and Bursars of the Custody On Monday, the 27th day of February, 2023, at 9:00AM, all the Guardians and Bursars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (in number, 12), gathered in the Capuchin Fraternity of Bambui in Assisi Hall, for a meeting, directed by Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar, on how collaboration between the Guardians and Bursars be enhanced for a smooth running of the Custody especially with regards to the administration of custody goods. It should be noted that the first economic visit to Cameroon of the Provincial Bursar was done in 2015, and the second in 2023. The Provincial Bursar exposed to the brother Guardians and Bursars that being guardians and bursars is a service rendered to the brothers, to the fraternity, to the Custody, to the Order and to the Church, a service by which a brother proves his own witness to the Gospel life. As a matter of fact, the Provincial Bursar did highlight the fact of collaboration between the Guardians and Bursars, where he stipulated that when tension arises between these two services, the fraternity enters into a crisis. Moreover, he indicated that the Guardians and Bursars help their fraternities renew the spirit of poverty, evaluate their variant means of transportation which at times weigh on the fraternity, encourage brothers to work in order to sustain life in the fraternity, to be joyful in living their life of austerity, return to the community the fruits of their apostolates, trust in divine providence, and to avoid financial and material waste. And for a fraternity to run well, it was stressed that fraternal budgets be drawn and evaluated by its members. Above all, that brothers in spending what they have, should always think too of the future. From here, he encouraged that brothers be genuine, truthful and faithful in the accounts they render, for this contribute in making a healthy fraternity. It was equally noted that some brothers may use fraternal goods like cars to render fraternal services and the fruits from those services never reach the fraternity; things to watch against for they murder the fraternity. Furthermore, it was spelt out that it is the role of Guardians to ensure the administration of fraternal goods (i.e., our structures…). And to the Bursars, their need to keep a day book, have a balance sheet which help to project their honesty and transparency. The Provincial Bursar, rounding up his presentation, proposed that the Bursars in the custody from time to time, take up formative courses to help them improve in their running of financial matters in the custody. This encounter with Guardians and Bursars ended up with these last words from the Provincial Bursar at about 4:45PM: that as the Custody helps or supports the different fraternities of the custody, so too, different fraternities of the custody should take as task to help, defend and support the custody. We thank the Provincial Bursar for all the sharing and the Province of Lombardy in general for all they have been and remain for our beloved custody of St. Francis of Assisi. May our Good and Loving God continue to watch over us as we prepare our hearts for the upcoming elective chapter. Pax et Bonum Nécrologie: A nous revoir frère François Tabe Akono No Comments Frère François Tabe Akono, Ministre Régional OFS francophones, conduit vers sa demeure. La famille (OFS) Ordre Franciscains Séculier du Cameroun, conduit leur frère François Tabe Akono, Ministre Régional OFS francophones, à sa demeure. Il rendit l’âme le 14 janvier 2023. 16 février, une grande veillée sans corps eût place dans son domicile. Et le lendemain, la levée du corps et hommages à Soa le 17 et inhumation à Akonolinga le 18 février. Avant son dernier soupir, il demande que son corps soit habillé et transporté jusqu’à sa tombe par la Grande Famille Franciscaine. Que saint François, sainte Claire et les autres franciscains en haut t’accueillent et te présente au Père Céleste papa François. Requiescat in Pace frate Formation of Brothers in the fourth year of Post-Novitiate No Comments The 4th Year of Post-Novitiate The brothers in the fourth year of Post-Novitiate, gathered in St. Francis of Assisi’s Friary Bambui, under the umbrella of Br. Martin Dikwa, the brother in charge of this stage of formation, for their second session of Post-Novitiate, i.e., from Sunday, 12th February to Saturday, 18th February 2023. It saw the participation of all the six brothers in the fourth year of experience in the life after the Novitiate. The brothers in this stage of formation are: Br. Romaric Koumetio, Br. Jude Thaddeus Fonsi, Br. Boris Berinyuy, Br. Andrew Ndzewiyi, Br. Bill Collins Formonyuy and Br. William Kongnyuy. These brothers make their experience of the life in the fraternities of Sop, Mbohtong and Bayong. Primordially, their second encounter of formation had as objective: To lead the brothers into a living relationship with Christ, to be more conformed to Him and to find their identity in Him (Const. No 32, 3). This explains why the formative session was animated by different presentations and discussions on topics inspired from the reality of religious life in today’s society. It was equally an opportunity of a “one-to-one” encounter with the Br. Martin Dikwa, the coordinator of the fourth year Post-Novices. What was on the menu for these six young men? On Monday 13th February, discussions were on human formation; friendship with persons of the opposite sex and the use of the mass media, a formative subjet matter of our time, presented to them by Br. Divine Etimbi. On Tuesday 14th February discussions were centered on the VIII Plenary Council of the Order: On the grace of working, handled by Br. Martin Dikwa. It was noted summarily that work is grace because it puts us in contact with ourselves, with brothers, with people, with creation, and most importantly with the creator (God). On the third day of the session, that is on Wednesday 15th February, the session was on the Capuchin apostolate with Br. Amos Bamenjoh as the resource person. The presentation of the document: The gift of fidelity, the joy of perseverance of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life was the object of Thursday, 16th February. Issues treated from this document included: Gazing and listening, Enkindling awareness and separation from the Institute and Juridical norms. On Friday, 17th February, the last day of the second session, we were graced with the presence and intervention of Br. Aloysius Ngongbi, who drilled us on: Christ in the Franciscan experience. Having been nourished throughout the week with such enriching teachings, brothers, on Saturday, 18th February, returned to their fraternities to make visible in their lives what they had digested within the formative week in Bambui. May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten you all brothers in this process of discernment. In memory of Father Magic No Comments Today, February 15, 2023, marks the 5th anniversary of departure of Fra. Roberto Pirovano, popularly known as Father Magic. We pray he enjoys the Beatific Vision and from there intercede for our Order and particularly, for the custody of St. Francis in Cameroon, where he served for a good number of years. We thank you Fra Roberto, for having participated in sowing the the jewel of Franciscan Capuchin Brotherhood in our land. Father Magic, continue to rest in peace. The New Provincial and his council No Comments Today, Wednesday 15 February 2023, the New Provincial and his council were elected. The Provincial Minister: Fra. Angelo BORGHINO The Provincial Vicar: Fra. Daniele REBUZZINI Second Councillor: Fra. Paolo BOTTINELLI Third Councillor: Fra. Agostino VALSECCHI Fourth Councillor: Fra. Giorgio PERACCHI ² May the Holy Spirit enlighten you and lead you brothers in your mission. PROCLAMAZIONE DELLA ELEZIONE MP e Consiglio (1) Pax et Bonum The Custos, Br. kenneth, and Br. Terence at the Provincial Chapter No Comments The Provincial Chapter The Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, accompanied by Br. Terence Sahven, as delegates of the Custody, made their move from Cameroon, Friday February 10, 2023, to the Provincialate as participants at the Provincial Chapter. This chapter of the Province of Lombardia kicked-off On Saturday 11, 2023. Tuesday, February 14, 2023, various custodies or delegations of the Province of Lombardia, echoed through their reports on the life of their custodies or delegations, a presentation at which the Cameroonian Custody wasn’t an exception. Capuchin Organic Farm No Comments Visit Br. Cyril Kerla in the Capuchin Organic Farm-CIG to get quality products Saint Anthony of Padua’s College Mbohtong No Comments St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Comprehensive College Mbohtong – Shisong is a co-educational boarding and day school in the Diocese of Kumbo, under the proprietorship of the Capuchin Friars Minor (Custody of St. Francis of Assisi). It is located 3km from Shisong Catholic Hospital up the plateau above the Hospital and opposite the Kumbo Council forest. The school enjoy variant facilities: firstly, a very calm environment that favours studies and meditation, secondly, beautiful and spacious classes, a spacious chapel and hall; thirdly, quality teachers with brothers intervening in practically all domains. SAPCCCOL 2023 2024 Contact the Principal for more information Br. Joseph Mengven Tel: +237 67
2279	dbpedia	0	1	https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bverdz.html	en	Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov [Catholic			[ "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/ich.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/idc.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy1.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy3.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/qfeedback.gif" ]	[]	[]	[ "Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov", "CH", "Catholic-Hierarchy", "Directory", "Reference", "Biography", "Bishops", "Dioceses", "Roman", "Church" ]	null	[ "David M. Cheney" ]	1931-01-22T00:00:00	Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov				null	a priest for 48.0 years a bishop for 39.2 years Principal Consecrator: Bishop Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, M.H.M. † Bishop of Buéa Principal Co-Consecrators: Bishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. † Bishop of Garoua Bishop Pierre-Célestin Nkou † Bishop of Sangmélima Episcopal Lineage / Apostolic Succession: Bishop Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, M.H.M. † (1962) Bishop of Buéa Bishop Peter Rogan, M.H.M. † (1939) Titular Bishop of Nicius Bishop Patrick Collier † (1928) Bishop of Ossory Archbishop Edward Joseph Byrne † (1920) Archbishop of Dublin Archbishop William Joseph Walsh † (1885) Archbishop of Dublin Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran † (1872) Archbishop of Sydney Paul Cardinal Cullen † (1850) Archbishop of Dublin Castruccio Cardinal Castracane degli Antelminelli † (1844) Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina Pope Gregory XVI (1831) (Bartolomeo Alberto (Mauro) Cappellari, O.S.B. †) Bartolomeo Cardinal Pacca † (1786) Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia (e Velletri) Giovanni Carlo Cardinal Boschi † (1760) Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina Pope Clement XIII (1743) (Carlo della Torre Rezzonico †) Pope Benedict XIV (1724) (Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini †) Pope Benedict XIII (1675) (Pietro Francesco (Vincenzo Maria) Orsini de Gravina, O.P. †) Paluzzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni † (1666) Chamberlain (Camerlengo) of the Apostolic Chamber Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna † (1630) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere Luigi Cardinal Caetani † (1622) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi † (1621) Archbishop of Bologna Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale † (1604) Archbishop Emeritus of Bari (-Canosa) Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P. † (1586) Cardinal-Bishop of Albano Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santorio † (1566) Cardinal-Priest of San Bartolomeo all’Isola Scipione Cardinal Rebiba † Titular Patriarch of Constantinople Principal Consecrator of: Archbishop André Wouking † (1979) Principal Co-Consecrator of: Bishop Pius Suh Awa † (1971) Bishop Jacques Joseph François de Bernon, O.M.I. † (1973) Bishop Louis Charpenet, O.M.I. † (1973) Bishop Vicente Bernikon † (1974) Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua (1982) Archbishop Roger Pirenne, C.I.C.M. † (1994) Bishop Dieudonné Watio (1995) Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge (1999)
2279	dbpedia	0	92	https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/	en	St. Martin de Porres blog - Binju-Nkambe	https://s0.wp.com/i/blank.jpg	https://s0.wp.com/i/blank.jpg	[ "https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/letterhead_770x140.gif", "https://i0.wp.com/leffortcamerounais.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/11/frtantoweb_2.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/leffortcamerounais.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/11/holysacrament.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RrHh2Gn4UII/AAAAAAAAADc/62Vqi5yrmWw/s320/Watson_at_50years_of_servic.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RrHcy2n4UHI/AAAAAAAAADU/wwpuz24UI6w/s320/13th_Batch_of_graduating_Counselors.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp0.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RnFS-Pqx2EI/AAAAAAAAADE/2R-cLVM2l0Y/s320/picture+2.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RnFUr_qx2FI/AAAAAAAAADM/O7k-Uio9ytc/s320/Custodians+photo1.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl301o3CvTI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Pz6uurz60jA/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+099.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl34qo3CvUI/AAAAAAAAAC8/gbkXBmTqqF0/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+095.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl2wCY3CvSI/AAAAAAAAACs/9VEvVG-4Tpc/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+010.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rjp_6i-ZKfI/AAAAAAAAACU/HrtaCNAiRJk/s320/S4021048.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RjqDAS-ZKgI/AAAAAAAAACc/c-u8OfbIyDk/s320/S4021067.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RjqIOi-ZKhI/AAAAAAAAACk/5Y5mkVQyVgg/s320/S4021089.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp0.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RiqN5nUi87I/AAAAAAAAACM/nn2C8VOrWtg/s320/Priestly-Ordination-20076%5B1%5D.jpg", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://s2.wp.com/i/logo/wpcom-gray-white.png", "https://s2.wp.com/i/logo/wpcom-gray-white.png", "https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?v=noscript" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Posts about Uncategorized written by binjunkambe	en	https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico	St. Martin de Porres blog - Binju-Nkambe	https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/	Father, we understand that you are the brain behind the installation of the internet in most parishes in the Kumbo Diocese. What motivated you to embark on such a project? I have always strived to use existing media and seek new ones to communicate the message of the Gospel, especially to young people. In many ways, these young people have helped me to be forward looking, somewhat of a visionary. Modern communications, particularly the internet, do not only offer us a variety of media with which to transmit the Good News but have given birth to a ‘new culture’. How could a catechist, like me, or anyone involved in the work of evangelisation, hope to integrate the message of Christ into this culture if he fails to use the means available, which are responsible for the new culture? That is why I use the most appropriate means to answer the challenges posed by the new culture. Working with young people I felt the challenge to be always creative, inventive, looking for the “in-thing” and being up to date, at least, in the knowledge of fashions, styles, expressions and so on. The spirit to embrace new methods and try new skills was daily nurtured in me. The progression seems to me only natural: I used chalk a lot when I depended on the chalk board to get the message across; I used paper an awful lot in group dynamics, then I waded into what I consider the age of the audio tape. I collected loads of tapes and a wide range of musicians that were in vogue in the 60s and 70s; then came the age of the telephone, the camera, then fax, then computer, computer fax and the internet is the latest, the most inviting perhaps, but also the most challenging of the media. It is now the “in-thing”. And attached to it is the Digital Camera! It all comes to me as a process of growth and advancement in my job of communicating the message of the Gospel. The internet needs constant back up technical services. Do you have the qualified manpower to provide these services in Kumbo? For technical services, we have a well trained, very dedicated young man at the service of the diocese. Mr Bernard Kong was groomed by the Diocesan Youth Ministry of Kumbo. We have a partnership with the Diocese of Limburg in Germany where he was trained and came back home to set up the Diocesan Printing and Communications Centre (PCC) of which he is the pioneer and current Manager. He offers in-service training to those with whom he runs the Centre. We have another young man, Bernard Afor, whom we sponsored to train at Bamenda to run the Binju-Nkambe Internet Café and maintain the system. There is Denis Tarawo, who manages the Cyber Café at the Diocesan Youth Centre, who was also trained in Bamenda With the services of these three we do manage to keep our set up and running, although we do not hesitate to call on outside assistance when the need arises. How accessible is the internet in the Kumbo Diocese to priests, the religious and other lay pastoral workers? Priests, Religious and all Lay Pastoral Workers serving in any office in the Bishop’s House Complex now have computers and internet service as a regular component of office equipment. Currently, there is a study to extend the internet services of PCC to the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and to the Minor Seminary in Kitiwum. Priests, religious and lay people have easy access to the Cyber Cafés situated at PCC (near the Diocesan Garage) and at the John Paul II Youth Centre. Priests are even offered browsing time at a rate lower than the general public. The Binju-Nkambe Cyber Café in Nkambe Town is open to the general public including priests, religious and lay pastoral workers. The browsing time at Nkambe is cheaper than at Kumbo and has the same rate for all. Although the internet services have been put within the reach of everybody, there are, unfortunately some priests and religious and lay pastoral workers who do not show any interest in it at all. Does the Diocese of Kumbo have any comprehensive policy or guidelines as far as the internet is concerned? As I just said, some priests and pastoral workers do not show any interest in the internet, not even in the use of the computer for regular work. Quite a few blame their lack of interest on the lack of computers in the places where they serve. As of now the Diocese of Kumbo does not have any comprehensive policy about the use of the internet. The former bishop strongly advised priests to get into the use of computers to run their parishes and even indicated that the responsibility devolved on the Finance Committees of Parishes to budget for and acquire computers for the parishes. But I suppose it takes a very interested priest to convince his Finance Committee that such an expensive gadget is a worthwhile investment for the parish. The internet poses enormous challenges not only to contemporary society, in general, and the Church, in particular. What measures, if any, has the Diocese put in place to ensure the appropriate use of the internet by its faithful? The Diocese has taken steps to make the internet accessible to many people, which is an indication of the Diocese’s appreciation of this tool in evangelisation. Apart from the services offered at Kumbo and Nkambe, there is also a website for the Binju-Nkambe Parish, which is being visited by many people all over the world; there is also the Kumbo-Limburg website, which opens up for study and understanding the partnership that exists between the two dioceses. Apart from the courses offered to young people at the Diocesan Youth Centre, at PCC and at the Girls and Boys Town Cyber-Café of Binju-Nkambe, there is little or no formal training for priests, religious and lay pastoral workers on the use of the media and of the internet in particular. People need training to be able to use the internet in their work. Some have never looked at the websites I just referred to, because they are not able to face the technology. There is a great but unanswered need for professional training for those directly involved in the media. They need both doctrinal and spiritual formation to be able to function appropriately in the media for the good of the Church. One notes with regret that the internet tends to distance children from their parents. Some parents even attempt to stop their children browsing. That is futile. There is no stopping of young people and children becoming more familiar with the internet than their parents. And since most parents are basically internet illiterate, one would expect our schools to teach the young children who come to them the skills to use the internet so as to distinguish the bad from the good and make right choices when they eventually get fully exposed to it. What is the situation in our Catholic colleges? Our Catholic Colleges are not yet including internet fee in their tuition or providing internet services to their students. This, to me, constitutes a loss of opportunities for the young people who attend our schools to receive proper education in the use of this new technology. I think this is a dangerous neglect. The argument that we may lose students if we increase the fees by including an internet-use levy is not credible to me. We are probably losing students to other institutions because we fail to provide access to the internet which they easily find elsewhere. By failing to provide them with adequate and relevant internet and computer training, we are failing to prepare them to face the world that is increasingly becoming ever more secularised. I believe that if we want our young people to be the good and successful citizens of the state and the church today and tomorrow, then we must train them in the use of modern technological innovations such as the internet. Listening to you, Father, it would seem not much is being done in the Kumbo Diocese to promote evangelisation through the internet. The two websites: for Binju-Nkambe Parish and for Kumbo-Limburg are small beginnings to do evangelisation via the internet. Celebrations of faith events that get put on the websites are read by many both in the country and out of the country. Many people have come to know our pastoral strategies through these websites. Interestingly, I noticed many non-Catholics browsing our website in Nkambe and writing questions to me about events they read on the website. Our sister Churches in Europe have appreciated some of the efforts we make locally and contributed to the building of our infrastructure, thanks to the information they get on the internet. The internet has replaced a bogus library in my case. I find very easy access to the documents of the Church, to Theological Discussions and Scientific Research. When I still ran Catholic Programmes on the Donga-Mantung Community Radio, the internet was my immediate source of Catholic news and meditation on various topics. The feedback I got was that many people who listened to my radio programmes got attracted to the Catholic Church, or at least got a little insight into what the Catholic Church is all about. A lot more could be done if more people learnt to use the internet. What future for the internet in Kumbo? I think the internet has come to stay. The challenges are enormous, but it is one of those things which tend to survive better in difficulties. You see, the internet department of the Girls and Boys Town Project in Binju-Nkambe suffered terrible damages by lightning. For four months, it was out of function. Many said it was Father Tanto’s business and since Tanto was moving to Tobin the service had ended. But because the users had been exposed to so much and had come to depend on the internet for many things, many of them kept appealing to us to make it work again. We did reinstate it at a terrific cost. But the good news is that more young people are registering for training, and the users are pouring into the café. Last Word?
2279	dbpedia	2	64	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/cameroonian-born-reverend-father-cyprian-tatah-ferdzefer-fidei-donum-from-kumbo-diocese-celebrates-30-years-of-priesthood-at-st-croix-us-virgin-islands-usa/	en	Cameroonian-born Reverend Father Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer: Fidei Donum from Kumbo Diocese celebrates 30 years of Priesthood at St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, USA.	https://thesunnewspaper.…23/05/father.jpg	https://thesunnewspaper.…23/05/father.jpg	[ "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/The-Sun-logo.png", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/father-300x205.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0020-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0021-300x169.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0022-300x169.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0024-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0027-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0032-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0028-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0033-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0034-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0035-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0036-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0037-225x300.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0038-225x300.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0039-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0040-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0041-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0023-225x300.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0025-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0026-300x225.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG-20230522-WA0029-225x300.jpg", "https://www.kerawa.com/oc-content/uploads/201712/20171213-145833-3005621-2017121302583297446.jpg-864333.jpg", "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPCqXT58MO92ErcQq2LXhe5HcmlQ8qHQ4U_MohTeUdzcPGXlQyvQ", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/advertisementsvtc.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2023-04-16T17:56:44+00:00	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac, On Saturday, April 15, 2023, Father Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer, Fidei Donum from Kumbo Diocese and pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Frederiksted, St. Croix, Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands celebrated 30 years of Priesthood at St. Croix, US Virgin Is	en	https://thesunnewspaper.…avicon-32x32.png	THE SUN NEWSPAPER CAMEROON	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/cameroonian-born-reverend-father-cyprian-tatah-ferdzefer-fidei-donum-from-kumbo-diocese-celebrates-30-years-of-priesthood-at-st-croix-us-virgin-islands-usa/	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac, On Saturday, April 15, 2023, Father Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer, Fidei Donum from Kumbo Diocese and pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Frederiksted, St. Croix, Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands celebrated 30 years of Priesthood at St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, USA. The mass was solemnly celebrated by the 6th bishop of St. Thomas Diocese, in the person of Bishop Jerome Feudjio, first native African Bishop in the USA from Cameroon. Cameroonian-born Bishop Feudjio succeeded Bishop Herbert A. Bevard of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis Sept. 18, 2020. St. Thomas Diocese is a Suffragan See of the Archdiocese of Washington. (Cf. Can. 436 §1). The occasion was colored with traditional dances, Cameroon traditional regalia, and African dishes which identified, demonstrated and promoted the Cameroon – African culture. I had the grace to interview Fr. Cyprian in my last visit to St. Thomas Diocese on November 17, 2021, (Cf. Interview with Fr Cyprian Tatah, Rector of St Peter & Paul Cathedral, St. Thomas, US, 17.11.21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8zc246F7KY;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjK7rrKaFLU). During the interview, I discovered that Fr. Cyprian is a very happy priest, contented with what he has, and a very studious and intelligent priest, who has a passionate pastoral zeal, a man of the people, with a very simple and humble personality despite his remarkable intellectual and pastoral achievements. Biography, Work, Qualifications and Interests of Fr. Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer Rev. Fr. Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer is a Diocesan Priest of the Diocese of Kumbo. He was born on the January 19th 1967 in Roberta-Kikaikom. He was born into the Family of Papa Chin Francis Tata (ordinarily called Baa Kakir) of Blessed memory and Mama Crescentia Yegwa. There were eight siblings, five brothers and three sisters. Two of the brothers have already been called into eternity. Thus, out of a family of ten, three have been called into eternity. Rev. Fr. Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer attended St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School Kikaikom from 1972-1979. In September 1979, he gained admission into the Minor Seminary – Bishop Rogan College, Soppo, Buea where he obtained the GCE “O” and “A” Level Certificates respectively. In September 1987 he was admitted into St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary Bambui. He was ordained Deacon in October 1992 by Fr. Paul Verdzekov of Blessed Memory and Priest on April 16th 1993 in Kumbo Cathedral Mission Station by Mgr. Cornelius Fontem Esau, the Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda Archdiocese in Cameroon. Since then he has served in the following appointments: 1st July 1993- 1st July 1995 –Curate in Tabenken Parish in the Diocese of Kumbo. 1st July 1995 to 16th August 2000 – Bishop’s Secretary. 16th August 2000 to June 30th 2003 – Parish Priest of St. Mathias Mulumba’s Parish Ako. 1st July 2003 to 16th November 2006, further Studies at the Pontifical Urban University of Rome. November 2006 to July 2009 – Coordinator of the Diocesan Pastoral Formation Team, director of St. Jerome’s Biblical and Pastoral Centre Kumbo, Link person to the Lamnso Bible Translation. From September 2008 – June 2009 he was part time Scripture Professor at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, while still holding the above previous functions. Still holding the aforementioned functions, he was appointed Canon of the Cathedral from January 2009 to June 2009. After this, still holding the functions mentioned from 2006, he became Parish Priest of Meluf from June 2009 until July 2012. In July 2012, he became the Catholic Education Secretary for the Diocese of Kumbo, a position he held only for two years, less than the official Mandate. From July 1st 2014 he became Parish Priest of St. Joseph the Worker Parish Djottin. Then he was appointed the representative of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province in the Bible Society of Cameroon and at the Commission for the Biblical Pastoral Ministry of the National Episcopal Conference and finally co-opted member to the Provincial Commission for Catechetics and Pastoral Affairs of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda from July 2014 until June 2021 when he was asked to go as Fidei Donum (gift of faith) to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. In the Diocese of St. Thomas, he served for eight months as Rector of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Thomas. From June 15th 2022 he was appointed Pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church, where he is presently serving and celebrating his 30th Anniversary of priestly ordination. He has the following Academic qualifications: a degree in Philosophy and a degree in Theology, both from St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary Bambui. He has a Licentiate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Urban University Rome. He has organized two successful Diocesan Synods (the 2nd (1999) and the 3rd (2012) Diocesan Synods of the Diocese of Kumbo). He was present as a seminarian in 1st Year philosophy during the 1st Diocesan Synod in 1988. He was the chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Celebration of the Centenary of the Arrival of the Catholic Faith in the territory which today is the Diocese of Kumbo. The implementation of the Provincial Pastoral Plan – the new way of being Church is his passion. He has written books and pamphlets on the various aspects of this implementation of the Provincial Pastoral Plan. He believes that we can be financially self-reliant if we target and preach the Gospel Message in the Small Christian Communities. He also believes that we all have gifts which we can use for the building up of the community and the Church and encourages each and every one to use his /her gifts by learning how to take risks. Thus, he is not frightened by People’s gifts but encourages them to use their, gifts well. He also enjoys putting up of structures for worship of God and for teaching individuals to utilize their God given talents fully for the Glorification of God and the integral development of man and the society. His hobby is chatting, reading, brainstorming and writing. He believes that man can make his heaven where ever he or she finds himself and that the fullness of life Christ brought (John 10:10) begins here on earth. A Word of Gratitude In a Word of gratitude on the occasion of the thanksgiving Holy Mass for the 30th Anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood at Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Frederiksted, St. Croix, Diocese of St. Thomas in USVI addressed to His Excellency, Rt. Reverend Bishop Jerome Feudjio, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the USVI, Reverend Fathers, Reverend Sisters, Distinguished Invitees, the Anniversary planning committee under the Chairmanship of Fr. Touchard Goula Tignoua and brothers and Sisters in Christ, Fr. Cyprian Tatah Ferdzefer (30th anniversary priest), pastor, St. Patrick Catholic Church, Frederiksted, St. Croix, Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands articulated profoundly in the following words: “‘This day was made by the Lord, we rejoice and are glad.’ Psalm 118:24. It is with immense joy and gratitude to God that we are all gathered here to celebrate the marvels the Lord has done to his Church for the last 30 years by calling me to be his priest. The other day, one priest told me let us get it right. Do you say you are ten years or fifteen years a priest or 30 years? I did not give him any answer. I simply told him to guess what he thinks by looking at me. Then he said, ‘well I think you are fifteen years in the priesthood.’ My appearance looks like someone who is fifteen years old in the priesthood but today I wish to declare that tomorrow April 16th 2023 makes me 30 years a priest. For God to have allowed me to work in his vineyard for this period is something to thank him for. This is why I began by saying ‘this day was made by the Lord, we rejoice and are glad (psalm 118:24).’ On my ordination day, I was asked to thank the people on behalf of the two of us who were ordained on that day and I made a mistake in my speech in which I was instantly corrected by the Bishop who ordained me. I told the people that their presence for our ordination gives us a lot of joy because I didn’t know we were that important for them to come out in their numbers, leaving all their businesses because of the two of us. When the Bishop who ordained us gave his concluding remarks he said he wanted to make a correction in my speech and he said, the people who were present for our ordination were not there because of us, they were there because of what God had done to them through us, namely giving them some other workers in his vineyard. The people came not because of us, but to praise God for the gift of two new priests to his Church. Conscious of this first mistake, 30 years ago, I would not want to make another mistake again. Therefore, I greet everyone present here for coming to thank God for what he has done to his Church for the past 30 years by calling me and supporting me to work for his Church for these number of years. Of course, I did my part to struggle to answer God’s call and as years go by, the struggle does not become lighter, but God took the initiative to call me because of his people not because of myself. My joy is that I have been able to respond to him and at least to remain ‘physically faithful’ to him all these years despite my many shortcomings. Jeremiah says in Chapter 20:7-11ab; “You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me and you prevailed. All day long I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage I proclaim; the word of the Lord has brought me reproach and derision all day long. I say I will not mention him; I will no longer speak in his name. But that it is as if fire is burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding back, I cannot! Yes, I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him! All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. Perhaps he can be tricked; then we will prevail, and take our revenge on him,” But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not prevail.” Sometimes I share with my friends that like Jeremiah above, the Lord seduced me when I was still very young and many a time the above experience of Jeremiah is also mine for accepting this mysterious call from God in which you are ‘never your own’. Nonetheless like every call or vocation there are moments of Joy and moments of sorrows which one must accept and live with. Our master Jesus Christ went through all of these and who am I? The earthenware Jar on which this treasure of God has been entrusted for the good of his people (2nd Corinthians 4:7). Why should I then complain when the surpassing power is from God and not from me? It all started when I was eleven and half years old that I passed the interview to go to the Minor Seminary called Bishop Rogan college Soppo, Buea in my country. In September 1979, I started the minor seminary studies. I did not go to the minor seminary to become a priest. I went because I was told it was a good school where during breakfast bread and butter are eaten and which was my favourite. On the interview day I was instructed by my elder brother Njodzela Francis Tatah of blessed memory, to say that I wanted to be a priest, otherwise I will not be taken into this good school I wanted to go into and that is what I repeated to the Rector Fr. Fontegh Anthony of Blessed memory who interviewed me. He tried to catch me in my answer whether I will not like to be a pilot or and an engineer but I was faithful to repeat the answer my senior brother gave me; ‘I want to be a priest,’ though in reality this was not really my intention. From September 1979 until 1985, it dawned on me that this was my call and n 1987 when I left high school in the very minor seminary my intentions were already purified, I was not there only for bread and butter, God had called me to continue to pursue major seminary studies and I was admitted in 1987 into St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary Bambui, Bamenda, where I pursued my philosophical and theological studies. I ploughed through philosophy and theology for seven years and nothing could stop me from becoming the priest because that was all I longed for from the moment I entered the seminary. On April 16th 1993, I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kumbo Cameroon by the grace of God. I have been a priest living and working in that diocese, until I came here as Fidei Donum (gift of faith) to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. I also left my Diocese only when I went to Rome in the Pontifical Urban University to Study Biblical Theology, a subject I cherish very much, where I graduated with a Licentiate in Biblical Theology. I am celebrating this 30th anniversary here in the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Many persons wanted me to come back home to celebrate this thanksgiving Holy mass but I refused and told them I was now a missionary and where my 30th anniversary has met me I will celebrate it there. This is why I thank you for coming for us to jointly thank God for his marvels to his church and in my life since he called me to be his priest. You are all representing those whom I have come in contact with in my ministry all these 30 years. The Biography in the booklet prepared for this occasion gives you the details about my life and work for the last 30 years. I thank in a most special way His Excellency Most Reverend Bishop Jerome Feudjio for accepting me to come into his Diocese to have this missionary experience and then to also celebrate this anniversary. Thank you, Your Excellency. I wish also to thank you for the letter of congratulations which you sent to me of April 3, 2023 which I have read several times over. In it you tell me again what the priesthood is all about and you encouraged me to forge ahead, praying that the Lord gives me many more years in this ministry to continue to shepherd the people of God, with your prayers and the prayers of all the faithful of the Diocese of St. Thomas for me. Thank you, Your Excellency, I will remain ever grateful to you for allowing me to have this experience in your Diocese and for your words of encouragement. I thank all the priests of this Diocese here present and those who could not make it for this celebration for welcoming me and encouraging me to work with them in the Diocese of St. Thomas. It is another new and exciting experience with many challenges. I thank the Christians of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Holy Family, St. Anne, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in St. John and Our Lady of perpetual Help Parishes where I was for eight months. I thank you for coming here to join me in this celebration. You are welcomed to St. Croix and in particular to Frederiksted town and you have to know that ‘the west is the best’. You welcomed me into the Virgin Islands and made me pay the new man tax, before I came over to St. Croix. Thank you for initiating me into the Diocese of St. Thomas. I thank all the Christians in St. Croix. Before I came here permanently I had come to sensitize on the Synod on Synodality, so I know practically every Parish now in St. Croix. I have also been given the opportunity to coordinate the Year of the Eucharist and so practically I have gone to all the Parishes in St. Croix. I thank you for your presence and for allowing me to have the experience of your Parishes. This is not by chance. It is God’s will. Thank you for your presence at this thanksgiving Holy mass to mark 30 years of the grace of the priesthood bestowed upon me by the almighty God. I thank the Reverend Sisters here present from St. Thomas, Holy Cross and St. Patrick Catholic Church. I am sure some persons are seeing some Reverend Sisters here for the first time. I thank the sisters for making us breathe some Cameroonian air by processing with the Gospel in the Cameroonian style with the young people of St. Patrick Church with their motto ‘Faith, hope and love’. I thank the superior of the sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth of Dschang in Cameroon who is visiting her sisters and has taken her time to be one of the representatives of the Cameroonian delegation in this august celebration. In my culture it is said that if you are going somewhere and someone’s house is on fire you have to stop your journey and quench the fire before continuing. I wish to thank you sister superior, for coming ‘to quench the fire of this celebration’, before returning home. It will not be a bad idea if another community of the Holy Family sisters of Dschang is opened at St. Croix. I sound now like a politician, but a politician for God. Once more Reverend Sisters, your presence here is very much highly appreciated. I thank the Franciscan Sisters of the Pure Heart of Mary for their relentless work to make this occasion a success. The Cameroonian food you will have in the Hall is their handiwork. Try to taste a bit of it. Last but not the least, I thank the members of St. Patrick Catholic Church (the west is the best) who have taken it upon themselves to prepare through financial, material and spiritual contributions towards this celebration. With the busy time of Easter, I know all you have gone through to have this celebration today. God has already blessed your endeavours. I thank in a special way St. Patrick Choir for taking all the pains to prepare and to be here to sing on this day that the Lord has made for us. I thank all the young people (our Church of today and tomorrow) for their involvement in the preparation of this celebration Finally, I thank the anniversary planning committee under the headman ship of Fr. Touchard Goula Tignoua (the parochial vicar of St. Patrick Catholic Church) for the wonderful planning and preparations that has recorded such a great success. It is my hope that as the Lord keeps us together; we shall continue to answer his call to move towards him in faith every day of our lives. In fact, if the people of St. Thomas are not careful we may cease the Bishop from them and build his residence in St. Croix. This celebration was just a warning sign. I wish everyone a safe journey back to their various destinations. I pray that God’s abundant blessings come upon you all for honouring our invitation to be present here. We can only say with the psalmist after 30 years – ‘what marvels the Lord has done for us, indeed we are glad’ (Psalm 125). May this celebration inspire many young people with the support of their parents to answer God’s call in our midst to serve his people in his Church! Thank you for your kind attention.”
2279	dbpedia	3	53	https://www.mamfediocese.net/religious-organization-called-to-be-good-citizens	en	Called To Be Good Citizens	https://www.mamfediocese…feCoA2-32x32.png	https://www.mamfediocese…feCoA2-32x32.png	[ "https://www.mamfediocese.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-cropped-cropped-cropped-MamfeCoA2.png", "https://www.mamfediocese.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-cropped-cropped-cropped-MamfeCoA2.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "Diocese of Mamfe", "Diocese of Mamfe South West Region", "Diocese of Mamfe Republic of Cameroon", "Religious Group", "Religious Organization", "Catholic Organization", "Religious Group South West Region", "Religious Organization South West Region", "Catholic Organization South West Region", "Religious Group Republic of Cameroon", "Religious Organization Republic of Cameroon", "Catholic Organization Republic of Cameroon" ]	null	[]	null	Diocese of Mamfe is a Roman Catholic Diocese in South West Region, Republic of Cameroon.	en	https://www.mamfediocese…feCoA2-32x32.png		https://www.mamfediocese.net/religious-organization-called-to-be-good-citizens	THE GOODNESS OF GOOD – CALLED TO BE GOOD CITIZENS (AN ACADEMIC DISCOURSE PRESENTED AT 2013 CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA, 28TH MARCH, 2014) Your Excellency the Minister of Higher Education, The Governor of the North West Region, The Vice Chancellor of the University of Bamenda, Other Vice Chancellors here present, The Deputy Vice Chancellors of the University of Bamenda, The Registrar of the University of Bamenda, Distinguished Academics of the Ranks of Professors, Associate Professors, Lecturers and Instructors, Students of the Graduating Class, Ladies and Gentlemen, The two paragraph letter of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Bamenda inviting me to deliver this discourse stated; “The University of Bamenda will be holding its 2013 Convocation on Friday, 28th March 2014 and we would be privileged and honoured if Your Lordship could give the Convocation Discourse to our graduating class.” The second paragraph of the Letter mentioned, “You are at liberty to select a relevant topic of your choice”. The two main points I liked in the letter of Mr. VC were that I was not going to be addressing some great Professors, but I was being invited to talk to the graduating class. Therefore anyone who is not of the graduating class is listening to me as a bonus. Secondly, I was very glad to be given the liberty to choose a relevant topic of my choice. Selecting a topic of my choice was OK, but what I was not comfortable about was that the topic had to be relevant. I therefore with freedom of choice and discretion of relevance, decided to prepare a convocation discourse on the topic “The Goodness of Good – Called to be good Citizens”. That the topic is of my choice, I am a hundred percent sure, but whether it is relevant, I am not too sure. REASONS FOR THE CHOICE OF TOPIC: Existential Philosophers focus on how man relates to his fellow man. The media presents a world which carries a rather gloomy face. The news is dominated by the ravages of wars, the high and complicated level of crimes, the wickedness of human beings against themselves, man’s ruthless domination and oppression of his fellow man, the wanton abuse of human rights, economic injustices and trade imbalance, the rising phenomenon of bribery and corruption etc.; Our world is threatened with what Bob Marley calls “Atomic atrocities and Nuclear mis-philosophies”. The world is presented as an evil world and we wonder whether there is or can be any good in the world of today? Can there still be good people and if there can be, can they have any impact on the society of today? Looking at all these, the question arises, we are graduating these students to go to where? What kind of world are we sending them into and what product are we sending into the world? Are we sending good people into a bad world or are we sending bad people into a good world? Will the public scramble to consume these products were are turning out today with satisfaction, or they will curse the day they graduated? The certificates they will be awarded attests that they are qualified in learning and proven in good character; This means that the administration of this University attests that the students graduating today are good but to what degree has this goodness been tested and how long can the goodness endure? These are questions whose answers cannot be given with mathematical precision, but it leads us to reflect on the problem of the good. THE NATURE OF GOODNESS: Goodness is a concept which we employ and discuss in our everyday life. We often talk of a good man or a good woman, a good citizen, a good government, a good car, a good house, a good job, a good teacher or a good student. In this case, goodness is the quality of being good that exists in these elements. The goodness of a car will depend on the performance of the car or on its options; the goodness of a job will depend on the lucrative nature of the job, the convenience of the job or the satisfaction derived from the job. But when we talk of the goodness of the human person, we may be referring to moral goodness, physical goodness or ontological goodness. Metaphysical philosophers tell us that “Each thing’s good is to be in accordance with its nature”. From the principle “Ens et Bonum convertuntur – Being and goodness are interchangeable” we can conclude with Tomas Alvira, Luis Clavell and Tomas Melendo that “The good is not a reality distinct from being: ‘everything that is, is good’. Things are good to the extent that they have ‘esse’. They have as much goodness as they have the act of being. The intrinsic value or perfection of things is rooted in their act of being and in their essence. Consequently, something is good in accordance with its esse. It will be a potential good if its esse is potential; it will be a participated good if its esse is participated” (Tomas Alvira, Luis Clavell and Tomas Melendo, Metaphysics, Sinag-Tala Publishers, Manila, 1982). The human person as being or ‘ens’ is therefore good and possesses goodness by nature. We can therefore without fear or favour say that ontologically, all these students graduating today are good and in their human nature, they all possess goodness as a quality of being. If they were not good, they would not be and if they are it means they are good. However, we must distinguish this ontological goodness from the moral goodness which relates the rectitude of character or effective goodness which relates to productivity. In the latter cases, we cannot make a sweeping statement about the graduating students as good. They have to prove this in their action and as individuals. The Second element of the nature of the good is that every good thing is desirable. H.D. Gardeil, in his Book, Introduction to the Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, IV, Metaphysics, says that “At the beginning of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle, in a well known context, defines the good as that towards which all things tend: quod omnia appetunt – literally, ‘what all things desire”. Thus the basic thing about the good is that it bears on and stirs the appetite. If as we have seen, the true denotes a relation of intellect to being, the good for its part denotes a relation of being to the appetite”(H.D. Gardeil, pp.142-143). Just as good food wets the appetite and attracts a hungry person, so too goodness attracts and is desirable. Thomas Aquinas explains this well when he says “Now it is clear that a thing is desirable only in so far as it is perfect; it is perfect, however, so far as it is in act; and it is in act in the measure that it is being; for being is the actuality of everything”(Summa theol. Ia, q5, a.1). Again, as ontological beings, each graduating student is good and as such, each of them is desirable. In this sense, the principle holds that “things are not good because we want them; rather we want them in so far as they are good.” However, as students graduating who shall go hunting for jobs or recruited into jobs, we cannot jump to a general conclusion about the goodness regarding their moral character or effective productivity as “The taste of the pudding is in the eating”. In this case, the students who are good will be desirable and those who do not possess goodness in that sense will not be desirable. The third main element of goodness is that it shows itself, just like the popular adage which says “good wine needs no telling”. It is the same in our academic circles. The Professors who always remind their students that they are Professors and insist to be called Professors may be trying to hide something and put up a façade. The real Professor who delivers his lectures with professorial competence and impacts knowledge like a professor, does not need to remind anybody that he is a professor or does not need to insist to be called so. Because what makes a professor a professor is not just the degrees, the promotions and the appellations but the professorness in the professor. That professorness is the essence of the professor and shouts out everywhere he/she is. Or better still, a beautiful woman does not need to go around telling people that she is beautiful. If she is truly beautiful, her beauty strikes everyone as she comes along whether they like it or not, or whether she likes to be noticed or not. This is where the notion of goodness is related to the final cause. Again Gardeil says that “it is also true that final causality does not act in isolation; it implies both efficient and formal causality, the formal as principle of the efficient. Nevertheless, the causality proper to the good precisely as good is final causality, which consists in evoking desire. Hence it is along the line of final causality that we must understand the accepted expression that ‘good is self-diffusing’ or self-radiating: Bonum est diffusivum sui. This diffusion or radiation is not to be taken literally, like the emission of light from a body; which is to say it is not an activity of efficient causality..” (Op.Cit., p.144). Fourthly goodness is related to value. When we talk about value, we immediately think of economic calculations and evaluations. The word value has taken on a rather special meaning in modern philosophy, particularly in the so-called Phenomenology of Values. Max Scheler, the most outstanding exponent of this philosophy attempted to dislodge the good as the object of Ethics, and replace it with value. In this sense the goodness of a thing is equivalent to its value. I have sat on the Recruitment Board to interview people. And one of the most evaded questions by the candidates is “How much do you expect the company to pay you?”. And most often we get the most hypocritical answer “whatever the company offers”. In many cases, the panel has had to rephrase the question in these words; “how much do you value yourself, your performance and your production ability?” Although this example is purely economic, it brings out the aspect of self esteem which the graduating students are supposed to have as they step out into the world and they must know that the world will receive them as they present themselves. As you are valued, so you will be desired. Joseph M de Torre says that “created being is motivated by its end, which is the first of the causes and sets all other causes in motion. In this sense, the good is described by its effect: the final cause, which is ‘what all beings desire’. The good, then, which motivates as final cause, is classified into three kinds: i. Honourable good (bonum honuestum): the good desired for its own sake. ii. Useful good (bonum utile): the good desired for the sake of something else; iii. Enjoyable good (bonum delectabile): the good desired for the enjoyment that it gives. In the backdrop of these various kinds of goodness, the graduating students are called upon to be good citizens. They are called upon to view their education not as an isolated good for themselves but good that is going to benefit the society. This has to do with refocusing their mentality out of themselves and towards others with whom they interact daily. Know that it is the goodness in the good that makes good to be good, to be attractive, desirable and valued. ORDERING OF THE PERSON TO THE COMMON GOOD OF SOCIETY: The good of the individual or what we commonly call the personal good has to refer to the common good, since society is the means for the person to attain his/her perfection. The more intense good is, the more universal, and so, it is more noble to want to do good to the entire society than to oneself alone, and it is better to want to do good to all societies than to one only. Therefore, the rectitude of the love for personal good depends on its ordination to the common good. Is it good for me to get a good education? Yes, it is for the common good, if I can thereby serve society better. On the other hand, whoever prefers his own good, (egoism) to any other good, in a certain sense becomes like an animal, because it is proper to the animal to seek its own individual good without the desire to transcend it, as is proper to the rational creature. The person has to ordain himself to the common good of society, but understanding this as ultimately ordained to the common good which transcends society. However, strictly speaking, a real moral conflict between a personal good and the common good arises only in a society which is not ordered: where either the common good or the personal good are misconceived. If every part of society is ordered to the good, no conflict arises: only if one of those parts wants its own good in a disorderly way does conflict arise. If this happens, the damage occurs both in the parts and in the totality, and the more influential the part, the greater is the damage to the totality. That is why the egoism of someone in authority is all the more damaging and has more far-reaching effects. If there is disorder in relation to the common good, order must be restored by the legitimate authority by means of measures restricting particular good for the sake of the common good. (cf. J. Torre, op.cit., pp.246-247). John Finnis says that “There is a common good for human beings, inasmuch as life, knowledge, play, aesthetic experience, friendship, religion, and freedom in practical reasonableness are good for any and every person. And each of these human values is itself a common good inasmuch as it can be participated in by an inexhaustible number of persons in an inexhaustible variety of ways or on an inexhaustible variety of occasions. These two senses of common good are to be distinguished from a third, from which, however, they are not radically separate…. A set of conditions which enables the members of a community to attain for themselves reasonable objectives, or to realize reasonably for themselves the values for the sake of which they have reason to collaborate with each other in a community”(John Finnis, Natural Law and Natural Rights, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1980, p.155). The good in you will make you into excellent leaders and to be excellent leaders you need what we call moral intelligence. Jenny Handley defines moral intelligence as “the ability to understand and demonstrate right from wrong. It is demonstrated in empathy, conscience, self-control, respect for others, kindness, tolerance and fairness.” (Jenney Handley, Raise your Leaders, Tandym Print, pp.36-37). A good person with moral intelligence therefore should be the moral beacon of the society, a symbol that everyone associates with good values. Handley goes on to say that “it is not sufficient merely to know right from wrong. We have consciously to work at doing right rather than doing wrong. Taking time to anticipate the results and impact of our actions in two scenarios, one when we take the moral high ground and the other when we don’t, should become standards for any worthwhile leader. We all have different perceptions of what moral intelligence actually is. Some people believe that it is okay to be dishonest until they get caught out. Others know that being honest, to yourself and others, is the only way of practicing moral intelligence.” (Ibid) Unfortunately, my dear graduating students, you are graduating into a society where while ontological good remains intact, moral good and common good are being shoved into the background. In which case, one who has both moral and common good at heart will not enter the prestigious ENAM (Higher School of Administration and Magistracy) and fight to be registered under the department of Taxation or Customs because it is more illegally lucrative than being a civil Administrator or a Social Welfare inspector. Yet it is possible to be a Taxation or a Custom Officer and be good, without indulging in the illegal practices that make the profession termed lucrative. Or better still, in the public Service, we shall consider the common good as the fruit of our service so that we remain public servants and not become public Masters. You are graduating into a system where even Academics has been politicized and seasoned professors put aside reason and propose illogical arguments to the public just to win the bench of a village Mayor. Or again, trained teachers abandon the noble teaching profession to become executors of public contracts. In this way, the egoism in us destroys the good that exists in us and the fruit of such egoism is corruption, nepotism, tribalism, intellectual and moral dishonesty, embezzlement of community funds and treating the human person as an IT and not as a THOU as Martin Bubber the social Philosopher puts it. My dear graduating students, believe in your own goodness and know that you can contribute tremendously to the good of the society in which you are going. You can be good citizens and you are called to be good citizens because you possess goodness in yourselves. Do not let the evils that exist in the society corrupt the goodness which is innate in your very being and don’t get drowned in the unorthodox fighting for positions, power and money at the expense of honour, integrity and self respect. This can only come through self discipline and the cultivation of a sense of a value system that cannot be beaten by the temptations to position, power and wealth. The goodness in you must help you to stand at all times for the truth which itself is a transcendental quality. You must know that you are standing to defend the truth in a society where “Lie telling has been institutionalized as a national culture” as the late Archbishop Paul Verdzekov put it. It means you must be ready to swim against the current. This is the only way to maintain your goodness. Without arrogating any powers to myself, I wish to christen this graduating batch “The Bonum Batch – the Goodness Batch” and the word Bonum will serve as a measuring rod for all that you do in the future. While you try to insert and assert yourselves in the society, remember that there are three things which man can never have to himself no matter how he tries, because they belong exclusively to God. To God alone belongs the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever.
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The Catholic Church could mediate between Anglophone militants and the state, but clergy have espoused clashing views on key issues. The Church should heal its divides so as to be a neutral arbiter that can broker peace.	en	/themes/custom/icg_d9/apple-icon-152x152.png		https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/cameroon/b138-cameroons-anglophone-crisis-how-catholic-church-can-promote-dialogue	What’s new? Fighting is spreading between security forces and militants from Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. The government largely rejects Anglophone grievances, while armed militants appear inclined to continue fighting. The Catholic Church, representing nearly a third of Cameroonians, could be an arbitrator, but its clergy have taken divergent positions on the crisis. Why does it matter? Other than the Catholic clergy, there are few prospective peacemakers. If no one fills that role, the separatist sentiment already voiced by many Anglophones will continue to grow, fuelling further violence and exacerbating the ongoing insurgency in the Anglophone regions, with elections in late 2018 a flashpoint. What should be done? The Church should bridge its divides and state its impartiality on the thorniest question facing Anglophone regions – federalism versus decentralisation. A clergy able to project a position of neutrality could work with other trusted actors to mediate between Anglophone leaders and the state, and stem a dangerous and growing crisis. I. Overview Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which began in October 2016, has morphed into conflict between security forces and increasingly well-armed separatists fighting in the name of the country’s marginalised English-speaking minority. The separatist impulse among Anglophones is growing as President Paul Biya’s government shrugs off the community’s historical grievances. Violence has spread: more than 100 civilians and at least 43 members of the security forces have reportedly died in the last seven months, as have an unknown number of armed militants. Some evidence suggests that separatists control territory; 34,000 refugees are sheltering in precarious conditions in Nigeria and about 40,000 persons are displaced in the Southwest Anglophone region. Many militants apparently believe they are better served by fighting in order to negotiate with Biya’s government from a position of strength. The African Union and Western powers have called for dialogue. The government agrees on the need for talks, but refuses Anglophone activists’ calls for outside mediation and opposes any discussion of federalism. It has jailed Anglophone leaders with whom it was formerly talking. The Catholic Church could help break this dangerous stalemate. Present in all ten of Cameroon’s regions, the Church is one of the country’s strongest institutions. Almost a third of Cameroonians are Catholic, and the Church operates a dense network of schools and hospitals. Cameroonians take its views seriously. At present, however, its public divisions, particularly between Anglophone and Francophone clergy, stand in the way of it playing a constructive role. It is not too late for the Church to bridge these divides. Anglophone and Francophone bishops should come together in a public statement to affirm their neutrality on the issue most contentious in the crisis – that of federalism versus decentralisation – and state their willingness to mediate. The Church also should renew its calls for an end to violence and for Anglophone leaders and the government to enter negotiations. Given that, for now, direct talks between the two sides appear unlikely, the Church, if it is able to project neutrality and win trust on both sides, might play a behind-the-scenes role to allow for indirect communication between them. It could usefully push for prisoner release and some form of amnesty for Anglophone leaders who have fled the country, both likely prerequisites for talks. It could continue working together with other religious institutions, such as the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, which in January 2017 stated its readiness to mediate, and the Cameroon Baptist Convention, as well as credible civil society associations and traditional rulers. As violence appears set to escalate, particularly ahead of Cameroon’s 2018 presidential election, potential mediators and peacemakers are few. The Church should overcome its divisions, position itself as a neutral arbiter and help resolve an increasingly deadly and worrisome crisis. Loading Video Chronology of Developments in Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis II. A History of Political Engagement and Divisions Cameroon’s Catholic clergy have often been divided at times of political turmoil. The best-known case dates to the 1970s, involving a split over the fate of Archbishop Albert Ndongmo, whom the government claimed supported the insurgent Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (Union des peuples du Cameroon, UPC). The government at the time, headed by President Ahmadou Ahidjo, asked Ndongmo to negotiate with the insurgents, but then arrested him for collaborating with them, and in 1970 condemned him to death (a sentence later commuted to life in prison). Although priests drafted a memorandum denouncing Ndongmo’s incarceration, Jean Zoa, the archbishop of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, who was close to the regime, refused to sign it. When Ahidjo pardoned Ndongmo in 1975, Zoa’s archdiocese declined to join the rest of the Church in celebrating his release. Conflicts within the Catholic Church often have an ethnic dimension, pitting priests from the influential Bamiléké community against those hailing from other groups. Rivalries over postings and promotions are common. In 1987, a group of mainly ethnic Bassa priests in the Douala archdiocese wrote a memorandum to the Vatican criticising the appointment of Bamiléké bishops to dioceses outside their region of origin. Among the appointments drawing their ire was that of Christian Tumi, who comes from the Northwest region and is a member of the “grasslands” ethnic groups to which the Bamiléké are related, to the position of archbishop of Garoua, in Cameroon’s North region. The memorandum described Tumi, in barely disguised pejorative terms, as “Anglophone Bamiléké”. A few years later, the Catholic Church was divided once more as Cameroon began a turbulent transition to multiparty politics, replete with crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters. In 1990, the Cameroon Peoples’ Democratic Movement (which had been ruling since 1960, albeit under a different name) organised nationwide rallies against what it termed the “precipitous” introduction of multiparty politics. In Yaoundé, the rallies ended on 30 March with a mass held in the cathedral led by Archbishop Zoa. Tumi, by then a cardinal and figurehead of the democracy movement, objected to what he considered an authoritarian manoeuvre. The Church has established itself as a leading actor in Cameroon’s politics, but [internal] divisions continue to undermine its potential to play a positive role. On 26 May 1990 oppositionists launched a new party in Bamenda named the Social Democratic Front. After police killed six of its supporters that same day, the Anglophone archbishop of Bamenda, Paul Verdzekov, organised a memorial service in his cathedral. In response, Archbishop Zoa convened a counter-mass in the Yaoundé cathedral to, as he put it, “cleanse the image of the Catholic Church from the unholy service” in Bamenda. The Catholic Church, or individual clergy, have continued to express political views since the 1990s, notably concerning the conduct of elections. And differences have persisted between conservative clergy close to the authorities in Yaoundé and those more willing to speak out. The Church has established itself as a leading actor in Cameroon’s politics, but such divisions continue to undermine its potential to play a positive role. The Anglophone crisis is no exception. III. The Church in the Anglophone Crisis In addition to ethnic divides, the Church suffers from fissures between Anglophones and Francophones. There are five ecclesiastic provinces in the country, all under the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC). Four of them are French-speaking, while the ecclesiastic provinces of Bamenda administers the predominantly English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, under the aegis of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC). Not surprisingly, the six bishops of the Anglophone regions express more concern about the crisis than do those in Francophone areas, reflecting anger among the Anglophone flock at the central government’s actions and the sympathy of the clergy in Anglophone regions for Anglophone grievances. Two issues related to the crisis are particularly divisive among the clergy. The first concerns the structure of the state, namely whether to advocate for decentralisation, federalism or even independence for a new Anglophone state. The national ecclesiastical hierarchy supports decentralisation within a unified state. Touring the affected regions in May 2017, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, president of the NECC, asserted that the conference had asked the government to implement decentralisation, as stipulated by the 1996 constitutional law. Some Anglophone priests have gone so far as to call for the creation of a new state. In contrast, some Anglophone priests have gone so far as to call for the creation of a new state. In April 2017, for instance, Father Wilfred Emeh of the Kumba diocese called for the restoration of the statehood of Southern Cameroons (he proposed federalism as a step toward achieving independence). The next month, Father Gerald Jumbam of the Kumbo diocese wrote an open letter to Archbishop Kleda supporting full independence for the Anglophone areas and calling federalists “cowards standing on the fence”. He was joined later in May by Father David Fomanka, former Catholic education secretary of Mamfe diocese, who advocated for independence in an open letter to “Southern Cameroonians”. These three priests all now live abroad. Their stance undoubtedly reflects the frustrations of a section of the Anglophone population. But the vast majority of Anglophone Cameroon’s 350 priests are more cautious, saying little in public and privately supporting either federalism or effective decentralisation – not independence. Furthermore, most respect the Church’s hierarchy and the principle that the voice of the Church should be heard through the bishops. The second division is over whether to support a school boycott declared in January 2017 by Anglophone militants, along with a general strike (they vowed to turn cities into “ghost towns”). The boycott continued throughout 2017 but, in 2018, classes have resumed at many schools, especially in cities. Fomanka, Emeh and Jumbam support the boycott, while Bishop George Nkuo, president of the BAPEC and effective head or spokesperson of the Anglophone part of the Church, disagrees, arguing that children’s education must be respected as a primordial mission of the Church. In this he agrees with the national Church. Still, some disagreements remain at the level of the bishops. In May 2017, Archbishop Kleda pressured Anglophone bishops to ensure that classes resume immediately. Bishop Immanuel Bushu of Buea had a different opinion. Without supporting the boycott, he did say that it expressed the wish of parents and that progress toward resolving the crisis, and thus reopening schools, could better be made if the government released detainees. The position of leading figures within the Church against the boycott has provoked the anger of Anglophone militants and prompted them to threaten clergy. They also have set fire to schools not taking part in the boycott. Militants burned down two Catholic primary schools in Tobin and Kumbo on 5 August 2017 and badly damaged the Sacred Heart Catholic College in Bamenda on 18 September. Despite the polarisation, Anglophone and Francophone bishops share some views, and important Church figures are trying to find middle ground. For the most part, Francophone bishops have remained silent about the crisis, allowing Archbishop Kleda to speak on behalf of the national Church. Nor did they speak out when a government-fabricated consortium of parents filed a series of lawsuits against Anglophone clergymen, accusing them of aiding the school boycott. In April 2017, the Bamenda Court of First Instance summoned several Anglophone bishops, as well as the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and the executive president of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, in connection with this case, with state prosecutors adding their own charges of endangering national unity, accusing the bishops of making statements that had paralysed the schools. A court in Buea summoned bishops from the Southwest shortly thereafter. Charges have since been dropped, but the government has proved itself willing to put clergy on trial for political reasons. As in the past, the Church is caught between the Yaoundé government and its opponents on the ground. The top-down pressure came even from the papal nuncio (recently replaced), who pushed Anglophone bishops to reopen schools, but expressed no concern about either the schools’ safety from arson or the politically motivated prosecution of bishops. In Yaoundé diplomatic circles, the pope’s emissary was seen as having taken the government’s side in the crisis. Despite the polarisation, Anglophone and Francophone bishops share some views, and important Church figures are trying to find middle ground. For example, despite differences in tone, both Anglophone and Francophone bishops condemned the heavy military crackdown on civilians between September and October 2017. This precedent indicates that greater coherence, and a more constructive role for the Church, are possible. IV. The Church’s Potential as Mediator In order to play a more effective role and help stem an insurrection and counter the risk of civil war in Anglophone Cameroon, the Catholic Church must overcome its internal divisions or at least find enough common ground to project a position of neutrality. Several commentators have called upon the Church to mediate between the warring sides, as it has done in neighbouring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. If it is to play that role, the Church should avoid taking firm positions on the main issues that divide the protagonists. To this end, bishops, Anglophone and Francophone, could usefully come together and issue a public statement, declaring that they remain neutral on the main issues of concern, especially federalism versus decentralisation, underlining that Anglophone feelings of marginalisation have some justification, denouncing human rights abuses and calling for restraint by all sides. They could then state their interest in mediating the crisis. The details of such mediation would have to be worked out away from the public glare. Such an approach would potentially boost public trust (especially in Anglophone areas) in the church, while helping to remove the spotlight from the more radical and polarising positions taken by some priests. Ultimately, direct talks between the main protagonists are the most promising way to avoid escalation. But the current violence and polarisation suggest that their prospects, even with mediators involved, are slim at present. Instead, the most logical step for the Church, if it is able to position itself as a trusted arbiter, would be to talk separately to both sides to understand their differences in opinion and their red lines. According to Crisis Group sources, such parallel consultations may already be happening, albeit in a dispersed way. They should be strengthened through better coordination between bishops, so that those involved can speak for the Church as a whole, and potentially developed into shuttle diplomacy, with the goal of increasing understanding and reducing the distance between the sides in preparation for direct talks. To do so, the Church could usefully team up with other denominations, especially the influential Presbyterian Church, which has indicated its willingness to play a role and which already collaborates well with the Catholic Church. It could also involve the Cameroon Baptist Convention, as well as credible civil society associations and traditional rulers. Even ahead of direct talks, the Church likely will have to address the exile of Anglophone activists. Many want to return home but are understandably frightened by the government’s continued imprisonment of Anglophone militants. It could push for some form of amnesty, prisoner releases and guarantees for returnees, perhaps in exchange for a ceasefire from the Anglophone armed militias. Without talks and the devolution of power in some form to Anglophone and other regions, separatist sentiment is very likely to continue growing. The precise agenda of eventual talks between Anglophone leaders and the government cannot be determined in advance. But even preliminary discussions need to take account of the Anglophones’ deep feelings of alienation. The government cannot continue to dismiss this sentiment and should be open to discussions of federalism, even if that is not the only option for addressing Anglophone concerns (decentralisation that devolves real authority to regions likely would go a long way in that direction). The issue of separatism is trickier. A growing number of militants, tired of what they see as Yaoundé’s bad faith, are attracted to this option (which they tend to term “restoration of statehood”). But it remains a red line for Yaoundé, and supporting secession remains a treasonable offense. At the same time, separatist movements have established themselves on the ground and cannot simply be ignored. Whether the government’s engagement in genuine dialogue with Anglophone leaders and either meaningful decentralisation or federalism would suck the oxygen from those movements remains uncertain. But without talks and the devolution of power in some form to Anglophone and other regions, separatist sentiment is very likely to continue growing and the conflict to escalate further with a risk of mutating into civil war. V. Conclusion Cameroon faces critical risks going into this electoral year. Boko Haram remains active in the Far North, instability prevails along the eastern border with the Central African Republic and popular discontent continues to roil large cities. But the insurgency in Anglophone areas, and the clumsy government response, is now the main threat to the country’s stability. A negotiated solution is vital. The Catholic Church, if it can resolve or keep under wraps its internal divisions and project neutrality, would be well placed to help bring it about. International actors should support Church initiatives and encourage greater unity among the clergy. But the onus is also on the Church itself to display greater coherence. Nairobi/Brussels, 26 April 2018 Appendix A: Map of Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis International Crisis Group Appendix B: Timeline 1 January 1960 The Francophone territory of Cameroon gains independence from France, becoming the Republic of Cameroon. Anglophone areas gain independence from Britain in October 1961 and merge with the new state as the Federal Republic of Cameroon. 20 May 1972 After a referendum changing the country’s official name to the United Republic of Cameroon, then President Ahidjo intensifies centralisation, suppresses federalism and causes outrage among Anglophones. March 1984 President Paul Biya changes the country’s official name back to the Francophone-era Republic of Cameroon and removes from the flag the second star representing the Anglophone part of the federation. 11 October 2016 Tensions break open as Anglophone lawyers from Northwest and Southwest regions lead strikes to demand the full restoration of the common law system in their regions. The demands are ignored by the government, which uses force against the marching lawyers. 21 November 2016 Teachers go on strike in Bamenda, and thousands of Anglophones march to demand respect for their educational system. Police and army respond violently, shooting and killing at least two. 8 December 2016 Violent clashes erupt in Bamenda between anti-government inhabitants and security forces. Catholic bishops publish a memorandum listing Anglophone grievances. The government accuses them of fuelling the crisis. 13-14 January 2017 Negotiations with the teachers’ unions and civil society organisations collapse amid police abuses, including the shooting and killing of two civilians in Bamenda. Anglophone leaders initiate “Operation Ghost Town” and boycott schools in Northwest and Southwest regions. 17 January 2017 Civil society leaders are arrested, but school closures continue and protests intensify. The government shuts down access to the Internet for 92 days. 23 January 2017 President Biya creates a National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism as part of a response to address grievances. Anglophone militants criticise the initiative as too little, too late. 2 August 2017 Crisis Group publishes a report on the root causes of the crisis, warns about the risk of violence and calls on the Cameroonian government to initiate a dialogue on decentralisation, federalism and governance reforms. 12-17 September 2017 Three homemade bombs explode in Bamenda, with no human casualties. Over the following three weeks, security forces kill at least 40 people during the brutal suppression of large protests across major towns and villages in Northwest and Southwest provinces. 19 October 2017 Crisis Group publishes a briefing warning of an imminent insurgency in Anglophone regions and calls on President Biya to adopt de-escalating measures and initiate a dialogue on decentralisation and federalism. 1 December 2017 After Anglophone separatists begin carrying out armed attacks in November, killing at least eight members of the security forces, and after four bombs explode in Bamenda, President Biya declares war against the Anglophone separatists. 21 December 2017 Crisis Group publishes a statement warning that separatist militias are rapidly growing and calling on President Biya to urgently initiate a genuine effort at dialogue on reforms. 11 February 2018 Alongside continued killings of security forces members, separatist militias start kidnapping Cameroonian officials and foreign nationals. 26 April 2018 Crisis Group publishes a briefing emphasising the importance of the Catholic Church’s role in mediating between Anglophone separatists and the state to stem a dangerous and growing crisis.
2279	dbpedia	3	12	https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/wss/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_23_ii_speciale-africa-2009/02_inglese/b04_02.html	en	Synodus Episcoporum Bulletin			[ "https://www.vatican.va/img/pkeys.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/vuoto.gif", "https://www.vatican.va/img/psearch_fill.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/back.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/riga_int.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/wss/news_services/press/img/sala-stampa/sala_stampa3_en.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/top.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null	04 - 05.10.2009 SUMMARY - SOLEMN OPENING OF THE II SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR AFRICA OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS - FIRST GENERAL CONGREGATION (MONDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2009, MORNING) - NOTICES SOLEMN OPENING OF THE II SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR AFRICA OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS Yesterday, October 4th 2009, the day we remember St. Francis of Assisi, at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration with the Synod Fathers on the occasion of the opening of the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, in the Basilica of Saint Peter, cadenced by African songs, where several African languages were used to pray, the Holy Father Benedict XVI went to the window of his office in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and the pilgrims in Saint PeterÂs Square. In introducing the Marian prayer, the Pope said: ÂMy venerable predecessor John Paul II called for the first ÂAfrican SynodÂ in 1994, in view of the year 2000 and the Christian third millennium. He, with his missionary zeal, made many pilgrimages to the African continent, he drew the content that emerged from that meeting in the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, launching evangelization in the continent once again. After fifteen years, this new Assembly continues in the firstÂs path, to verify what has been achieved, study some of the aspects and examine the most recent challenges. The theme chosen was: ÂThe Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and PeaceÂ - accompanied by ChristÂs words to his disciples: ÂYou are the salt of the earth... You are the Light of the worldÂ (Mt 5:13-14). The Synod always constitutes an intense ecclesial experience, an experience of collegial pastoral responsibility towards a specific aspect of the ChurchÂs life, or, as in this case, of a part of the Christian People determined by geographical area. The Pope and his close collaborators meet with the designated Members of the Assembly, with the Experts and Auditores, to delve into the chosen theme. It is important to underline that this is not a study meeting, nor a programming assembly. Reports and interventions are heard in the Hall, there are discussions in the language groups, but we all know too well that we are not the protagonists: it is the Lord, it is His Holy Spirit, that guides the Church. The most important thing, for all, is to listen: listen to each other and, all together listen to what the Lord wants to tell us. For this, the Synod takes place in an atmosphere of faith and prayer, in religious obedience to the Word of God. PeterÂs Successor is entrusted with the duty to call and lead the Synod Assemblies, gather everything that has come from the works and then offer the appropriate pastoral indications. Dear friends, Africa is a Continent that has extraordinary human riches. Today, its population is approximately one billion inhabitants and the birth rate on the whole is the highest in the world. Africa is a land fertile in human life, but unfortunately this life is marked by much poverty and suffers from severe injustices. The Church is committed to overcoming this, with the force of the Gospel and the concrete solidarity of many institutions and charitable initiatives. We pray the Virgin Mary that she may bless the II Synod Assembly for Africa and achieve peace and development for this great and beloved ContinentÂ.Then after the Marian prayer, the Pope added in various languages: (in Italian) At the end of the Angelus this special Sunday, when I opened the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, I cannot forget the conflicts that are presently threatening the peace and security of the peoples of the African continent. In these days I have followed with apprehension the serious episodes of violence that have shaken the population of Guinea. I offer my condolences to the families of the victims, I invite the parties to dialogue and reconciliation, and I am certain that they will spare no effort in reaching a fair and just solution. Next Saturday afternoon, October 10th, along with the Synodal Fathers, I will lead a special rosary in the Paul VI Hall Âwith Africa and for AfricaÂ, with the participation of RomeÂs university students. African university students in a number of countries will unite with them in prayer via satellite. Dear university students, I await you in great numbers to entrust to Mary Sedes Sapientiae the journey of the Church and society in the African continent. (In French) Today I open the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. I ask you to support the reflections and works of the Synod Fathers through your prayer. I also invite you to pray for the beloved African continent, which I visited last March. May God bless it and bring it peace, reconciliation and justice, and may He give the Church in Africa the strength and courage to be Âsalt of the earthÂ and Âlight of the worldÂ, to witness true life in Jesus Christ, I entrust this Synod to the motherly intercession of the Virgin Mary, protector of Africa! May God bless you! (In English) I invite all of you to join me in praying for the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, which opened this morning in St PeterÂs Basilica. May this great ecclesial event strengthen the Church in Africa in her witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in her efforts to promote reconciliation, justice and peace among its peoples. May the Synod also help turn the eyes of the world to that great continent and inspire renewed solidarity with our African brothers and sisters. As we entrust these prayers to the intercession of Our Lady, I invoke upon you and your families GodÂs blessings of joy and peace. (In German) With the Holy Mass in St PeterÂs this morning we open the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The theme states: ÂThe Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world.Â To truly be the salt of the earth and light of the world, we need GodÂs mercy. We pray therefore to the Lord that he may render our brothers in faith in Africa, and ourselves, ambassadors of reconciliation, peace and justice. I wish you all a holy Sunday. At the center of the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops will be the themes of reconciliation, justice and peace that were dealt with - 15 years ago - in the first Special Assembly dedicated to Africa which is still lacerated by genocide,, civil wars, AIDS, famine and numerous other sores. ÂWhen we speak of the treasures of Africa - underlined Pope Benedict XVI in his homily yesterday - our thoughts immediately turn to the resources its land is rich in and that, unfortunately, have become and often continue to be a reason for exploitation, conflict and corruption.Â ÂInstead - he emphasized - the Word of God makes us look at another inheritance: the spiritual and cultural one of which humanity has even greater need than it does of raw materials.Â The Pope underlined that ÂAfrica represents an enormous spiritual ÂlungÂ for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope. But this ÂlungÂ can take ill as well. And, at the moment, at least two dangerous pathologies are attacking it: first of all, an illness that is already widespread in the West, that is, practical materialism, combined with relativist and nihilist thinking. Without entering into the merit of the origins of such sicknesses of the spirit, there is absolutely no doubt that the so-called ÂFirstÂ World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, in particular those of Africa. In this sense, colonialism which is over at a political level, has never really entirely come to an end. But from this same point of view we also have to point out a second ÂvirusÂ that could hit Africa, that is, religious fundamentalism, mixed together with political and economic interests. Groups who follow various religious creeds are spreading throughout the continent of Africa: they do so in GodÂs name, but following a logic that is opposed to divine logic, that is, teaching and practicing not love and respect for freedom, but intolerance and violence.Â The Church in Africa can make a Âgreat contribution to all of societyÂ, the Pope underlined. ÂReconciliation, a gift of God that men must implore and embrace, is the stable foundation upon which one builds peace, the necessary condition for the true progress of men and society, according to the project of justice wanted by God. In recent years the Catholic Church in Africa has known great dynamism,Â recalled Benedict XVI, turning to the lay faithful as well, Âcalled to spread the perfume of the holiness in the family, in workplaces, in schools and in every other social and political field.Â To protect children with a maternal hand, Âeven before they are bornÂ was one of the exhortations Benedict XVI made yesterday to Africa: Â The reality of childhood that constitutes a large and, unfortunately, suffering part of the African population.Â Children for whom the Church Â in Africa, and in every other part of the planet, demonstrates her maternal concernÂ Âeven before they are bornÂ. Taking up Âbriefly a suggestion that precedes any moral reflection or instruction, and that is still connected to the primacy of the sense of the sacred and of God,Â the Pope wanted to underline: ÂMatrimony, as it is presented to us in the Bible, does not exist outside of the relationship with God. Married life between a man and a woman, and therefore of the family that springs from that, is inscribed into the communion with God and, in the light of the New Testament, becomes the symbol of Trinitarian love and the sacrament of the union of Christ with the Church. To the extent to which it looks after and develops its faith, Africa could discover immense resources to give in favor of the family that is built on matrimony.Â [00015-02.08] [RE000] [Original text: Italian] FIRST GENERAL CONGREGATION (MONDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2009, MORNING) This morning, Monday 5 October 2009, at 09:00 a.m., in the presence of the Holy Father, in the Synod Hall in Vatican City, with the chant of the Hour of Terce, the work of the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops began, with the hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus. The Holy Father Benedict XVI gave the following reflection. Speaking of the action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope explained that it is only with that force that the Church can continue its work, and with his invocation, he prays that Pentecost be not only an event from the past but that it be recreated here and now. The Church, he explained, is not an organization, but the fruit of the Spirit towards the City of God that gathers together all cultures. And it is the tongue of fire itself that provides the right word, to achieve a real unity in plurality, collaborating in the creative act of God. There are three words to reflect on: ÂConfessioÂ, ÂCaritasÂ ÂProssumusÂ. ÂConfessio,Â said the Pope, is renewal and transformation because through GodÂs light we can see reality, know ourselves and then understand the reality of the world, and so bear witness and evangelize. Speaking of ÂCaritasÂ,the Holy Father recalled that Christianity is not just a collection of ideas, nor is it a philosophy: you become Christians out of love. Quoting the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan, the Pope reminded us that charity is universal and concrete. Universality starts from love of our neighbor, ÂProssumusÂ. The love that comes from the Holy Spirit, the Pope explained, calls on us to be actively responsible for our neighbor, which then becomes universal, to be the servants at this hour of the world. [00016-02.04] [00000] [Original text: Italian] The integral text of the PopeÂs reflection will be published as soon as possible. The Acting President for this session was His Em. Card. Francis ARINZE, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Divine Cult and Discipline of Sacraments (Vatican City). The synodal assembly, opened yesterday by Benedict XVI who presided over the solemn Concelebration of the Eucharist in Saint PeterÂs Basilica, will gather together a representation of Prelates from around the world, on the theme The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. ÂYou are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the worldÂ (Mt 5:13,14) After the Hour of Terce, the following intervened during this First General Congregation: the President-Delegate, - H. Em. Card. Francis ARINZE, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (VATICAN CITY), for the Greeting by the President-Delegate; His Exc. Most Rev. Msg. Nikola ETEROVIĆ, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops (VATICAN CITY), for the Report by the General Secretary. After the pause, H. Em. Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, Archbishop of Cape Coast (GHANA) intervened, for the Report before the Discussion by the General Reporter. After the reading of the Relatio ante disceptationem there was a brief moment of free interventions. The integral texts of the interventions given in the Hall are published below: - GREETING BY THE PRESIDENT-DELEGATE H. EM. CARD. FRANCIS ARINZE, PREFECT EMERITUS OF THE CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS (VATICAN CITY) - REPORT BY THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, HIS EXC. MOST REV. MONS. NIKOLA ETEROVIĆ (VATICAN CITY) - REPORT BEFORE THE DISCUSSION BY THE GENERAL REPORTER, H. EM. CARD. PETER KODWO APPIAH TURKSON, ARCHBISHOP OF CAPE COAST (GHANA) The First General Congregation of the II Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops concluded at 12.25 with the Prayer of the Angelus Domini led by the Holy Father. There were 226 Synodal Fathers present. The Second General Congregation will take place this afternoon 5 October 2008 at 4.30 p.m. for the Reports on the five Continents. GREETING BY THE PRESIDENT-DELEGATE, H. EM. CARD. FRANCIS ARINZE, PREFECT EMERITUS OF THE CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS (VATICAN CITY)Most Holy Father, The Bishops of Africa and Madagascar, and of the adjacent islands thank you for convoking this Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The Church in Africa wants to be ever more faithful to that aspect of her mission which is to be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. Our continent has known avoidable suffering, injustice, oppression, repression, exploitation, tension, and war which drives people away from their homes and precipitates hunger and disease. But Africa has also known brotherly love, solidarity with the suffering, truth and reconciliation committees, regional help between countries and some steps towards integral development as Your Holiness spelt out in Caritas in Ventate. Our beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,is our peace (cf Eph 2:14). He taught us that what we do to the least of his brothers and sisters, we do to him (cf Mt 25:40). He forgave those who were crucifying him and prayed for them (cf Lk 23:34). He sent his Church to be the light of the word and to function like salt and leaven in society (cf Mt 5:13, 14; Mk 9:50; Lk 13:21). He has sent us his Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Father, for having convoked representatives of the Bishops of Africa to reflect during these three weeks, together with the Heads of your Dicasteries in the Roman Curia and representatives of the Episcopate from the entire Catholic world, with the help of a highly qualified body of theological and other experts, and representatives of priests, consecrated people and lay faithful. Bless us, Most Holy Father, as we get down to work. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may the work of this Synod help towards the promotion of reconciliation, justice and peace in Africa and Madagascar and also clarify better and intensify the role of the Church. [00009-02.04] [RE000] [Original text: English] REPORT BY THE GENERAL SECRETARY BY THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, HIS EXC. MOST REV. MONS. NIKOLA ETEROVIĆ (VATICAN CITY)Holy Father, Your Eminences and Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters, ÂIn the power of the Holy Spirit, I appeal to everyone: ÂBe reconciled to God!Â (2 Cor 5:20). No ethnic or cultural difference, no difference of race, sex or religion must become a cause for dispute among you. You are all children of the one God, our Father, who is in heaven. With this conviction, it will then be possible to build a more just and peaceful Africa, an Africa worthy of the legitimate expectations of all its childrenÂ[1]. With these words, Your Holiness displayed your apostolic concern and exercised your solicitude for the entire Church. In a particular way, inspired by the Holy Spirit who guides believers in their reading of Sacred Scripture, you used these words to express your love for the Church on pilgrimage in 53 countries in Africa and also for the entire African continent, a continent of great dynamism yet faced with many challenges. You pronounced these words in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, during your first Apostolic Visit to Africa from 17 to 23 March 2009. On this occasion you initiated, in ideal fashion, the work of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration in Amadou Ahidjo Stadium, on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you presented the Instrumentum laboris to the presidents of the 36 episcopal conferences in Africa, the heads of the two synods of bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Egypt. This document is the basis for the work of our synodal assembly. At that moment, the stadium of Yaounde became the very heart of the continent, because closely joined to you as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Church were the bishops of the particular Churches, who represented Âin some way the Church present among the peoples of AfricaÂ [2]. At the same time, Your Holiness invited all the faithful to support their Pastors in prayer in the preparation and unfolding of the great ecclesial event of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. Your Holiness then entrusted the celebration of the synodal assembly to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Africa, invoking her intercession so that Âthe Queen of Peace might sustain the efforts of all who work for reconciliation, justice and peace!Â [3]. Holy Father, during the meeting with the Special Council for Africa in the Apostolic Nunciature of Yaounde, you were the first to recite the Marian prayer which you yourself composed to sustain the preparation of the synodal assembly and to implore the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit in obtaining a renewed dynamism for the Church in Africa, which always seeks better to serve all people of good will on the continent. At the beginning of our synodal work, we too recite this prayer so that the discussion during the synodal assembly might contribute to increasing hope in the peoples of Africa and the entire continent, and that it might contribute to imbue each local Church in Africa Âwith new evangelical and missionary zeal in service to reconciliation, justice and peace, according to the programme given us by the Lord himself: ÂYou are the salt of the earth Â you are the light of the worldÂ (Mt 5:13-14). May the joy of the Church in Africa at the celebration of this Synod be shared by the universal Church!Â [4]. Your Holiness, your wish is now being realized as seen in the representatives of the episcopates from the various continents who have willingly accepted your call to participate in this synodal assembly to show their nearness to the Catholic Church in Africa, a part of the Universal Church full of promise. Greetings, then, to the representatives of the episcopal conferences of the other four continents and to the bishops from 17 countries. Together with their brother-bishops from Africa, they are prepared to pray, dialogue and reflect on the present and future of the Catholic Church on the African continent. In this way, they become a part of the synod process of giving and receiving, of participating in AfricaÂs joys, sufferings, hopes and concerns and of sharing spiritual gifts for the edification of not only the particular Churches in Africa but the entire Holy Church of God spread throughout the whole world. I extend heartfelt greetings to all 244 members of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, of whom 78 participate by reason of their office, 129 as elected members and 36 as papal appointments. Among these are 33 cardinals, 79 archbishops and 156 bishops. As for the office they hold, 37 are presidents of episcopal conference, 189 Ordinaries, 4 coadjutors, 2 auxiliaries and 8 (arch)bishops-emeritus. I cordially welcome the fraternal delegates who represent 6 Churches and ecclesial communities, and express my gratitude for their having accepted the invitation to participate in this ecclesial event. I also greet 29 experts and 49 auditors who are prepared to contribute their important testimony to the synodal proceedings by enriching the discussion. I also wish to acknowledge the valuable collaboration of the assistants, translators and technical personnel, as well as the staff of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Without their skilled and generous contribution, this synodal assembly would not be possible. The present report is composed of six parts: I. The Significance of the Apostolic Visit to Africa II. Some Statistical Data III. The Convocation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa IV. The Preparation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa V. Methodological Observations VI. Conclusion I. The Significance of the Apostolic Visit to Africa In a special manner, I wish to greet the 197 synod fathers from the countries of Africa. In their name, I thank Your Holiness for your Apostolic Visit to Africa which was organized in light of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. With this Special Assembly in mind, Your Holiness chose the same theme for your first pastoral visit to the African continent: ÂYou are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the worldÂ (Mt 5: 13, 14). Thank you, Holy Father, for the edifying teachings given during your apostolic visitation to Africa. Even though the visit was limited to two countries, Cameroon and Angola, all of Africa took an interest. Furthermore, your visit led to the strengthening of the bonds uniting, in faith, hope and charity, the Bishop of Rome and your brother-bishops in the episcopate, who are the heads of the particular Churches of Africa. At the same time, your visit strengthened the bond between them and the faithful entrusted to their pastoral care. This is particularly true among men and women of good will on the African continent. In fact, the Gospel, the Good News, is addressed to every inhabitant of Africa and the entire world. Making reference to the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, canonized on 1 October 2000 by the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, Your Holiness proposed her splendid example in your wish that every man and women on the continent might be transformed by an encounter with the living God. Today also, Âthe saving message of the Gospel needs to be proclaimed loud and clear, so that the light of Christ can shine into the darkness of peopleÂs livesÂ [5]. The light of the Gospel scatters the darkness of sin, even in Africa, where men and women, longing to hear a word of pardon and hope, are willing to be transformed by Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ÂIn the face of suffering or violence, poverty or hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silentÂ [6]. These evils affect everyone in Africa, who Âcry out for reconciliation, justice and peace which the Church offers them, not new forms of economic or political oppression, but the glorious freedom of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:21)Â [7]. Every member of the Church is therefore called to become an apostle of the Gospel, to bring the Good News to every African. ÂAlmost ten years into the new millennium, this moment of grace is a summons to all the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of the continent to rededicate themselves to the mission of the Church to bring hope to the hearts of the people of Africa, and indeed to people throughout the worldÂ [8]. Holy Father, in light of the importance of your Message to the entire African continent and our synodal discussion on the Instrumentum laboris, the discourses from your Apostolic Visit are being made available in the following languages: French, English, Italian, Portugese and Spanish. Undoubtedly, these documents will be of great assistance to the synod fathers and will allow them to develop basic subjects related to the topic of the Second Special Assembly for Africa. II. Some Statistical Data Together we thank the Good and Merciful God for the many gifts bestowed on the Church in Africa which are placed at the service of all, especially the poorest of the poor and the most in need. In particular, we give thanks for its great dynamism witnessed in the following statistics. In a world population of 6,617,097,000 inhabitants, the number of Catholics is 1,146,656,000, that is, 17.3%. However, the percentage in Africa is higher. In fact, out of 943,743,000 inhabitants, the number of Catholics is 164,925,00, namely 17.5%. This figure is very significant if one considers, for example, that, in 1978, at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope John Paul \pard softlineII, the number of African Catholics was about 55,000,000. In 1994, the year in which the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was held, the number was 102,878,000 faithful, that is, 14.6% of the population in Africa. In that same period, we also have a significant increase in the number of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. In fact, thanks be to God, a consistent increase is witnessed in all sectors, particularly among ChristÂs faithful: bishops, priests, deacons, men and women in the consecrated life and committed lay people, among whom catechists occupy an important place. This is proven in a comparison of statistical data from 1994 with that of 2007.
2279	dbpedia	0	10	https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Life_of_His_Grace_Archbishop_Paul_Verd.html%3Fid%3D0O6fAAAAMAAJ	en	Google Books			[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					https://books.google.com/	Search the world's most comprehensive index of full-text books. My library
2279	dbpedia	2	2	https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_21_xi-ordinaria-2005/02_inglese/b14_02.html	en				[ "https://www.vatican.va/img/pkeys.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/vuoto.gif", "https://www.vatican.va/img/psearch_fill.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/back.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/riga_int.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/img/sala-stampa/sala_stampa3_en.jpg", "https://www.vatican.va/img/top.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null	14 - 08.10.2005 SUMMARY ♦ COMMEMORATION OF THE XL ANNIVERSARY OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS This afternoon, Saturday, 8 October 2005, at 4:30 p.m. with the prayer Adsumus, the Special General Congregation for the Commemoration of the XL Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops began. In the opening, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, H. Exc. Most Rev. Msg. Nikola ETEROVIĆ introduced the works with the following discourse: Synod of Bishops: privileged Expression of the episcopal collegiality Most Holy father, Venerable Synodal Fathers, Dear brothers and Sisters It is a great grace of the one and Triune God to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Synod of bishops during a Synodal Assembly. This providential coincidence locates the participants at this commemorative act in medias res. In fact, it is superfluous to describe in detail the synodal activity to those who are actively taking part in it. However, the 40th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops is an opportunity to study further in depth the theological and legal nature of this institution which, created during Vatican Council II, tried to maintain the spirit and methodology of work adapted to its properties. Not entering the concrete results, a theme which exceeds these words for the occasion, for 4 decades, the synod of bishops has had the great merit to develop the synodal dimension of the corpus episcoporum, to foment episcopal collegiality among the Bishops and with the Holy father, Bishop of Rome and head of the college itself in an environment of deep ecclesial communion. In the synodal Assemblies real episcopal collegiality is experienced, although in a different way to ecumenical councils. Before listening to the words of their Eminences the Speakers, I wish to indicate some statistical data concerning the Synod of Bishops. Established on 15 September 1965, the synod of bishops has up to now had 4 Presidents, four popes: Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. His Holiness benedict XVI is presiding over the Synod of bishops for the first time. During the brief pontificate, John Paul I, practically had no time to exercise the office of President of the Synod. Hence, Paul VI and John Paul II are two Roman Pontiffs who marked the history of the synod of bishops. Out of 11 Ordinary general Assemblies, celebrated till now, 4 were held during the pontificate of the servant of God Paul VI, respectively in 1967, in 1971, in 1974 and in 1977. The same pontiff held an Extraordinary general assembly in 1969. By number of synodal assemblies celebrated, the Servant of God, John Paul II can be called the Synod Pope. He presided over 6 ordinary general Assemblies, in 1980, in 1983, in 1987, in 1990, in 1994 and in 2001; an Extraordinary general Assembly in 1985, and 8 Special Assemblies: 1980 for Holland; 1991 for Europe; 1994 for Africa; 1995 for Lebanon; 1997 for America; 1998 for Asia; 1998 for Oceania and 1999 for Europe. In its now illustrious history, the Synod of Bishops had 4 Secretary generals: from 1967 to 1979 His Exc. the Most Rev Msg. Ladislao Rubin; from 1979 to 1985 His Exc.the Most Rev. Msg. Jozef Tomko; from 1985 to 2004 His Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M.. From 11 February 2004, this office has been covered by His Exc. The Most Rev. Msg. Nikola Eterovic. The result of the synodal experiences have been, besides other things, 8 post-synodal Apostolic exhortations: Evangelii nuntiandi; catechesi tradendae; Familiaris consortio; reconciliatio et paenitentia; Christifideles laici; Pastores dabo vobis; Vita consecrata e Pastores gregis. Then, one has to mention 6 post-Synodal Apostolic Exhoirdation of the Special Assemblies:Ecclesia in Africa; A New Hope for Lebanon; Ecclesia in America; Ecclesia in Asia; Ecclesia in Oceania; Ecclesia in Europa. The aforementioned documents have had a great influence on the life of the catholic church. In all 21 synodal Assemblies 3, 972 Fathers participated, of whom 2,474 in 11 General Assemblies, 311 in 2 Extraordinary General Assemblies and 1,187 in Special ones. The more reduced number concerns the Synod for holland with 19 Synodal Fathers. The highest number refers to the current 11th Ordinary general Assembly with 256 Synodal fathers. The Synod of Bishops has had the privilege that two cardinals, who are relator generals, of the Ordinary general Assemblies, respectively of 1974 and of 1980, became Popes. They refer to His. Em. Card. Karol Wojtyla and, then, His Em. Card. Joseph Ratzinger. During the 40 years the Synod of Bishops has undergone various amendments in the working methodology. In this assembly we are experiencing the last one, done according to the wise indications of the Holy father Benedict XVI, who has great synodal experience. The Synod of bishops is at the service of the ecclesial communion through the episcopal college whose head is the Bishop of Rome. Since the Church is always alive and young, through the grace of the Holy spirit, so also the Synod of bishops remains open to the inspiration of the Spirit of the risen Lord and is present in His church, in particular in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for the glory of god the father and the salvation of the world. The tangible sign of the SynodÂs youth is also the fact that over half of the Synodal fathers of the XI Ordinary general Assembly take part for the first time in a synodal assembly. This is a sign of hope for the future of the Church which, in spite of adversities of various nature, full of trust in divine providence, continues to carry out the mission entrusted to her by the Lord Jesus:ÂGo, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy SpiritÂ (Mt 28:19). [00201-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] The following reports and communications were presented in the Hall: I. REPORTS ● The Synod of Bishops is 40 years old - Theological aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Jozef TOMKO, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses ● Four decades of institutional development - Legal aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Péter ERDŐ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest II. NOTICES ● Particular Synod for Batavia - Special Assembly for the Netherlands H. Em. Card. Adrianus SIMONIS, Archbishop of Utrecht (Member of the synodal Assembly) ● Convocation of the Special Assembly - Special Assembly for Africa H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Paul VERDZEKOV, Archbishop of Bamenda (Member of the synodal Assembly and of the post-synodal Council) ● The Synod of Bishops in its Special Assembly for Lebanon - Special Assembly for Lebanon H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Cyrille Salim BUSTROS, of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Archbishop of Newton, United States of America (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ●Fruits of the Synod of America - Special Assembly for America H. Em. Card. Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ● Some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops - Special Assembly for Asia H. Em. Card. Paul SHAN KUO-HSI, S.I., Bishop of Kaohsiung, (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) ● The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Oceania - Special Assembly for Oceania H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. John Atcherley DEW, Archbishop of Wellington (Member of the Special Assembly) read the text of Cardinal Thomas S. Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington (President Delegate of the Special Assembly) ● II Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops - I and II Special Assemblies for Europe H. Em. Card. Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid (Relator General of the II Special Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) Below are the integral texts of the reports and communications presented in the Hall in English and a presentation of the other interventions (all the integral texts were published in the multilingual edition of the bulletin, in the language in which they were presented in the Hall): I. REPORTS ● The Synod of Bishops is 40 years old - Theological aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Jozef TOMKO, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, begins his report with an introduction, giving his experiences pertaining to the Synod of Bishops and his participation in the various Synods of the past. He then continues with various points about the Synod of Bishops, which was instituted by Paul VI with the motu proprio ÂApostolica sollicitudoÂ. Later, John Paul II consolidated the autonomy and increased the authority and collegiality of the Synod. The Synod of Bishops was instituted as a Âpermanent council of Bishops for the Universal ChurchÂ, subject directly to the Pope and has its nature as a natural ecclesiastic institution, representing all the Catholic Episcopacy, and perpetual by nature. The finalities are to give information and advice; and may deliberate on certain matters, with the Roman Pontiff ratifying the SynodÂs decisions. The theological foundation of the Synod of Bishops can be found in the unity of the Church expressed by the life of communion of the local churches and the collegiality between all the Bishops (communio et collegialitas).The Synod of Bishops represents the Catholic Episcopacy in the whole world in a moral and manifest way, its decisions are consultive and may become deliberative only by mandate of the Supreme Pontiff. As for the consulting aspect of the Synod of Bishops, John Paul II goes beyond the formal and juridical aspects of the Synod vote and places it in the context of the Church as an organism of communion of faith. In conclusion, Cardinal Tomko compares the Synod of Bishops to a heart, a marvelous ecclesial osmosis that has been going on for the past forty years. [Presentation - 00164-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● Four decades of institutional development - Legal aspects of the Synod of Bishops H. Em. Card. Péter ERDŐ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, His Em. Cardinal Peter ERDÖ, during the XI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, commented on the theme: Four Decades of Institutional Development - Juridical Aspects on the Synod of BishopsÂ. In the above report, he referred to the particular juridical nature and physiognomy of the Synod of Bishops, following the current Canon Law. Cardinal ERDÖ underlined the functions and the manifestations that were achieved by the Synod during the past decades, placing a special emphasis on some fundamental points of its development and on the main points of its ministry. He also indicated the role that the Synod has in the promotion of Episcopal collegiality and communion between the Bishops, as well as in the study and the solution on problems concerning the mission of the Church in todayÂs world. The Archbishop also underlined the importance of the Synod as a consulting organism for the Pope; also analyzing the merit of the Synod as an Assembly in favor of relationships between the Pope and the Bishops and of them altogether, facilitating the analysis of the questions relative to the different episcopal conferences in the context of the Universal Church. In the same report, the functions of the Synod were defined, explaining the differences between general, extraordinary and special, and the relationship between the Pope and the Synod was made clearer, underlining the merit of the Synod, inasmuch as it deals with themes concerning faith and traditions, observing and the consolidation of the discipline of the Church, the reality of the Sacraments and the mission of the Church in general, and the particular sensitivity in dealing with themes of daily life. The usefulness of the Synod was illustrated by Cardinal Peter ERDÖ, due to the opportunity to present moral principles applied to the social order and the ability to judge human actions, when this is demanded by the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls. [Presentation - 00135-02.02] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] II. NOTICES ● Particular Synod for Batavia - Special Assembly for the Netherlands H. Em. Card. Adrianus SIMONIS, Archbishop of Utrecht (Member of the synodal Assembly) The intervention by His Em. Cardinal Adrianus Simonis, Archbishop of Utrecht, starts with the events that, from the ÂCouncil of NoordwijkerhoutÂ,lead to the convocation, in the Vatican, from January 14th to the 31st 1980, of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of ÂThe Pastoral Situation in the NetherlandsÂ. The author notes that this convocation was originated from an intuition by Cardinal Willebrands and Pope John Paul II, who knew how to foresee the problems posed to the Church in the Netherlands in the areas of faith, doctrine, morals and discipline. And that this could have negatively influenced the Church in its entirety. He gives a brief retrospect on the participation and the results of the Synod in question. The text concludes with a rapid presentation of welcome of the decisions taken on the occasion of the Synod - which, in the majority of occasions, were not accepted - as well as the Post Synodal work, which reality has reaffirmed. In fact, todayÂs generations are marked, in a greater way, by the polarization that characterized the years of the convocation of the ÂCouncil of NoordwijkerhoutÂ and only wish to be Catholics in communion with the universal Church. [Presentation - 00124-02.02] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● Convocation of the Special Assembly - Special Assembly for Africa H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Paul VERDZEKOV, Archbishop of Bamenda (Member of the synodal Assembly and of the post-synodal Council) Almost twenty-four years after the decision of Pope Paul VI to establish the Synod of Bishops, his Successor, Pope John Paul II, announced on 6 January 1989, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, that he decided to convoke a Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. It was his desire right from the very onset, Âto ensure that this Synod would be authentically and unequivocally African. At the same time, it was of fundamental importance that the Special Assembly should be celebrated in full communion with the universal Church.Â To this Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, Pope John Paul II assigned the following theme: ÂThe Church in Africa and her Evangelising Mission Towards the Year 2000: ÂYou shall be my witnessesÂ (Acts 1:8).Â In the eyes of Pope John Paul II, it seemed appropriate to convoke this Special Assembly for the purpose of promoting Âan organic pastoral solidarity throughout Africa and the adjacent Islands.Â He added, furthermore, that in preparation for the Special Assembly, all concerned Âshould cover all the important aspects of the life of the Church in Africa, and in particular should include evangelization, inculturation, dialogue, pastoral care in social areas and the means of social communications.Â Preparation for the Special Assembly, and the celebration of the Special Assembly itself, achieved a great deal to raise awareness and consciousness about the unity of the Catholic Church in every part of the African continent. In particular, African Catholics became more conscious of the unity of Catholics of North Africa and of Egypt with the Catholics of all the countries of the Sub-Saharan Africa. AFRICA HAS CHANGED SINCE THE SPECIAL ASSEMBLY In an Address presented to the Twelfth Plenary Assembly of SECAM held at Mondo Migliore, near Rome, in October 200, five years after the promulgation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, the then-General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said, inter alia: ÂOf the fifty-three African countries, seventeen, or one-third, have been the object of armed conflicts of varying length and varying intensity, but which have once again sown death and desolation on this continent. Cardinal Schotte went on to cite Pope John Paul II who manifestly spoke of this political situation, saying: ÂToday, in the greatest silence, intimidation and killing still continue....I wish to address the political leaders of these countries: if violent attainment of power becomes the norm, if democratic representation is systematically put aside, if corruption and the arms trade continue to rage, then Africa will never experience peace or development. WHAT HAS THE CHURCH IN AFRICA DONE WITH THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ECCLESIA IN AFRICA? In an effort to implement the guidelines and Orientations given by Pope John Paul II in Ecclesia in Africa, the Church in Africa has striven, over the last ten years, to carry out what the Special Assembly prescribed with regard to Evangelisation, namely: Proclamation, Inculturation, Dialogue, Justice and Peace and the Media of Social Communication. Mindful of the fact that only 14% of the total population of Africa was made up of Catholics ten years ago, the Church in Africa has striven, over the last ten years, to intensify its Proclamation of the Gospel to Non-Christians, increasingly and unceasingly updating her channels for that Proclamation. Mindful of ChristÂs mandate: ÂGo, therefore, make disciples of all nationsÂ (Mt 28:19), the Church in Africa has recognised, over the last ten years, that the Proclamation of the Gospel is meant for all the people of Africa, without exception. With regard to Inculturation, namely, the process b y which Catechesis takes flesh in the various African cultures, the Church in Africa has certainly endeavoured to carry out the clear Orientations of the Special Assembly in this regard,. Two fundamental criteria of genuine Inculturation have ever been kept in mind by African bishops, namely, compatibility with the Gospel and communion with the Universal Church. With regard to the Liturgy in particular, it must be recognised that errors have indeed occurred, here and there, out of ignorance of what Ecclesia in Africa actually said about Inculturation. While such few and scattered errors certainly need to be firmly corrected, the overall picture, with regard to Inculturation, especially in the Liturgy, demonstrates that over the last ten years, the Church in Africa has endeavoured to be uncompromisingly faithful to the following words of Pope John Paul II addressed to the Bishops of Kenya in May 1980: ÂBy respecting, preserving and fostering the particular riches and values of your peopleÂs cultural heritage, you will be in a position to lead them to a better understanding of the mystery of Christ, which is also to be lived in the noble, concrete and daily experience of African life. There is no question of adulterating the Word of God, or emptying the Cross of its power (cf. 1 Cor 1:17), but rather of bringing Christ into the very centre of African life and of lifting up all African life to Christ. Thus, not only is Christianity relevant to Africa, but Christ, in the Members of his Body, is African.Â With regard to Dialogue, the Church in Africa has certainly endeavoured, ever since the publication of Ecclesia in Africa ten years ago, to foster and encourage better relationships and cooperation with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities. Wherever possible, the Church in Africa has concretely manifested her willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation with Islamic Communities. With regard to dialogue with African Traditional Religion, the Particular Churches of Africa have certainly striven over the last ten years, in different ways, to follow the Orientations of Ecclesia in Africa. In this Dialogue with Adherents of African Traditional Religion, the African Bishops, while openly rejoicing on account of the innumerable Âseeds of the WordÂ which they contain, and on account of the fact that they can constitute a preparation for the Gospel, have, nevertheless, been mindful at all times of the following words of Pope Paul VI: ÂWe wish to point out, above all today, that neither respect for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised, is an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Christ. On the contrary the Church holds that these multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ....Â In the realm of Justice and Peace, the Church in Africa has certainly striven to be Âthe voice of the voicelessÂ as demanded by the Special Assembly. Active Justice and Peace Commissions have been set up in most Parishes, in most Particular Churches, and at the level of several Episcopal Conferences. Finally, with regard to the Means of Social Communication, ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ certainly gave our Particular Churches much needed impulsion towards active evangelising action in the world of the Media which are more recognised as a cultural world of its own and in need of being evangelised. THE CHURCH IN AFRICA HAS CHANGED SINCE THE PROMULGATION OF ECCLESIA IN AFRICA The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ, came twenty-six years later, in harmonious continuity with the famous phrase pronounced by Pope Paul VI in Rubaga Cathedral, Uganda, on 31 July 1969: ÂBy now, you Africans are missionaries to yourselves. The Church of Christ is well and truly planted on this blessed soil.Â The Pontiff was addressing the closing session of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). In an Address given by the current Chairman of SECAM at Notre Dame University, Indianapolis, on 3 March 2005, we are informed that Âthe African Church itself has taken a new face since 1994...In the ten years between 1994 and 2004...about 65% of the African episcopate has been replaced since our last Synod ten years ago.Â In his Address to the Plenary Assembly of SECAM in October, 2300, Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte made the following pertinent observation: ÂWhile on the one hand, the rapidity of Episcopal renewal is a cause of joy because of the new sap that is flowing in the veins of the episcopal body and the fountain fo youth which it is procuring for it, on the other hand, it implies a certain apprehension, for most of the new Pastors have not fully participated in the Synod. Now the implementation of the resolutions of ÂEcclesia in AfricaÂ require first of all, a change in mentality in order to go beyond ethnic ideologyÂeach Pastor taking pains to act in such a way that each of his faithful feels truly a member in a total capacity of the ChurchÂFamily of GodÂto combat the corruption in society and to encourage civil peace.Â At the General Audience on Wednesday, 22 June 2005, the Successor of St. Peter, Benedict XVI, received the Members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. To all, Pope Benedict XVI said, inter alia: ÂIn a special way, I greet the Members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops who are meeting during these days at the General Secretariat of the Synod. Confirming what my venerable and dear Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had decided on 13 November last year, I wish to announce my intention to convoke the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa. I have the hope that such an Assembly will give a new impetus to evangelisation on the African Continent, to a consolidation and growth of the Church and to the promotion of reconciliation and peace.Â The decision of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, to convoke, in the future, the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, in harmonious continuity with the First Special Assembly, happily meets the hopes, desires and prayers of the Catholics of the African Continent. [Integral text - 00123-01.06] [NNNNN] [Testo originale: inglese] ● The Synod of Bishops in its Special Assembly for Lebanon - Special Assembly for Lebanon H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. Cyrille Salim BUSTROS, of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Archbishop of Newton, United States of America (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) The text by the Synodal Father H. Exc. Most Rev. Msg. Cyril Salim Bustros on ÂThe Synod of Bishops in the Special Assembly for LebanonÂ presents a reflection on the outcome of the Assembly gathered around Pope John Paul II in November of 1995, written in the form of a report. Starting with the causes for the conflict between Christians and Muslims that occurred in Beirut in 1975, he shows the reasons for the convocation of the Synodal meeting and the reactions of the Apostolic Exhortation ÂNew Hope for LebanonÂ, promulgated by Pope John Paul II on May 10th 1997. The Apostolic Exhortation by the Holy Father was welcomed by all of Lebanese society, civil and religious. The presence at the Synod of the Orthodox, Protestant and Muslim (Shiite, Sunnite and Druze) Delegations thus witnessed the unity and the spirit of collaboration that Lebanese society must pursue in the spirit of dialogue and conviviality between the religions. Lebanon, John Paul II stated, is more than a nation, it is a message, for the Orient and for the West, of conviviality and of collaboration between the various religions. The report presents, finally, the results of the social changes that emerged from the Synodal reflections and from the encounter between Muslims and Christians. [Presentation - 00162-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: French] ●Fruits of the Synod of America - Special Assembly for America H. Em. Card. Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) In the text by the Synodal Father His Em. Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez titledÂFruits of the Synod for AmericaÂ, the main aspects of the various phases of the Synod on the theme: ÂEncounter with the Living Jesus Christ, the Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in AmericaÂ, were mentioned, as well as the reflections emerging from it. The Synod, convoked by Pope John Paul II in 1994, in preparation for the Great Jubilee, was celebrated in the Vatican from November 16th to December 12th of 1997. About the preparatory phases of the Synod work, the elements of unity between the two Churches present emerged, the most recent on the United States of America and Canada and the one on South America. The first of these common elements is faith in Christ. During the course of the work of this Synod and afterwards, we can see the rise of mutual respect, of a spirit of collaboration between the parts, the knowledge of the common problems and an exchange of spiritual and material gifts, fruits of the spirit so hoped for by the Synod. Some examples of post-Synodal work were also mentioned, which revealed the will to put into practice the spirit of unity and communion expressed in the Synod. This also deals with the welcoming and the application of the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, ÂEcclesia in AmericaÂ, signed by Pope John Paul II in 1999. After its publication, all over the Continent, Plenary Assemblies followed, to study pastoral proposals and common projects animated by a spirit of solidarity. Finally, there is a list of some experiences deemed of particular significance, such as the one promoted by the Bishops of the Dioceses at the border between Mexico and the United States, which organized reunions on the migrants. [Presentation - 00137-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Spanish] ● Some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops - Special Assembly for Asia H. Em. Card. Paul SHAN KUO-HSI, S.I., Bishop of Kaohsiung, (Relator General of the synodal Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) FOREWORD I was asked to present a report on the positive results of the The Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops. To present a brief but also comprehensive report on all the positive results seems difficult, not only because the time given to me is too short, but also because there is a great variety of particular Churches with different Apostolic traditions, liturgies, spiritualities, theological schools, missionary activities, etc., not to mention their socio-economical, geo-political, cultural and racial differences. I choose, therefore, to highlight only some positive results on the following three thological areas, namely Christological, Pneumatological and Ecclesiological for which the Synod Fathers have had special concerns. 1. ON CHRISTOLOGICAL AREA: 'THE UNIQUENESS AND UNIVERSALITY OF SALVATION IN JESUS' ("Ecclesia in Asia" n.14) This fundamental article of the Christian faith has been challenged in the last decades even by some Christian theologians. They proposed their arguments from two sources. One source is the statistical fact that there are so many great religions, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity in Asia, except in the Philippines is still a tiny minority after two thousand years of Jesus' birth. Another source is from the Vatican Council II's document"Lumen Gentium" (n.16) on the salvation of the non-Christians. Their conclusion from both arguments is that Jesus Christ is not the unique but one of many saviours. Here is not the proper place to discuss and refute the above mentioned arguments against the uniqueness and universality of salvation in Jesus, but only to present a brief report on the positive result of the Special Assembly in this special Christological area. To my own knowledge, all the particular Churches in Asia under the leadership of their Bishops now are grasping the above mentioned article of doctrine of faith more firmly than before the Special Assembly. And the few people, who provoked the arguments against the article of faith, are keeping quiet either in teaching or in writing. 2. ON PNEUMATOLOGICAL AREA: 'THE SPIRIT IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHRIST' ("ECCLESIA IN ASIA' N.l6) The tendency of the above mentioned few people to separate the activity of the Holy Spirit from that of Christ would jeopardize the truth of Jesus as the unique Saviour of all. Most of them who proposed that the Holy Spirit as an alternative to Christ works separately through the other religions for the salvation of people, would like to promote more easily the interreligious dialogue. It is not the proper purpose of this paper to discuss and refute the above mentioned tendency, but only to present the positive result of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops in the Pneumatological area. After the publication of "Ecclesia in Asia", at least I have not read any new books or articles contrary to the consensus of the Synod Fathers and teaching of "Ecclesia in Asia" in regard to the pneumatological theology. 3. ON ECCLESIASTICAL AREA: 'THE UNION AND UNITY OF TIlE CATHOLIC CHURCH' ("ECCLESIA IN ASIA" DO. 24-28) Communion and unity are the characteristics of the Catholic Church. But some political powers in Asia assume the very internal affairs of communion and unity of the Catholic Church as their own national affairs. Their main purpose of doing this is to create an "Independent Church" modeled on that of the Anglican Church. The great concern of the Synod Fathers for the above mentioned danger is reflected very clearly in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Asia" (nn. 24-28). After the publication of "Ecclesia in Asia", both the particular Churches and the political powers know very well that the bottomline of the Catholic Church's doctrine of faith on communion and unity cannot be compromised, though the danger is not yet over. But there are signs that the position of the political powers on this area is mitigated as little bit lately. CONCLUSION In a very short time and limited space I have pointed out some positive results of the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops on the above mentioned three theological areas. There are many other positive results in many other areas, such as pastoral, missionary, social, charitable, etc. If you want to know more, you can read my longer report. [Integral text - 00163-02.06] [NNNNN] [Original text: English] ● The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Oceania - Special Assembly for Oceania H.Exc. Most. Rev. Msg. John Atcherley DEW, Archbishop of Wellington (Member of the Special Assembly) read the text of Cardinal Thomas S. Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington (President Delegate of the Special Assembly) Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, begins his report with an introduction, giving his experiences pertaining to the Synod of Bishops and his participation in the various Synods of the past. He then continues with various points about the Synod of Bishops, which was instituted by Paul VI with the motu proprio ÂApostolica sollicitudoÂ. Later, John Paul II consolidated the autonomy and increased the authority and collegiality of the Synod. The Synod of Bishops was instituted as a Âpermanent council of Bishops for the Universal ChurchÂ, subject directly to the Pope and has its nature as a natural ecclesiastic institution, representing all the Catholic Episcopacy, and perpetual by nature. The finalities are to give information and advice; and may deliberate on certain matters, with the Roman Pontiff ratifying the SynodÂs decisions. The theological foundation of the Synod of Bishops can be found in the unity of the Church expressed by the life of communion of the local churches and the collegiality between all the Bishops (communio et collegialitas).The Synod of Bishops represents the Catholic Episcopacy in the whole world in a moral and manifest way, its decisions are consultive and may become deliberative only by mandate of the Supreme Pontiff. As for the consulting aspect of the Synod of Bishops, John Paul II goes beyond the formal and juridical aspects of the Synod vote and places it in the context of the Church as an organism of communion of faith. In conclusion, Cardinal Tomko compares the Synod of Bishops to a heart, a marvelous ecclesial osmosis that has been going on for the past forty years. [Presentation - 00164-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian] ● II Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops - I and II Special Assemblies for Europe H. Em. Card. Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid (Relator General of the II Special Assembly and member of the post-synodal Council) His Em. Cardinal Rouco Varela speaks about the Special Assembly for Europe II of the Synod of Bishops, on the theme: ÂJesus Christ, Alive in His Church, the Source of Hope for EuropeÂ, which took place in the Vatican from October 1st to the 23rd 1999. He was the General Relator and stated that Âit was an authentic event of the ChurchÂ, underlining the opportunity that would have allowed the reflection on the situation in Europe, almost an examination of the conscience, which the celebration of the Great Jubilee for the Year 2000 had invited the whole Catholic Church. The 288 participants, of all ages and coming from all the European countries, all spoke the languages of Europe, coming from the most diverse situations, more than half of them had never been a part of a Synodal Assembly and did not know each other. Yet this did not stop them from finding a renewed and tangible Catholic unity, Cardinal Varela underlined, as well as a harmony on the diagnosis of the European situation in which, after the geo-political reunification, was possible to better perceive the spiritual damages caused by the immanent humanism in its different ideological versions. Therefore, being Âthe hour of truth for Europe, this was the right time for the Hour of the Gospel... the hour for the renewed proclamation of the kerygmaÂ and, on this point, the conviction of the Synodal Fathers was clear and full of hope. Even in Europe there was the need to start again from the beginning, from an essential and clear proposal of the Mystery of Christ. The fact that the sacramental life of the Church is, in part, inseparable from new evangelization was also underlined, because Christian life emerges from the Eucharist and from the other sacraments. The new evangelization, Cardinal Varela continues, has its instruments and its style: dialogue. Dialogue with culture and society through adequate institutions such as schools and Universities, the health and political institutions, those for aide, ecumenical dialogue between the different Christian professions, in particular the need for mutual understanding and charity between the Catholics and the Orthodox, dialogue between the new movements and the ecclesial communities as instruments that the Holy Spirit gave to the Church for the new evangelization and the old institutions and all were invited to communion with the Bishop in the local Church. Cardinal Varela concluded by asserting that Old Europe was expecting words for the future and hope and that the Synod of 1999 and the Apostolic Exhortation ÂEcclesia in EuropaÂ, signed by John Paul II on June 28th 2003, answered with a proposal and an appealÂ Jesus Christ and conversion to the One who has the Word of Eternal Life. [Presentation - 00136-02.03] [NNNNN] [Original text: Spanish]
2279	dbpedia	0	11	https://www.facebook.com/nsaykila/videos/the-man-verdzekova-tribute-to-archbishop-paul-verdzekov-by-nsay-ki-la-add-the-un/366827667204950/	en	THE MAN VERDZEKOV A tribute to Archbishop Paul Verdzekov by NSAY KI LA. Add the unmentioned qualities as your own tribute.	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…VnZQ&oe=66BF4FB5	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…VnZQ&oe=66BF4FB5	[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	THE MAN VERDZEKOV A tribute to Archbishop Paul Verdzekov by NSAY KI LA. Add the unmentioned qualities as your own tribute.	de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		https://www.facebook.com/nsaykila/videos/the-man-verdzekova-tribute-to-archbishop-paul-verdzekov-by-nsay-ki-la-add-the-un/366827667204950/
2279	dbpedia	1	30	https://m.facebook.com/people/George-Nchumbonga-Chrysostom-Lekelefac/100010151207977/	en	Facebook			[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		null
2279	dbpedia	3	29	https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/category/religion/world-religion/page/8/	en	World – Page 8 – Cameroon Concord News	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cardinal-sarah.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Catholic-Nun.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/pope-arrives.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Putin.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Holy-Fathers.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Archbishop-Wilton-Gregory.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Monsig.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Pope-Benedict.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/South-Africa-Church-Attack.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tabetando-CPDM.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Soter-Profile.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/editorialDesk.png", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dr-Joachim-Arrey.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Général_René_Claude_Meka.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Chantal-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Ambazonia-refugees.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ekinneh-Agbaw-Ebai.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Bir-burning-Southern-Cameroons.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Carey-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Sven-Eriksson-208x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Motaze-210x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Olaf-Scholz-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Brys-in-Yaounde-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Chief-Stella-Arhewoh-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Biya-and-Macron-180x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/unnamed-300x225.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2021-03-12T04:01:17+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png		null	Cardinal Robert Sarah on Wednesday rejected claims that he and Pope Francis are enemies, in his first interview since stepping down from his Vatican post. In an interview with an Italian newspaper published March 10, the Guinean cardinal said that he had “tried to be a loyal, obedient, and humble servant of the truth of the Gospel.” “Even though some journalists continually repeat the same nonsense,” he told Il Foglio, “I have never opposed the pope.” An English translation of the cardinal’s interview was published on Wednesday by the National Catholic Register. On Feb. 20, Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Sarah’s resignation as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Sarah had submitted his resignation to the pope when he turned 75 in June 2020, as Church norms dictate. Before his resignation, Sarah was the most senior African prelate at the Vatican, appointed head of the liturgy department by Pope Francis in November 2014. Sarah said in his interview that when Pope Francis told him that he had decided to accept the resignation, “I immediately replied that I was happy and grateful for his decision.” “I am happy and proud to have served three popes — St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis — in the Roman Curia for more than 20 years,” the cardinal continued. “Some people insinuate without reason or even being able to provide concrete and credible proof that we were enemies, it’s not true! Pope Francis likes frankness. We have always worked together with simplicity, despite the fantasies of journalists,” he said. Sarah criticized the idea that his former role leading the Congregation for Divine Worship was “an honorary position, but of little importance.” “I believe that the responsibility for the liturgy puts us at the heart of the Church, of her raison d’être. The Church is neither an administration nor a human institution. The Church mysteriously prolongs Christ’s presence on earth,” he said. Sarah quoted the Second Vatican Council document Sacrosanctum concilium, which says that the liturgy is “a sacred action surpassing all others” and “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows.” “The Church exists to give men to God and to give God to men,” Sarah explained. “This is precisely the role of the liturgy: to worship God and to communicate divine grace to souls. When the liturgy is sick, the whole Church is in danger because her relationship with God is not only weakened but deeply damaged.” He recalled Benedict XVI’s comment that the crisis of the Church is “essentially a crisis of the liturgy because it is a crisis of the relationship with God.” “If God is not at the center of the Church’s life, then she is in danger of death,” the cardinal said. Sarah also emphasized that the liturgy is about God, not the community or individual. This reality, he said, is expressed well when the liturgy is said ad orientem, meaning with the priest facing the altar, or liturgical East, rather than the people. The cardinal also explained why he thought that silence was important in the liturgy. “When man remains silent, he leaves a place for God,” he said. “On the contrary, when the liturgy becomes chatty, it forgets that the cross is its center, it organizes itself around the microphone.” He said these questions are crucial, “because they determine the place we give to God,” and lamented that they had become “ideological.” Factional struggles within the Church are a source of suffering for him, he said. “Too often we act as if everything is a question of politics, power, influence and the unjustified imposition of a hermeneutic of Vatican II that totally breaks and is irreversibly at odds with Tradition.” He declared it “false” that he was opposed to the Second Vatican Council because he spoke of a sense of the sacred in the liturgy. “I don’t believe that the struggle between progressives and conservatives has any meaning in the Church. These categories are political and ideological,” he said, adding that “the Church is not a field of political struggle.” “The only thing that counts is to seek God ever more deeply, to meet him there and humbly kneel down to adore him.” It was unfortunate, Cardinal Sarah said, that there are “ideologues” who set the pre-Council Church against the post-Council Church. According to the cardinal, these people “are dividers; they are doing the work of the devil.” “The Church is one, without rupture, without changing course, because her Founder ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,’” he said. “She goes towards God, she directs us towards him. From the profession of faith of St. Peter to Pope Francis through Vatican II, the Church turns us towards Christ.” Now that he is retired, Sarah said that he intended to continue working and was happy to have more time to pray and read. “I will continue to write, to speak, to travel. Here in Rome, I continue to receive priests and faithful from all over the world,” he said. Sarah will continue to serve as a member of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, where he said he saw “with immense joy how the Church is bursting with holiness.” “More than ever the Church needs bishops who speak clearly, free and faithful to Jesus Christ and to the doctrinal and moral teachings of his Gospel,” he said. “I intend to continue this mission and even amplify it.” Source: Catholic News Agency Pope Francis landed in Iraq Friday to begin his historic trip to the war-battered country, defying security fears and the pandemic to comfort one of the world’s oldest and most persecuted Christian communities. The pope, who wore a mask during the flight, kept it on as he descended the stairs to the tarmac and was greeted by two masked children in traditional dress. A red carpet was rolled out on the tarmac at Baghdad’s international airport with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on hand to greet him. The 84-year-old, who said he is making his first-ever papal visit to Iraq as a “pilgrim of peace,” will also reach out to Shiite Muslims when he meets Iraq’s top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. The four-day journey is the pope’s first abroad since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which left the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics saying he felt “caged” inside the Vatican. While Francis has been vaccinated, Iraq has been gripped by a second wave with a record of over 5,000 new cases a day, prompting authorities to impose full lockdowns during the pontiff’s visit. Security was tight in Iraq, a country that is still hunting for Islamic State (IS) group sleeper cells after years of war and insurgency. Only days ago, a barrage of rockets ploughed into a military base hosting US troops. Hundreds of people had gathered along the airport road with hopes of catching a glimpse of the pope’s plane touching down. Iraqis were keen to welcome him and the global attention his visit will bring, with banners and posters hanging high in central Baghdad, and billboards depicting Francis with the slogan “We are all Brothers” decorating the main thoroughfare. Services in ravaged churches, refurbished stadiums Francis will preside over a half-dozen services in ravaged churches, refurbished stadiums and remote desert locations, where attendance will be limited to allow for social distancing. Inside the country, he will travel more than 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) by plane and helicopter, flying over areas where security forces are still battling IS remnants. For shorter trips, Francis will take an armoured car on freshly paved roads that will be lined with flowers and posters welcoming the leader known here as “Baba Al-Vatican”. The pope’s visit has deeply touched Iraq’s Christians, whose numbers have collapsed over years of persecution and sectarian violence, from 1.5 million in 2003 to fewer than 400,000 today. “We’re hoping the pope will explain to the government that it needs to help its people,” a Christian from Iraq’s north, Saad al-Rassam, told AFP. “We have suffered so much, we need the support.” ‘Too many martyrs’ The first day of the pope’s ambitious itinerary will see him meet government officials and clerics in the capital Baghdad, including at the Our Lady of Salvation church, where a jihadist attack left dozens dead in 2010. He will also visit the northern province of Nineveh, where in 2014 IS jihadists forced minorities to either flee, convert to Islam or be put to death. “People had only a few minutes to decide if they wanted to leave or be decapitated,” recalled Karam Qacha, a Chaldean Catholic priest in Nineveh. “We left everything — except our faith.” Some 100,000 Christians — around half of those who lived in the province — fled, of whom just 36,000 have returned, according to Catholic charity “Aid to the Church in Need”. Among the returnees, a third have said they want to leave again in coming years, dismayed by Iraq’s rampant corruption, persecution and poverty, which now affects 40 percent of the population. The exodus is a loss for all of Iraq, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Oriental Churches and will accompany the pope to Iraq. “A Middle East without Christians is like trying to make bread with flour, but no yeast or salt,” he said. The visit aims not only to encourage Christians to stay in their homeland, but even prompt some emigres to return from nearby Lebanon and Jordan, or further afield like Canada and Australia. In a video address ahead of the trip, Francis evoked “the wounds of loved ones left behind and homes abandoned,” saying there had been “too many martyrs” in Iraq. “I come as a pilgrim, a penitent pilgrim to implore forgiveness and reconciliation from the Lord after years of war and terrorism.” ‘Minarets and church bells’ The pope has insisted on the visit despite resurging violence. Rocket attacks across the country have left three people dead in recent weeks, including a US contractor who died Wednesday. Francis’ determination to travel to areas long shunned by foreign dignitaries has impressed many in Iraq — as has his planned meeting with Sistani, 90, the top authority for Iraq’s Shiites. A highly reclusive figure who rarely accepts visitors, Sistani will make an exception to host Francis at his humble home in the shrine city of Najaf on Saturday. Banners all over Najaf have celebrated “the historic encounter, between the minarets and the church bells”. Francis, a major supporter of inter-religious dialogue, will afterwards head to the desert site of Ur, where Abraham is thought to have been born. There, he will host an interfaith service that will bring together not only the Abrahamic religions but also include followers of other beliefs, including Yazidis and Sabeans. The Pope’s programme in Iraq includes visits to the cities of Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Mosul, Qaraqosh and Erbil. He will traverse some 1,445 km in a country where Iraqi-American tensions still linger and where more recently the scourge of Covid-19 has led to record numbers of infections. Pope Francis will travel in an armoured car to avoid the customary crowds that flock to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church. At times he will be required to travel either by helicopter or plane over areas where jihadists belonging to the Islamic State group are still present. Proceedings kick off Friday with a speech to Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, addressing the security and economic difficulties confronting Iraq’s 40 million people. The pope is also expected to mention the persecution of the country’s Christian minority. On Saturday he will visit the holy city of Najaf, where he will be hosted by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority for many Shiites in Iraq and the world. The pope will make a trip to the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace, according to the Bible, of the prophet Abraham, a figure common to the three monotheistic religions. There he will pray with Muslims, Yazidis and Sanaeans (pre-Christian monotheisms). Francis will continue his journey on Sunday in the province of Nineveh (northern Iraq), the cradle of Iraqi Christians. He will then head to Mosul and Qaraqoch, two cities marked by the destruction of the Islamic extremists. The pontiff will conclude his tour by presiding over an open-air Mass on Sunday in the presence of thousands of Christians in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. This Kurdish Muslim stronghold has offered refuge to hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Muslims who fled the atrocities of the Islamic State group. (FRANCE 24 with AP and REUTERS) Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. The Italian government’s 10 pm curfew prompted pastors to move up services, with “Midnight” Mass starting Thursday evening in some churches as early as a couple hours after dark. Pope Francis, who has said people “must obey” civil authorities’ measures to fight the spread of Covid-19, fell in line. This year, the Christmas vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was moved up from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Normally, seats at the vigil Mass are quickly snapped up, by Romans and by tourists, but the pandemic has reduced tourists in Italy to a trickle. In keeping with social distancing measures, barely 200 faithful — instead of several thousand — spaced out in the basilica’s pews and wearing masks, attended Francis’ celebration of the Mass. A row of fiery red poinsettia plants warmly contrasted with the sumptuous cold marble of the basilica. Francis in his homily offered reflections on Christmas’ significance. “We often hear it said that the greatest joy in life is the birth of a child. It is something extraordinary and it changes everything,” he said. A child “makes us feel loved but can also teach us how to love.” “God was born a child in order to encourage us to care for others,” said Francis, who has made attention to the poor and unjustly treated a key theme of his papacy. Celebrations elsewhere in Europe were canceled or greatly scaled back as Covid-19 infections surge across the continent and a new variant that may be more contagious has been detected. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. In normal times, voices of children singing carols while tinkling metal triangles can be heard all day. The decades-old custom, in which children go house to house and receive small gifts, was banned this year. Groups of children managed to honor the tradition by singing to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by video link. Throughout the pandemic, one of the hardest-hit churches in New York City has been Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Church leaders say more than 60 members of the congregation — which numbered about 800 before the pandemic — have died of COVID-19, almost all of them part of the community of some 400 who attended services in Spanish. Despite their own heartbreaks, congregation members — many of them immigrants — donated coats, scarves and other winter clothes for more than 100 migrant minors at a detention center in Manhattan. While many other New York City churches have resumed in-person services, Saint Peter’s continues to offer its Masses only online. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service. In Bethlehem, officials tried to make the most out of a bad situation. “Christmas is a holiday that renews hope in the souls,” said Mayor Anton Salman. “Despite all the obstacles and challenges due to corona and due to the lack of tourism, the city of Bethlehem is still looking forward to the future with optimism.” Raw, rainy weather added to the gloomy atmosphere, as several dozen people gathered in the central Manger Square to greet Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Youth marching bands playing Christmas carols on bagpipes, accompanied by pounding drummers, led a joyous procession ahead of the patriarch’s arrival early in the afternoon. “Despite the restrictions and limitations we want to celebrate as much as possible, with family, community and joy,” said Pizzaballa, who was to lead a small Midnight Mass gathering later in the evening. “We want to offer hope.” Thousands of foreign pilgrims usually flock to Bethlehem for the celebrations. But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away. The restrictions limited attendance to residents and a small entourage of religious officials. Evening celebrations, when pilgrims normally congregate around the Christmas tree, were canceled, and Midnight Mass was limited to clergy. The coronavirus has dealt a heavy blow to Bethlehem’s tourism sector, the lifeblood of the local economy. Restaurants, hotels and gift shops have been shuttered. It was not the usual raucous Christmas eve in Mexico City. The big celebration was a ceremony where the country’s first coronavirus vaccine shots were administered. On Christmas Eve, parents usually take their kids to a downtown plaza where actors dress up as the Three Wise Men or Santa Claus and pose in front of elaborate backdrops resembling the sets of popular children’s movies. But this year, the Wise Men and Santas were banned. Mexico’s other grand tradition, Midnight Mass, was canceled in many parishes. Still, Zoé Robledo, director of Mexico’s social security system, said the start of the country’s COVID-19 vaccine program made it “an unforgettable Christmas.” Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beaches remained open, but a City Hall decree aimed at limiting gatherings prevented drivers from parking along the shore. Rain also kept beachgoers at home. Thomas Azevedo and his 9-year-old son braved the bad weather to set up a small stand, selling beer and caipirinhas made from fresh fruit. By early afternoon, he hadn’t sold a thing. “It’s not so much the rain; in previous years it was full of tourists at Christmas. This year there’s no one,” said Azevedo, 28. Australians had until recently been looking forward to a relatively Covid-19-free Christmas after travel restrictions across state borders relaxed in recent weeks in the absence of any evidence of community transmission. But after new cases were detected over the past week, states again closed their borders. While many places around the globe were keeping or increasing restrictions for Christmas, Lebanon was an exception. With its economy in tatters and parts of its capital destroyed by a massive Aug. 4 port explosion, Lebanon has lifted most virus measures ahead of the holidays, hoping to encourage spending. Tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates have arrived home for the holidays, leading to fears of an inevitable surge in cases during the festive season. Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East — about a third of its 5 million people — and traditionally celebrates Christmas with much fanfare. “People around us were tired, depressed and depleted, so we said let’s just plant a drop of joy and love,” said Sevine Ariss, one of the organizers of a Christmas fair along the seaside road where the explosion caused the most damage. Source: AP Cameroon Concord News Group’s Nchumbonga George Lekelefac is more than thrilled to write an account of his extensive experience with Msgr. Professor Theophilus Okere before his death on October 20, 2020 in Owerri, Nigeria. As young people, we have heard our own elders, teachers and priests say-“Okere Bu Agbara’’–(Okere is a deity) in clear deference to his prodigious attributes and awesome intellect. Nchummbonga had the privilege to interview Msgr. Okere on Saturday, October 10 at his residence in Owerri. He travelled from Cameroon to Nigeria to carry out a scientific research on Prof. Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon and his first stop was in Owerri, where the classmate of Dr. Prof. Fonlon lived. He is Msgr. Alphonsus Aghiazu, and happens to be the oldest Monsignor in South-East Nigeria. After his conversation with Msgr. Alphonsus, he recommended we also get the opinion of Msgr. Okere who lived nearby from his parish of residence: St. Paul Parish, Owerri. Msgr. Alphonsus was so helpful and even sent his driver to take our Nchumbonga Lekelefac to Msgr. Okere’s house. When he arrived the house of Msgr. Okere that Saturday, October 10, 2020, Msgr. Okere was very strong and active. He was putting on a white shirt and white shorts, and he was sitting in his extremely large sitting room writing. He later said he was writing a book on Monsignor Martin Maduka. He remembered most of the Cameroon seminarians he had studied with like: Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, Bishop Pius Awa, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Fr. Clement Ndze. Later he changed and dressed in his Monsignor Cassock and we began the three hour interview. We began by asking him what his secret was because he looked quite young and active. He smiled and said: “The grace of God is the secret, and of course, discipline in whatever goes into his stomach. He was very excited and strong during the interview. We were able to video the entire conversation. After the interview, he gave us a handwritten tribute he had produced on Prof. Dr. Fonlon on Saturday, October 10, 2020, barely ten days to his death. Msgr. Okere informed us after our conversation that he was not in the best of health. He revealed that with his age, he was on drugs. Biography of Msgr. Okere Msgr. Okere was born on August 2, 1935 in the bucolic village of Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala, Imo State, he has left indelible marks on the sands of time. As was noted by one of his students, Professor Obi Oguejiofor, a Catholic priest, and lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Monsignor Okere “is indeed a great theologian, in any case, one of the greatest we ever had in Nigeria. He is also one of the few Nigerian philosophers repeatedly quoted in internationally published works both in discussions and in bibliographies. There is indeed hardly any comprehensive work on African philosophy, especially from the United States, which omits a mention of his name.” Msgr. Okere had his elementary education at St. James School, Nnorie (1942-46), St. Finbarr’s School, Okpala (1947-48) and St. Desmond, Mbutu Okohia (1949). In 1950, he enrolled at the Holy Ghost College, Owerri, for his secondary education but a year later, he proceeded to the St. Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala, as one of the pioneer students. In 1956, he proceeded to Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, and was ordained a priest on August 5, 1962 by the then Bishop of Port Harcourt, G.M.P. Okoye. Msgr. Okere: The Philosophy Teacher and Seminary Founder He returned to his alma mater, Bigard Enugu, in 1972 where he taught Philosophy for four years before crossing over to Bigard Memorial Seminary, IkotEkpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene), in 1976. He later became the Rector of the school in 1981, a position he held for two years when he founded the Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri, where he was between 1983 and 1992. A man adept at multi-tasking, as the Rector of Seat of Wisdom Seminary. It is his long stay in the seminary system that has made him pre-eminent as the spiritual and intellectual father of more than half of the priests serving today in Igbo land. Hundreds of these men of the cloth adoringly greet him with “OkerewuAgbara” as a tribute to what they perceive as his versatility and his encyclopedic wealth of knowledge. Msgr. Okere: The Editor Msgr. Okere was also the founding editor of Journal of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN) and its first president. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite International Professor of Philosophy On leaving the seminary system after 21 years of service, in 1992, Msgr. Okere taught Philosophy at the Jesuit University in Philadelphia, United States of America. Msgr. Okere: Man of Initiatives Later, he returned to Nigeria in 1999, and was the initiator as well the first president of Whelan Research Academy for Religion, Culture and Society founded in memory of the first diocesan Bishop of Owerri, Joseph Brendan Whelan (CSSP). In addition, he was the first President of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria and has between books and articles, lecture and homilies, over 200 titles to his credit. Msgr. Okere: Magister Magnus to Bishops and Archbishops A measure of his greatness as a teacher can be gleaned from the fact that out of the 16 Catholic dioceses in the old Eastern Region made up of nine states, only the Archbishop of Owerri and bishops of Nnewi and Abakaliki, did not pass through his tutelage. The other bishops, including Archbishop Valerian Okeke of Onitsha, Archbishop Joseph Ekuwem of Calabar, Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah of Nsukka and Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia were all his students. Msgr. Okere: Internationally Recognized Prof. Oguejiofor weighs in: “Okere’s voice has been heard in many forums and in different contexts. That voice sounds louder in philosophical studies. Internationally, he owes much of his reputation to his ground-breaking thesis, ‘Can there be an African Philosophy?’ part of which was published as ‘African philosophy: A Historico-Hermeneutical Investigation into the Condition of its Possibility’. These two works belong to the most influential writings in contemporary African philosophical discussion and became the foundation of the hermeneutical current in African philosophy, where it viewed that the philosophy of a people, and a fortiori, African philosophy should emerge from the hermeneutics of their culture, to became the rallying point for such thinkers as Tsaney Serequeberhan of Eritrea, Ntumba Tsahiamalenga and NkombeOleko of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).“In his recent book, Brief History of African Philosophy, Barry Hallen gives this current and Okere himself a special place among the important philosophy movements in the African continent in our time. Hence, Okere’s prowess in philosophy has earned him a special place on the pages of the history of African Philosophy.” Msgr. Okere: Intellectual Giant Recognised as an intellectual giant, Monsignor Theo Okere was an enigma to our generation; to the extent that his outstanding intellectual personality, uncommon achievements made people think that a god was sent to them in form of a human being. We have been awed by his intellectual records and breakthroughs in Nigeria and in different parts of the world particularly the noble record he left at Catholic University of Louvain. Fr Okere led the way as the first PhD holder in Philosophy from the oldest and the most celebrated Catholic University in the world; thereby blazing the way for Nigeria and Africa with his seminal thesis “Can there be an African Philosophy? A historical-hermeneutical investigation into the conditions of its possibility.” It was wondered how Father Okere, a mere mortal, had won scholarships with which three other Nigerian priests studied in Louvain. His philosophical and theological prowess in Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu, where he lectured and revolutionized philosophy from 1972 to 1976 and in Bigard Memorial Seminary Ikot-Ekpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary) from 1976 to 1983 where he also lectured and later served as Rector before moving to establish a new Major Seminary in Ulakwo Owerri-The Seat of Wisdom Seminary as the Rector and builder from 1983 to 1992 was highly distinguished. Msgr. Okere: Man of Publications Ugo Jim-Nwoko wrote from Abuja noted that despite the burden of administrative and pastoral duties of running and managing senior seminaries, Msgr. Okere found time to do some notable book publications, such as, African Philosophy: A Historico Hermeneutical Investigation, Identity and Change – Nigerian Philosophical Series; Religion and Culture; Public Lectures in Washington D.C, Rome and in his alma mater Louvain Belgium. A collection of all his writings over the years was written, sponsored and published by some of his students entitled: “Theophilus Okere in his own words.” It is a fitting tribute to a man who has lived his 80 years on earth and still counting for others. After the conference, Msgr. Okere showed me these two volumes and I was very elated to see all the wonderful and exceptional work he had done over the years. Msgr. Okere: The Priest, The Scholar, The Teacher Martins UbaNwamadi notes in his Tribute to Monsignor Theophilus Okere, priest par excellence, literary icon that: “The anecdote of ‘the Blind men and the Elephant’ keeps popping up each time one thinks of the perception of very Reverend Monsignor TheophilusIbegbulam Okere by different people. Many see him as priest. A priest! Yes, that is what he is, first and foremost, and a very good one at that. Some see him as a teacher, a teacher indeed of the scholastic tradition with pedigree linking him to St. Thomas Aquinas. Yet, for others he is Rev. Fr Theophilus Okere, the accomplished literary man”. Msgr. Okere: A Polyglot Msgr. Okere was fluent in his native Umuonyike, Nnorie dialect of Igbo land, English, French, German, Latin. During my interview with him, I marveled at the way he quoted sentences in Latin. Msgr. Okere: Perfect Gentleman For those who have had close social contact with him, he was the fine, humble and perfect gentleman in whom all that is perfect in every culture blends. My personal experience with him testified this. Despite all he had achieved, he was very humble and outgoing with me in his house. Msgr. Okere: Man of Music Msgr. Okere was considered as a distinguished singer. He could sing well. His angelic voice at mass and digital dexterity with the songs and musical instruments were the first and the only way we could make meaning of the biblical and catholic assertions of the quality of voice and of songs the Angels use daily; singing praises to God in the heavenly places. Msgr. Okere: Intellectual and Man of Letters In order to capture the quintessential Theophilus, Martins UbaNwamadi notes that one sees him as encapsulating all of these in optimal proportions and blend. In the performance of any role, he brought in every attribute of every other role. At the pulpit, he made parishioners realize that he was also a literary icon, a philosopher, a teacher, a polyglot, and so on. In his conversation, it was clear that he was a priest, an Alter Christus (Another Christ). Msgr. Okere: Fluent in the English Language Msgr. Okere proceeded to Ireland in 1962 where he read English Language and Literature at the University College, Dublin, for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English at the University College, Dublin, graduating with honours in 1965. Msgr. Okere was considered as a great orator who knew how to transmit his messages across to his audience. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite Philosopher Msgr. Okere studied Philosophy at the prestigious Catholic University of Louvain, obtaining a PhD in Philosophy in 1972, the first Nigerian to do so. His Doctorate dissertation, “Can there be an African philosophy”: A Hermeneutical inquiry into the condition of its possibility” was groundbreaking, for it set the stage for later researches in African philosophy, having demonstrated definitely that philosophy, any philosophy and therefore African Philosophy, can be itself, only as a hermeneutics or interpretation of its culture. And since his own culture is Igbo, the logic of his thesis has placed him as one of the foremost Igbo thinkers. Msgr. Okere: Man of Culture Msgr. Okere’s commitment to and familiarity with Igbo culture were all manifested in his conversations, writings, lectures and sermons to the extent that he was once dubbed as “an unrepentant native”. Msgr. Okere: The Roman Priest Monsignor Okere served the church in various capacities including a tenure as consultor to the Vatican Dicastery at the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with non-believers. Msgr. Okere: Laureate of Prestigious Lectures He is a laureate of the two prestigious lecture series in Igbo land; Odenigbo (1997) and Ahiajoku (2007) both of which he delivered in Igbo Language, which was later adapted from the “Biography of Very Rev. Monsignor Theophilus I. Okere” written by Dr Augustine Okere and Fr. George Nwachukwu. Msgr. Okere: Man filled with Anecdotes It was at the Seat of Wisdom that some of Msgr. Okere’s anecdotes became accessible to many. Looking at his young and new students of philosophy at the Seminary in the late 80’s; Msgr was quoted to have told the seminarians “you have got the Seat, but yet to get the Wisdom”. And perhaps, contemplating on the challenges at the rudimentary stages of the development of the seminary and its students said: “The Wisdom is not yet seated”. As a man of quality and substance, he was inclined to promote innate grit in a human being than outward shadow, when he said: “Height was not one of the characteristics of a homo sapiens”. Msgr. Okere: His Faithfulness in Friendship Late Geoffrey Jim-Nwoko narrated the wizardry of his classmate, the young Theophilus Okere at the elementary education in St. James Catholic School Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala between 1942 and 1946. He mentioned that Fr Okere visited Umuchie Eziama to see his old Catholic teacher and in-law, Michael Jim-Nwoko whom he credited with bringing football to Nnorie his community, for the first time in the 1940s.This gesture of his demonstrated his humility and gratitude. Many also observed the high degree of Msgr Okere’s faithfulness to friendship and brotherhood, in good and in bad times, by the way he related with his friend, schoolmate and brother priest, Msgr Clement Chigbu. On Thursday November 12, 2020, Monsignor TheophilusOkere’s remains were laid to rest. He has just left to meet with his and our God. May Msgr. Okere rest in peace. Amen. James White Comb Riley said of death: “I cannot say, and I will not say that he is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, he has wandered into an unknown land. And let us dream how very fair, it needs must be since he lingers there… I say, he is not dead; he is just away”. Monsignor Theophilus Okere’s prints will forever remain in the sands of the history of Nigeria, Africa in particular, and the entire world in general. Please. Msgr. Okere, when you get to heaven, do not forget to extend our greetings to Professor Doctor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. He will be very happy to continue a fruitful philosophical discourse with you, and Dr. Fonlon will be happy to thank you for the wonderful tribute you wrote on him. For your life of selflessness, industry, simplicity, humility, total selfless service, honesty, and integrity, you – Msgr. Okere- will remain as an enduring compass and example to those who strive for moral rectitude. Adieu ‘OkerewuAgbara’. Written by Nchumbonga George Lekelefac
2279	dbpedia	0	0	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mbiybe_Verdzekov	en	Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov	https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico	https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico	[ "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Mitre_plain_2.png/60px-Mitre_plain_2.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/69/P_vip.svg/19px-P_vip.svg.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg/21px-046CupolaSPietro.jpg", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/21px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png", "https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/footer/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Contributors to Wikimedia projects" ]	2012-03-25T11:12:07+00:00		en	/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png		https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mbiybe_Verdzekov	Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov (January 22, 1931 – January 26, 2010) was a Cameroonian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of Bamenda, Cameroon from 1970 until 1982 and as archbishop from 1982 until 2006. Life [edit] Born in Shisong on January 22, 1931, Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov was ordained to the priesthood on December 20, 1961. On August 13, 1970, he was appointed bishop of the newly created diocese of Bamenda. Verdzekov received his episcopal consecration on the following November 8 from Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, bishop of Buéa, with the then bishop of Garoua, Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, and the bishop of Sangmélima, Pierre-Célestin Nkou, serving as co-consecrators. On March 18, 1982 he became archbishop of Bamenda when his diocese was elevated to archdiocese by Pope John Paul II. Archbishop Verdzekov retired on January 23, 2006. He died in 2010, aged 79, as Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda.[1] References [edit]
2279	dbpedia	0	93	http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/	en	Inculturation and Social Change by Vincent Lockhart			[ "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-9c34d7a.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-c20465b.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-9ec8f1d-830x1200.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-5736411.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-3519568.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-546e8c6.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-f1cbaa7.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-7b7d715.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-28e09e3.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-2311f6b.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-69124a1.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-645ec23.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-013b98f.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-54b1534.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-a3fc99c.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-3dc1471.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-ee6fd06.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-e0d2456.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-98502b2.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-d5f4bdc.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-7f7479d.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-e10135b.png", "http://www.lebialem.info/page-5/page-8/files/stacks-image-87d86f0.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "inculturation", "social change", "Cameroon", "savannah", "african theology", "Trinity", "Bangwa", "Banso", "Bafut", "Bali", "Kom", "Bamenda" ]	null	[]	null	Inculturation and Social Change among the Savannah Societies of Western Cameroon by Vincent Lockhart	en			null	2.3 Multiculturalism and Ecclesial Unity Although collegiality, the communion of bishops with the Pope at their head, is a concept which has existed in the Church since the early times, it is only since the Second Vatican Council that collegiality has been exercised to any real effect[5]. The emergence of a truer collegiality and the growing recognition of the multiplicity of charisms in the Church, particularly those among the laity, reflects an awareness not only that the Spirit is equally active outwith the hierarchy but also that the life of the Church consists in the experience of the whole people of God. The move away from a hierarchical/clerical-dominated model of the Church, at least in spirit, reveals a greater richness in the Church but, in the very revealing, creates new possibilities, new ways of ‘being’ Church which hitherto would have been unthinkable. The lay ministries, the lay apostolate, the lay ecclesial movements, parish and diocesan councils, base communities, the justice and peace commissions - all of these, for example, have become an integral part of the life of the Church in the post-conciliar period. They are an expression of the richness in the life of the Church but they have also revealed that variety of expression, a greater communion and sharing of responsibility among the ______________________________5 See EIA, 15-18 11 Church’s members, actually enlivens the Church and makes it more open to being a sign of hope to the world. The African Synod is part of this progression towards a greater communion and variety of expression in the Church’s life under the guidance of the Spirit. However, the Synod marks a significant development in implementing the notion of multiculturalism within the Catholic Church during the post-conciliar era. Aylward Shorter sees multiculturalism as having begun with Vatican II, particularly with the ‘virtual abolition of Latin as the language of the Catholic liturgy.’[6] The use of vernacular languages was welcomed throughout the Church despite a considerable amount of feet dragging on the part of Vatican officials who had to approve the liturgical texts. Language, however, is closely tied to culture. In many ways the vernacular translations of liturgies were often literal trans-verbalisations of the standard Latin version. In the cross-over from one language to another, the Judeo-Greco formulations of the Christian mysteries remained intact. They were often incomprehensible to those who did not belong to a culture which had its origins in Judeo-Greco thinking. The expression of liturgies, catechetics and doctrines, therefore, has effectively continued to be dominated by European cognitive patterns. Even in the case of the Zaïrean Mass, which took almost twenty years to be approved, enormous concessions at a textual level had to be made before it was finally accepted by Rome. It is really with the African Synod, I would argue, that we have an acceptance of the notion of real multiculturalism within the Church. Despite the continuing hesitancy and extreme caution on the part of Rome, the Synod marks the acceptance of the principle that Sacred Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition, originating historically in Judeo-Greco culture, can be expressed faithfully in other cultures, through their languages and using the philosophical and theological categories particular to them. However, it has to be recognised that many of these cultures do not have a language or cognitive system capable of expressing the full depth of meaning contained in the Christian mysteries. They lack (prior to evangelisation) the experience of the revelation of God in Christ within their own 12 culture, that is, the data upon which theologising, for example, can produce doctrine and which also, as part of an historical process, cumulatively refines the categories and methodology required for theologising. The Christ event was as equally new to Jews and Helenists of the first century as it is for the Kikuyu, Baganda, Bamileke or Igbos of the twentieth. The delicate task facing philosophers, theologians, translators, pastors and all involved in evangelisation is to remain faithful to Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition while utilising, enhancing and developing traditional categories of thought and modes of expression when presenting or living out Christianity[7]. It can be argued that once a particular cultural group begins to interpret its own experience of Christ then there is a danger that those belonging to that group may claim that their own form of Christianity distinguishes them from other cultural forms to such an extent that ecclesial unity and universality at the level of real communion are put in doubt. A mystical understanding of unity might be acceptable but the concept of being subject to a centre or to the wider implications of collegiality would be abhorrent. This would, in other words, be a position of cultural relativism. However, two points must be borne in mind. The first is that the original experience of Christianity was conducted in the context of contact with another culture. The fact that Christianity then develops from that first encounter and later establishes itself firmly within the new cultural setting is proof that Christianity, its beliefs and practices, is not only capable of crossing cultural divides but suggests that it can do so constantly. This is one of the basic principles involved in acculturation. The second point to be kept in mind and which is closely related to the first, is that culture is a category of interaction. That is why it is always evolving. Interaction has always taken place between African societies. We shall see this in the next section when we come to deal with traditional religion. Cultural relativism, therefore, is impossible. However, attempts at cultural relativism may be made under the guise of another philosophy for various reasons, usually as part of a desire for social or political ______________________________ 6 Shorter, 1988:22 7 Cf. EIA, 62 13 power or to achieve independence from a centre which resides in another culture[8]. This is a denial of the communion which is integral to the life of the Church. Multiculturalism within the Church implies a more authentic communion not simply within a local Church but with the universal ecclesial reality. The acceptance of multiculturalism, therefore, is not a threat to unity but a deeper affirmation of it. It requires a greater commitment from the parts to adhere more closely to the whole for without this the identity of the Church would cease to conform to what Jesus prayed to the Father for: ‘Father, may they all be one. May they be one as you and I are one.’[9] The fear of losing control of the different parts of the Church, even of the possibility of its disintegration or the development of syncretism is perhaps the all-abiding fear of Vatican officials. The danger, certainly, is real but progress always requires an act of faith both in the other members of the Church and in the action of the Holy Spirit. It requires a faith in unity not simply as a one way process but as a mutual exchange between Rome and the other parts of the Church. The shift from monoculturalism to multiculturalism, sealed at the Synod, does not diminish the importance of the unity and universality which must characterise the Church. Everything in the life of the Church must continue to affirm that unity in some way. The hierarchy’s charism of discerning is not compromised by multiculturalism. Instead it demands a broader understanding of humanity with regard to the implications of all the Christian mysteries, from the Incarnation through to Pentecost. If the hierarchy responds to the promptings of the Spirit to widen the variety of forms of expressing the Christian mysteries so that they represent a fuller expression of the whole of humanity, then it is not unreasonable to assume that, in the Divine economy, an accompanying grace will be given by the Spirit to _______________________________ 8 Jn. 17:21 9 The Vatican’s reservations about the Zaïrean Mass, mentioned earlier, were based on a suspicion that the liturgy was a covert expression of President Mobuto’s programme of Authenticité which sought to affirm African culture as part of a reaction to the Europeanisation which took place during the colonial experience. 14 enable them to exercise their charisms to greater effect. Equally, if the Christian mysteries are to penetrate more fully into all the multiple expressions - cultures - of humanity, then there is surely a greater need for the hierarchy’s charism of discernment. That requires an obedience - an unpopular word in western society - which is rooted in a belief in God’s love. Obedience, the free and loving gift of the will as an act of sharing in the mystery of the Cross, still remains the most effective way in which the Spirit can be released in order to create a deeper communion within the Church. No one denies the need for unity and universality, not even the most extreme elements of the Church’s liberal wing. The problems arise when a practical definition of these is sought or proposed. Unfortunately, as with many issues in the Church, this debate has been largely dominated by the situation of the Church in Europe and has been conducted principally by Europeans. It has something of the nature of Plato’s discussion about the meaning of shadows on the wall of a cave[10]. Ideas as to what they represent are plentiful but the lack of practical experience renders the debate somewhat unreal. The breakdown of European society has not yet arrived but the dearth of social communion and the increasing sense of alienation are marks of a profound social and cultural crisis[11]. To put it briefly, the crisis in European culture and society makes it difficult for the Church in Europe to arrive at a meaningful understanding of ecclesial unity because, like the rest of society, it does not have a current experience of social unity upon which it can base or apply such an understanding. The centre of Christianity has shifted to the southern world in more ways than one. It is not simply a question of numbers, it is also a question of having the social prerequisites to form a Church. The discovery of what unity and universality mean in practice in the modern world was one of the tasks given to the Synod by the Church. Africa perhaps is the best place where this experiment can be carried out. The Church in Sub-Saharan Africa does not have the baggage _______________________________ 10 See Plato, Republic, 514a-517b. 11 See H. Rootmaaker, Western Art and the Death of a Culture (1972). 15 of a long Christian tradition such as the Church in the West. It also does not suffer from the depressing spectacle of decreasing numbers or a society losing its cohesion because of an over-emphasis on individualism. Above all, Africa’s principal contribution to the future of the Church is that the sense of social unity is still alive and active at the level of ordinary life. While it appears that the future of Christianity lies south of the equator, Rome will always have a particular significance in terms of being the centre and symbol of the unity of the Catholic Church. Given the importance of symbols within many of the cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those relating to the unity of a people, it can be argued that Rome was almost the only place that the African bishops could meet and can be interpreted as an act of inculturation in itself[12]. In a profound way, it was a demonstration of the trans-cultural quality of unity which is typically created by the Spirit. That unity is, at one and the same moment, an expression both of the soul of the African socio-cultural reality and the most singularly defining characteristic and ideal of the Church, to be the presence of the Trinity among humanity. The fact that the unity of the African Church with the rest of the Church, and particularly with the Pontiff, is one of the recurring motifs running throughout Ecclesia in Africa should not be interpreted negatively as Rome wishing to stress its control over the African Church. Interspersed throughout John Paul II’s Synodal Exhortation are numerous examples of the source of joy which he has found in the Church in Africa. Taken together with his comments and speeches during his many visits to Africa, we are left with the impression that John Paul II seems convinced that the Church needs Africa because of the hope it promises for the future of the whole Church. This is evident in his preface to Ecclesia in Africa where he saw the primary aim of the Synod as being to strengthen the _______________________________ 12 In a private conversation with Cardinal Tumi of Cameroon, the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Synod, he informed me that almost all the bishops preferred Rome as a venue since it not only avoided a certain rivalry about which major city on the continent was the capital of Catholicism in Africa but also that, given the importance of the event, they felt that everyone should appear to be equal. However, financial and logistical reasons also played a part. 16 communion of bishops but also as having an immense significance and interest for the whole Church.[13] 2.5 The Incarnation, the Trinity and Inculturation The Synod linked the idea of inculturation with all the Christian mysteries: the Incarnation, the Redemption, the Paschal Mystery and Pentecost[14]. However, out of all of these it seems to note a particular connection with the Incarnation. The Synod Fathers, in fact, recalled John Paul II’s definition of inculturation as being ‘the process by which “catechesis ‘takes flesh’ in the various cultures”.’[15]In both the Incarnation and inculturation the object and strategy are the same. God becomes Man in order to bring about the redemption and this is achieved by the Divine penetrating the human reality completely, even to the experiencing of abandonment and death. Human reality, however, does not exist in the abstract[16]. It must be linked to history and to a particular human culture. By extension, the same must apply to the Incarnation and inculturation. However, inculturation is an extension of the Incarnation. With the latter we have the Divine directly and fully entering a particular cultural context as a means of entering the context of all humanity. The former, inculturation, which is a development from the Incarnation, is the process whereby God enters one cultural context from another. The Incarnation was the revelation of God as Trinity. This is what is specifically ‘new’ about Christianity and what distinguishes it not only from the traditional religions of Africa but from all the other religions of the world. God as Trinity must have a deep significance for inculturation and, in fact, must determine our whole understanding of it. Personhood can be described as the capacity to transcend one’s own particularity and be able to interact with the ‘Other’. This notion of ‘person’ is ascribed to God the Father and God the Son. Even if these terms, ‘Father’ and _______________________________14 EIA, 60-61 15EIA, 59 and John Paul II, 1979:53 16Cf. EIA, 68 19 ‘Son’, are analogous, the process taking place within the Godhead is only understandable through the notion of personhood and interaction[17]. The interaction which exists between the Father and the Son consists in a relatedness which involves a communication with the other which is absolute in character, i.e. the Father is (completely) in the Son and the Son is (completely) in the Father. This understanding of the relationship between the Father and the Son is one of the central themes running throughout John’s Gospel where we see Jesus constantly defining himself in terms of his relationship with the Father. The Father and the Son are one but still retain their particular identities. They are who they are precisely because each is absolutely in the other. The absolute nature of their interaction derives from the absolute manner in which they interact. This, in turn, derives from and affirms the absoluteness of their personhood. What we have here is dynamic. It is an eternal process which is always new, never static. However, the interaction between the Father and the Son, the unity which that relationship is, is such that, in itself, it too displays the characteristics of personhood. The interaction between the Father and the Son is neither one of them, nor is it both since that would violate the unity which must exclude the domination of one over the other. Their interaction is something else. The interaction draws its being from being in the other, in this case, in the Father and the Son concurrently. It itself, in other words, is and is related to that which it is not. This is the Holy Spirit[18]. We often speak of the Trinity as a community. We can perhaps, in a limited sense, even use the expression ‘culture’ in relation to the Trinity since we seem to have all the components which make up a culture: a self-sustaining pattern of interactions. We can also observe the pattern of this Trinitarian culture as being present in creation, above all in Man who, as the image of the Trinity, has personhood and the capacity to interact. Salvation history can be read using the ______________________________ 17 Cf. Rahner 1975:103 18 To paraphrase St. Thomas Aquinas, the one thing I am sure of is that what I have written about the Trinity is a heresy of some sort or other (See Aquinas, Summa, §154). However, I have tried to keep company with Karl Rahner. (See Rahner, 1975:24-35, 101-103) 20 model of cultures interacting with one another. In this case the Trinitarian culture influences the culture(s) of Man but, because of its absoluteness, is not changed itself. In Christ, the incarnate Word, the immanent life of God takes on a human dimension and, in so doing, perfects personhood in human terms. The abandonment of Christ on the Cross, when he felt forsaken by the Father, constituted, in human terms, the ultimate loss of self as an act of being in the Other, in the Father. This moment was the absolutising of human transcendence since it conformed to the pattern of Trinitarian interaction by virtue of the fact that Christ was both God and Man. The consequence of this interaction was the resurrection, the transformation of the entire human reality. In drawing all men to himself, therefore, Christ transforms human personhood and the human way of interacting. The Trinitarian culture can be summarised as ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ Human interaction is in a state of continual transformation by Christ but is itself the locus of encounter with him. To draw closer to the person of Christ means to interact in a way which conforms to his nature as God and Man. Interaction implies the social. It is in human relationships modelled on the Trinity and on Christ’s relationship with humanity that we are drawn not only in Christ to the Father but in Christ to one another. The Divine culture is unity and where we have unity, or at least the desire for it, we have the presence of God among humanity[19]. All humanity and all creation are in an evolving, dynamic process of being drawn together in him, the Omega Point[20]. The Spirit, as the interaction between the Father and the Son, will always seek the unity of all things. He is the pattern of love and the principle which draws order, love and coherent relatedness, out of chaos[21] and out of the nothingness ______________________________ 19 See Mt. 18:20 20 See the work of Teilhard de Chardin, especially The Phenomenon of Man, (1959:257) and The Mass on the World in “Hymn of the Universe” (1965:75-92). There is, in fact, a close affiliation between the understanding of the Trinity we find in Process Theology, of which Teihard can be seen as being an exponent, and the cultural model which I am employing above. See also A. N. Whitehead’s Process and Reality (1957). 21 Gn. 1:1-2 21 which results from the will to transcend one’s self to be ‘in’ the Other. He is present in the interaction with Christ which we call the Church and it is there that he operates through the charisms mentioned earlier which are a consequence, we can say a social consequence, of Christ’s presence in the world. It is he who renders the incarnation possible and it is he who is the agent of inculturation. The Spirit, however, is not solely confined to a conscious interaction with Christ. As the principle of unity, he was at work in the world before the Incarnation in the hearts of all mankind. His presence is transhistorical and transcultural and is evident whenever Man exercises his personhood, i.e. his capacity to transcend himself and interact with the Other out of love. As a created and relating being, Man is constantly in relation to God through the Spirit. An awareness of and reflection upon that relationship with the Divine can lead to an understanding of the demands it makes. Because of the Spirit, an individual can achieve a limited incarnation of all that is potentially good within himself. Such is the power of the Spirit that Man, despite his circumstances, is not a victim of history, i.e. he can receive salvation despite not having had the Good News announced to him. It is this idea which lies behind Justin’s semina Verbi, referred to by the Synod[22], Karl Rahner’s anonymous Christians[23] and the Church’s affirmation that salvation outside the Church is possible[24]. This process, which the Spirit carries out in the relationship of every individual with the Divine, is notoriously complex and is both difficult to define and determine with exactness. We can affirm one thing, however: because of his finiteness and the limitations which that imposes upon his way of interacting, Man cannot achieve a social unity which takes account of the wholeness of the other or of the absoluteness of God. There will always be some imbalance in the process of interaction which will translate into the particular social and cultural context. A social ‘unity’ in these circumstances is usually achieved through some form of domination in the ______________________________ 22 See Proposito 42 and EIA, 67 23 Rahner 1978: pp. 138ff. Cf. Lonergan 1973:109-110 24 Lumen Gentium, 36-45 22 relations between men and/or through the manipulation of Man’s capacity to interact with the Divine, the supernatural and the absolute. This, therefore, is why religion in some traditional African cultures can become a social tool for a ruling elite. Social unity can only come about through a relationship with Christ, the locus of all perfecting interaction between God and Man and between men. Salvation cannot be an individual affair. It fruits must be social since the fundamental characteristic of Man and the Trinity resides in communion. Inculturation must address all forms of interaction taking place within a particular culture and society. Christianity must transform cultures by radically altering the nature of relationships within society - at the level of individual to individual and that existing between an individual and his society’s institutions - so that the power of the Spirit can recreate the society. The distinction between external and internal factors precipitating social change becomes somewhat blurred since it is the Spirit who is active in as many possibilities as he can find. The Church might initially find itself as an alien, external agent of social and cultural change but, that its proposals are accepted by some members of the society, is the work of the Spirit. For the Church to advance in a particular society requires that it has a social impact and that it becomes socially visible as a new pattern of interaction which promotes social unity. Evangelisation and inculturation, in other words, can only be valid if they are rooted in relationships which conform to the will of the Father, the example of Christ and are open to the grace-filled inspiration of the Spirit. 23 Taking into account the Trinitarian implications of the Incarnation and the concept of ‘divine’ culture mentioned above, the definition of inculturation presented by Fr. Pedro Arrup S.J. will perhaps serve as a succinct way of summing up the major ideas I have presented so far about inculturation: [Inculturation is...] The incarnation of the Christian life and of the Christian message in a particular cultural context, in such a way that this experience finds expression through elements proper to the culture in question (this would be no more than a superficial adaptation) but becomes a principle that animates, directs and unifies the culture, transforming it so as to bring about a ‘new creation’.[25] In taking the Incarnation as a starting point for any subsequent ideas about inculturation, the Synod laid a Trinitarian foundation to its thought. But it was also advancing a Trinitarian ‘culture’ which can speak to all mankind. If this is the basis, then there is a hope that European culture will become less dominant in the life of the Church. Two issues, however, remain constant. The first is that evangelisation and inculturation can only be meaningful if they emerge from an experience of unity. In this case, ecclesial unity. Secondly, salvation, the bringing about of a ‘new creation’ in the particular culture and society where it is hoped the Gospel will take root, can only be achieved by addressing the modes of interaction taking place within that social context. This is why the Synod did not devote a great deal of its energies to ‘expressions’ of inculturation such as liturgies. The bulk of the Synod’s proposals and those contained in John Paul’s Ecclesia in Africa are about the social and political problems affecting Africa. The Church, as a source of hope, sees its mission no longer as one of simply winning converts but of being a force which can transform African societies and cultures so that they can be a sign of hope for the world. 3.3 Fon Fontem Asonganyi Among the Fons of the savannah cultures, Fontem Asonganyi was perhaps one of the best examples of social, political and cultural creativity. At the time of his succession in 1889, Asonganyi’s ‘kingdom’ was one of many small chiefdoms which had been founded by an ancestor who had migrated from the grasslands probably at the end of the 17th century. Through a mixture of guile, alliances and plain old violence, he absorbed many of the previously independent chiefdoms into his own and expanded his territory considerably by making war on the Mbo to the south and the Bayang to the west[32]. This expansion gave him control over vast areas of palm groves where his slaves worked to produce oil which was then sold at the markets on the grasslands. The economy of Lebang flourished greatly during Asonganyi’s reign. The core of his strategy was to establish himself as the most important middle-man in a trading system which linked the savannah and highlands with the coastal region which supplied guns, fish and European articles. Like all the savannah societies, a highly competitive spirit prevailed among the members of the Lebang society. Such ambition needed to be restrained and controlled, otherwise a chief or noble might easily find himself a victim of the intrigue and conspiracy which dominated the life of the royal courts. Asonganyi himself usurped the throne from his brother. To consolidate the position he had won for himself through war and trade, Asonganyi adapted and expanded the role of the traditional secret societies which ______________________________ 32 Cf. Brain 1971: 7-8 29 had been brought originally from the grasslands[33]. The most powerful of these, Troh (the Night Society) was an adaptation of the Aka (The Elephant Society) which had come from the savannah and which acted as a form of secret police[34]. The Night Society was used to punish criminals and to keep order but it was used above all to enforce the will of Asonganyi on his sub-chiefs and the population. The sense of terror which members of the Troh engendered among the populace when they made their appearance - usually dressed in sackcloth, leaves, masks and carrying longs staves - was not simply because of their capacity for physical violence and destruction. The real power of Troh lay in their spiritual, mystical abilities. The members of the society met at night with their leader, the Fon. During their rituals they were believed to transform themselves into supernatural beasts which resembled leopards, elephants, snakes and other ferocious animals. The whole company would then ‘fly’ to the top of a mountain peak where they feasted on human flesh. The ritual, in effect, unleashed their power as ‘witches’, a term which signified evil spirits which have the capacity of ‘eating’ the spirits of others. What is interesting is that anyone accused of witchcraft outwith the society was punished severely, even with hanging. Spiritual power, either good or evil, could only be exercised legitimately by the Fon and his inner circle. Although an individual in Lebang would pray to the creator god and call upon his blessing, the relationship with more ‘local’ gods and with one’s ancestors was often more important, practised more frequently and was also much more ritualised. This level of religious activity, however, tended to be practised among important families but generally it did not have a significance outwith the family circle. There were essentially two main aims to this familial form of religion. The first was to maintain a cordial relationship with the ancestors who were the source of identity, unity and power within the family. The second, which followed as a consequence of the first, was to obtain the ancestors’ blessing, approval and protection for the family. This communion between the past and the present, between the living and the dead demonstrates the innate social quality of ______________________________ 33 ibid., Chapter 4. 34 Cf. Maillard 1985:91-105 30 the traditional religion and probably predates the migration period since it more simple in content but also widespread among all the savannah cultures[35]. Asonganyi, however, incorporated this familial form of religion into another of the traditional institutions known as Lefem (the Gong Society). The term Lefem referred to both the society and the sacred forest, a small copse close to the Fon’s palace, where the society held its meetings. Only the Fon, his chiefs, nobles and retainers were permitted to enter the Lefem. Women, children and commoners were debarred on pain of death[36]. The forest was a physical symbol of the political and spiritual power of the Fon and it was made more potent when the Lefem society met within it. Its power was continually being augmented because witches, stillborn children, indeed anything untoward, would be buried there. Feasting and playing the sacred gongs (iron bells) was an important part of the Lefem meetings but its principal concern was to discuss social and political matters, to judge cases and decide on punishment[37]. An integral part of the meeting, however, was the offering of sacrifices to the Royal ancestors, carved figures of whom were brought to light[38]. It was believed that the showing of these statues during the Lefem rendered the ancestors present to the discussions. All the decisions arrived at, therefore, were seen as being an agreement also with the royal authority of the past[39]. Once again, therefore, we can see that the social, political and religious are contained in one event. The incorporation of the ______________________________ 35 cf. Maillard 1985: 210-215 36 cf. ibid., p. 41 37 This society has its counterpart in all the grassland Fondoms. Among those around modern-day Bamenda, it is the Kwifor society which decides affairs of state, judges cases and carries out punishments. What is unusual about Kwifor, however, is that the Fon is not a member. The Fon may rule but he is accountable to the Kwifor society which can even depose him if he is seen to be unjust. It is interesting that the pro-democracy movement which began in Cameroon in 1990 started in Bamenda which continues to be its heartland. The leader of the movement, Ni John Fru Ndi, is not only a committed Presbyterian and a member of Kwifor himself, he is also one of a rare breed in African politics, namely, an honest man. One of the central ideas of his party is the notion that government officials and leaders, i.e. the modern ‘Fons’, must be accountable to the people. 38 Bangwa carving is unique and the subject of Brain and Pollock’s study (1971). The main centre of carving was at Asonganyi’s palace in Azi, Lebang though the art spread throughout the ‘Bangwa’ area. Many of these statues were taken by the Germans in the early part of the 20th century and most of them are now housed in a special collection in Berlin. The most famous piece, “The Bangwa Princess”, was bought from the German collection by the Franklin Museum of New York for 1.5 million dollars in 1989. 39 cf. Brain, 1971:84 31 ancestors into the affairs of state, however, was Asonganyi’s innovation and further affirmed his authority since it was only the royal ancestors who were present, not those of other chiefs or commoners. Any attempt to usurp the Fon’s authority, therefore, would involve taking on the spiritual powers which maintained the order of the universe. Lefem is a clear example not only of the integral connection between the social, political and religious but also of the way in which the religious and spiritual were drafted in to support the ruling authority and the social structures. Asonganyi imported a number of other societies from neighbouring groups such as the Mbo and the Bayang. His ultimate aim would seem to have been to place everyone into one or other of these societies in order that each one knew his place and behaved accordingly. All these societies had a strong spiritual basis to them and, in emphasising the clear stratification of Lebang society, they were a reminder of the close connection between supernatural and temporal power. Asonganyi was famous for organising feasts at which the whole population would enjoy his generosity. However, all the various societies were expected to present their own dances or perform some ritual function during the occasion. The order in which these took place was strictly regulated and reflected the social hierarchy. Large celebrations such as those held by Asonganyi were typical of the savannah Fondoms. While religious rituals did have some part to play during the proceedings, and social and political power was very much in evidence, the main purpose was to create a sense of unity among everyone. The Abin ceremony of the people of Bafut deserves mention as an example of a religious ritual promoting social unity[40]. Once a year the entire population met to offer sacrifice at a waterfall near the Fon’s palace. The sacrifice, various foods and leaves, was seen as being acceptable to the ancestors if it was sucked into the whirlpool below the falls. This condition fulfilled, each person aired their complaints about ______________________________ 40 I am grateful to my friend, Rev. Aaron Su, for his explanations of this ceremony and the role of Kwifor mentioned earlier. 32 all those with whom he or she was in disagreement. After three days of emotional fireworks everyone had to drink palm wine together as a sign of reconciliation. Another sacrifice was then made and if this was ‘accepted’ by the ancestors at the waterfall, then it was believed that peace reigned in Bafut. If it was not accepted, i.e. the offering floated round without being sucked down, then those still harbouring resentments were ordered to come forward and be truly reconciled. These examples, I hope, demonstrate not only the link which existed between the religious and the socio-political but also the fact that much of the nature and function of the savannah religions was actually determined by the socio-political systems they operated in. Religion was a creation of society and its servant. 4.2 The Plantation Experience and the First Level of Inculturation In 1885, within a year of the establishment of the German Protectorate, German trading companies set up the first plantations on the fertile slopes of Mount Cameroon[47]. Initially workers were either forcibly conscripted or ‘donated’ by chiefs as a way of paying taxes to the colonial administration. While the seizure of vast amounts of land had a devastating effect upon the local Bakweri, the workers brought from the savannah region and who constituted the bulk of the labour force did not adapt well to the coastal climate. The death rate among these men has been estimated at between 30 to 50%[48]. By 1910 the situation had improved but it was only after the First World War, when the plantations came under British control, that they became more attractive to those in search of financial gain. _____________________________47 Ardener 1961:83 48 Eyongateh 1974:85 38 For the young men of the savannah, most of whom were in their early twenties, the plantations were an quick way to amass enough money for bridewealth payments. If they stayed at home they could only expect to marry in their thirties and, as most of them had no great social status within their own societies, the plantations represented an opportunity of advancing themselves. The average length of stay was 6 years[49] and by 1938 as many as 25,000 men were employed in the plantations. This would rise to 32,000 in 1953, the all-time peak[50]. Even if a large number of these men tended to come from the savannah area, no one tribal group dominated the labour force as a whole[51]. In many ways the plantation workers developed their own culture and society. The common language was pidgin English. The economy was based on cash rather than bartering. Men maintained close ties with their own countrymen but there was a great deal of mixing with those of other tribal groups. Ardener, in fact, reports that 82.5% of men preferred to live in mixed (tribal) camps and work in mixed (tribal) squads[52]. My own informants[53] confirm Ardener’s findings that there were less disputes, less competition, jealousy and witchcraft when camps and squads were mixed[54]. This was felt to be particularly true by the men from the hierarchical savannah societies and, although conditions were difficult, they often speak of life on the plantations as being more egalitarian and less restrictive socially. The plantations, therefore, catered for economic aspirations and offered a greater degree of social freedom. As a place of evangelisation and conversion the plantations provided a unique opportunity. The strict social and political structure of the savannah kingdoms ______________________________ 49 Ardener et al, 1960: 47 50 ibid., pp. 3-5 51 Ardener 1961: 89 52 ibid., p. 101 53 Stanislaus Nkeng (late) worked in the plantations in the 1920’s and 30’s and Mathias Anu from 1946-1951. 54 Ardener 1961: pp. 101-104 39 would hardly have allowed any innovation which did not support the power of the Fons and their sub chiefs. They would immediately recognised the subversive quality of Christianity since it challenged some of the basic beliefs and practices which underpinned their authority and status. Later events were to bear this out. Almost all the men who worked on the plantations attended Christian religious services at some time during their stay in the camps. However, for most the motive was usually one of simple curiosity. During the periods 1931-39 and 1946-53, 37% of men attended Roman Catholic catechism classes at one time or another. 19% completed the course and were baptised. The remainder either abandoned the classes or were baptised elsewhere after they left the plantations[55]. An examination of the question as to why these men converted to Christianity will, I believe, provide us with evidence of the initial stages of inculturation. It can be argued that by becoming involved in the European economic and industrial organisation which controlled the plantations, it was logical that workers embraced the European religion as well. This idea is based on the inextricable link which exists between economics, social organisation and religion in many African world views. Another idea, closely related to this, would suggest that enormous economic, social and military power must be backed, in an equal degree, by religious power. To put it in simpler terms, the white man’s great power comes from having a more powerful God. The fact that conversions among men of the savannah societies was proportionately higher than among other, less socially organised, groups would seem to give some support to these ideas. However, these explanations of conversion require a somewhat robotic or mercenary attitude on the part of those who became Christians. They suggest an over-structural understanding of religion and ______________________________ 55 These figures are very approximate but they perhaps give some idea of what was going on. I arrived at them by comparing statistics from Ardener’s studies of the plantations (1960 and 1961), British colonial records in Buea and the ‘Sacred Returns’ (annual statistics of sacramental life) of those parishes which served the plantations (Diocese of Buea archives). The number of baptisms could have been higher since Catholic priests, Presbyterian pastors and catechists often complained that they simply could not cope with the numbers. 40 humanity. Conversion is much more complex since it is an intensely human phenomenon. It is perhaps useful at this point to mention acculturation, a term which is often confused with inculturation but which is a distinctly different sociological concept[56]. Acculturation is the encounter between one culture and another, or the encounter between cultures. As we have seen earlier, this is perhaps the principal cause of social change. It can even be said that this dynamism is one of the principal characteristics of culture. The men working on the plantations in the post First World War period encountered some aspects of Western culture. These were mostly technological and economic. The majority of Cameroonian men rarely came into contact with their European managers. Although they were under a certain organisational domination as humble labourers, it would be stretching ideas to suggest that this constituted a form of cultural domination. The men were also free to go home at any time if they so desired. With Christianity, however, we do have a cultural encounter since it involved new ideas and new forms of behaviour. However, the process of acculturation taking place in the plantations was modified by two important factors. Firstly, in the encounter with European Christianity, men had a complete and individual freedom of choice. Secondly, the completeness and individuality of this freedom arose out of the fact that men were living in a context outwith their cultural setting. More will be said about this later, but it shows that the encounter between savannah culture and Christianity was in fact only an indirect one. Thirdly, most men who became Christians were not catechised directly by European priests, this work was done by catechists who were Cameroonians. For that reason it can perhaps be said that there was probably some form of ‘cultural filter’ in the whole process. In his discussion about conversion, Horton criticises the over-structural approach to religion, mentioned earlier, which can be a common fault among ______________________________ 56 See Shorter 1994: 6-8, 51-57. 41 many sociologists and anthropologists[57]. Although he does not use the term ‘acculturation’, the concept is contained in much of what he says about the process of conversion. We can see this when he suggests that for Christianity to take root in a given society it must often be accompanied by other external factors which are in the process of promoting social change[58]. The conversions to Christianity which took place in the plantations were the first expression of a coincidental spread of both Christianity and a new socio-economic system in the Cameroons during the early 20th century. This phenomenon apparently confirms Horton’s claim, arrived at in similar circumstances, that a widening of economic relations promotes a deeper awareness of God as the Supreme Being and facilitates an increased relationship with Him to the detriment of more local ‘gods’ such as the ancestors[59]. This association, even the perception of a causal relationship, between the spread of Christianity and social/economic development surfaces frequently in the conversations of Christians who converted during the colonial period. If we examine what they say in more detail we can see that the personal and social impact they often ascribe to Christianity has three dimensions. The first is, as Horton observes, a greater awareness of and relationship with the Supreme God which has a side-effect of diminishing, even eliminating, the importance of the ancestors. The second, which is a consequence of the first, is that personal conduct is influenced, even determined by the relationship with the Divine. This is also accompanied by a corresponding increase of the sense of personal responsibility. All religious and social activity, therefore, serves the Supreme God. This dimension weakens the position of the Fon and the ancestors in the socio-religious equation. The third impact which the first Christians of the plantations often speak of is that Christianity opened their eyes not simply to the wider world, but also to a new and better way of living together with others. The plantations certainly provided a release from the socially restrictive atmosphere ______________________________ 57 See Horton & Peel, 1976: 481-498. Also Horton, 1971 and 1975. 58 See Horton 1971:102-107 59 Horton 1971:103 and Horton & Peel 1976:482-483. 42 of savannah society, particularly if you were a young man without a title, land or wives, but what is important to note here is the awareness that, within a Christian community, social relationships were not to be dominated by the fear of social, political and mystical power such as that wielded by the Fons. All were equal in the eyes of a God who demanded obedience to the law of love. Justice and social conduct, therefore, were to be regulated by an immutable code which had its origin outwith the human society. This shift in thinking represented an enormous break with the traditional system of religious ideas and practices which relied on the will and political interests of the Fon. It, therefore, constituted a fundamental change for the social role of religion in the savannah societies. In principle, religion was no longer to be determined by the socio-political system which it was expected to serve but, rather, the pattern of relationships which governed the order of society would themselves be determined by reference to a set of religious ideals which were independent of that social system. This about-turn, I would argue, was one of the vital elements in bringing about a first level of the inculturation of the gospel message among the first Christians who originated from the savannah cultures, i.e. that in terms of moral consciousness the relationship with the Christian God and the demands inherent to that relationship became the determining factor for social behaviour (and, therefore, society) and was the base line against which this would be judged. Although the product of this first level of inculturation was a sense of psychological and spiritual liberation, we have to bear in mind that its realisation was only possible in circumstances where individuals of that culture were no longer under the control of the ruling forces of savannah society. An increase in social freedom facilitated greater spiritual freedom which in turn provided the opportunity for spiritual discovery. At this point, one might argue that the new Christians of the plantations had merely exchanged one set of rulers for another. By becoming Roman Catholics they had put themselves under the strict regime of the Catholic hierarchy who were represented locally by missionary priests. In 1921 there were only four priests working in the entire British Cameroons. Even when more missionaries 43 arrived later they were often assigned to setting up new missions further inland. The result, therefore, was that Christians in the plantations were often left to fend for themselves. A priest would perhaps say Mass in one or two of the plantation missions each Sunday and leave the running of the Christian community to a small committee of Christians who were headed by a catechist. These small bands of Christians scattered throughout the numerous camps maintained their own sense of ‘Church’ and regulated themselves. Ecclesiastical control, therefore, was minimal. The minimal contact with European missionaries certainly ensured a lack of cultural domination in the process of acculturation but one wonders to what degree the Christians of the Cameroonian plantations were ‘orthodox’ in terms of Roman Catholicism. This, I doubt, can ever be measured accurately. Furthermore, the situation was complicated by another important factor in the evangelisation process, namely, the difficulty of communicating complex ideas from one culture to another. This often led to what Isichei describes as a working misunderstanding between European missionaries and their African converts[60], i.e. both parties were aware that what the priest was saying was not necessarily the same as what converts understood. Human affairs are frequently riddled with such approximations and compromise. Looking at the plantations experience, I am inclined to believe that the low level of involvement of the ‘official’ Church is a necessary component in the initial stages of primary evangelisation[61] since it allowed these first Christians the space and flexibility to come to terms with their new faith without it being completely alien. It perhaps allowed the Spirit to work ______________________________ 60 Isichei, 1970: 214 61 This was the core idea of Vincent Donovan’s Christianity Rediscovered: An Epistle to the Masai (1978). While some of his proposals for missionary work are refreshing, his approach is minimalist in the extreme. According to Donovan, a missionary had no other task than to go and announce the basic facts about Jesus Christ and then leave the formation of ecclesial structures and liturgy to those whom he had ‘evangelised’. The tone of the first half of the book is distinctly arrogant. The second half recounts his own experience of working among the Masai. For anyone who knows Africa, his ideas are not only wooly but also show that he understood very little about the Masai. Essentially he mistook the hospitality and politeness of his Masai hosts as a thirst for the Gospel. The book was hailed as a milestone by those in the West who had never been involved in any missionary work. Its success inspired him, after three years of missionary work, to take up an appointment in an American university as its guru in missiology. His Masai ‘missions’ did not survive his departure since the only factor which could keep them together was Donovan’s own enthusiasm. 44 undisturbed in the exchange of ideas between men of similar backgrounds and culture so that they were able to arrive at an understanding which, while open to the universal aspects of Catholicism, was seen as relevant to their own particular situation. The sense of collective identity was an essential factor in the realisation of this first level of inculturation. The liberation from the social and spiritual fear which characterised savannah society constituted one of the main bonding factors among converts and this was maintained through the twice-daily prayer meetings. Men would meet for morning and evening prayer where further doctrine was taught and individual problems and disputes were discussed. Like any small group, the sharing and possession of ‘new’ knowledge, particularly where some form of ritual initiation was involved, strengthened the bond between members and created a unique sense of identity. However, the sense of belonging to something wider and more universal, the Catholic Church, was also an important part of this sense of identity even if the men had only a limited contact with it. The sheer strength and depth of faith which these first Christians possessed, combined with their profound knowledge and understanding of Catholic doctrine, is still legendary and an inspiration to Catholics in Cameroon today. To summarise, therefore, the first level of inculturation saw a new relationship with the Supreme God. Religious belief and practice were a consequence of that relationship and, therefore, were no longer determined by the social and political interests of a ruling elite. Instead, social relations themselves were to be determined by reference to the demands of the relationship with God. The product of this new relationship was also a sense of psychological and spiritual liberation which was affirmed through an intensely collective experience. The sense of Christian identity which resulted from this, while limited by a lack of contact with European missionaries, was, nonetheless, aware of and open to the universal character of the Catholic Church. 45 4.3 Conflict, Schools and the Second Level of Inculturation When the converts from the plantations returned to their villages, it was not long before small Christian communities sprang up all over the high savannah area. The story of how many of these came into being is a fascinating one but there is not the space available here to tell it. Despite the fact that there were many of them, there seems to have been very little communication between these groups. There were many reasons for this: the mountainous nature of the terrain, hostility between villages and kingdoms, but more often than not there was a lack of awareness that there actually were other groups. Up until the 1940’s those communities which were not near a main mission could only expect a visit from a priest perhaps every five or six months. As with the plantations, therefore, communities had to run their own affairs. However, while these communities bore a great similarity to those of the plantations, i.e. twice-daily prayer meetings, a great sense of solidarity, etc., it was not long before they came into conflict with the traditional authorities. Christians refused to comply with or participate in a number of traditional practices, the principal of which were: taking part in oath swearing when witchcraft was the suspected cause of illness or death, operations on corpses to divine the cause of death, polygamy and becoming part of traditional societies. In a society which had a strong sense of morality, the behaviour of these Christians was seen as intolerable because it threatened the fundamental principles which held society together. Opinions hardened on both sides and Christians found themselves under constant suspicion and persecution. During the period between the defeat of the German colonial power in 1915 and the establishment of British rule in the early 1920’s the Fons reasserted their authority and control over their kingdoms[62]. Christians suffered considerably as a consequence. Unlike the ______________________________ 62 For example, Fontem Asonganyi burned down the mission and expelled anyone trying to proselytise in his area. In Shisong in Banso country several leading Christians were murdered. Many Christians from the grasslands fled to the coast where towns such as Victoria and Tiko were beginning to develop. 46 plantations where Christians had lived together, the Christians on the savannah lived with relatives who did not share their new found beliefs. It is not surprising, therefore, to discover that many of these first Christians succumbed to family pressure and abandoned Christianity. Although, at first glance, the growth rate in the membership of the Church seemed to be almost static during this period (1915-1922), my own investigations into Church records show that there was a steady flow of new catechumens. This suggests several interesting facts. The first is that the sudden and complete absence of foreign missionaries did not prevent new conversions. This shows that the essential work of evangelisation was in the hands of lay Cameroonians, usually catechists. Although there was a lack of official Church structures, communities did attract new members and did so despite persecution. This, I believe, shows that there was some degree of inculturation of the Christian faith. Conversations with surviving members of these communities suggests that it bore many of the same features as the first level of inculturation dealt with in the last section. An important element which enabled these communities to survive during the 1915-1922 period was, I believe, the rigourous catechumenate which new converts had to undergo. How long these communities would have continued to survive or how ‘Catholic’ they would have remained is difficult to determine. The establishment of British rule and the return of missionaries in 1922 provided the with some relief. However, one tactic employed by the missionaries to safeguard communities was to have all the Christians living together in one place[63]. Disagreements about religious practice still persisted but the main conflicts became political. Chiefs and catechists frequently clashed over questions of authority. The British, because of their policy of Indirect Rule, almost always took sides with the traditional authorities in any disputes between chiefs and Christians. There were many examples of catechists being ______________________________ 63 This became a common practice throughout Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chinua Achebe refers to one of these Christian communities in his novel Things Fall Apart (1958) and provides a good example of how they were regarded by the rest of society. 47 imprisoned[64], priests being fined or expelled from the country[65] and ordinary Christians being flogged[66] because all of them were seen as usurping traditional authority in one way or another. This tension between Christians and their local traditional authorities was matched at a higher level by the animosity between the missionaries and the British colonial administration[67]. Christian communities, therefore, often felt themselves to be under a state of seige. The 1940 agreement whereby the British colonial administration would provide finance for primary schools run by the Catholic Mission[68] marked a significant step in the evangelisation process and in the development of the Church in the savannah area. A large number of schools were opened and although not compelled to do so, many children became Christians. From the parents’ point of view, the education of their children promised long term economic benefits when their children would be able to earn salaries and hold posts of responsibility. The relationship between missionaries, colonial administrators and traditional authorities, therefore, swiftly changed to one of close cooperation since the schools neatly served all their separate interests. However, by handing their children over to the mission and allowing them to become Christians, parents were effectively undermining many of their own traditional beliefs. Perhaps they were not aware of the full power of education or were prepared to compromise their beliefs in order to achieve economic power. Some of the Fons, at least, were conscious of the threat of mission schools to their culture and would only reluctantly accept Native Authority schools which ______________________________ 64 See Rex versus Nkeng, Mamfe Court, November 1929, File Nc/c (Mf), Buea Archives (BA). 65 See Interference With Native Courts, File sd. 1928/4 and File sd. 1931/5 (BA); Complaints Against Roman Catholic Mission, File sd. 1930/1; Confidential Memorandum from D.O. Mamfe - A.E. Tweed to Resident, Buea, 25th September 1928: Complaint against Fr. Ham. 66 See Roman Catholic Mission, Bamenda, File sd. 1928/2 (BA). 67 See the 1925-34 correspondance between Mgr. Peter Rogan M.H.M., Vicar Apostolic and E. Arnett, Resident, Buea in which Rogan complained about the many examples of injustice shown against Christians by traditional rulers and the colonial authorities. (Roman Catholic Archives, Buea and Bambui, Bamenda) 68 See footnote 46, p.33. 48 were run directly by the colonial administration and where religion was not taught. As well as providing a means of mass evangelisation, the schools also provided the missionaries with another, equally important function, i.e. they were able to exert a greater control over Christian communities, their formation and their development. This was possible also because it coincided with an increase in the number of missionaries arriving in the grasslands during the post Second World War period when there was a boom in priestly and religious vocations throughout Europe. Priests supervised the running of the primary schools within their parishes where the headmasters and teachers were Cameroonian, often men who had become Christians on the plantations. The small number of secondary schools which the Catholic Mission opened were staffed entirely by priests who saw them as an opportunity to create a Catholic elite. The curriculum in both forms of schools aimed at providing a western-style education but the over all educational vision was one of full human development with religion and spirituality being accorded great importance. In many ways the schools bore great similarities to the plantation experience, for example, they operated outwith the control of the traditional social and political system. However, even if those teaching were largely Christians of the savannah culture, the spiritual and catechetical formation was much more formal and exact. It was not long before the mission schools produced people who would go on to become civil servants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen and politicians. The fact that the introduction of schools made Christianity more acceptable in the eyes of traditional society was closely linked to the economic growth experienced in Cameroon during the post war period. People identified Christianity, education and the new economic system as part of a single phenomenon which had its origin in the Western world. That perception was correct in terms of political, economic and social power. One of the consequences of this was that the 1950’s saw the beginning of the end for the Fons and their ability to rigidly control the lives of their subjects. Their power 49 was gradually being handed over to the Cameroonians who had received a western-style education or who had become wealthy through commerce[69]. These individuals effectively became the ‘Fons’ of the new society since they understood the new dispensation, were products of it and it was they who controlled the direction in which society was going. It came as no surprise that the political movement which led to the independence of West Cameroon (later united with the Republic of Cameroun) was exclusively in the hands of individuals who had been through mission schools. The government of West Cameroon, in fact, was made up predominantly of Christians from the savannah region. The religosity and moral rectitude of these leaders was in sharp contrast to their counterparts in the government of the Republic of Cameroun, formerly the French Cameroun. The French colonisers seemed to have instilled their own traditional anti-Church sentiments in their successors as well as their penchant for accepting bribes. Even in their retirement and old age, those grassland Christians who passed through mission schools in the 1940’s and 50’s still exhert a great moral influence on society today. During the mid-twentieth century, therefore, Christianity became a social force through the lives of those who had been educated by the mission. The acceptance of the Church, gained through the schools and the increased presence of missionaries, permitted a more complete programme of spiritual and ecclesial formation. The development of a fuller Catholic identity, where Christians were much more conscious of their similarity to and links with the Christians in the rest of the Church throughout the world, corresponded to an expansion of social consciousness where people were much more aware of a national sense of identity as Cameroonians and of their place in the whole human community. The social and political stability experienced during the 1950’s, as well as the expectations of independence for Cameroon, had, I believe, a significant influence upon this whole sense of being open to a much wider spiritual and ______________________________ 69 An attempt was made to incorporate them into the new political system through the creation of the House of Chiefs, an assembly modelled on the House of Lords in Britain. Its function was primarily consultative but it eventually disappeared when the two Cameroons were united in 1965. See Eyongateh 1974: 159, 164. 50 human reality. This period of the history of Cameroon, in fact, was characterised by a spirit of enthusiasm and idealism. New ideas, new visions of society were being called for and, in many ways, only Christians were able to meet this demand. Here, I would suggest, we can see a second level of the inculturation of the Christian faith. At a point when the official Church was principally concerned with the establishment of its own structures and the formation of its members, individual Christians were making a considerable impact upon the society around them. Their activity was inspired by their relationship with Christ but that relationship was experienced in social terms within the Church. It was this which enabled them to have a social vision which sought to bring unity to the wider society and to promote the full development of the human spirit. 4.5 The Church as a Sign of Hope: Toward a Third Level of InculturationIn the midst of the social and political upheaval of 1991-92, which saw much of Cameroon paralysed by disorder and the political opposition’s prolonged campaign of civil disobedience against the authoritarian regime of President Paul Biya, both sides became aware that the situation was spiralling out of control and 53 appealed to Cardinal Tumi to mediate in the dispute in order to restore some calm. At a 1995 meeting of all the principals of government secondary schools of Cameroon one of them proposed that religion and morality become a compulsory subject for students and that the whole process should be supervised and run by the Catholic and Presbyterian Churches. In an impromptu vote, against the wishes of the Minister of National Education, 90% of those present accepted the proposal. The Minister rejected the idea. Both these events, there are many others, reveal a growing awareness that the Christian churches perhaps represent the only stable institutions in Cameroon today which can offer some light in the current social and political morass. Not everyone has agreed with this. President Biya, ex-seminarian, ex-Roman Catholic, now a Rosicrucian, was highly critical of the Catholic hierarchy whom he saw as precipitating and aggravating the situation through a number of pastoral letters which they had published in recent years[75]. Some of these laid the blame for the country’s woes fairly and squarely at the door to the presidential palace[76]. Others were interpreted by Biya as openly provocative and led him to accuse the Bishops of meddling in politics which he believed that they had no right to do so[77]. The broad mass of people in Cameroon, however, welcomed these pastoral letters and accepted that they were motivated by an evangelical sense of justice and a genuine desire to help the country. The hierarchy were seen not only as being impartial but as being the one body which was truly ‘national’ and undivided. The Catholic Bishops, however, are conscious that while they are compelled to speak out in the role of the conscience of the nation, they must be extremely cautious. It would be all too easy to accept the apple of temptation which plagued the Church in similar circumstances during the Middle Ages in Europe, namely, becoming the arbitrator in political power struggles. Their role ______________________________ 75 See: Cameroon Tribune (the government controlled bi-weekly newspaper), Tuesday, 4th June 1991. 76 See: The Economic Crisis and its effects on Cameroon, Cameroon Bishops, 1990. 77 See: The process of democratisation, Cameroon Bishops, 1991 and Human Rights in Cameroon, Archbishop Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda, 1993. 54 must always be what Ecclesia in Africa described as: ‘being the voice of the voiceless’ and a sign of unity and the love of God for their society[78]. The activity of the Catholic hierarchy of Cameroon presents what appears to be signs of a third level of inculturation which needs to be translated into the local situation throughout the country. This is when the Church becomes not only a social force which promotes social unity, justice, peace and an integral vision of human life but is itself a witness to these when there is a deep communion not only among the Bishops but among all the members of the Church. It is in that communion, where relationships conform to a trinitarian pattern, that Christ is able to make his salvific presence felt in human/social terms. In some ways the task of the Church in the savannah area of western Cameroon is to recreate society and facilitate the emergence of a new culture without, at the same time, assuming social or political power over it. If we examine the Church in the western savannah as it is today, we can see some initial signs that the third level of inculturation is beginning to take place. Many Christians are as guilty as the rest of the members of society for the all-pervasive corruption but there is growing spirit of renewal. Nonetheless, there are still a great number of totally committed Christians who have maintained the dedication and personal integrity of the Christians of the past. Small communities, outstations, still run their own affairs and manage to survive despite the influence of materialism. However, it is with the recent emergence of small groups and associations within the Church that we begin to see some signs of a deeper communion and the ordinary level of the parish. The character of these groups is ______________________________ 78 EIA 70, 98, 131-135. Archbishop Jean Zoa of Yaounde was criticised within Cameroon and by others abroad for his close association with Paul Biya who at one time was one of his students. He was attacked for this by his fellow bishops at the meeting of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon in Bertoua in April 1991 and even reduced to tears. Zoa changed his position after this and became outspoken against the government when Archbishop Yves Plumy was assassinated. His ties with Biya were completely severed after the murder, probably by the security forces, of a number of priests and nuns of his diocese. Since the murder (almost surely by the secret police) of the Jesuit, Englebert Mveng, probably one of the greatest minds in the history of the Church in Cameroon, Jean Zoa has adopted an extremely hostile attitude towards Biya and his government. See L’Effort Camerounais, Mgr. Zoa’s sermon: ‘Notre pays est comme un homme tombé aux mains des bandits’ (Our country is like a man who fell among thieves), No. 48 (1045), 8th June 1996. 55 interesting because we see many aspects which recall factors which were integral to savannah culture[79]. Even if savannah society is experiencing a deep crisis, the desire for social unity still remains a fundamental characteristic of the people of the grasslands. As has been noted, despite the social crisis, the family as an institution is still strong even if it has changed in some respects. The groups which have emerged in the savannah Church during the 90’s are becoming popular precisely because they satisfy the need to belong to a small family style group where social, religious and spiritual unity can be experienced. They perhaps perform the same function as the traditional societies of the past which grouped together people of a similar status, occupation or interest. In some ways there is much in common here with the rise of religious sects throughout Africa. However, where the sects often close in on themselves and become exclusive, the Catholic groups and associations tend to have to work together at times when there is a parochial or diocesan event[80]. The groups also affirm at a local level that ‘multiculturalism’ not only respects particular needs but actually enriches the local Church as a whole. I have deliberately refrained from dealing with the use of symbols and the ‘expressions’ of culture throughout since these are not the culture itself. As I mentioned in the introduction, the debate about inculturation too often - and wrongly in my opinion - focuses on these externals to the detriment of real issues. In the context of the savannah society, many of the old symbols and dances are used in the liturgy but those using them, particularly the young, have only a vague idea of their original significance. We cannot use dead symbols to resurrect a dead culture. One of the tasks facing the Church is to redefine the meaning of those symbols in the context of its search for communion. An expression of faith is only valid if it serves the objectives of that faith. For the 79 For example: The St. Jude’s Society, The Fr. Tansy Society, Choir groups, Word of Life, Focolare, Maranatha, Charismatic Renewal, the Third Order of St. Francis, Christian Family Movement, New Families. While some have been imported from the Church in the West, they are distinctly ‘African’ in the way they operate. 80 Problems do arise. The leader of Maranatha, a priest, was recently hauled over the coals because his group was seen to be excluding itself from the life of the diocese and adopting attitudes which undermined communion with the other members of the Church. 56 Church of the savannah society today that means that symbols, both old and new, must affirm the relationships of love, the pattern of divine culture and the communion of the Church. They must not become so exclusive as to impair the Church’s openness towards those belonging to the host society, to those of other neighbouring societies and to the universality of the Church. The African Church’s use of ancient symbols, therefore, must beware of freezing culture and turning it into folklore. There is, I feel, too much looking to the past. That is understandable when one considers the damage done to culture by the colonial powers[81]. The Church in Africa has to create new symbols and new expressions which are equally ‘African’. However, it must also be careful that ‘inculturated liturgies’ do not affirm tribal differences and alienate others[82] at a time when the negative effects of tribalism are evident throughout the continent. It cannot add liturgical insult to social injury. The small groups and associations, therefore, perhaps show signs of the coming of a third level of inculturation in the Church in the western savannah where the Church will become a social force which makes its contribution to the healing of society. Perhaps what we are seeing is a spiritual return to an ecclesial form of village life, where each village is in communion with the others throughout the Church and where the Spirit is can pour out his gifts in a more manageable social context. 81 It is not surprising that francophone Catholic theologians are the most vociferous in their demand for inculturation and a relaxing of Rome’s strict control of Church life. The French and Belgians actively sought to demean and destroy traditional culture in their African colonies. One has only to read Jean-Marc Ela’s African Cry, and My Faith as an African to get some idea of the smouldering resentment in the hearts of francophone writers. 82 This, unfortunately, is a common complaint from those who travel outwith their own areas. The reservations I express here do not come from a desire to affirm ‘Roman-ness’ over ‘African-ness’ - I enjoy our liturgies immensely. Our concern must primarily be charity and communion. 57
2279	dbpedia	2	65	https://www.academia.edu/49304375/Catholic_Church_in_selected_African_countries_Historical_pastoral_perspective	en	Catholic Church in selected African countries. 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A study of five documents of Vatican II reveals that Small Christian Communities are one of the great fruits of the council and an awakening of the church as the People/Nation of God. The founding fathers of AMECEA had a vision of implementing Vatican II’s ecclesiology of communion in Eastern Africa that focused on the communion (koinonia) and service (diakonia) aspects. Both African Synods built on the foundations of Vatican II and highlighted the pastoral and missionary role of SCCs. This article integrates the positions of three speakers at the Theological Symposium 2013. Pastoral, parish-based SCCs are part of the “new face” of the parish and a significant part of a new way of being parish from below. The parish is a communion or network of SCCs within the “communion of communities” ecclesiology. Today there are over 160,000 Small Christian Communities in the nine AMECEA countries in Eastern Africa. Kenya alone has over 45,000 SCCs. We are optimistic that the experience of SCCs as a New Model of Church from the grassroots as witnessed by SCC members in Africa will bring significant changes in new pastoral structures corresponding to our contemporary communion ecclesiology and the ecclesial reality on the local level. The general theme of the present volume of our journal is “Governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa”. The theme was chosen before the Covid19 crisis began in most African countries, including Nigeria. The idea was to explore, in particular, the significance, challenges, opportunities, and prospects of leadership. The emergence of the covid-19 crisis, though a coincidence, turned out to present new challenges and opportunities, and perhaps highlighted other latent challenges, in the governance. The crisis has led consecrated persons to seek or to explore new approaches to living a life in common, open new possibilities of mission, to consider new ways of living out their apostolate. At least, it called everyone to reflect anew on the ways to lead and live consecrated life in times of worldwide emergency crisis and attendant restrictions such as those caused by this pandemic. Through articles from various perspectives, this edition proposes studies and perspectives on some vital issues and the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of governance in Institutes of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church in Africa. Chapter in an forthcoming Orbis Book (Maryknoll, NY) from the Third Theological Colloquium on Church, Religion and Society in Africa (TCCRSA III) in Nairobi, Kenya in July, 2015 on the Theme: “An Agenda for Vatican III: Ideas, Issues, and Resources from Africa or the World Church.” Treats: 1. "Introduction: Be Bold and Creative" 2. "Rethinking the Structures and Styles of Governing and Decision-making." 3. "From the Perspective of SCCs in Eastern Africa." 4. Pastoral Solutions to the Two Meanings of the Eucharistic Famine in Africa 5. "Integrating African Process and African Content." 6. "Relevance for the Catholic Church in North America and Europe." 7. "Conclusion: Let Us Journey Ahead Together."
2279	dbpedia	1	67	https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/	en	St. Martin de Porres blog - Binju-Nkambe	https://s0.wp.com/i/blank.jpg	https://s0.wp.com/i/blank.jpg	[ "https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/letterhead_770x140.gif", "https://i0.wp.com/leffortcamerounais.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/11/frtantoweb_2.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/leffortcamerounais.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/11/holysacrament.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RrHh2Gn4UII/AAAAAAAAADc/62Vqi5yrmWw/s320/Watson_at_50years_of_servic.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RrHcy2n4UHI/AAAAAAAAADU/wwpuz24UI6w/s320/13th_Batch_of_graduating_Counselors.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp0.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RnFS-Pqx2EI/AAAAAAAAADE/2R-cLVM2l0Y/s320/picture+2.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RnFUr_qx2FI/AAAAAAAAADM/O7k-Uio9ytc/s320/Custodians+photo1.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl301o3CvTI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Pz6uurz60jA/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+099.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl34qo3CvUI/AAAAAAAAAC8/gbkXBmTqqF0/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+095.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rl2wCY3CvSI/AAAAAAAAACs/9VEvVG-4Tpc/s320/Jubilee+at+Tabenken+Confirmations+in+Binju+010.jpg", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/Rjp_6i-ZKfI/AAAAAAAAACU/HrtaCNAiRJk/s320/S4021048.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp2.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RjqDAS-ZKgI/AAAAAAAAACc/c-u8OfbIyDk/s320/S4021067.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp3.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RjqIOi-ZKhI/AAAAAAAAACk/5Y5mkVQyVgg/s320/S4021089.JPG", "https://i0.wp.com/bp0.blogger.com/_vdr6W_hSKrc/RiqN5nUi87I/AAAAAAAAACM/nn2C8VOrWtg/s320/Priestly-Ordination-20076%5B1%5D.jpg", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=48&d=identicon", "https://s2.wp.com/i/logo/wpcom-gray-white.png", "https://s2.wp.com/i/logo/wpcom-gray-white.png", "https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?v=noscript" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Posts about Uncategorized written by binjunkambe	en	https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico	St. Martin de Porres blog - Binju-Nkambe	https://binjunkambe.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/	Father, we understand that you are the brain behind the installation of the internet in most parishes in the Kumbo Diocese. What motivated you to embark on such a project? I have always strived to use existing media and seek new ones to communicate the message of the Gospel, especially to young people. In many ways, these young people have helped me to be forward looking, somewhat of a visionary. Modern communications, particularly the internet, do not only offer us a variety of media with which to transmit the Good News but have given birth to a ‘new culture’. How could a catechist, like me, or anyone involved in the work of evangelisation, hope to integrate the message of Christ into this culture if he fails to use the means available, which are responsible for the new culture? That is why I use the most appropriate means to answer the challenges posed by the new culture. Working with young people I felt the challenge to be always creative, inventive, looking for the “in-thing” and being up to date, at least, in the knowledge of fashions, styles, expressions and so on. The spirit to embrace new methods and try new skills was daily nurtured in me. The progression seems to me only natural: I used chalk a lot when I depended on the chalk board to get the message across; I used paper an awful lot in group dynamics, then I waded into what I consider the age of the audio tape. I collected loads of tapes and a wide range of musicians that were in vogue in the 60s and 70s; then came the age of the telephone, the camera, then fax, then computer, computer fax and the internet is the latest, the most inviting perhaps, but also the most challenging of the media. It is now the “in-thing”. And attached to it is the Digital Camera! It all comes to me as a process of growth and advancement in my job of communicating the message of the Gospel. The internet needs constant back up technical services. Do you have the qualified manpower to provide these services in Kumbo? For technical services, we have a well trained, very dedicated young man at the service of the diocese. Mr Bernard Kong was groomed by the Diocesan Youth Ministry of Kumbo. We have a partnership with the Diocese of Limburg in Germany where he was trained and came back home to set up the Diocesan Printing and Communications Centre (PCC) of which he is the pioneer and current Manager. He offers in-service training to those with whom he runs the Centre. We have another young man, Bernard Afor, whom we sponsored to train at Bamenda to run the Binju-Nkambe Internet Café and maintain the system. There is Denis Tarawo, who manages the Cyber Café at the Diocesan Youth Centre, who was also trained in Bamenda With the services of these three we do manage to keep our set up and running, although we do not hesitate to call on outside assistance when the need arises. How accessible is the internet in the Kumbo Diocese to priests, the religious and other lay pastoral workers? Priests, Religious and all Lay Pastoral Workers serving in any office in the Bishop’s House Complex now have computers and internet service as a regular component of office equipment. Currently, there is a study to extend the internet services of PCC to the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and to the Minor Seminary in Kitiwum. Priests, religious and lay people have easy access to the Cyber Cafés situated at PCC (near the Diocesan Garage) and at the John Paul II Youth Centre. Priests are even offered browsing time at a rate lower than the general public. The Binju-Nkambe Cyber Café in Nkambe Town is open to the general public including priests, religious and lay pastoral workers. The browsing time at Nkambe is cheaper than at Kumbo and has the same rate for all. Although the internet services have been put within the reach of everybody, there are, unfortunately some priests and religious and lay pastoral workers who do not show any interest in it at all. Does the Diocese of Kumbo have any comprehensive policy or guidelines as far as the internet is concerned? As I just said, some priests and pastoral workers do not show any interest in the internet, not even in the use of the computer for regular work. Quite a few blame their lack of interest on the lack of computers in the places where they serve. As of now the Diocese of Kumbo does not have any comprehensive policy about the use of the internet. The former bishop strongly advised priests to get into the use of computers to run their parishes and even indicated that the responsibility devolved on the Finance Committees of Parishes to budget for and acquire computers for the parishes. But I suppose it takes a very interested priest to convince his Finance Committee that such an expensive gadget is a worthwhile investment for the parish. The internet poses enormous challenges not only to contemporary society, in general, and the Church, in particular. What measures, if any, has the Diocese put in place to ensure the appropriate use of the internet by its faithful? The Diocese has taken steps to make the internet accessible to many people, which is an indication of the Diocese’s appreciation of this tool in evangelisation. Apart from the services offered at Kumbo and Nkambe, there is also a website for the Binju-Nkambe Parish, which is being visited by many people all over the world; there is also the Kumbo-Limburg website, which opens up for study and understanding the partnership that exists between the two dioceses. Apart from the courses offered to young people at the Diocesan Youth Centre, at PCC and at the Girls and Boys Town Cyber-Café of Binju-Nkambe, there is little or no formal training for priests, religious and lay pastoral workers on the use of the media and of the internet in particular. People need training to be able to use the internet in their work. Some have never looked at the websites I just referred to, because they are not able to face the technology. There is a great but unanswered need for professional training for those directly involved in the media. They need both doctrinal and spiritual formation to be able to function appropriately in the media for the good of the Church. One notes with regret that the internet tends to distance children from their parents. Some parents even attempt to stop their children browsing. That is futile. There is no stopping of young people and children becoming more familiar with the internet than their parents. And since most parents are basically internet illiterate, one would expect our schools to teach the young children who come to them the skills to use the internet so as to distinguish the bad from the good and make right choices when they eventually get fully exposed to it. What is the situation in our Catholic colleges? Our Catholic Colleges are not yet including internet fee in their tuition or providing internet services to their students. This, to me, constitutes a loss of opportunities for the young people who attend our schools to receive proper education in the use of this new technology. I think this is a dangerous neglect. The argument that we may lose students if we increase the fees by including an internet-use levy is not credible to me. We are probably losing students to other institutions because we fail to provide access to the internet which they easily find elsewhere. By failing to provide them with adequate and relevant internet and computer training, we are failing to prepare them to face the world that is increasingly becoming ever more secularised. I believe that if we want our young people to be the good and successful citizens of the state and the church today and tomorrow, then we must train them in the use of modern technological innovations such as the internet. Listening to you, Father, it would seem not much is being done in the Kumbo Diocese to promote evangelisation through the internet. The two websites: for Binju-Nkambe Parish and for Kumbo-Limburg are small beginnings to do evangelisation via the internet. Celebrations of faith events that get put on the websites are read by many both in the country and out of the country. Many people have come to know our pastoral strategies through these websites. Interestingly, I noticed many non-Catholics browsing our website in Nkambe and writing questions to me about events they read on the website. Our sister Churches in Europe have appreciated some of the efforts we make locally and contributed to the building of our infrastructure, thanks to the information they get on the internet. The internet has replaced a bogus library in my case. I find very easy access to the documents of the Church, to Theological Discussions and Scientific Research. When I still ran Catholic Programmes on the Donga-Mantung Community Radio, the internet was my immediate source of Catholic news and meditation on various topics. The feedback I got was that many people who listened to my radio programmes got attracted to the Catholic Church, or at least got a little insight into what the Catholic Church is all about. A lot more could be done if more people learnt to use the internet. What future for the internet in Kumbo? I think the internet has come to stay. The challenges are enormous, but it is one of those things which tend to survive better in difficulties. You see, the internet department of the Girls and Boys Town Project in Binju-Nkambe suffered terrible damages by lightning. For four months, it was out of function. Many said it was Father Tanto’s business and since Tanto was moving to Tobin the service had ended. But because the users had been exposed to so much and had come to depend on the internet for many things, many of them kept appealing to us to make it work again. We did reinstate it at a terrific cost. But the good news is that more young people are registering for training, and the users are pouring into the café. Last Word?
2279	dbpedia	1	71	https://www.camerounweb.com/CameroonHomePage/general/religion.php	en	Overview Religion in Cameroon	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico	[ "https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/logo_desktop.png", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Biya-Pape.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Clerge.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Cath_Yde.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Cath_Dla.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Overview Religion in Cameroon	fr	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico		https://www.camerounweb.com/CameroonHomePage/general/religion.php	State and religion The preamble of the Constitution affirms the secularity of the Cameroonian State: "The State is secular. The neutrality and Independence of the State towards all religions are guaranteed. " The Constitution of Cameroon provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. Government policy contributes to the generally free practice of religion. There were no reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious belief or practice. The country is generally characterized by a high degree of religious tolerance. Christianity and Islam are the two main religions in Cameroon. Christian churches and Muslim centres of various denominations operate freely throughout Cameroon. Approximately 70 % of the population is at least nominally Christian, 21 % is nominally Muslim and 6 % practise traditional indigenous religious beliefs. Groups that constitute less than 5 % of the population include Orthodox Jews, the Bahai Faith, and persons who do not associate themselves with any particular religious movement. The Christian population is divided between Roman Catholics (38.4 % of the total population), Protestants (26.3 %), and other Christian denominations (including Jehovah's Witnesses) (4 %). Christians and Muslims are found in every region, although Christians are concentrated chiefly in the southern and western provinces. There is significant internal migration. Large cities have significant populations of both groups, with churches and mosques often located near each other The two Anglophone provinces of the western region largely are Protestant and the Francophone provinces of the southern and western regions are largely Catholic. In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani (Fula: Ful?e; French: Peul or Peuhl) ethnic group is mostly Muslim, but the overall population is fairly evenly mixed between Muslims, Christians, and animists, each often living in its own community. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Province is largely Muslim. Traditional indigenous religious beliefs are practised in rural areas throughout the country but rarely are practised publicly in cities, in part because many indigenous religious groups are intrinsically local in character. There are 40 000 adherents of the Bahá'í Faith in the country. By 2001 the Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was registered with the Government of Cameroon as one of the few non-Christian religions. There is a tiny population of Jews in Cameroon who have established ties with the wider global Jewish community. A community of approximately 50 people practice some form of Judaism in the country today. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion in Cameroon, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The country is generally characterized by a high degree of religious tolerance. Legal and policy framework Christian and Islamic holy days are celebrated as national holidays. These include the Christian holy days of Good Friday, Ascension Day, Assumption Day, and Christmas Day, and the Islamic holy days of the Feast of the Lamb and Eid al-Fitr, the End of Ramadan. The Law on religious congregations governs relations between the Government and religious groups. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINATD) must approve and register religious groups in order for them to function legally. There were no reports that the government refused to register any group; however, the process can take a number of years. It is illegal for a religious group to operate without official recognition, but the law prescribes no specific penalties. There was a growth within the major cities of so-called "sects," which their leaders consider to be subgroups of Protestant denominations; few of these are registered, and all of them operate freely. Although official recognition confers no general tax benefits, it allows religious groups to receive real estate as tax-free gifts and legacies for the conduct of their activities. To register, a religious denomination must legally qualify as a religious congregation. The definition includes "any group of natural persons or corporate bodies whose vocation is divine worship" or "any group of persons living in community in accordance with a religious doctrine." The denomination then submits a file to the MINATD. The file must include a request for authorization, a copy of the group's charter describing planned activities, and the names and functions of the group's officials. The Minister reviews the file and sends it to the presidency with a recommendation to approve or deny. The president generally follows the recommendation of the Minister and grants authorization by a presidential decree. The approval process may take up to several years. The only religious groups known to be registered are Christian, Muslim, and Bahai. According to the latest MINATD statistics (released in 2002), there are 38 officially registered denominations, most of which are Christian. There also are numerous unregistered small religious groups that operate freely. The Government does not register traditional indigenous religious groups, stating that the practice of traditional religion is a private concern observed by members of a particular ethnic or kinship group or the residents of a particular locality. The MINATD, rather than the judiciary, primarily resolves disputes between or within registered religious groups about control of places of worship, schools, other real estate, or financial assets. Missionary groups are present and operate without impediment. The licensing requirements for foreign groups are the same as those for domestic religious denominations. The practice of witchcraft is a criminal offense under the national penal code, punishable by a 2 to 10 year prison term. Several religious denominations operate primary and secondary schools. Although post-secondary education continues to be dominated by state institutions, private schools affiliated with religious denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, and Qur'anic schools, have been among the best schools at the primary and secondary levels for many years. The law charges the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Secondary Education with ensuring that private schools run by religious groups meet the same standards as state-operated schools in terms of curriculum, infrastructure, and teacher training. For schools affiliated with religious groups, the Sub-Department of Confessional Education of the Department of Private Education performs this oversight function. School attendance--at public, private, or parochial schools--is mandatory through junior high school. The campuses of the Central Africa Catholic University and the International Adventist University are located in the country. The Catholic Church operates two of the country's few modern private printing presses and publishes a weekly newspaper, L'Effort Camerounais. A 2000 government decree requires potential commercial radio broadcasters to submit a licensing application, pay a fee when the application is approved, and pay an annual licensing fee. The Government has been slow in granting authorization; consequently, there are many unauthorized radio stations operating. Two private religious radio stations, the Pentecostal Radio Bonne Nouvelle and Radio Reine (managed by a Catholic priest although not officially sponsored by the Catholic Church), that had been broadcasting without licenses continued to broadcast while awaiting official authorization, as do many other radio stations awaiting their licenses. The Catholic station Radio Veritas has temporary authorization to broadcast and has been broadcasting without incident. The state-sponsored television station, CRTV, carries two hours of Christian programming on Sunday mornings, normally an hour of Catholic Mass and an hour of a Protestant service. There is also one broadcast hour dedicated to Islam on Friday evenings. State-sponsored radio broadcasts Christian and Islamic religious services on a regular basis, and both the radio and television stations periodically broadcast religious ceremonies on national holidays or during national events. State television occasionally broadcasts ecumenical ceremonies on major occasions such as the commemoration of a national event. Restriction on religious freedom Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion. The practice of witchcraft is a criminal offense under the national penal code. People generally are prosecuted for this offense only in conjunction with some other offense such as murder; however, there were no reports of convictions of witchcraft under this law. The Government distinguishes between witchcraft and traditional indigenous religious practices; witchcraft is defined by the law as attempts to do harm by spiritual means and is a common explanation for diseases. There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country. Forced religious conversion There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. In 2004 the Government responded promptly to assist the U.S. Embassy in the case of the forced conversion of American citizens by a private actor. Societal abuses and discrimination There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice; however, some religious groups reported societal hostility within their regions. Established churches denounced new unaffiliated religious groups, most of which are Protestant, as "sects" or "cults," claiming that they were detrimental to societal peace and harmony. In practice, such denunciation did not inhibit the practice of the unaffiliated religious groups. In the northern provinces, especially in rural areas, societal hostility by Muslims against Christians and persons who practice traditional indigenous religious beliefs continued. When there have been natural disasters, or to commemorate national events, Christians and Muslims organized ecumenical ceremonies to pray and promote a spirit of tolerance and peace. Islam in Cameroon Muslims comprise roughly 24 % of the 21 million inhabitants in the African country of Cameroon. Approximately 27% identify themselves as Sunni and 3% Shia while the majority of the rest do not associate themselves with a particular group. The Fulani, a pastoral nomadic group, spread Islam in early 19th century West Africa largely, through commercial activity and Sufi brotherhoods (Qadiri and Tijani). In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani overwhelmingly is Muslim. Other ethnic groups, known collectively as the Kirdi, generally practice some form of Islam. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Province is also largely Muslim. Islam in German Cameroon 1884-2008 In the rush to claim African territories Germany first entered Cameroon in 1884 and established rule in northern Cameroon by 1902. Throughout the German colonial period, the Adamawa and Lake Chad regions were governed by combining heavy military presence with indirect rule. The local Muslim rulers, called Lamido in Adamawa and Sultan in the far north, remained in power, although their influence was much more limited than during the nineteenth century, owing their legitimacy to the Germans and not to the Emir in Yola, the Caliph in Sokoto or the Shehu in Kuka. Existing political and legal institutions, together with Muslim and native law and customs, were kept intact. Contrary to British rule in Northern Nigeria, German indirect rule did not involve immediate taxes or land reforms before 1913, when such reforms were proposed but, due to the war,it was never implemented. Roman Catholicism in Cameroon The Catholic Church in Cameroon is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are an estimated 4.25 million baptised Catholics in the Republic of Cameroon, 26% of the population, in 24 Dioceses. There are 1 350 priests and 2 600 men and women in religious orders. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda is the Metropolitan See of the Ecclesiastical province of Bamenda in Cameroon. It was by the Bull Tametsi Christianarum of 13 August 1970, that Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Bamenda with territory detached from the Diocese of Buea. On 18 March 1982 Pope John Paul II created, by the Bull Eo Magis Ecclesia Catholica, the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and erected the Diocese of Kumbo with territory detached from the Diocese of Bamenda. Bamenda was by the same bull made into the Metropolitan See of the Ecclesiastical Province with Buea and Kumbo as its Suffragans. History : - August 13 of 1970: Established as Diocese of Bamenda from the Diocese of Buéa - March 18 of 1982: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bamenda Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Bamenda. Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Bemenda (Roman rite) - Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua (since January 23 of 2006) - Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (March 18 of 1982 – January 23 of 2006) - Bishops of Bamenda (Roman rite) - Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (August 13 of 1970 – March 18 of 1982) Suffragan Diocese - Buea - Kumbo - Mamfe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bertoua : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bertoua is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Bertoua in Cameroon. History : - 1983/03/17: Established as Diocese of Bertoua from the Diocese of Doumé - 1994/11/11: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bertoua Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is Holy Family Cathedral in Bertoua. Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Bertoua(Latin Rite) : Joseph Atanga, S.J. since 2009/12/03 Roger Pirenne, C.I.C.M. 1999.06.03 – 2009/12/03 Lambertus Johannes van Heygen, C.S.Sp. 1994.11.11 – 1999/06/03 - Bishops of Bertoua (Latin Rite) : Lambertus Johannes van Heygen, C.S.Sp. 1983.03.17 – 1994/11/11 Suffragan Diocese - Batouri - Doumé–Abong’ Mbang - Yokadouma Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Douala in Cameroon. The current archbishop is Archbishop Samuel Kleda, he had previously been the coadjutor archbishop to the Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi. History : - 1931/03/31: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Douala from the Apostolic Vicariate of Cameroun -1932/05/27: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Douala -1955/09/14: Promoted as Diocese of Douala - 1982/03/18: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Douala Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul in Douala Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Douala (Latin Rite) Archbishop Samuel Kleda since 2009/11/17 Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi 1991/08/31 – 2009/11/17 Archbishop Simon Tonyé 1982/03/18 – 1991/08/31 - Bishops of Douala (Roman rite) Archbishop Simon Tonyé 1973/08/29 – 1982/03/18 Bishop Thomas Mongo 1957/07/05 – 1973/08/29 - Vicars Apostolic of Douala (Latin Rite) Bishop Pierre Bonneau, C.S.Sp. 1946/12/12 – 1955/09/14 Bishop Mathurin-Marie Le Mailloux, C.S.Sp. 1932/05/27 – 1945/12/17 - Prefects Apostolic of Douala (Latin Rite) Bishop Mathurin-Marie Le Mailloux, C.S.Sp. 1931/05/05 – 1932/05/27 Suffragan Diocese - Bafoussam - Edéa - Eséka - Nkongsamba Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Garoua in Cameroon. History -1947/01/09: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Garoua from the Apostolic Vicariate of Foumban -1953/03/24: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Garoua -1955/09/14: Promoted as Diocese of Garoua - 1982/03/18: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Garoua Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Sainte Thérèse in Garoua Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Antoine Ntalou since 1992/01/23 Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1982/03/18 – 1984/03/17 - Bishops of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1955/09/14 – 1982/03/18 - Vicars Apostolic of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1953/03/24 – 1955/09/14 - Prefects Apostolic of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1947/03/25 – 1953/03/24 Suffragan Diocese : - Maroua-Mokolo - Ngaoundere - Yagoua Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé (Latin: Yaunden (sis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Yaoundé in Cameroon. History - March 18 of 1890: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Cameroun from the Apostolic Vicariate of Two Guineas in Gabon - January 2 of 1905: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Cameroun - April 3 of 1931: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Yaoundé - September 14 of 1955: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Yaoundé Special Churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires (Our woman of victories) in Yaoundé. There is also a Minor Basilica at Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica in Yaoundé. Leadership - Metropolitan Archbishops of Yaoundé (Roman rite) Archbishop Simon-Victor Tonyé Bakot since 2003 Archbishop André Wouking 1998 – 2002 Archbishop Jean Zoa 1961 – 1998 Archbishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. 1955 – 1961 - Vicars Apostolic of Yaoundé (Roman rite) Archbishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. 1943 – 1955 Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. 1931 – 1943 - Vicars Apostolic of Cameroun (Roman rite) Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. 1923 – 1931 Bishop Francis Hennemann, S.A.C. 1914 – 1922 Bishop Enrico Vieter, S.A.C. 1904 – 1914 Suffragan Diocese - Bafia - Ebolowa-Kribi - Mbalmayo - Obala - Sangmelima Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon The Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon was established when the country was separated into two colonies - British and French Cameroon. The first Bahá'í in Cameroon was Enoch Olinga, who had left his homeland of Uganda to bring the religion to British Cameroon in 1953. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman who had moved from Britain, arrived in French Cameroon April 1954 - both Olinga and Munsiff were honoured with the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. In 2003 Bahá'ís estimated there were 40 000 adherents of the religion in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated about 50800 Bahá'ís in 2005 Early history In 1953, Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith, planned an international teaching plan termed the Ten Year Crusade. This was during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa near the end of the period of the Colonisation of Africa. During the plan Ali Nakhjavani and his wife drove by car with two African pioneers from Uganda where the religion was growing very quickly to open new countries to the religion. The first pioneer in the region was Max Kinyerezi October 6 who settled in what was then French Equatorial Africa, and then Enoch Olinga to British Cameroon on October 15. In Limbe (then called Victoria), through the efforts of Olinga, Jacob Tabot Awo converted to the religion becoming the first Cameroonian Bahá'í. During the following year there were many converts to the religion, many of whom were from the Basel Mission system of Protestant Christians. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman, arrived in French Cameroon in April 1954 in Douala after helping to found the Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar. A letter from Olinga describes the advancement of the religion into 6 towns and translation work into the Duala language had begun of a pamphlet. As the number of Bahá'ís was growing rapidly, Shoghi Effendi asked if members of the religion could pioneer to neighboring areas where there were still no Bahá'ís. On April 21, 1954 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was formed and five young Cameroonians left during the Ridván period, each becoming a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh; the various protectorates they arrived in merged into the modern countries of Cameroon, Ghana, and Togo. It was emphasized that western pioneers be self-effacing and focus their efforts not on the colonial leadership but on the native Africans - and that the pioneers must show by actions the sincerity of their sense of service to the Africans in bringing the religion and then the Africans who understand their new religion are to be given freedom to rise up and spread the religion according to their own sensibilities and the pioneers to disperse or step into the background. Enoch Olinga is specifically mentioned as an example of this process unfolding as he arose out of Uganda and repeated the quick growth of the religion. Because of the successive waves of people becoming Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, Enoch Olinga was entitled "Abd'l-Futuh", a Persian name meaning "the father of victories" by Shoghi Effendi. In very early 1955, Valerie Wilson, an Auxiliary Board member for Africa stationed in Monrovia, Liberia, embarked on what was considered a bold trip for a woman alone by car to travel on a trip across some 2000 miles to visit the Bahá'í groups functioning in the Gold Coast, Togoland and the British Cameroons. In April 1955 British Cameroon had eight assemblies Growth In 1956 a regional Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was elected with Olinga as the chairman with its seat in Tunis, comprising areas from the Cameroons north to Tunisia and parts west including Islands like the Canary Islands. Early in 1957 the Bahá'ís in British Cameroon acquired a center and the population was noted at some 300 Bahá'is while the younger community of French Cameroon had between 10 and 20 Bahá'ís and there was a Bahá'í conference on the progress of the religion held in Mutengene, near Tiko. In 1958 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon sent another pioneer, Willie Enang, to Ghana while multiple communities held local conferences on the progress of the religion in their area. Bahá'ís sometimes walked through dense forests to people who had not heard of Jesus Christ. By 1960 the entire Bahá'í population across North West Africa was 3000 and 1800 were in British Cameroon. Limbe, (then called Victoria), British Cameroon, hosted the convention for the election of the regional national assembly for north west Africa in 1960 and there were 45 delegates, including local chiefs and women, as well as Enoch Olinga. Enoch Olinga could not attend the dedication of the Bahá'í House of Worship in his native Uganda because of political turmoil in Cameroon after independence. While over 1500 people and Bahá'ís from many places in Africa went, Olinga preferred to stay in Cameroon to help guide the Bahá'ís through times of unrest. And in 1963 the Cameroons were re-organized under the regional national assembly system to be with the West-Central African National Assembly. The second convention was held in Limbe - and that year its members were Stephen Tabe, Sampson Forchnk, Janet Mughrabi, Moses Akombi, Lillie Rosenberg, Oscar Njang, Jawad Mughrabi and Solomon Tanyi and Sherman Rosenberg. The convention of 1966 for the west central regional national assembly was held in Mamfe. Following the death of Shoghi Effendi, the elected Universal House of Justice was head of the religion and began to re-organized the Bahá'í communities of Africa by splitting off national communities to form their own National Assemblies from 1967 though the 1990s. In the presence of Hand of the Cause William Sears in 1967 the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon was elected for the first time thus splitting the country off from the regional National Assembly established in 1956 and had jurisdiction over neighboring areas of Spanish Guinea, Fernando Po, Cariseo and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands while the rest of the west central regional assembly continued over other countries. In 1967, the Bahá is of Cameroon initiated a proclamation project in Spanish territories of Fernando Poo and Rio Muni. In December 1971, Cameroon hosted the first regional African youth conference in Yaounde. Bus loads and cars of youth came from Chad and the Central African Republic, including youth visiting from the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Iran, Canada and the United States then in Chad and Cameroon for a period of service to the community came - during the conference two radio interviews were given. Book exhibits were held in 1974 in the University in Yaounde and a classroom in the Pan-African Institute of the Buea which also attracted radio coverage. In 1978 an international Bahá'í youth Conference was held in Cameroon with 380 attendees from some 19 countries. Though he had recently toured Cameroonian in 1975 in December 1979, a full account of the circumstances under which Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Cameroon, Hand of the Cause, Enoch Olinga had been murdered Sept. 16th 1977 in Uganda during political and social turmoil. Final answers may never be known why he and most of his family were murdered with confidence. A biography published in 1984 examined his impact in Cameroon and beyond. The first person in Cameroon to join the religion withstood beatings to persevere in his choice. The first woman to become a Bahá'í in Cameroon did so from his impact on her life though she had been an active Christian before - but she and her husband converted and were among the first to move to Togo and then Ghana. Another early Bahá'í, the first of the Bamilike tribe, moved to what was then French Cameroon to help there. Another early contact joined the religion later but his wife was the first Bahá'í of Nigeria. The researcher again found that there was an emphasis not on rooting out cultural traditions among the peoples but instead focusing on awareness of the religion and awareness of scientific knowledge should not relate to social class. There were accusations of political intrigue of which Olinga was acquitted. It was judged that Olinga was always sincere and never belittled. In 1982 the first Bahá'í under the assigned region to Cameroon of Fernando Po joined the religion. Joseph Sheppherd was a pioneer to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, circumstances woven into a book he later wrote which presents the Bahá'í Faith in a context of global change (see Bahá'í Faith in fiction) and delves into the dynamics of pioneering as a method to gain understanding of spiritual issues compared to social issues, to struggle with a cultural naivete, which was published in Bahá'í News in December 1988 International developments In 1967 local assemblies began to acquire or build local centers as one of many activities of the community some of which continued into 1968. Informational packets and interviews were granted to major print and radio news outlets and coverage of events continued. In October 1967 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon were included in efforts, and multiplied instances of, observances of United Nations Day across Cameroon including talks given by Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum. In November Rúhíyyih Khanum dedicated the first school in the Cameroon which was dedicated first to classes studying the religion, (the first classes were held in December 1968.) The convention of 1968 had 45 delegates and an observer from Fernando Po island. The NSA of the country wrote a document, Declaration of Loyalty to Government, possibly dated from 1968, which declared the loyalty of the institution to the government of the country. But in 1969 large regions of Cameroon were still sparely populated, while the first school in eastern, formerly French, Cameroon had its first meeting in spring 1969. In 1977 a mobile school was established run from a van which toured for several months in 1977 visiting villages and farms. In 1978 three regional conferences were held. A conference on the progress of the religion at which it was announced there was an estimated 166 assemblies, 27 of which and established permanent centers, and beyond that some 832 towns and places Bahá'ís lived in Cameroon. A women's regional conference gathered 30 women at the national center and eighty Bahá'í gathered for a regional conference Mankon to discuss the progress of the religion. Meanwhile two individuals toured Cameroon in January; Hand of the Cause Rahmatu'llah Muhajir and Frenchman Armir Farhang-Imani each of whom who spoke to Bahá'í and public audiences. Rahmatu'llah Muhajir again visited Cameroon as part of a broader trip through West Africa summer 1979. Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone visited Cameroon in February 1979. In 1980 simultaneous regional Bahá'í schools were held in March in English and French with about 25 people attending each. A follow-up school was held in September at the end of which there was a wedding. In 1980, 100 people including several national assembly members attended a national youth conference Yaounde. In 1982, a Bahá'í reached a remote region with pygmies and in three months was able convince 24 people to join the religion and another pioneer was moving to help him. A pair of academic researchers toured West Africa from Switzerland speaking to the public and Bahá'ís in 1985. They offered public talks "Women and Development" "How can woman assume her role in society?" and "Women and the Future of Mankind." and talks to Bahá'ís on "Excellence in All Things" and "Happiness in Marriage" Tour of Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum From January to March 1970 Rúhíyyih Khanum crossed Africa from east to west visiting many country's communities including Cameroon, meeting with individuals and institutions both Bahá'í and civic. In October 1971 Rúhíyyih Khanum returned from Western Africa. She stopped for a time in Mamfe and spoke to the Bahá'ís there and emphasized the role of women in the growth of the religion. From Mamfe she traveled more widely seeing villages and regional chiefs, attending weddings and giving talks at schools. In many places she took note of women in prominent positions in the community and sometimes spoke to about the Bahá'í law of monogamy to contrast with the traditional cultural practice of polygamy and other traditional forms. A prominent meeting was of the regional conference calling for the progress of the religion in the region. She took part in the program of observances of United Nations Day sharing the stage with members of the staff of the Secretary-General of the UN as well as the staff of the Prime Minister of Cameroon. Reaching Buea she met with the Prime Minister and mentioned her wide travels in relative safety with kind assistance of villagers and truck drivers. From there she continued her travels through Douala and Yaounde and in each case also neighboring villages while also making time for radio interviews and at the University of Cameroon before moving on to Zaire International Year of the Child Cameroon was one of the countries Bahá'í organized a series of events in honor of the International Year of the Child, 1979. Among the effort were articles in newspapers, tutorial schools in three cities, a women's conference in Liberia at which Cameroonians attended and radio interviews about the schools. There were women and children's committees operating at a national level to sustain the teachers of the schools. A Bahá'í consultant traveled Western Africa including Cameroon assisting communities in their efforts who was joined by volunteer from Canada who also traveled western Africa including Cameroon. And a Cameroonian woman, a headmistress of a nursery school volunteered to travel Cameroon encouraging projects and schools in the country Commemorating pioneers Among those elected to the NSA was Ursula Samandari, who was elected to the institution in the years of 1972-74 and 1975–80, after being elected to the same institution in North East Africa and the British Isles. She had learned of the Bahá'í Faith from Richard St. Barbe Baker and Hasan M. Balyuzi in 1936. Among the comments at her 2003 funeral were these from the paramount chief of Buea, HRH Samuel L. Endeley: "My dear Sister, You lived with us like one of us, you served faithfully and lovingly to win souls into God's redeeming grace. You loved us and our country, Cameroon, and you have demonstrated this in dying here like the good soldier of God you have lived to be. You died with your boots on. We thank God for all you were to us. May your soul rest with the good God, our creator, in perfect peace." Another member of the NSA who died unexpectedly was Karen Bare who had come from Hawaii in 1969. She was known for offering hospitality and also walking to villages for classes she taught and was elected as Secretary to the NSA for a time. She died in a car accident in 1974 while visiting family in the United States Modern Community By 2001 the National Spiritual Assembly was registered with the Government of Cameroon as one of the few non-Christian religions. Also in 2003 a project had begun to move the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly from Limbe, in the west, to the central capital, Yaoundé, together with the responsibility to acquire a new National Bahá'í Centres for which the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom has been asked to help Jubiliee Over 600 Bahá’and their friends gathered at the Palais des congrès in Yaoundé to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the Bahá'í community in Cameroon. Mr. and Mrs. Nakhjavani and other guests of honour, went to Limbe to visit the Bahá'í s of the southwest province, and Buea where they were received by the paramount chief, and travelled to Douala. Demographics In 2003 the Bahá'í community claimed 40,000 adherents and 58 Local Spiritual Assemblies, (there is another estimate from 2007-8 of more than 130 000 Bahá'is in Cameroon and another of members of the religion in 1744 localities in Cameroon.) However the Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were some 50799 Bahá'ís in 2005 Multiplying interests Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Cameroonian community also became involved in a number of initiatives. In 1985 Bahá'ís established a tutorial school among the pygmies and the building infrastructure was to be expanded by the government now that a site had been developed. In 1990 the Cameroonian community held a nation-wide campaign on the growth of the religion named in honor of Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga with teams named after other Hands of the Cause Involvement in advocacy for women The Cameroonian Bahá'í community has initiated and cooperated with a number of projects attempting to equalize the position of women, a primary principle of the religion. In 1985 a National Women's Committee of the Baha'is of Cameroon produced a statement "Equal Rights for Women and Men". The rate at which women participated in December school of 1986 increased. The Bahá'ís of Cameroon cooperated with an initiative of the Bahá'í International Community in cooperation with UNIFEM on a project to effect a change in the social status of women in village communities in eastern Cameroon and other countries. The changes in the community focused on the role of women but aimed strongly at educating the men. According to Tiati Zock, the national coordinator of the project in Cameroon, a survey done in early 1992 among some 45 families in each of the seven villages reported that the men made virtually all of the financial decisions alone. A follow-up survey, taken in 1993, indicated more than 80 percent of the families now make such decisions in consultation between husband and wife. The number of girls being sent to one village school had increased by 82 percent by 1993 Academic and civic forums The Bahá'í community of Cameroon has been involved in forums for wrestling with social issues in Cameroon in both academic and civic forums. In 1987 Cameroonian university students gathered in a conference from multiple tribes along with international students to facilitate an exchange of ideas on issues they all faced in society. This theme evolved in Yaoundé into the theme "African Youth Facing the Challenges of Modern Society" in 1988 and "The Role of Youth in a World in Search of Peace" in 1989. Annual youth conferences in the northwest evolved and continued through 1990 and echoed many of these themes while also making efforts on other themes. In 2002 the second Cameroon Bahá'í Academy took place at the Regional Bahá'í Centre at Yaoundé with 28 scholars from Buea, Douala, Dschang, Soa, and Yaoundé. The key research paper, "Cameroonian Tribal and Family Meetings and the Bahá'í Teachings," was presented by Chongwain Nkuo, a teacher at the Post and Telecommunication School. It was published in the December 2002 volume of the Cameroon Bahá'í Studies journal. After his presentation, there was an evaluation of his work by the members of a jury including David Nkwenti, Head of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Yaoundé. Nkwenti indicated he was going to expand academic interests in studying Bahá'í teachings and anthropological issues. Also in 2002, for United Nations Day on October 24, members of the Buea religious community gathered for an interfaith panel discussion led by the Secretary General of the South West Province; the group included members or spokesmen of the Bahá'í Faith, the Muslim Imam, a representative of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese, and a representative of the Hindu community. A January 20 of 2007 service in Buea at the Bahá'í Centre of Learning commemorated World Religion Day among a similar breadth of representation Jews in Cameroon Rabbi Yisrael Oriel, formerly Bodol Ngimbus-Ngimbus, was born into the Bassa tribe. He is one who says there were historically Jews in the area. The word Bassa, he said, is from the Hebrew for 'on a journey' and means blessing. Rabbi Oriel claims to be a Levite descended from Moses. Reportedly, Rabbi Oriel made aliya in 1988 and was ordained as a rabbi by the Sephardic Chief Rabbi and appointed rabbi to Nigerian Jews. Rabbi Oriel claims that in 1920 there were 400 000 'Israelites' in Cameroon, but by 1962 the number had decreased to 167 000 due to conversions to Christianity and Islam. He said these tribes had not been accepted halachically. But he believes that he can prove their Jewish status from medieval rabbinic sources. The father of Yaphet Kotto, an American actor, was a Cameroon Jew. Kotto identifies as Jewish. Bankon (Abaw, Abo, Bo, Bon) is a tribe related to Bassa and Rombi groups, located in the north of Douala city, Abo subdivision, Bonalea commune, in the Littoral region of Cameroon. The word Ban-Kon means "son of prince" in Assyrian, an Aramaic dialect. In her works The Negro-African Languages, the French scholar Lilias Homburger concluded that Bankon language is Kum. The word Kum means "arise" or "get up!" in Hebrew; the Assyrians called the House of Israel by the name of Kumri Yaounde and Douala Cathedrals
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At the beginning of this year (September) the enrolment was 200 pupils with the strong probability of an increase and there are four staff members.	en	/favicon.ico	Issuu	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/golden_jubiliee_magazine_st_jude_s_parish_fdg_-_co/s/13977851	Fathers Noah Monday Mbabazi and Johnson Tata are managing the school. At the beginning of this year (September) the enrolment was 200 pupils with the strong probability of an increase and there are four staff members. There are four classrooms and the Head teacher’s Office which were constructed about twenty-three years ago by the community. All the classrooms were constructed by Mr Bernard Chiatoh. Advertisement The Head teachers have been: Raymond Kubuo, Precious Ngwain, Tesem Ivo, Fon Michael, Ntam Frederick Yai, Muluh Patrick Tanga, Ndi Julius and Nsah John Wainmoh. The present Head teacher is Mr Fosi Fidelis Kuh. The school scored 100% in the end-of4. CATHOLIC SCHOOL MUTEFF Catholic School, Muteff There is also an old Catholic School in Muteff. Unfortunately the person assigned to send information about it did not do so. Correspondents: • Chia Jerome Ngeh • Grace Neng Ajuoh • Fosi Fidelis Kuh 1. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY MOVEMENT, CFM The Christian Family Movement, CFM, started in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1983 when Fr Patrick Lafon was Parish Priest. The President, Secretary and Treasurer were Leo/Perpetua Nyongo Thomas/Diana Tohmo, and Blasius/Veroncia Awoh respectively. Motto: Peace, Love, Unity. Objectives: 1. To instill in members the virtue of love within the Family and to the neighbours. 2. To extend the apostolate of the family to the neighbourhood. 3. To enhance friendship among the members to be more enduring and solidly grounded. 4. To accept responsibilities when it is necessary and participate wholeheartedly in their functions. 5. To be fair, open and honest teachers. 6. To share with others the talents God has given them. 7. To assist one another in times of difficulties. Branches: The Christian Family Movement has branches in almost all the 19 Mission Stations in Fundong Parish. Some of these branches have split into Groups in order to ease movement during Sunday meetings. Most of the branches and groups hold their meeting twice a month. The parochial President couple is Francis/Celestine Chiva while Cyprian/ Socials. They celebrate weddings, births, feast days and condole with the bereaved. They also visit the sick members and nonmembers both at home and in the hospital. 2. THE CATHOLIC WOMEN ASSOCIATION, CWA The Catholic Women Association started in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, at Boyui as a prayer group led by Nawain Ntam Juliana Neng before the creation of the Parish on the 21 November 1971. This prayer group was transformed into CWA with Fr Joseph Holznecht t as Parish Priest. The President of this Association was Nawain Lucy Nabuin and her Secretary was Nawain Komtanghi Beatrice. The CWA has grown to zones, branches and to the status of a Division in Fundong parish. Their branches are found in the following Mission Stations: Abuh, Ebosung, Muteff, Meli, Mbam, Mentang, Mbissi, Atondum and Fundong Up. The CWA in Fundong Parish has split into two Zones: The Upper Zone and the Lower Zone with Mrs Aniva Winifred as their Parish President and Yong Matilda their Parish Secretary. Motto: To serve and not to be served. The Patron Saint is the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Association celebrates the feast of Assumption every year with the other Objectives 1. To achieve a true renewal of spirituality of its members founded on Baptism in answer to the call of the faithful to holiness. 2. To provide an instrument for fostering and encouraging more intimate unity between daily life of the members and their faith. 3. To provide a social conjugal spirituality in the lives of members. 4. To promote participation in the mission of evangelization by providing training in spirituality, doctrinal, pastoral and biblical formation. 5. To enable members to mode their lives after the life –style of their Patroness – the Blessed Virgin Mary. 6. To study in a Christian spirit the problems relating to the advancement and development of women in the society and promote the contributions of catholic women in the community at national and international levels. 3. THE CATHOLIC MEN’S ASSOCIATION, CMA Motto: To serve and not to be served. The Catholic Men’s Association, CMA, was formed in Fundong Parish on the 04 November 2001 with Mr Akoni Martin Fuka as the pioneer President who handled the post up to 2005. Mr Buinda John took over and handed the leadership to Mr Kombain Maurice Gama in 2007 who worked for two years and handed over to Mr Mukong Peter Ndvu in 2009. He was the Deanery Coordinator who actually brought CMA to Kom. At the Deanery level, Bobe Ajuoh John Ngam, from Fundong Parish became the first Deanery President in 2004. The Catholic Men’s Association has got branches in a few Mission Stations in St Jude’s Parish. They are operating now with the following Parish executive committee members: • President – Mr Peter Ngwain; Vice President – Mr Clement Muh; Secretary – Mr Kenneth Ngong • Vice Secretary – Fidelis Ayeah; Treasurer – Hon Albert Waingeh; Liturgy – Cyprian Ntoh • Discipline – Ndi Yuh Andrew; Publicity – Faustinus Toh; Financial Secretary – Toh Julius Ful • Advisers – Kahnjam Vincent Tosah and Nchuoji. Objectives 1. To attain a true renewal of spirituality of its members founded on God’s commandments and the teachings of the Catholic Church. 2. To encourage participation of its members in fostering the mission of the Church at all levels. 3. To enable members to model their lives after that of Holy Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. To promote education in social, moral and doctrinal activities both at home and in the society at large. 4. ST JUDE’S APOSTOLATE St Jude’s Apostolate Prayer Group was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1984 In Fundong Town when Fr Patrick Lafon of blessed memory was Parish Priest. Mr Francis Chah Njua and Mrs Mary Yuh respectively. Their branches have extended to Mbam and Fundong Up. The Society is led by Mrs Tim Grace as President and Mrs Nachang Gwendoline as Vice President. Objectives: 1. To pray for hopeless and desperate cases. 2. To promote regular prayers. 3. To sacrifices especially to the needy by offering Masses. 4. To carry out corporal works of mercy. Motto: To follow St Jude the Apostle and invoke him as Patron of hopeless cases The groups meet regularly on Wednesdays for prayers and on the 28 October to celebrate the Patron’s feast day at parish level. 5. THE LEGION OF MARY (MARY’S ARMY) The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff in Dublin, Ireland, on September 7, 1921, which means that on September 7, 2021, the movement was one hundred years old. Before he died on November 7, 1980, he had guided the world-wide extension of the Legion with heroic dedication. Objective: The objective of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active guidance, in Mary and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ. Spirit of the Legion The spirit of the Legion of Mary is that of Mary herself. The Legion aspires after her profound humility, her perfect obedience, her angelical sweetness, her continual prayer, her universal purity, her heroic patience, her heavenly wisdom, her self-sacrificing courageous love of God, and above all her faith. The Legion was active in Fundong before the formation of the curia in 1990. The first parochial executive was as follows: President – Isidore Ivo Diyen; Vice President – Mathias Yong; Secretary – Anthony Yham and Treasurer – Cecilia Andiensa Today the Legion has branches in Abuh. Bamingwah, Boyui, Ameng, Meli, Muchimni, Mbissi, Ntehgum and Fundong Town. The present parochial executive is as follows President – Mrs Grace Mboin, Secretary –Mrs Nkwain Helen and Spiritual Director: Mrs Francisca Nyingchuo. The Work of Legionaries: Visitation of the hones of the people to make personal contact with a great many people and show the Church’s concern for every person and every family. They make contact with non-Catholics, non-Christians and with lapsed Catholics. During the visitations they give attention to those in irregular marriage situations, to those in need of instructions and to the lonely and inform. 1. Visitation of hospitals. 2. Work for the most wretched and dejected of the population. (e.g. those in prison) 3. Visitation of homes of children. 4. Promoting the practice of daily Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. 5. Promote retreats. 6. Daily recitation of the Catena Legionis 7. Recitation of the Rosary at wakes and funerals, etc. Membership: The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholics: men and women, young and old. Many people think that the Legion is for the old but what they do not know is that these old members joined the association when they were young. They could not have remained young for thirty years! Do not be afraid to join the old because you yourself are not growing younger 6. THE BONA MORS The Bona Mors Prayer Group was founded on the 02 October 1848 in the Church of Gesu, Rome by Fr Vincent Carrata. It was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, by Bobe Felix Chi in 1998. This Prayer Group presently has five members with Mrs Grace Tim, as the President. Other members include Mrs. Nkwain Helen, Mrs Mary Mbu and Mrs Nyingchuo Francisca. The Anglophone crisis has displaced some of the members. Motto: Happy death and empty Purgatory Objectives 1. To pray for a peaceful death and an empty Purgatory. 2. To offer Masses every first Friday of the month for the Souls in Purgatory. 3. To promote unity among members and their families in the Church’s mission of evangelization physically and financially, through prayers, socially and by attending meetings when called upon to do so. 4. To model their lives after that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. 5. They also clean the cemetery, comfort the sick and the dying to prepare them for a happy death. They also promote the spirituality of its members. Many Christian pray in the cemetery but have not registered as members of Bona Mors. Members have novenas to the Souls in Purgatory every November Objectives: 1. To conduct and control one’s self as a true Catholic child. 2. To spend each day with the Blessed Virgin Mary as their Mother and Queen. 3. To be generous in service, obeying especially when called to duty. 4. To put others first before self. 5. To be kind and courteous. 6. To be sincere in all their actions and pure in thought. 7. To know and love Jesus, Mary and the Apostles. 8. The Cadets of Mary pray the Rosary daily and celebrate the feast of Assumption on 15 August every year and the feast of Immaculate Conception. 7. THE CADETS OF MARY IMMACULATE 8. THE CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL PRAYER GROUP The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group started fully in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 2001. This was done through the leadership of Mr Antoine Nyamsi, the Chief of Post for Public Security, Fundong. He led the group to a good level and extended branches to Njinikom and Fuli-Kom Parishes. This group gained membership in the Parish and is struggling to form branches in other Mission Stations of the Parish. The Group meets every Thursday at 4.00 p.m for prayer and Bible studies and also have night vigils every last Friday of the month. Objectives 1. To awaken the DORMANT spiritual gift in Christians given to them at Baptism. 2. To promote vocations in any way possible. 3. To pray for the sick and the elderly of the Parish. 4. To lead and encourage Christians to better know and understand God, their Saviour at all times through prayers. 5. To study the Bible, know the Word of The Cadets of Mary Immaculate existed in St Jude’s timidly in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong and became more active during the time of Fr Patrick Lafon. The group is found in all the 19 Mission Stations of the Parish. Two Zones have been created to ease the holding of their meeting namely the Upper and Lower Zones. They hold Zonal and Parish meetings and take part in Deanery and Diocesan meetings. God, live it and spread it to all the parts Parish. 6. Some Christians have styles the group as a Sect, out of ignorance and are reluctant to join it. 9. THE BLUE ARMY The Blue Army was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1993 with Mrs Shuri Bernadette as the first Parochial President, Cyprian Ta-ah as Secretary and Mrs Timbong Mary as Treasurer. The group has branches in some Mission Stations but their activities are timidly carried out due to the Anglophone crisis, sickness and ageing of some pioneer members of the Parish. Youth are reluctant to join this group, thus causing membership to remain still or even reduced. Objectives 1. To pray the Rosary daily. 2. To wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 3. To make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners by visiting and praying with them. 4. The members attend night vigils every first Friday of the month but the Anglophone crisis has come as a hindrance for most members. Their meeting days were changed from Monday to Friday evening before the disturbing Anglophone crisis. That has weakened the members and even caused the displacement of some prominent members. 10. THE ALTAR SERVERS, ST STEPHEN’S GUILD The Altar Servers or St Stephen’s Guild functioned in the Parish with the general name “Mass Boys” but in 2004 when young ladies were allowed to join the group, the name Altar Servers came in. The Altar Servers have as main duty to assist the Priest at Mass. They hold their training sessions on Saturdays and also hold their Zonal and Parish meetings. They attend Deanery and Diocesan meetings. They do corporal works of mercy and celebrate St Stephen’s feast day. Aims 1. To assist the Priest at Mass. 2. To attend Mass daily 3. To lead and live good spiritual lives with a view to becoming a priest or religious. 4. To foster the formation of Altar Servers in the Mission Stations. 5. Most of the Altar Servers in Fundong Parish have ended up as Priests like, Fr Cyprian Ta-ah, Fr John Paul Bangsi, Fr Gilbert Akoni, Fr Elvis Mbangsi, Fr Joseph Nchituh and Brothers like Br Peter Acho Awoh, Br Cyprian Ngeh Ndzingu and Br Nkungsii George Ndim and a good number not listed above. Some of the Altar Servers are undergoing formation to become Priests, Brothers and Reverend Sisters etc in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong. 11. THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN WORKERS, YCW The Young Christian Workers was founded by Fr Cardijn, a Belgian Priest, on the 18 April 1925. This action group came to Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province in1967 through the effort of Fr John Kockman, the then Parish Priest of Fiango, with the financial help of Fr Erwin Hain, a German Priest. When St Jude’s Parish was created in November 1971, the Young Christian Workers was the first action group Fr Joseph Holzkneht chose to be working with, though their activities were timidly carried out. They became fully active with the holding of Parish meetings during the period when Fr John Musi, Fr Cletus Tita and Fr John Bintum became Parish Priests. The Y.C.W become active in all the 19 Mission Stations of St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, Motto: See, Judge and Act Slogan: “In Christ, there is fellowship” Their Parish President is Delbert Yong from Fundong Up, Secretary; Ngoh Lizette from Fundong Town and the Coordinator is Mbeng Pascal from Fundong Town. The Y.C.W in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, holds Parish and Zonal meetings as well as attend Deanery and Diocesan meetings. The membership is very poor in some Mission Stations. The members participate in parish activities such as participating in the Annual Harvest thanksgiving, singing in church, cleaning the church, visiting the sick and the Aim 1. To serve, represent and educate young adults through the method of See, Judge and Act. 2. To examine the underlying causes and consequences of social injustice. 3. To challenge the existing structure on those issues in the Parish. 4. To develop the members of YCW in a holistic way. 5. To achieve change in the individuals and their environs and to activate others to take action 12. THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN STUDENTS, Y.C.S. The Young Christian Students is an action group that is timidly functioning in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong. This group was formed when Fr Michael Yuh was the Parish Priest in Fundong Parish. The group is found mostly in Boyui, Mbam, Fujua, Meli and Fundong Town. Not much is known about the group in Fundong Parish because of no archives about it from the Parish office or even from their old members who are already workers today. Motto: See, Judge and Act Aim: 1. The main aim of the group is to assist young students to have a holistic educational journey in the parish. The members hold meetings and participate in singing during Mass and cleaning the church. They visit the sick and the needy. 2. The main difficulty is that most of the activities are not going on in the Parish because of most students have been displaced by the Anglophone crisis especially the executive members. It is hoped that those around should join the group for a new and firm beginning. St Gerald, Mbissi St Paul, Mentang St Mathias, Bamingwah Queen of Peace, Mbam St John Bosco, Abuh Sacred Heart, Fujua St Gregory, (foundation), Ibali-Meli St St Thomas Aquinas, Aboh St Jude, Fundong Town St James, Meli Temporal structure of St Veronica, St Dominic, Ntehgum St Michael, Muteff St Francis de Sale, Atondum St Raphael, Fundong Up Queen of Apostles, Ameng 1. FR JOSEPH HOLZNECHT (21st November 1971 - 01st September 1980) He was the first Parish Priest. He built the Fundong Parish church following a unique plan. The C.W.A. and the Y.C.W were formed in his time. The Y.C.W is the first action group he chose to work with which at the time had very active young men. He enjoyed swimming in the pool called “Chimni” in Juafeff and that made people believe very strongly that he had mysterious powers. Fr John Bintum describes him as “a quiet, saintly priest.” He left for Bafmeng Parish in 1982and was later sent to Brixen, Italy, where he took care of retired Mill Hill Missionaries. He passed away on 29 July 2011. 2. FR JOHN MUSI (01 September 1980 to 18 August 1982) During his time, the Young Christian Workers became fully active and he established an experimental Kom Mass Rite with Catechist Nguo Linus. He initiated the construction of the Parish Hall. He acquired the pieces of land at Atoini and Ebosung and initiated the creation of CS Ebosung. 3. FR JOHN MAIMO BINTUM (July 1982 - 10 August 1986) When Fr John Maimo Bintum arrived the Parish, there were eight Primary Schools, a health post at Ilung, six Nguti trained catechists, (highest in the Diocese at the time), a vibrant catechumenate, C.W.A., Youth Groups, St Jude’s Apostolate, Natural Family Planning apostolate and a Nsamba group. He established a sub Parish Exco in Ilung that has evolved to the present Parish. He improved the Liturgy with the Kom Choir in Ngwah Atondum that went national with Catechist Christopher Mih, the resident Catechist and improved the Liturgy with the experimental Kom Mass Rite by Fr John Musi and Catechist Nguo Linus The solution of the longstanding famergrazer problem that took him to the High Court in Wum was resolved in favour of St Jude’s Parish through the honest witness of Nawain Juliana Nafoin who was the W C P D M P r e s i d e n t , a g a i n s t t h e administration. He always involved Fon Jinabo II to accompany Archbishop Paul Verdzekov on his pastoral visits to the Bum area and facilitated the work of evangelization in that Sub Parish. It is very interesting that the Fon Clement Ndzi was then the Fon’s Private Secretary at the time. Fr Bintum ensured that the Billings Method of Natural Family Planning was introduced in the Parish when tow parishioners, Mr Leo Nyongo and wife, Mrs Perpetua Nyongo were sent to Kenya to specialize in the programme. The parish was first in the Diocese in couple-participation. He successfully carried out ecumenical Moral Instructions in all the schools in the parish in collaboration with Mr Waingeh Albert Ndim, who was the pioneer Principal of G.S.S. Fundong, who had the courage to put up such a programme in favour of the Catholic Church which led to the number of vocations to the priesthood from GSS/GHS Fundong at the time. He introduced the celebration of the Parish feast day that brought together all the parishioners which always started with a Thanksgiving Masses during which the Fon was always present followed by choral music competitions, sporting activities and traditional dances by the Christians and school children. He sourced for funds for the construction of the Parish hall. The parish hall project brought together pagans like Bobe Misa Yong (who was later baptized by Fr Abner Dimo) and other denominations like the Baptist to boost the evangelization process in the parish. 4. FR PATRICK LAFON (1986 - 1992) He was keen in football and often played the game with the Christians and with the second division football club that was in Fundong at the time. He passed away this year, 2021, while serving as Head of the Philosophy Department in the Catholic University of Cameroon in Bamenda. 5. FR CHRYSANCTHUS TIM (1992 – 1994) During his time Fundong Parish covered Ilung Parish, Ajung and Konene areas. He created the Kichowi Mission Station. Before his appointment as Parish Priest, he had worked as a curate from 1989 to 1990 and was transferred to Bafmeng. During his period, he organized the Catholic Youth Movement and youth groups were formed in many Mission Stations and the membership rose from 10 to 300 active members. The Cadets, Mass Servers, Vocation Groups converged monthly in a given Mission Station for a two day parochial Christian formation meeting, pray and discuss issues challenging them. The present cemetery, which was occupied by Bobe Ngong, the mentally deranged man who used to reside in the place, was blessed and he was the first to be buried there. He initiated the fitting of the metallic door shutters of the parish house, after the attack by armed robbers one Saturday in 1993, with the financial assistance of his Dutch friends Mr and Mrs Ton Margaret Kerssens. He brought the first computer to Fundong Parish with the Help of Dr Paul Nchoji Nkwi and he did not only use it for evangelization work but he also used it to teach others. During his ministry the Mboh-Ilung disagreement was destabilizing that area and he went as far as he could in an effort to solve the problem. He celebrated the 10th anniversary of his o r d i n a t i o n i n F u n d o n g a n d w a s overwhelmed with joy at the massive turnout of Christians and the festive atmosphere. This was a manifestation of the relations Fr Tim had with his parishioners and he felt like a rare prophet accepted in his own country. 6. FR MICHAEL YUH (1994 – 2004) He introduced meetings with Catechists at Parish and Zonal levels with only one Nguti trained Catechist, late Pius Kitu. He contributed very much in the preparatory phases of the Provincial Pastoral Plan in the Parish and Kom area by ensuring that St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, was present at all the phases. He also introduced Armed Forces Day which was celebrated every January and delegations from Belo, Njinikom, Fundong and Bum Sub Divisions were always present. Sometimes there was a delegation of Security Forces from Bamenda led by Sr Hedwig. There were nine Primary Schools at the time, namely CS Fundong, CS Boyui, CS Muteff, CS Ebosung, CS Aduk, CS Fundong Up, CS Fujua, CS Konene and CS Achain. He supported the building of the Catholic School at Ilung and the space for the church was bulldozed. He introduced Sunday Massed at Boyui and Mbam alternately and in other Mission Stations following a programme and laid the foundation of the Mbam Church and extended the Sanctuary area of Boyui Church. He introduced Quarter Masses in Fundong Town. The Bona Mors Prayer Group was formed during his ministry and the YCS became prominent. He encouraged the holding of Parish Council meetings in a rotatory manner in different Mission Stations. During the visit of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov to the Parish for Confirmation, Fr Michael took him to Ilung He ensured the celebration of the Thanksgiving Masses of Fathers Joseph Nchitu and Augustine Nkwain in Fundong and Ilung and later that of Fr Anthony Bangsi in Fundong and Konene. He celebrated his Silver Jubilee in the priesthood in Fundong. It was during his ministry that the Infant Jesus Sisters of Nicolas Barré arrived Fundong and started the work of visiting the sick, teaching French in CS Fundong and Cs Boyui, handling Cadets and other Church groups and accompanying priests to Mission Stations. Fr Michael resolved the misunderstanding between Mboh and Aduk on the one hand and Ilung on the other after eight years of separation. 7. FR GERARD DOYLE ( August 2004 – August 2008) He was the first Parish Priest to take charge of the Parish after five Diocesan Parish Priests. He laid the groundwork for the implementation of the Provincial Pastoral Plan. 8. FR ABNER DIMO (16 August 2008 - April 2012) Important events like the following were celebrated: the Visit of Bishop George Nkuo, the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Sr Francisca, the Final Profession of Sisters Evelyne Kitu and Geneviva Bi Njah, the ordination of Fr Cyprian Ta-ah, the installation of the Blessed Sacrament in Boyui, the elevation of Ilung to a Quasi-Parish, the celebration of the Ruby Jubilee of St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, the Thanksgiving Mass of Sr Vera Ndifon and the Government recognition of St Jude’s Special Catholic School, Fundong Town. He ensured that the Pastoral Plan was put in place by encouraging the Parish Pastoral Formation Team to carry out formation in all the Mission Stations of the Parish which led to the self-reliance of the Parish before his departure in April 2012. Fr Abner Dimo arrived In Fundong in July 2004. He was appointed Parish Priest on 16th August 2008 and he also played the role of the Manager of Schools. During his Ministry there were realizations like: the tiling of the Parish Church, the renovation and creation of St Jude’s Special Primary School, Fundong Town and CS Fundong Town with the help of Br Huub Welters, MHM, the renovation of the Parish house by Br Huub Welters, renovation of Parish Hall (Ruby Jubilee Project) and the building of the Church and Father’s house at 9. FR CHRISTOPHER HANCOCK (April 2012 – 2016) He combined his work as Parish Priest with the teaching of Canon Law in St Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, Bambui. He introduced the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the Parish and the strict adherence to the liturgical rubrics. It was during his ministry that the launching of the Centenary of Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Bamenda took place in Fundong.
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JOHN THE BAPTIST’S PARISH, FONCHA STREET – BAMENDA FRIDAY, 26 APRIL 2019 T The following homily was delivered in St. John The Baptist Church Foncha Street Nkwen, Archdiocese of Bamenda, during the Ruby Jubilee celebration of Rev. Fr. John Bintum's Priestly ordination. The preacher was the eminent Rev. Father Zephyrinus Yem Mbuh. My…	en	https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico	PROUD CATHOLICS MOVEMENT WORLDWIDE	https://proudcatholicsworldwide.wordpress.com/2019/04/29/homily-for-ruby-jubilee-mass-for-rev-father-john-bintum/	ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST’S PARISH, FONCHA STREET – BAMENDA FRIDAY, 26 APRIL 2019 T The following homily was delivered in St. John The Baptist Church Foncha Street Nkwen, Archdiocese of Bamenda, during the Ruby Jubilee celebration of Rev. Fr. John Bintum’s Priestly ordination. The preacher was the eminent Rev. Father Zephyrinus Yem Mbuh. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We gather here at Saint John the Baptist Church, Foncha Street, in union with Father John Bintum to celebrate the 40 Anniversary of his Priestly Ordination or Ruby Jubilee, as the 40th Anniversary is also called. On this occasion, it would have been fitting to take the Prayers and Readings of Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the many blessings he has bestowed on Father John and on all others, whose spiritual needs he may have attended to for the past 40 years. However, in union with the Roman Catholic Church, today we take the Prayers and Readings of Friday within the Octave of Easter, since Liturgical Law asks us to do so. In the Order for the Celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours for the Liturgical Year 2018- 2019, we would see that no other celebrations are permitted on the eight days following Easter Sunday, except funeral Masses. However, given the importance of the occasion that has brought us here today, we have chosen a second reading from the Readings provided in the Lectionary for Mass for Giving Thanks to God. We may have noticed that all the readings of this Mass are taken from the New Testament. It is no error. As far back as Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386), the practice of not reading the Old Testament at Mass during the Easter Season was already in place. On the weekdays of Easter, in fact, the Book of the Acts of the Apostles is read in a continuous way, till the end of the Easter Season. On Sundays of Easter, the second readings are respectively taken from the First Letter of Saint Peter in Year A, the First Letter of Saint John in Year B, and the Book of Revelation in Year C. The Gospel readings are for the most part from the Gospel according to John. The logic of this arrangement is based on the practice of looking forward from the Resurrection, after looking back on our salvation history during the Easter Vigil. All of this helps to focus our attention on the celebration of the Resurrection and to keep us looking forward from the Resurrection Event to our present day. As earlier mentioned, we have come here today as family and friends of Father John Bintum, in order that together with him we may celebrate his Ruby Jubilee. It may be important for us to look briefly at the word jubilee. To look at the origin and meaning of the word jubilee, we cannot avoid going back to the Book of Leviticus, even if it is the Old Testament and we are here at a Eucharistic Celebration during Easter, a context in which the Old Testament is not officially read. In the Book of Leviticus 25:8-13, we read: “You will count seven weeks of years – seven times seven years, that is to say a period of seven weeks of years, forty-nine years. And on the tenth day of the seventh month you will sound the trumpet; on the Day of Expiation you will sound the trumpet throughout the land. You will declare this fiftieth year to be sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the country’s inhabitants. You will keep this as a jubilee: each of you will return to his ancestral property, each to his own clan. This fiftieth year will be a jubilee year for you; in it you will not sow, you will not harvest the grain that has come up on its own or in it gather grapes from your untrimmed vine. The jubilee will be a holy thing 2 for you; during it you will eat whatever the fields produce. In this year of jubilee, each of you will return to his ancestral property.” 1 From this text it is clear that for the Israelites the fiftieth year was significant and special. God himself decreed that the Israelites were to observe the fiftieth year as a year of jubilee, a sacred year. The significance of the fiftieth year did not end with the Israelites. It has come down to our own times and we call it ‘golden jubilee’. However, the question remains: What is a jubilee? The origin of the word jubilee is not very certain. However, some scholars have suggested that it derives from the Hebrew jobel, which literally means the horn of a ram. From the horn of a ram, which the Israelites used to declare the year of jubilee, a certain idea of rejoicing developed. Whether we look at the Hebrew jobel or at the Greek iobelaios or iobelos or at the Latin jubilo, jubilatio and jubilaeum, which most European languages have adopted, we need to realise that the idea of joy runs through all of these concepts. 2 For the Israelites, the Year of Jubilee was in any case pre-eminently a year of joy, a year of remission or universal pardon. Remember the text of Leviticus 25:10 that says: “You will declare this fiftieth year to be sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the country’s inhabitants“. How would people be free if their debts are not cancelled and their sins forgiven? Every seventh year, like every seventh day, was always seen to be holy and set aside for rest, call it a sabbatical year; but the year which followed seven complete cycles was to be kept as a sabbatical year of special solemnity. In the year of jubilee every household recovered its absent members, Leviticus 25:8-13 [The New Jerusalem Bible. Pocket Edition] 1 2 Cf. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: “Holy Year of Jubilee” at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08531c.htm 3 the land returned to its former owners, the Hebrew slaves were set free, and debts remitted. 3 The Christian Jubilee has taken up the content of the Hebrew Jubilee and made it Christian. Pope Boniface VIII instituted the first Christian Jubilee for the entire Roman Catholic world in the year 1300. However, the idea of solemnizing a fiftieth anniversary was already familiar to medieval writers, through their knowledge of the Bible. 4 We have come to know jubilee as the twenty-fifth anniversary (also known as silver jubilee), fortieth anniversary (also known as ruby jubilee), fiftieth anniversary (also known as golden jubilee), sixtieth or seventy-fifth anniversary (also known as diamond jubilee). In the Roman Catholic Church, a jubilee is simply an appointed year or other period in which a plenary indulgence is granted upon repentance and the performance of certain religious acts. This is ordinarily celebrated every 25 years, for instance, the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. This is an ordinary jubilee. It could also be a period of time declared by the Holy Father as a time of rejoicing, when a plenary indulgence is granted upon repentance and the performance of certain religious acts, for instance, the Year of Priests. This is an extraordinary jubilee. Our concern today is the 40 Anniversary or Ruby Jubilee of Rev. Father John th Bintum. The first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of celebrating his or her anniversary is gratitude. Today, in union with Father John, we thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on him thus far. From his mother’s womb, Cf. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ibid. 3 4 Cf. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ibid. 4 God chose him and consecrated him to be a prophet (cf. Jeremiah 1:5). I am sure Father John is thanking God today for his parents, who are both of blessed memory, and asking God to grant them eternal rest in his kingdom. He is thanking God for his teachers in primary school, in Saint Augustine’s College Nso, in Bishop Rogan College Soppo – Buea, and for his formators in Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary Bambui. He is thanking God for Father Paul Verdzekov, Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda, who focussed on the strengths and prospects of the young John Bintum and decided to ordain him as a Priest of the Roman Catholic Church for the then Diocese of Bamenda on Thursday, 19 April 1979. th Father John Bintum happens to be among the first batch of Priests trained in Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary Bambui, with the Very Rev. Father Christian Wiyghan Tumi as their pioneer Rector. It is worth noting that in 1978 the Very Rev. Father Christian Wiyghan Tumi was appointed Bishop of Yagoua and in 1988 he was created first and lone Cardinal of Cameroon. Of the nine candidates, who became Priests from the pioneer batch of Bambui, Father John Bintum was ordained along with Father Joseph Akem, Father William Tardze, Father Anthony Viban, Father Patrick Adeso, and Father Joseph Veranso for the then Diocese of Bamenda. In 1982, when the Diocese of Kumbo was erected Father Patrick Adeso and Father Joseph Veranso chose the new Diocese of Kumbo. Father Edward Ngalame and Father Moses Tazoh were ordained for the Diocese of Buea and Father Gerard Toumagni was ordained for the then Diocese of Garoua. This first batch of Priests from Bambui celebrates 40 years in the Priesthood in the absence of Father Patrick Adeso, Father Joseph Veranso and Father Gerard Toumagni, who have been called to eternity at different times. I am sure that today Father John is also praying for their eternal repose. 5 Father John thanks God today for his family and friends, people who have journeyed with him for the past 69 years of his life on earth. His call to the Priesthood exposed him to all kinds of people in the Archdiocese of Bamenda and beyond. Some of these people have been a source of great encouragement to him. I am not going to attempt any listing of such persons, for fear I leave out those who deserve to be mentioned. However, I wish to draw Father John’s attention to those who made life very difficult for him, right from the early years of his priestly ministry to this day. You may have felt bad about them, as you should humanly feel; you may have felt hated, discriminated against and sought different ways to defend yourself; you may have felt discouraged and asked, ‘Why me?’. I guess most of such persons may not have been aware of what they were effectively doing to you. For them you can and should pray the prayer of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Those of them who were aware may have had the intention to make life impossible for you, but ironically they contributed to strengthen you, to make you develop the kind of resilience that would keep you afloat on the troubled waters they created for you, to make you a more holistic person. A Priest does not bear grudges! In fact, he is called to annul grudges. It is in the very essence of his ministry to reconcile conflicting parties. Father John, I hereby invite you to look back at the past 40 years and why not at your entire lifetime, identify those persons who may have hurt you most. After having identified them and the impact of their hurt, then embrace the challenge to forgive them from your heart. It is only after you have forgiven them that you will be better placed to ask them for forgiveness, for being a no-nonsense person as you have always been, there is no doubt that you would have sometimes intentionally stepped on others’ toes. Remember the conclusion to the parable of the unforgiving servant: 6 “‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. That is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35) A Priest is fondly called Father. Somebody has jokingly observed that the best way for son to punish his father is to become a Priest, so his father can call him Father. There is no punishment in calling a Priest ‘Father’. Rather, the Priest should see in the title of ‘Father’ an invitation to realise that as Father, he assumes responsibility for the community put under his pastoral care; he assures the unity and smooth functioning of that community; he promotes a true spirit of love and family in the community; and he allows himself to be groomed into a real father. A father worthy of the name has the humility to apologise and to ask for forgiveness. A real father is always willing to forgive and be forgiven. A real father is at the service of his family. The Priest, too, is called to serve after the example of Jesus himself, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Matthew 20:28). Father John, 40 years down the line, you have worked really hard to minister to others in season and out of season. Imagine the entire territory from Nkoine to Bum, which you handled alone in the early 1980s as the young and vibrant Parish Priest of Saint Jude’s Parish Fundong. Imagine all other territories and institutions in which you have worked till date. Very often, some of us Priests think we are great when we are everywhere, every time, attending to everybody else. We are so 7 busy working for God that we tend to forget the same God who has called us and assigned us to work for him. There is a story told of the donkey on which Jesus rode during his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The story goes thus: “It was the morning after the great event, and the little donkey was still full of itself for all the songs, praises, dance, jubilation, and people spreading palm branches and even their garments on the road for it to walk on. As the sun rose and the day grew warmer, the donkey decided to take a walk into the village and meet the people. It simply wanted to relive the glory of the previous day’s event. The donkey met the first group of people at the village well. As the donkey strutted towards them, the people simply ignored it and went on filling their pots and jars with water. The donkey cleared its throat (M-mm-m!) to draw attention, but no one paid attention to it. It stamped its hoofs impatiently, but no one looked up. It thought to itself: ‘These fellows do not seem to know who they are dealing with here’. It stamped its hoofs again, this time rather angrily, and broke a pot. One well-built fellow gave it a sharp slap on the back and said, ‘Get out of here, you dirty beast!’ The donkey ran off, thinking to itself, ‘These people must be so ignorant. Let me get to the market square’. Even there, everyone was about their business and no one paid the donkey the least attention. This made the donkey really mad and it shouted: ‘Hey fellows, where are the palm branches? Spread your garments on the road! Don’t you see who is coming?’ Some children playing nearby stopped and started laughing at the donkey that was stomping around as if it had been stung by bees. They chased it with sticks and stones. 8 The donkey went back to its mother, quite disappointed, and said: ‘Mummy, they chased me with sticks and stones, they completely ignored me. Yesterday was so different.They adored me; they spread their clothes for me to walk on. What is wrong with these people?’ Its mother said: ‘There is nothing wrong with the people, son; but there is everything wrong with you. Yesterday, they were not adoring you; they were not singing, dancing, and spreading their garments and palm branches for you. They did it for Jesus. Look, son, without Him, you are nothing; without Him you can do nothing.’” A Priest is like the donkey, in the story above, that must always carry Jesus in order to be effective. Without Jesus a Priest is nothing; without Jesus a Priest can do nothing. This is beautifully put in the Gospel according to John, when Jesus says: “Iam the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). On the occasion of the ordination of four diocesan Priests in the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Northern Colorado on 17 May 2014, th Archbishop Samuel Joseph Aquila of Denver said something, which I would like to borrow on the occasion of the Ruby Jubilee of Father John Bintum. He said: Every Priest or Bishop knows the truth: that it is God who has chosen him. For he knows his own weakness, he knows his own sinfulness, and yet, just as Jesus spoke to each of the Twelve the words, ‘Come, follow me,’ so too does he speak to every Priest or Bishop. And, in responding to that call, the Priest or Bishop must do so with a total gift of self. As Jesus tells us, if you wish to be my disciple, you must leave everything: mother, father, brother, sister, home, etc. and follow me. Jesus must be 9 the first and best friend of the Priest or Bishop. This is true for every disciple of Jesus. The Priest makes himself a total self-gift to Christ and to his Church. Jesus himself has laid down his life for you and for every human being. He has made of himself a total self-gift and calls you to imitate that. Not only do you leave home and family to serve Christ and his Church and to exercise pastoral charity as Christ himself did, you also embrace the gift of celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. You imitate Jesus Christ in doing that. You say, ‘he is the first priority,’ as is your ministry. It is only with deep prayer that you can enter into that gift. Hopefully, over the years of your formation, you have encountered Jesus, you have received him as your friend and you have learned to love as he loves. Jesus reminds us that we are first loved by him, ‘as the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love’ (John 15:9). He then reminds us: ‘if you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love’ (John 15:10). 5 Today, we celebrate Father John’s Ruby Jubilee in the context of the Easter Octave, that is, the period of 8 days following Easter Sunday. The readings assigned to this Fifth Day of the Octave focus directly on the Resurrection of Jesus. Had the Resurrection of Jesus taken place in this our android age, social media would have been flooded with so many ‘happening now’ videos that many phones would simply have run out of storage in a few hours. It happened in such a way that even science could not record its details. However, we learn something of the empty tomb and the first appearances of the Risen Lord from the women, who out of Cf. https://archden.org/archbishops_writing/homily-priesthood-ordination-mass-may-17-2014/#.XMCxevZFzIU 5 10 their usual love and concern for Jesus go to the tomb early in the morning to anoint his body. It is such a wonderful thing that the love of the women for Jesus leads them to be the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. It comes across as a reward given to the women by Jesus for their love and concern for him. This is something that women can and should be proud of. They are bearers of the wonderful news of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is thanks to the women that the chicken-hearted men, whom Jesus had chosen to be his Apostles, who had not only disowned Jesus but had also abandoned him to his fate on the cross, are able to come out of their hiding in an attempt to verify the unbelievable story of the women. It is said that seeing is believing. When the men see the scene of the empty tomb and encounter the Risen Lord, they believe in the Resurrection so much so that from chicken-hearted men they become bold and fearless preachers of the doctrine of the Resurrection. In the first reading of today, the Apostles face the rulers and elders of the people without fear. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, takes up his role as first among equals and tells the rulers and elders of the people that they have failed in their mission. They had killed Jesus with the hope of silencing him and his followers. Unfortunately for them, God has raised him to life and miracles are being worked by his followers in his name, contrary to their expectation. Remember that in the Gospel passage of Easter Monday, taken from the Gospel according to Matthew 28:8-15, we are told of a meeting between the guards who were kept to watch the tomb of Jesus on the one hand and the chief priests and the elders of the people on the other hand; a meeting whose conclusion is a resolution on the official version of the story of the Resurrection of Jesus. After having given the guards a good amount of money, they were instructed as follows: 11 “This is what you must say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep’. And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble’.” (Matthew 28:13-14) The chief priests and the elders of the people are not the only ones to have this kind of agreement on an official version of a story that completely contradicts reality. We do that sometimes on a daily basis. By so doing, we choose to bear false witness instead of bearing witness to the truth as Jesus would want us to do. At his trial, Jesus said he came into the world to bear witness to the truth. We, who have opted to be like Christ, by becoming Christians, ought to bear witness to the truth in the same way Christ did. From the first reading of today, we learn that the chief priests and the elders of the people were extremely annoyed because Peter and John were teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. We can understand their frustration and anger. Things are working contrary to their made-up story. How could a dead man whose body has been stolen from the tomb be causing so much confusion among the people? More so, his disciples, who were so afraid that they ran away, abandoning him to the shameful death of the cross, are now so bold to preach the doctrine of the resurrection and convert thousands of people! When Peter and John are called up to explain their conduct, Peter does not fear; neither does he hesitate. He tells them clean and clear: “… I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the 12 one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by his name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. This is the stone rejected by you builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12) The message of Peter to the rulers and elders of the people invites you and me to draw closer to Jesus, because it is by his name and by no other name that we can be saved. Union with Jesus necessarily implies union with our brothers and sisters. We are gathered here as family and friends of Father John Bintum, who hails from Nkor – Noni. The Noni have a saying: “Kintashi nu mngai”, meaning “Unity is strength”. There is some essential balm that is made in the United Kingdom but “For export only!” I have always had the impression that the “Unity is strength” saying of the Noni is also for export. This is because in every Noni Village, no matter how small it may be, there are two Fons. Our unity would be strength if it ceased to be a thing of the lips and became a conviction of the heart of each one of us. Then, our union with Christ would truly be union with our brothers and sisters. Father John, out of love for Jesus and his brothers and sisters, you have chosen to use the proceeds from your Ruby Jubilee to cater for the internally displaced, who reside in this parish. This is your own concrete way of making sure that your union with Christ translates into union with your brothers and sisters. May Jesus, the Risen Lord, touch the heart of each one of us in this church so that we may generously and joyfully support you in this great act of charity! 13 May the Lord also keep us and strengthen us so that in the next ten years, we may come back to celebrate your Golden Jubilee of Priestly Ordination. Ad multos annos! Zephyrinus Yem Mbuh, SD, SENECA-CENC, Yaoundé.
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2279	dbpedia	2	45	https://tuckmagazine.com/2017/05/11/cameroon-open-letter/	en	Cameroon: An open letter – Tuck Magazine	https://tuckmagazine.com…/05/cghmcgh.jpeg	https://tuckmagazine.com…/05/cghmcgh.jpeg	[ "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/proxy.png", "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cghmcgh.jpeg", "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/fr-gerald-jumbam-150x150.jpg", "https://i1.wp.com/2d3.896.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/etchi-photo-5.jpg?resize=150%2C150", "https://c.statcounter.com/7270781/0/dda796b0/0/" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2017-05-11T00:00:00		en	https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50d1da308f66394dcf11c90bc51ac13b?s=16		https://tuckmagazine.com/2017/05/11/cameroon-open-letter/	Cameroon: An open letter Reuters photo By Joseph Besong An Open Letter to the President Of The National Episcopal Conference Of Cameroon (NECC) – Archbishop Samuel Kleda Father Gerald Jumbam wrote the following letter to Archbishop Kleda to appraise him of the current situation in Anglophone Cameroon: Your Grace When I yielded to the earnest desire within me that I should write you, a friend encouraged me to do so. I consented with something of the reluctance which I developed when I thought of the huge and exalted task of writing you. I rejected the thought of writing. After a little moment, I went on deep thought, meditation and personal prayer about this issue. When I felt the call, I held my pen and began writing until I arrived at this letter before you. It may happen to some persons to feel surprised that it is a priest who is writing an Archbishop. I do so with the happiness and conviction of speaking my own mind, in conscience, about a situation which touches us all in Cameroon. These are my own thoughts and solutions to our recent predicament – welling from unshakeable convictions. I have written them freely without coercion from anyone but only being guided by my conscience – a small voice telling me, ‘Gerald tell the archbishop and the world your own convictions about the crisis bedeviling your homeland. Do so freely without any fear knowing that you and the Archbishop are just citizens and Christians seeking to know and serve God’. It is this voice in me that has enabled me send you this letter in its entirety and helping the world also – by addressing it an open letter – to learn from its ideas. I am happy to embrace this challenge. Opening Remarks I wish to begin straight away by informing Your Grace of the raison d’être of my letter. I share the conviction of the Cameroonian who has recently commented about your letter that “It is discernible from an anxious reading of the first letter of the Bishops of Cameroon, that of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and the present letter of the Bishops of Cameroon that the latest letter of the Bishops of Cameroon is actuated by political rather than Christian motivations.” To me the tone and spirit of your recent letter is not only Pontius Pilating your brother bishops of the Southern Cameroons, but the silence over what you were supposed to have done and have not done, is an impeachment of your brother bishops West of the Mungo. What were you supposed to do? I fear to expose my own ignorance of Episcopal policies and proceedings, but I had thought that as leaders who feel for their suffering brothers of English speaking Cameroon, you bishops of French speaking Cameroon would write a public letter condemning the act of taking whole bishops to court. We know who is behind these things; not so Archbishop? Why are we pretending to call a spade a spade when we have been given the mandate as Apostles of Jesus (who is The Truth) to defend the truth even on to the cross. To me it has been a betrayal which the Church leaders of East Cameroon ought to hang their heads in ashamed. Your silence has given the impression that the Bishops of our Church province have been disobedient to the country. Our Bishops have not been unfaithful to the State. They have been united to the State very much like a believing wife to a husband who is about to commit suicide and so as a Christian wife holding to the relationship, the Bishops have struggled recently to save not themselves, but the government from the crime of political apostasy. We of the Southern Cameroons, if we act consistently with our history, we cannot be loyal subjects to the despicable and tyrannous Yaoundé government. Archbishop, you speak of Decentralization and you offer us it as the best gift you think fitting for the resolution of this crisis? We are determined to decline a gift so laden with spurious promises and deceitful propensities. And who can blame us for so doing? Who should be surprised that Yaoundé would still do to Buea what it did after the Foumban constitutional conference of 1961 – turn traitor to the very constitution that bound them together as brothers with two equal strengths (and not that spurious decentralization you are talking about that wants to equate Buea with Garoua as if you do not know that Buea is the capital of a country and Garoua is a mere region of another country) or turn Cain against his brother Abel by killing everything we (Abel) had as culture, economy, jurisprudence, education, politics, military etc. The Church is the joy and happiness of all of us, and therefore, when justice cries out as it did in the Southern Cameroons (with rapes and killings and abductions and military bestiality over defenseless civilians), it is the duty of the Bishops to speak out loud for the poor and the underprivileged. You spoke but we never got that loudness and that weak voice gave the Yaoundé political cabal encouragement to go ahead. Our Bishops of the Southern Cameroons took the bull by the horns and spoken out loud for the poor and used history, scriptures and the Church’s social teachings to state their case because they love the Church which is people and not money. The world of politics has its own logic and truth that brooks no breaking. One of them is that of nemesis – that any despotism that goes up would come down. Yaoundé has perpetuated that tyranny on Buea and that tyranny is about to have its nemesis. Remember history – that there are two states in Cameroon represented by Yaoundé and Buea. That is why I will always equate the two capitals for that is how it was supposed to be. I wish to let you know something of the people of the Southern Cameroons which many French Speaking Cameroonians seem to be ignorant of. They are people who do not distinguish between their love of country and their love of the Church. They love those two things with their whole hearts. Their patriotism is ethical, concrete, and religiously dutiful – reason why your brother bishops of Southern Cameroons (in the example of that pragmatic culture) have spoken for their subjugated and dispossessed people against such a stinking political tyranny as Biya’s. That is why though many from East Cameroon are comfortable with the atheistic political system glorifyingly baptized laicite, it has been scandal of the highest order to the religious sensitivity of Southern Cameroons who like true Africans (and tinged by Anglicanism’s reverence for God and respect for the Monarch) believe that without God and indigenous culture life is impossible. We know very well that this atheism we see in Cameron politics is not from your own ancestors but it is borrowed from France. The people East of the Mungo have been educated in Gallican opinions. We of the West have been educated in Anglican opinions. The respect of each other’s opinions from those educational systems have been what La republique du Cameroun has deprived us of, and it pains us to the marrow. That is why our teachers and lawyers took to the streets to peacefully demonstrate their anger and protest against an evil system. They were met with an autocratic response by a government you fear to criticize. The Testimony of Early Church History To explain my case I make the first century of the Church my special model; It was a virgin Church, yet, a period afflicted by the political autocracy of the Roman empire and its emperors. When Emperors Decius and Diocletian slaughtered thousands of Christians because they stood for truth, the Christian family stood courageously strong against that political cruelty. Both bishops and laity were one against such political tyranny in the example of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons with their maligned flock. They publicly and formally abjured to worship the gods of the Roman empire’s totalitarianism. The picture is what is happening today in our land the Southern Cameroons by the colonial emperors of La Republique du Cameroun. St. Athanasius as a result would go on exile and St Chrysostom would be sent off to Cucusus to be worried to death by an empress. St. Ignatius of Antioch would be arrested by the political authorities and taken to Rome to be given to wild beasts to eat him up because of the Truth. And that is why I am angry with the behavior of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons to have allowed you walk around doing what you are doing and giving the impression like they have no authority over their jurisdictions as full consecrated bishops of Local Sees of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. If the governance of that Church called Cameroon is beyond your governance, the best thing is to inform the Pope to send a Vatican delegate to do that job. I feel your going round Southern Cameroons for such an exercise is the unwisest thing the Bishops of that Church province have allowed to happen in recent times. Good Shepherds lay Life for Flock Times like this are dangerous times. Times when our future is decide by a clay footed political clique that has bastardized the fortunes of the British Cameroons to a shambolic muddle. Sacred altars have been desecrated. For if we are to score the Church leadership performance in these times, it will be clear to all that the tail has been wagging the dog. In moral and spiritual terms, much has been given to religious leadership, and much is expect of her. That is why the tenacity and integrity that Christian giants like Cardinal Christian Tumi and Cardinal Albert Malula, Mgr. Oscar Romero and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have mustered in the world, take us back to the visionary words of President John F. Kennedy: Of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment of each of us…recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state…our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answer to four questions: Were we truly men of courage… Were we truly men of judgment… Were we truly men of integrity… Were we truly men of dedication… With the towering paradigm of Pope Francis in recent times, the world correctly recognizes that Christianity has the potential to lead the way as champion of mores and faith. Perhaps it would be much truer in the Cameroon context. However, the current Catholic national leadership certainly has not lived up to its possibilities, for the most part because the majority of its bishops have been intimidated into silence and inactivity. A Bayangi proverb goes that, “a man who cannot challenge what is wrong is not better than a corpse”. We are living in times where our political and spiritual shepherds have been found wanting in challenging falsehood, and therefore Cameroon has turned in to a graveyard, a cemetery of silence in the face of blatant half-truths, divide-and-rule tactics, flagrant disrespect of human rights, mass abductions and killings. The National Episcopal Council (NEC) has been silent because it concerns the British Cameroons. Though it is disgraceful, we thank them. We thank them for the powerful memento sent to the world that there are two countries in this country. It reminds us of the evil of silence before evil. We know very well that when the National Episcopal Council (NECC) speaks out, it is listened to by the political powers in Cameroon. When tinged by the inspiration and endorsement of Cardinal Christian Tumi in 2000, the NECC spoke against the canker warm of bribery and corruption. The whole world listened and the government of Cameroon adjusted. Those were prophetic times for the clergy. Spiritual leaders the world over are always pace-setters; their intervention on socio-political disasters has always been prototypical, precisely because it sets the tyrants quaking. With the retirement and deaths among your circles, of names like Ndongmo, Tumi, Etoga, Wouking, Verdzekov, Awah, the national Episcopal Council all this while has been a sleeping bag. Today, NEC has been a fiasco, if we must speak the truth. Cameroon should be courageous to accept they are flawed and stop blaming France or Britain. The Bribery and corruption that we have been African champions for more than a decade, is self-inflicted. Bribery and corruption are a moral and spiritual problem. And therefore the moral and spiritual authorities are to blame. If the Church truly cared for its members, the problem will not be happening every now and then. And the oppressed people of British Cameroons are undergoing something of a genocide now because the National Episcopal Council (NEC) is on holidays, and the world knows that too well. We know what the bishops of the British Cameroons have gone through from the national episcopacy because they kicked up the storm in the daring letter they wrote (despite earlier hesitations) not because they were hoping the leadership of NEC would notice, but precisely because they knew that with the 2016-2017 NEC leadership in charge, every raped, maimed and unjustly imprisoned British Cameroonian might as well add NEC to their laundry list of Do-It-Yourself. The bishops of the British Cameroons came up with another communiqué by the very to the effect that they have not closed down their schools and that they are waiting for the Catholic pupils and students to return to school. But right up till now, the pupils and students have not returned, meaning that the parents have lost faith in the Church’s hierarchy. It is precisely because the Cameroon National Church lacks the courage to support what is right that people are going their own sweet ways. Is it asking too much from Church leaders to say good shepherds must lay life for flock? The Writing is on the Wall If situations were still as they used to be (by bishops not being able to be taken to court in the face of a pernicious silence demonstrated by their brother bishops), I would not hold my pen to write you and I would not have the heart to write this letter to so high an authority as you. Your public silence on the matter of the Bishops of our Church Province being taken to court has provoked this letter from a priest of the Church you belong. We are not unmindful of the history of La Republique du Cameroun when it concerns bishops betraying bishops. In fact, if those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, the Christian who is ignorant of what role the Cameroon Church has played in the governing of Cameroon is even less fortunate. And the metaphor of Bishop Albert Ndongmo’s life is the one great example. Albert Ndongmo was Bishop of Nkongsamba, born to a Christian family of La Republique du Cameroun. His statements on political subjects earned him the hostility of others in the Church as well as of the government. But the best statement about the life of this Oscar Romero of Africa came from the pen of none other than the revered Albert Womah Mukong: Bishop Ndongmo understood those fellows and treated them as they deserved…A lot of rubbish was spread round about him then girls whom he had helped were brought there as his collaborators in crime. They were declared his girl-friends and even dirty pictures of him and one Marie Bella were produced which a criminally minded and gullible audience accepted without asking this simple question: how many respectable people in the community would ever degenerate to taking photographs of this act, how much more a highly respectable member of the clergy? Perhaps his brother, Bishop Jean Zoa, believed in those things, for neither in the BMM nor in the Tchollire days did he ever visit his brother nor did he send him any material or financial help. The comment above about Bishop Jean Zoa puts me in pain, so much pain because it is Albert Mukong recounting this story in a book and not just an essay. Albert Mukong is a respectable man in our parts of the world, and if you count three most highly regarded human right activists in our country he must fall among them. Consequently, there is truth in Mukong’s Zoa-Ndongmo story above. The story above tells us how the bishops allowed their brother into the hands of the ruthless political psychopath that was Amadou Ahidjo. It is a story of backstabbing and betrayal among religious leaders. That is why I say perhaps the Bishop Jean Zoa cooperation with the Ammadu Ahidjo tyranny against his fellow brother Bishop Albert Ndongmo (recorded in the book above-mentioned) is a powerful metaphor of what is happening in the Cameroon episcopate today. “Shweri yii shaa baa yen kinyi ke ngwev” as the Nso would advise you in our rich language. The wind has blown away the feathers to expose the anus of the fowl. The Ndongmo-Zoa story is a mesmerizing eye-opener, a revelation and the wind that did blow to remind me and any other clergyman under affliction in our country that you will suffer alone when trouble comes. When the Bishops of La Republique rejected and abandoned their brother Bishop Ndongmo into the hands of tyrant Amadou Ahidjo, was it not our Bishops of Southern Cameroons through the instrumentality of Mgr. Peeters that consoled Ndongmo and stood by him and even got a lawyer for him from the Southern Cameroons? So I expected from you the Bishop of East Cameroon this time to do to the Bishops of West Cameroon what Mgr. Peeters in a Christlike fashion did to Albert Ndongmo of East Cameroon . But recently you have failed us woefully. There is a Country “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.”, Desmond Tutu Your Grace, I have thought long and hard about my place in the plight of my native land and I find myself writing about what I have never written before. The right time for it has come. The story I am to tell. The story is: I am of the British Cameroons. Proud and unashamed. I am composed, a composed British Cameroon priest and glad I am. I say that the British Cameroons is part of my story, part of who I am. Its colonial character is what my countrymen and I have assumed for over a century. We are tired. It was time I come out from the security of the sacred sacristy to the market place of concrete truth and public debate. It was time I come out from quiet to tell those who still doubt, the justice of a State meriting restoration, of course, Independence. The British Cameroons. But it is just one part of my life: I am a human being. My village is the world. By all means, Christianity loathes violence, attends to the poor, defends the oppressed, embraces peace, esteems the dignity of each human person. These are ideals espoused by the cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons. Most likely there will be people with personal cruel agendas. The British Cameroonians have been Mahatma Ghandis. Contrariwise, the ruthlessness of their oppressors, has been registered by the high court of history as they callously emit cruelty on peace loving peoples: Buea/Bamenda, tell me, is this you, this back that is bent, This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation, This back trembling with red scars And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun? But a grave voice answers me: Impetuous son, that tree young and strong, That tree over there In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers, That is Buea/Bamenda, That grows again patiently, obstinately… The words of the Cameroonian poet comes down to us, warm with weight and wisdom. This adapted version of David Diop’s poem ‘Africa’, addresses Bamenda and Buea. Darkness has descended on the British Cameroons in the killings, imprisonments, abductions, rapes, graves of mass burials and maim. Bamenda/Buea is facing viral alteration of psychic conditioning. In this state of affairs, silence is criminal. The sense of urgency has lagged so much that a month ago I lost my anger on a letter to a compatriot invading media space with the banner, screaming: Homecoming or Homegoing – the Southern Cameroons! It is a wakeup call no more on failed internal religious and political bodies, but on Britain and International Human rights institutions and activists, not to delay, because what happened in Rwanda is at our doors. AU and UNO look up and act! UK look up and speak! The urgency of speaking for despoiled peoples is so felt that I don’t really care if this anger breaks the bounds of office. How could it be when a priest is first and foremost a citizen. He owes his community a contribution to its wellbeing for his upbringing. He serves God and recognizes that the cry of the powerless and the voice of the voiceless is the cry and the voice of God. Vox populi vox Dei. Anna Quindlen, said: “Look back, to slavery, to suffrage, to integration and one thing is clear. Fashions in bigotry come and go. The right thing lasts.” God lasts. Independence lasts. The Church teaches its leaders a preferential option for the dispossessed, for the hoi polloi. Before someone points the finger at me that I am taking the role of Pope to lay down ways a priest should live today, let me say that I do feel Christian ethics and the Holy Bible would be unambiguous that the priest takes sides with the subjugated. Evidently there is no moral compulsion as pastor to pasture the flock in a particular way. But there is, I believe, a moral obligation as a priest, not to allow oneself be used by tyrants to perpetrate spurious propagandas against the defenseless. A clergyman, in my definition of that office, would not be someone who takes sides with colonial governors against the oppressed. I strongly believe that a priest worthy of the name, should go ahead and dare those forces –morally, nonviolently and with determination – that keep millions of constituted people caged in a cruelty so dehumanizing as the yoke over the British Cameroons, our native land. This because, someday history will disclose to him that those who took courage to work for their mother country, those who spoke for the speechless, those who stood for justice, those who listened attentively to the cry of the oppressed, and those who championed the cause for the non-violently restoration of the sovereignty of a nation, have been champions of whom all upcoming epochs will be proud. Your Grace, The cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons is a one built on a big idea supported by legality. You don’t kill an idea with the bullet or prison cells. It is established on a winning banner that debate is stronger than the gun. The power of debate and not the debate of power. This power of debate and legality convinces us beyond all doubt that there is a country. I look out of myself into the struggle of our cause and I see a sight which fills me with appalling sorrow. The ignorance of those who don’t see it coming, who don’t see the plain truth of which my whole being is full. There are two alternatives – the way to Southern Cameroons, and the way to la Republique. Federation is the halfway house on the one side, and New Deal decentralization is the halfway house on the other. I have been gravely disappointed with the federalists (the moderates). ‘Shallow understanding’, says Martin Luther King, ‘from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of bad will’; that is why the British Cameroon’s greatest obstacle in the walk towards independence is not even La Republique’s CPDM or Mgr. Kledda’s Decentralization, but the federalists. Federalists are cowards standing on the fence – neither cold nor hot. They have left substance to pursue shadows. The federalists do not know that it is their presence which is the triumph of the oppressor; it is the sight of them which is the Southern Cameroon’s confusion and helplessness. Our oracle of truth is independence, and it looms high and has a reality, and its “Truth can fight its battle. It has a reality in it, which shivers to pieces swords of earth.” When we are skilled enough to dance truth’s music, that truth will set us free. Truth be told: our miseries as a people would accumulate from leaders being afraid to look difficulties in the face, palliate falsehoods which they should denounce and expect truths to spring from fabrications. I speak most earnestly when I say that our great reawakening like great Achilles, has the soft spot of ignorance – ignorance of who our opponent truly is. When we begin to see, all and sundry, that the issue at stake is Independence, we would notice that the enemy is not Paul Biya, but the structures put in place for a Paul Biya (or any other la Republique party chairman like Ni John Fru Ndi) to cage us inside this prison of despicability forever. The cause we are undertaking is (to use the words of St. Augustine), “an abyss so deep as to be hidden from him in whom it is”. Many have only hints and glimpse of what it truly is. It is a herculean task. But it is hallowed by God and no one has to be afraid. Is it too difficult to realize that a constituted people are deprived of sovereign air and autonomous space in the 21st century? Is it too difficult to realize that they are bent and determined on anything to see their goal attained? The good news is that we speak with one voice, thrash out disharmony. It is good news. The British Cameroons’ struggle, its most significant quality is the re-opening of topics politicians of doom have tried to close down since the rain started beating us. It is a breath of fresh air we should be proud of, to stand tall and speak out, and speak out for future generations. I am comfortable to cross the red sea with a Moses. It may come out tough, yet there is no complexity that can’t be worked out with a good crack of Kolanuts, in the mouth. Kolanut in our traditions is symbol of integrity, symbol of unity, symbol of life, symbol of love, symbol of strength, symbol of sovereignty. The Magna Carta of Liberation Your Grace, Mahatma Gandhi once spoke disapprovingly of the followers of Christ when he read the Beatitudes. He said he was charmed by the magic Christ’s words held, and therefore he loved Jesus. He could, but he would not be Christian. Christians in India discouraged him. They did not practice Christ’s beatitudes, and so, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ, ” Gandhi exclaimed. The beatitudes are the secret keys to the Promised Land. They are the magna carta of liberation. The beatitudes are self-determination. Self-determination championed by the poor, the meek, the weak, the humble, the voiceless, the persecuted, the upright, beside us: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill’ (Matthew 5:6). Blessed is the British Cameroons under colonial yoke, they shall have their independence restored to them. Choose what you like, but you can’t open eyes and not see the valley of tears of our people and their quandary in a despicable Cameroon New Deal apartheid cage. It takes faith to keep their spirits afloat. And what is faith? Faith is a simple ‘yes’ to my heart and my conscience. Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.” Faith is Patrice Lumumba guillotined for an embattled continent. It is Nelson Mandela’s “if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is the British Cameroons’ “enough is enough”. It is a sweet kiss whistled on the lips of a fatherland in the restoration of its Independence. There is a mustard seed that is deep in the heart of every human being. It is faith. “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:5-10). Let us believe without seeing, and sing when our voices are cracked, and move to victory. And were your faith the size of Mount Fako, you will tell the mountain to move and plant itself in Ndop Plains, and it will do! Criminals Without Crime Our people say that when the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby. That hole for us is God. We are fighting a battle of the oppressed and God has never failed underprivileged peoples. Sometime ago, I arrived at a motto of life which I like to remodel once more and bring to use: “You only Live Once”. Then some weeks ago I shared with a priest-friend, this good news of a rule in my life. The gentleman laughed. He asked me and I gave him the reason for such a pledge. I said I find it atrocious that poverty has been death penalty passed on the crimeless people of the British Cameroons. Criminals without crime! Your Grace, there is a recent story of two girl friends, one Bafia(French Cameroon) another Babungo(the British Cameroons) who congregated along buyamsellam lines in Bamenda food market and after petty gossips of what caused the wild fire that consumed the market, they landed on the following informative discussion: “A young man is suffering terribly in jail in Kondengui, my boy-friend” Babungo said. “It is the right thing for him. Are you for the restoration of Southern Cameroons independence?” Bafia intervened. Babungo seems startled “of course”. “You Francophones” she continued. “You’re so lucky to be free: free internet, free boyfriends, free husbands, free children, free people. But living in the British Cameroons, it’s impossible to escape brutality, it hangs in the air.” “You can’t really blame the air for brutality” Bafia cuts in. “The brutality is generated by you Anglos. 55 years under domination, for nothing, for not taking your destiny into your hands. That’s quite a prison sentence!” And that is the word: prison sentence. crimeless criminals serving prison sentences. But the rumbling of the people’s anger is on. I tell this story to say that it has reached a level where we have to dream our own dreams, live our own views, believe our own beliefs, and do so with dignity. On the recent imprisonments without crime of the cream of our native land, it is difficult to comprehend. But let us be consoled by the brave Martin Luther King Jr. : “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” Let this be known: arrests of freedom fighters is an advantage. It hastens freedom. Christ was arrested. The apostles were arrested, but sang alleluias in prison cells and bamboozled their oppressors to shock. They knew, as I know today, they only live once. The imprisonment of our leaders is a warning: freedom is important but fragile. Sovereignty and liberation are won at great price. We must guard our liberty stance like egg and not allow the British Cameroons’ non-violent revolution be hijacked by exploiters of popular anger. The problem is not Paul Biya, neither is it the military all over our land. It is disunity planted by those who enjoy the flesh pots of Yaoundé and won’t move an eye for a united moral force against a communal threat. But the poor masses are wiser than power seekers know. When the anger of Mount Fako’s Chariot of God and the Holy Ghost of the Kilum hills will rise! (The time is near): You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Your Grace, it was devastating as it was aching for me to find la Republique du Cameroun declared in the Vatican among peace loving nations in the mouth of Paul Biya – even though Pope Francis knows. His visit to the Vatican may be difficult to describe only to jaded viewers. It was a masquerade that deceived only the stupid people who give themselves to be mislead by such aimless travesty. This president is not unfamiliar with these apparatus of mass deception he has applied on subjugated peoples for over three decades. His blood-colored track record of brutal killings and unjust incarcerations is well-known to the high court of history except to the leaders of the National Episcopal Council of Cameroon. Talk less of the recent genocide he is perpetuated in the British Cameroons. The whole national edifice has been sanguinary taking into consideration that he inherited the same heritage from a brutal warlord of a president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. The British Cameroonians have turned refugees in their own nation. It is this decadent model of authority that has characterized us since 1961 that we must interrogate. In a nation where silliness is given a standing ovation and fools ride on royal horses, a sell out like PM Philemon Yang who shamelessly takes himself a dishonorable recent trip around the North West, should be taken critically. Cameroon’s false impression of greatness and self-styled portrayal as the island of peace in a sea of troubled Africa has been exposed for what it truly is. The Internet blockage and the mass abduction of the British Cameroonians to Yaoundé by the republican forces of lawlessness and disorder, expose them as a flimsy country pretending to be tough. Our people say that there is no greater injustice than when anus farts, head receives a knock. The tyrant who is oppressor has engaged in placating international eyes that he is the oppressed. What a shame! The heart of our people is bleeding. They are carted like cattle in groves into prison yards away from homeland to Yaoundé. In a country where you are arrested because you are poor, in a country where you go to prison because you have no godfather to back you up, in country where you are put behind bars because you stand for justice and freedom – in such a country, good men must rise up to say Enough is Enough. Now that the shambolic regime is abducting our strong men, how do we gain patience when we are challenged by hurtful things? How do we pick up patience when a villain has cut the throat of a beloved, when a loved one has been raped from life by impious brutes? The undisclosed trick is to busy yourself with some other thing in the period in-between. Gandhi said “If patience is worth anything it must endure to the end of time.” Patience is protest in non-violence. Patience is Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Many people gamble with their lives. They take disasters for wives or husbands because of lack of some little patience. And they pay for it when the mask falls off. Patience is faith in a journey fraught with dejection but rewarding still. Once patience goes, everything goes. It might take a day, it might take a year, it might take a decade, what will be will be. So be patient. ”Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.“ (James: 5:7-10). One patient pause in ill-tempered times can save us painful apologies after. Organization is patience. Patience in other words is stock-taking. Patience is telling the tyrant NO, and giving time waiting to gain breathe, to build other strategies in the darkness of the cause. It is victory when it looks like defeat. Courage is patience. Leadership is patience. Truth is patience. Integrity is patience. Freedom is patience. Ma pipol, mumu don do. A mumurised people are doomed forever. We tried. Your Grace, we tried. We tried. We are tired. Patience is enough-is-enough. The danger signals are enough. UNO, AU, UK, act now or never! A stitch in time saves nine. Conclusion Your Grace, I wish to conclude here by saying that the capacity for self-determination is Christian. No one can conquer the British Cameroons. You can’t extinguish the fire that led our forbears out of Nigeria. That fire burns. If our effort is not enough to win the battle, our children will win it with better effort. But it shall not be postponed this time around. And yet, the cry of the agonizing British Cameroonian has fallen on deaf ears around the globe. For them, the pogrom in the British Cameroons is only some localized problem. The abductions and butchery of humans are hidden, ill-reported. Along with the nonstop infiltration of our land with armed killer squads and military bastards criminally excused from any probe, query or answerability, we are witnessing an experiment with “ethnic cleansing” authorized and sustained by the French Cameroon psychopath, Paul Biya. Strange that those that obtain the just publicity of terror in our land, are only the French Cameroons controlled media. A military selected for the assignment of absolute “pacification” of the British Cameroons is doing its work unopposed. Where is Britain’s assuagement in this matter? It is impossible to believe these things are happening under the nose of international human right bodies and the silence of Great Britain in this carnage in its trusteeship territory it sacrificed its independence in the altar of De Gaullism. The fortunate have been able to break through this militarized and ignominious iron curtain with freedom songs in foreign lands. The rest back home have been blocked from internet use and therefore have had for about 93 days no media through which to inform the world’s people of goodwill of the shocking evils each day exacted on their British Cameroon compatriots. Alas, we have eaten the bitter fruit of blind compromises made with boorish neighbors. We have learnt from this concubinage with Cain, that he who keeps a scorpion in his pocket must constantly watch his groin and he who inherits a cobra should know a cobra is not a pet. The lesson is learnt once and for all. Your Grace, because we are commissioned to preach “the good news to the poor… announce release to the prisoners and … to set oppressed people free”(Luke 4:18), I will do all it takes. I will comfort the powerless people. I will pull them out of the affliction of so painful a colonial yoke. The world must hear their story through me. There has never been a time like this fitting for this challenge. My defense for a fatherland is put on this context. In fact, preaching to empty stomachs without showing them how to come out of misery is as worthless as saying Mass to dogs. Go grant them the secrets to improve on their standards of living and conscientization to bring down the tyrant who has held their progress hostage. Go tell it on the mountain that injustice has been practiced on depraved peoples for the whole length of fifty-six years. Of course, Amos’ denunciation of social injustices quickly puts the poor in perspective: “Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country” (Amos 8:4-7). Archbishop Desmond Tutu is told to have said that when the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “let us close our eyes and pray.” When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land. This may not have exactly been true but there is some grain of truth in it when we consider the type of doctrinal material we got from missionary pulpits in those days and how all wealth was bad. That Christians should have nothing to do with the things of the earth. Abandoning their lands and properties to gain passport to Heaven. That is bad and dangerous theology. Here is the type of theology that impoverished our people. They gave up their lands and forests and mines and best places in cities to imperialists and ended up empty. Churches, mosques and synagogues should be careful. Religion has sometimes been used to impoverish the already despicable situation of poor people. What I mean here is the social doctrine of the Church. And where Christianity stands there is Self-Determination. Your Grace, you may wonder why such an important letter like this to such a respected personality like you was not written in French for your personal benefit and the rest of the Cameroon Francophone episcopate. The simple reason is that English is the language that the British taught their colonial subjects in the British Cameroons. And so I want to ask Your Grace, what France and her subjects are doing in a British colony at this time in history? Would it not sound strange if for instance the people of the British Cameroons moved to neighboring Equatorial Guinea and were asking in English the people of Equatorial Guinea to accept the British Cameroons control of their territory when everybody in Equatorial Guinea knows that Britain was not their colonial master? Accept then, Your Grace, the expression of my gratitude for taking time to go through this message from the pen of a priest of the Church which you are Bishop. Yours devotedly, Fr. Gerald Jumbam Fr Gerald Jumbam, Cameroon Joseph Besong I am the editor-in-chief of Kilimandjaro radio. I hail from Africa, precisely from Cameroon in Central Africa. I did my secondary education at Bishop Rogan College Soppo-Buea located in the South West Region of Cameroon. After graduation, I proceeded to the University of Buea-Cameroon where I read English minor in Journalism and Mass Communication. I later worked in Cameroon as a broadcaster with Two radios namely Radio Evangelum and CBS Radio all located in Buea. Presently, I work with Kilimandjaro radio, an online radio station based in Canada. 0 Comments Leave a Reply
2279	dbpedia	2	86	https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.120475/2015.120475.The-Europa-Year-Book-1972-A-World-Survey-Vol-ii_djvu.txt	en	Full text of "The Europa Year Book 1972 A World Survey Vol.			[ "https://archive.org/services/img/etree", "https://archive.org/services/img/librivoxaudio", "https://archive.org/services/img/metropolitanmuseumofart-gallery", "https://archive.org/services/img/clevelandart", "https://archive.org/services/img/internetarcade", "https://archive.org/services/img/consolelivingroom", "https://archive.org/images/book-lend.png", "https://archive.org/images/widgetOL.png", "https://archive.org/services/img/tv", "https://archive.org/services/img/911", "https://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=638689065", "https://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=disabled&cache_bust=127410097" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	https://archive.org/images/glogo.jpg		https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.120475	Full text of "The Europa Year Book 1972 A World Survey Vol.-ii" See other formats dOVT. COLLEGE, llBtimY ■ KOTA (Raj.) Students can retain library books only for two weeks at the most. THE EUROPA YEAR BOOK 1972 A WORLD SURVEY First Published 1926 © EUROPA PUBLICATIONS LIMITED 1972 All nghts reserved, ISBN 0 900 36247 2 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 59-2942 AVSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND James Bennett (CoUaroy) Pty. Ltd., CoUaroy, N.S.W., Anstralia INDIA XJBS Publishers’ Distributors Pvt. Ltd., P.O.B. 1882, 5 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, Delhi 6 JAPAN Maruzen Co. Ltd., 6 Tori-Nichome, Nihonbashi, Tokyo 103 Printed 2nd bound in England by STAPLES PRINTERS LIMITED (U The Stanhope Press. Rochester. Kent, establishmmt: Foreword Although the first edition of The Europa Year Book appeared in 1926, this is the thirteenth annual edition as a two-volume world survey, and it is larger than ever. In Volume II new chapters have been added for Bahrain, Bangladesh, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while other chapters have changed their names. Cambodia has now become the Khmer Republic, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) has become Zaire and the United Arab Republic has reverted to the former name of Egypt. The work of compiling the information contained in The Europa Year Book would be impossible without the continued generous co-operation of many individuals and organizations throughout the world, especially statistical offices, departments of information and diplomatic missions. The editors would also like to thank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, 18 Adam Street, London, WC2N 6AL, for permission to use data on defence manpower and finance from The Military Balance 1971 - 1972 . COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES Page Afghanistan I Algeria II Antarctica 23 Argentina 25 Australia 47 Australian External Territories: Papua and New Guinea 86 Christmas Island 92 Norfolk Island ,92 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 93 Other Territories 93 Bahrain 94 Bangladesh 100 Barbados 107 Bhutan 113 Bolivia 117 Botswana 129 Brazil 138 British Colonial Territories: 169 The Bahaihas 170 Bermuda ' 175 British Antarctic Territory 179 British Honduras • 180 British Virgin Islands 184 Cayman Islands 186 Falkland Islands 187 Falldand Islands’ Dependencies 188 Gilbert and Ellice Islands 189 Hong Kong 191 Montserrat 204 Pitcairn Islands 205 St. Helena 206 Ascension / 207 Tristan da Cunha 207 Seychelles 208 British Indian Ocean Territory 209 Turks and Caicos Islands ■ 210 Page Western Pacific High Commission 211 British Solomon Islands 211 Brunei 214 Burma 219 Burundi 231 Cambodia {see Khmer Republic) 830 Cameroon 339 Canada 249 CentR/U, African Republic 298 Ceylon 305 CH.rVD 324 Chile 331 China, People’s Republic of 350 Colombia 371 Congo, People’s Republic of , (Brazzaville) 390 Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa) {see Zaire) 1734 Costa Rica 400 Cuba 410 Dahomey 421 Dominican Republic 427 Ecuador 438 Egypt , . 453 El Salvador 476 Equatorial Guinea 487 Ethiopia , 491 Fiji . 504 French Overseas Possessions: Overseas Departments: 509 Guadeloupe ’ French Guiana , 311 Martinique 512 Reunion • 514 VJl COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES Page French Overseas Possessions {continued): Overseas Territories; Comoro Islands 5 ^^ New Caledonia 5^7 French Polynesia 5^9 French Territory of the Afar and Issa Peoples — ^French Somaliland (Djibouti) 521 Saint-Pierre et Miquelon 5^3 WaUis and Futuna Islands 5^3 French Austral Lands 524 Gabon 525 Gambia, The 530 Ghana 536 Guatemala 553 Guinea 567 Guyana 575 Haiti 584 Honduras 59^ India 602 Sikkim 647 Indonesia 650 Iran 671 Iraq 690 Israel 706 Ivory Coast 735 Jamaica 746 Japan 757 Jordan 800 Kenya 813 Khmer Republic 830 Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of 838 Korea, Republic of 847 KxnvAiT 862 Laos 874 Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar (Malagasy Republic) Malawi Malaysia Maldives, The Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Mongolian People’s Republic Morocco Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles (and Surinam) Surinam New Hebrides Condominium New Zealand New Zealand’s External Territories; Cook Islands Niue Tokelau Islands Ross Dependency Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Oman Pakistan Panama Panama Canal Zone Paraguay Peru Philippines, The viii Page 882 898 905 913 923 933 947 973 975 982 989 997 1023 1036 1051 1053 1062 1070 1076 1078 1100 1101 1102 1103 1104 1113 1120 1141 1143 1167 1178 1180 1189 1205 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES page Portuguese Overseas Provinces: Angola (Portuguese West Africa) 1226 Mozambique (Portuguese East Africa) 1237 Cape Verde Islands 1244 Portuguese Guinea 1246 Sao Tom^ and Principe Islands 1248 l^Iacao 1249 Portuguese Timor 1251 Puerto Rico 1252 Qatar 1264 Rhodesia 1268 Rwanda 1292 Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) 1297 Saudi Arabia 1301 Senegal 1313 Sierra Leone 1322 Singapore 1332 Somalia i 349 South Africa 1357 South-West Africa (Namibia) i 395 Spanish Africa; Spanish Sahara 1400 Ceuta 1401 MeliUa 1401 Other Territories 1401 Sudan 1402 Surinam {see Netherlands Antilles) 1070 Swaziland 1417 Syria 1424 Taiwan (Republic of China) 1437 Tanzania 1450 Page Thailand 1467 Togo i486 Tonga 1492 Trinidad and Tobago 1494 Tunisia 1504 Uganda 1516 United Arab Emirates 1529 United States of America 1535 United States External Territories: American Samoa 1634 Guam 1635 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands 1637 United States Virgin Islands 1640 Upper Volta 1643 Uruguay 1650 Venezuela 1664 Viet-Nam, Democratic Republic of 1683 Viet-Nam, Republic of 1689 West Indies Associated States 1704 Antigua and Barbuda 1707 Dominica 17°^ Grenada 17^0 St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla 1711 St. Lucia 17^3 St. Vincent 17^5 Western Samoa 17^7 Yemen, Arab Republic 1720 Yemen, People’s Democratic Republic 1726 Zaire ^734 Zambia ^747 Index of Territories 1761 ABBREVIATIONS A.B. .. abbrcv. Acad. . . accred. . . ADB . . A.D.C Adm. adm., admin. . . AIDS . . ag., ags. A.G. . . a.i. ALALC.. Alia A.M amalg. . . A.M.N approx. A.R.A. . . A/S ASEAN ASPAC.. asscn. . . assocd. , . asst. A.T.E.C. A.T.r. .. A.U.A. . . Aug. auth. Av. Avda. . . Aw. Bachelor of Arts abbreviation Academician, Academy accredited Asian Development Bank Aide-dc-Camp Admiral administration African Development Bank agency(ies) joint stock company (German) ad interim Asociacidn Latinoamcricana de Libre Comercio Royal Jordanian Airlines Master of Arts amalgamated Ahli Mangku Negara (Member of the Most Distinguished Order of the Defender of the Realm) approximately Associate of the Royal Academy joint stock comp.any (Norwegian) ■ Association of South East Asian Nations Asian and Pacific Council association associated assistant Agence Transdquatorialc des Com- munications Association of Technical Institutions Austrian Airlines August authorized Avenue Avenida (Avenue) Awocato B.A. . . B.A.I. .. B.A.O B.Ch.. B.Chir. . . B.C.L. . . B.Comm. B.D. . . Bd., Blv., Blvd., Bid. B.D.S B.E b.e.a. . . . . Benelux Biol. BIS b.l. ■. B.Litt. . B.Mus. . B.O.A.C. br.(s) Bng. B.s: B.S., B.Sc. Bt. Bachelor, of Arts Baccalaurius in Arte Ingoniaria (Bachelor of Engineering) Bachelor of Obstetrics Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Commerce Bachelor of Divinity Boulevard Bachelor of Dental Surgery Bachelor of Engineering; Bachelcir’ of Education ' British European Airways Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg Union Biology, Biological Bank for International Settlements Bachelor of Law . ' Bachelor of Letters Bachelor of Music British Overseas Airways Corporation branch (es) . Brigadier Bachelor of Surgery ' Bachelor of Science . Baronet C., cen. . . c, ca. C.A. . . CACM .. cap. CAP .. Capt. CARIFTA Cav. C.B.E. .. CCCE .. CENTO CEPT .. CERN .. CETS .. CFA .. C.H Chair. . . Ch.B. . . Chr.Dem. Chr.Soc. C.I. CIAP .. c.i.f. C.I.M. .. C.-in-C. CINS . . CIOMS . . circ. C.I.V. .. Cmd. Cmdr. CMEA .. C.M.G. .. Co. Col. COMECON Comm. . . Commr. Confed. Cons.-Gen. corresp. COSPAR . C.R. C.S.A. .. ettee. cu. curr. curt. i . . central . circa Chartered Accountant Central American Common Market capital Common Agricultural Policy Captain Caribbean Free Trade Association Cavaliere Commander of the (Order of the) British Empire Caisse Centralc de Co-opdration Eco- nomiquo Central Treaty Organization Confdrence Europdenne des Administra- tions des Postes ct des Tdldcom- munications Organisation Europdenne pour la Recherche Nucldaire (European Or- ganisation for Nuclear Research) • Confdrence Europdenne des Tdldcom- munications par Satellites Communautd Financidre Africaine ■ Companion of Honour Chairman Bachelor of Surgery Christian Democrat Christian Socialist Channel Islands Inter-American Committee for the Alliance for Progress cost, insurance and freight International Convention Concerning the Transport of Goods by Rail Commnnder-in-Chief CENTO Institute of Nuclear Science Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences circulation ■ International Convention Concerning the Transport of Passengers and Baggage • Command Commander Council for Mutual Economic Assistance Companion of • (the Order of) St. Michael and St. George Company, County Colonel Council for Mutual Economic Assistance Commendatoro ‘ Commissioner Confederation Consul-General corresponding- ^ Committee on Space Research Community of the Resurrection Czechoslovak Airlines Committee cubic current : ■ ■ ■ hundredweight D.Agr D.C D.C.L. . . Doctor of Agriculture District of Columbia Doctor of Civil Law ABBREVIATIONS D.C.O D. de VUniv. . . D.D., D.Dr. . . D.D.R Dec. D.Econ. Dem. . . D.Eng. . . •dep depos. . , Dept. . . D.lng Dipl. Dir. Div. D.J.M.K. D.Lit(t). D.M. . . D.K. . . D.Mus. . . Dott. D.P.A. . . D.Phil. . . D.M,N. . . D.M.P.J. D.P.M.K. D.P.M.P. D.P.M.S. D.P.M.T. Dr., Doc. Dr. Jur. . . Dr.rer.Nat. dr.(e) . . Dr.Sc.Pol. D.Sc. . . D.Sc.(Eiig.) D.Tech.Chem. d.w.t. . . Diploma of the College of Optics Doyen de rUniversite Doctor of Divinity Deutsche Demokratische Republik December Doctor of Economics Democratic Doctor of Engineering deposits depositary Department Doctor of Engineering Diploma Director Divisional Date Paduka Jiwa Mahkota Kelantan (Al-Ismaili II) Doctor of Letters; Doctor of Literature Doctor of Medicine (Oxford) ; Deutsche Mark Darjah Kerabat Johore and Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Di-Hormati (Al-Yunusi) Kelantan and Darjah Kerabat Johore and Class and Darjah Kerabat Selangor Doctor of Music Dottore Diploma of Public Administration Doctor of Philosophy Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (The Most Exalted Order of the Crown) Dato Paduka Mahkota Johore Dato Paduka Mahkota Kelantan (Ai- Muhammadi II) Dato Paduka Mahkota Perlis/Perak/ Penang Dato Paduka Mahkota Selangor Dato Paduka Mahkota Trengganu Doctor Doctor of Laws Doctor of Natural Science . drachma(e) Doctor of Political Sciences . Doctor of Science . Doctor of Science (Engineering) . Doctor of Technical Chemistry . dead weight tons E. E.A.A. .. EAC .. EACSO.. EAGGF EBU .. EGA .. ECAFE ECE .. ECLA .. ECMT .. Econ. . . ECOSOC ECSC .. Ed. Ed.B. . . EDF .. . East, Eastern . East African Airways . East African Community . East African Common Services Organi- zation . European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund . European Broadcasting Union . Economic Commission for Africa . . Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East . . Economic Commission for Europe . . Economic Commission for Latin America . . European Conference of Ministers of Transport . . Economist, Economics . . Economic and Social Council (UN) . . European Coal and Steel Community • . Editor • . Bachelor of Education - . European Development Fund EEC . . EFTA . . e.g cKv ELDO . . EMA . . cMv. ENEA . . Eng Esc. ESRO . . est. EURATOM ! EUROCHEMIC EUROCONTROL EUROSPACE . . excl. exec. European Economic Community European Free Trade Association exempli gratia (for example) electron kilovolt European Space Vehicle Launcher Development Organisation European Monetary Agreement electron megavolt European Nuclear Energy Agency Engineer, Engineering Escuela, Escudos European Space Research Organisation established, estimate, estimated etcetera European Atomic Energy Community Socidtd europdenne pour le traitement chimique des combustibles irradids; (European Company for the Chemical Processing of Irradiated Fuels) European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation Groupement Industriel Europ6en d'Etudes Spatiales excluding executive f. FAC .. FAO .. F.D.G.B. Feb. . . Fed. . . FFHC .. FIDES . . F.M. . . fmrly. . . f.o.b. . . F.R. . . Fr. ft. founded Fonds d'Aide et de Co-op&ation Food and Agriculture Organization Free German Trade Union February Federation Freedom from Hunger Campaign Fonds d’lnvestissement et de D^velop- pement Economique et Social Frequency Modulation formerly free on board Federal Republic Franc foot (feet) GAB .. GATT .. G.B.E. .. G.C.B. .. G.C.M.G. G.C.V.O. GDP .. G.D.R. . . Gen. GoV .. G.m.b.H. GNP .. Gr. Gr. Cr. gr.t. . . Gr.Ufi. .. GVTh . . General Arrangements to Borrow General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Knight (or Dame) Grand Cross of (the Order of) the British Empire Knight Grand Cross of (the Order of) the Bath ' Knight Grand Cross of (the Order of) St. Michael and St. George Knight Grand Cross of the (Royal) Victorian Order Gross Domestic Product German Democratic Republic General Giga electron volts company with limited liability (German) Gross National Product Gran Grande Croix gross registered tons Grand Ufficiale (Grand Officer) Gigawatt hours ha. h.c. H.E. . . h.l. H.M. . . Hon. . . xii hectare honoris causa His Eminence, His Excellency hectolitre His (or Her) Majesty Honorary (or honourable) ABBREVIATIONS H.R.H. H. S.H. . . lACB . . IAEA .. lA-ECOSOC lANEC.. lATA .. lAU .. IBE .. IBEC . . IBRD .. ICA .. ICAO . . ICC ICEM .. ICFTU . . I. C.S. . . ICSU .. IDA .. IDB .. IFBWVV IFC .. IFCTU . . IFPCW. . ILO .. IMCO IMF I.M.S. .. in. (ins.) Inc.,Incorp., incl. Ing. Insp. Int. INTAL . . INTELSAT INTERPOL Ing. lOE .. IPI IPPF . . IPU Is. ISIC . . ISLWF ISVS . . ITF . . His (or Her) Royal Highness . . His Serene Highness . . Inter-Agency Consultative Board . . International Atomic Energy Agency . . Inter-American Economic and Social Council . . Inter-American Nuclear Energy Com- mission . . International Air Transport Associa- tion . . International Association of Universi- ties . . International Bureau of Education . . International Bank for Economic Co- operation . . International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) . . International Co-operative Alliance . . International Civil A\dation Organiza- tion . . International Chamber of Commerce . . Inter-govcmmental Committee for European Migration . . International Confederation of Free Trade Unions . . Indian Civil Service . , International Council of Scientific Unions . . International Development Association . . Inter-American Development Bank . . International Federation of Building and Woodworkers . . International Finance Corporation . . International Federation of Christian Trade Unions • . International Federation of Petroleum and Chemical Workers . . International Labour Organisation . . Intcr-Govemmental Maritime Consul- tative Organization . . International Monetary Fund; Inter- national Metalworkers’ Federation . . Indian Medical Service . . inch (inches) ined. Incorporated . . including . . Engineer . . Inspector . . International . . Instituto para la Integracidn America Latina . . International Telecommunications Sat- telite Consortium . . International Criminal Police Investi- gation . . Engineer . . International Organisation of Em- ployers . . International Press Institute . . International Planned Parenthood Federation . . Inter-Parliamentary Union . . Islands . . International Standard Industrial Classification . . International Shoe and Leather Wor- kers’ Federation . . International Secretariat for Volunteer Service . . International Transport Workers’ Fed- eration xiii ITGWF ITU .. lUF .. J.A.L. Jan. J.A.T. J.M.K. J.M.N. Jnr. J.P. Jr- J.S.N. K.B.E. . . K.C.B. K.C.M.G. Kg- K.G. kHz K.L.M. . . km. K.M.N. . . K.O.M. . . K. S.V. .. kWh. . . kW.(s) .. LAFTA lb. L. is L. . . Litt.D. . . LL.B. .. LL.D. LL.M. .. LOT .. L.P.G. .. Lt., Lieut. Ltd. m. M.A. . . malEv Man. March. . . Maths. M.B. . . M.B.E. . . m.b.H. . . M.Ch. . . M.Com. Meys M.D. . . M.E.A. . . M.Ed. mem. MoV .. mfrs. . • Mgr. .. MHz .. Mil. International Textile and Garment Workers’ Federation International Telecommunication Union International Union of Food and Allied Workers’ Associations Japan Airlines January Yugoslav Air Transport Setia Jiwa Mahkota Kelantan (Al- Ismaili III) Johan Mangku Negara (Commander cf the Most Distinguished Order of The Defender of the Realm) Junior Justice of the Peace Jonkheer (Netherlands) Johan Setia Negara Knight Commander of (the Order of) the British Empire Knight Commander of (the Order of) the Bath Knight Commander of (the Order of) St. Michael and St. George Ivilogramme Knight of (the Order of) the Garter; Kommandit Gcsellschaft IGlohertz Royal Dutch Airlines kilometre Kesatria Mangku Negara Kedah Order of Merit Kedah Star of Valour kilowatt hours kilowatt(s) Latin American Free Trade Association pounds Licencie ks lettres Doctor of Letters Bachelor of Laws Doctor of Laws Master of Laws Polish Airlines Liquified petroleum gas Lieutenant Limited million Master of Arts Hungarian Airlines Manager, managing Marchese Mathematics Bachelor of Medicine Member of (the Order of) the British Empire rvith Umited liability (German) Master of Surgery Master of Commerce megacycles per second Doctor of Medicine Middle East Airlines Master of Education member Mega electron volts manufacturers Monseigneur; Monsignor Megahertz Military ABBREVIATIONS Mile. . . . . Mademoiselle M.M. . . . . Military Medal Mme. . . . . Madame M.P. . . . . Member of Parliament M.Sc. . . . , Master of Science M.Sc.Tech. . . Master of Technical Science MSS .. . . Manuscripts m.t. . . metric tons M.Th. .. . . Master of Theology Mus.B. . . . . Bachelor of Music Mus.D. . . . . Doctor of Music M.V.Sc... . . Master of Veterinary Science •MW . . . . mega'watt(s) N. . . North, Northern n.a. . . not available NATO .. . . North Atlantic Treaty Organization n.e.s. . . not elsewhere specified NGO .. . . Non-govemmental organization No. . . number NORDITA . . Nordic Institute for Theoretic Atomic Physics Nov. . , November nr. . . near n.r.t. . . . . net registered tons N.V. . . . . Naamloze Vennootschap (Limited Com- pany) N.Z. .. . , New Zealand OAMPI.. . . Office Africain et Malgache de la Propridtd Industrielle OAS .. . . Organization of American States OAU .. . . Organization of African Unity O.B.E. . . . . Officer of (the Order of) the British Empire OCAM .. . . Organisation Commune Africaine Mal- gache et Mauricienne Oct. . . October ODECA , . Organizacidn de Estados Centfoameri- canos OECD .. . . Organisation for Economic Co-opera- tion and Development OEEC .. . . Organisation for European Economic Co-operation OECE .. . . Organisation Europ^enne de Co-opera- tion Economique OERS ., . . Organisation des Etats Riverains du Senegal OIRT .. . . International , Radio and Tele'rision Organisation On. . . Onorevole (Honourable) OPEC .. . . Organization of the Petroleum Export- ing Countries p.a. . . per annum P.C. . . . . Privy Counsellor per. . . passage, street (Russian) Ph.D. . . . . Doctor of Philosophy Philos. . . . . Philosophy; Philosophical Phys. . . . . Phvsics P.l.A. .. . Pakistan International Airlines P.J.K. P.K pi P.-M.K.lTan Sri) P.O. Box polit. Wes. Prof. . . Pangat Jasa Kebatian (N.S. Pk., Perils, Trenggann, Pahang and Selan- gor) Post Box (Turkish) platz. place, ploshchad (square) Panglima Mangku Negara (Knight of the Most Distinguished Order of the ’ Defender of tlie Rcaim) Post Office Box political President Professor Propr. . . Prov. . . PSI . . P. S.N. . . PTT .. p. n. publ. Q. C. .. .’ q. v. .. . R. A. . . Rag. (Comm.) . R.C.D. .. R.E. . . Ref. reg., regd. Rep. rep. reorg. . . res. retd. Rev. R.I. Rp. .. R.S.F.S.R. R. S.R. .. Rt. Hon. Rt. S. S.A. . . S.A.A. . . SAS . . Sat. SCAR . . SCOR .. Sc.D. . . SDRs . . SEATO.. Sec. Sen. Sept. S.E.R. .. Sig. SITC . . S.J.M.K. S.M.J. .. S.M.K. .. S.M.N.(Tun) S.M.S. .. Soc. S.P. S.p.A. . . S.P.M.J. S.P.M.K:. S.P.M.P. Proprietor Provisional, Provinciale (Dutch) Public Services International Panglima Setia Negara Posts, Telegraph, Telephones paid up publication Queen’s Ckjunsel quod vide Royal Academician; Royal Academy Ragioniere (Commerciale) Regional Co-operation for Develop- ment • Royal Engineers Reference register, registered Republic representative reorganized reserve retired Reverend Rhode Island: Royal Institution Rupees Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Socialist Republic of Romania Right Honourable Right South, Southern, San. Societd Anonyme, Sociedad Andnima South African Ainvays Scandinavian Airlines System Saturday Scandinavian Council for Applied Research; Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Scientific Committee on Oceanic Re- search Doctor of Science Special Dravdng Rights South-East Asia Treaty Organization Secretary . , Senior September Sua Eccellenza Reverendissima (His Eminence) Signore Standard International Trade Classi- fication , Seri Paduka Jhva Mahkota Kelantan , (Al-Ismaili I) Setia Mahkota Johore Setia Mahkota Kelantan (Al-Muham- madilll) Seri Maharajah Mangku Negara (Grand Knight of the Most Distinguished Order of the Defender of the Realm) Setia Mahkota Selangor Socialist Seri Pahlawan Gagah Persaka (Supreme Gallantry Decorations) Societi per Azioni (Joint Stock Com- pany) ■ Dato/Sen Paduka Mahkota Johore Seri Paduka Makkota Kelantan fAl- Ismaili I) . Seri Padulra , Mahkota Pcrlis/Perak/ Penang ' ‘ XIV ABBREVIATIONS S.P.M.S. S.P.JI.T. sq. 5.5. N. .. 5.5. R. .. St. S.T.D, .. STRC .. stds. Ste. subs. Supt. T.A.P. .. TAROM TASS .. T.D. . . techn. . . T.H.Y. . . Tit. Trcas. T.U. . . T.V. . . T.W.A. . . u/a UAMPT U.A.R. . . UCAS .. UDEAC UDEAO UEAC .. Ufi. UFI .. Ul. (ul.) UN UNCTAD UNCURK Seri Paduka JIahkota Selangor Seri Paduka Mahkota Trengganu square Seri Setia Mangku Negara Soviet Socialist Republic Saint; Street Sacrae Thcologiae Doctor (Doctor of Sacred Theolog)’) Scientific, Technical and Research Commission standards (timber measurement) Saintc subscriptions Superintendent Transportes Adroos Portugueses (Portu- guese Air Transport) Romanian Air Transport Tclcgrafnoyc Agenstvo Sovictskogo Soyuza (Soviet News Agency) Territorial Decoration technical Turkish Airlines Titular Treasurer Trade Union Television Trans World Airways unit of account (European Monetary Agreement) Union Africaine ct Malgachc des Postes et Tdldcommunications. United Arab Republic Union of Central African States Union Douaniirc Economique de TAfriquo Centrale Union Douanidre des Etats de I’Afrique do rOuest Union des Etats de I’Afrique Centrale Ufficiale (Official, Officer) Union of International Fairs Street United Nations United Nations Conference on Trade and Development United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea UNDP . . . . United Nations Development Pro- gramme UNEF .. . . United Nations Emergency Force UNESCO . . United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNFICYP . . United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in Cyprus UNHCR . . United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF . . United Nations Children's Fund UNIDO . . UnitcdNationsIndustrialDevelopment Organization . . United Nations Institute for Training and Research UNITAR UNMEM . , United Nations Middle East Mission UNMOGIP . . United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan UNRISD . . United Nations Research Institute for Social Development UNRWA . . United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East UNTSO . . United Nations Truce Supervision Organization U.K. . . . . United Kingdom U.P. . . . . United Press UPU .. . . Universal Postal Union U.S.A. (U.S.) United States of America (United States) . . Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U.S.S.R. U.T.A. .. . . Union des Transports Adriens VAT .. , . Value-Added Tax VEB .. . . public company (German) VHF .. . . Very High Frequency viz. . . videlicet vol.(s) .. , . volume(s) W. . . West. Western wee . . . . World Council of Churches WCL . . . . World Confederation of Labour WEU .. . . Western European Union WFP .. . . World Food Program WFTU . . World Federation of Trade Unions WFUNA . . World Federation of United Nation Associations WHO .. . . World Health Organization WMO .. . . World Meteorological Organization yr. . . year XV THAILAND — (The Constitution) Articles 91-98. Life of the House to be four years; the King may dissolve the House and order new elections within 90 days; other provisions relate to termination of membership of the House, by-elections, functions of Senators and members of the House of Bepresentativcs (they are representatives of the Thai people and not bound by any imperative mandate). Articles 99-116. General procedure of each House; appointment and duties of President and Vice-Prcsidcnt{s) of each House; presence of not less than one-third of the total membership of each House constitutes a quorum; except in specified cases, majority voting shall prevail, each member having one vote and the presiding officer casting an additional casting vote in the event of a tie; parliamentary privileges; each House to sit simultaneously with the other; one or more ordinary sessions to be held each year, such sessions may be prolonged by the King, who may also call extraordinary sessions. Articles 117-122. Introduction, approval, rejection of amendment of Bills: A Bill may be initiated only by the Council of Ministers, a Senator, or a member of the House of Representatives; Money Bills initiated by members of either House must be endorsed by tlie President of the Council of Ministers. A Bill of the Council of Ministers and a Bill of the House of Representatives shall be submitted to the House of Representatives, a Bill of a member of the Senate to the Senate; thence the Bill goes to the other House for ap- proval, rejection or amendment; if certain technical pro- visions relating to the reading of a Bill are not met, the Bill will be deemed to have been read. Amendments are considered by a Joint Committee of both Houses, which returns the BiU with a report; a rejected BiU of the Senate lapses, while a rejected Bill of the House of Representatives may be re-examined by that House after one year (or in the case of a Money Bill, forthwith) and it will be passed automaticaUy in the event of a majority vote of over half the total members of the House. Articles 123-124. If the annual budget is not passed by Parliament, the budget of the preceding year shall remain in force; additional State expenditure must be sanctioned by Parliament. Articles 125-129. Supervisory role of Senate and House of Representatives in regard to administration of State affairs: Members of each House may question Ministers of State and each House may convene a general debate on the administration; in both cases, the subject may be sup- pressed in the vital interests of the State, and in the case of the general debate no resolution may be taken on the subject matter of .the debate. Joint meetings of both Houses may hold a general debate to vote non-confidence in Ministers individuaUy or coUectively; the vote not to be taken on the same day as the debate. The Council of Ministers may convene a general debate of both Houses, but no voting is to be taken. Articles 130-133. Sittings of both Houses generally open to the public, but each House may in certain circum- stances sit in camera: rules of .procedure of ordinary and special committees of each House; each. House has power to make its own rules of procedure. Legislative Power; Part 4: Joint Sitting of Parliament ' Articles 134-136. Occasions include the approval of the Regent or the succession to the Throne, generM debates of no-confidence, discussion of BUls not approved by the King, declaration of war and ratification of treaties, amendment and interpretation of the Constitution; rules of procedure of the Senate shall apply. Chapter 7 The Executive Articles 137-139. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the King and is composed of a President and between 15 and 30 Ministers of State, who must not be members of either House of Parliament. Articles 140-142. Ministers are entitled to attend and speak at meetings of either House but not to vote; on assuming office, the Council of Ministers must state its policies before Parliament, but a vote of confidence may not then be taken; Ministers are individually and col- lectively responsible to Parh'ament. Articles 143-145. Provisions relating to removal or resignation of Council as a whole or of individual Ministers: e.g., on a vote of no-confidence in Parliament, at fhe expiry or dissolution of the House of Representatives, on the resignation of the President of the Council of Ministers. Articles 146-147. Emergency Decrees of the King to have provisional force of law, but such Decrees must be pre- sented to Parliament as soon as possible and must be lapsed if Parliament does not ratify them; emergency fiscal laws may also be promulgated by the King, but the same restriction on their continued operation shall apply where practicable. Articles 148-156. The Exercise of the King’s Prerogative; e.g., declaration of martial law, which may ^so be declared locally in an . emergency by the military authorities; declaration of war, with the previous consent of Parlia- ment; conclusion of Treaties; granting of pardon; issuance of Royal decrees that are not in conflict with the law; the appointment and dismissal of military and civic officials, . . Chapter 8 Judicial Power Articles 157-160. Judicial power vested in the Courts e.xclusively and exercised by the Courts in accordance with the law and in the name of the King; Courts may be established only by an Act; no new Court may' be estab- lished to try any special case or action, nor may a law.be promulgated which changes or modifies the existing con- stitution or law of procedure of the Courts for the purpose of applying it. to try such a case or action. .. •• ' Articles 161-163. Judges are independent; . the King appoints, transfers and dismisses judges, followng their approval by the Judicial Commission. ' ' Chapter 9 - - ' The Constitutional Tribunal Articles i'64-168. Membership: President of the Senate (who is President, of the Tribunal); President of the House of Representatives; President of the Dika Court; Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal; Director-General of the Public Prosecution Department; four members, qualified in the law,' appointed by each new Parliament (such members may be re-appointed). Chapter 10 . ' . . Amendment of the Constitution Article 169. Rules and procedures: motion for amend- ment may be introduced by the Council of Ministers, members of the Senate , and House of Representatives jointly .or .members of either House numbering no less than one-fifth of tire total membership of both Houses; passage of the motion requires three readings, and the first and third readings must be approved by a majoiity vote of not less' than trvo-thirds ■ of the total membership of , both Houses. • ' 1476 THAILAND— (The Constitution, The Government) Articles 170-172. Should the King consider the amend- ment to be prejudicial to the State or the people, he may call a plebiscite, whose majority vote will decide whether or not the amendment shall be put into effect. Chapter 11 Final Provisions Article 173. Power to interpret the Constitution vested in Parliament, so far as this interpretation relates to matters within the scope of Parliament’s authority; no less than one-half total membership of both Houses needed to form a quorum to interpret the Constitution. Articles 174-175. Any provisions of law which are con- trary to or inconsistent with the Constitution are un- enforceable; the Constitutional Tribunal decides whether a law is contrary to or inconsistent with the Constitution. Article 176. During a state of war or serious emergency. Parliament shall resolve to let the King provisionally exercise the legislative power through the Council of hlinisters; Parliament may resolve to abolish this resolu- tion at any time; the King shall assume these powers in such a situation if Parliament is in dissolution or cannot be convened in time. Transitory Provisions Articles 177-183. One hundred and twenty members of the Senate to be appointed ivithin 15 days of date of enforcement of the Constitution, and the number to be increased or decreased after election of the House of Representatives: Senate shall be charged with duties of Parliament until the full Parliament meets; elections of members of House of Representatives to be completed within 240 days from date of enforcement of Constitution; the present Council of Ministers to remain in office until full Parliament assumes functions under the Constitution; transitional membership of Constitutional Tribunal. Electoral Law As the acting legislative body, the Senate passed an Electoral Bill in October 1968, containing the following provisions; Elections to the National Assembly to be held on the basis of constituencies bounded by provincial administrative borders, the number of seats being in proportion to the population; the minimum educational qualifications for candidates for election is Pathom IV (graduation from primary school); candidates may seek election independently, i.e., without being members of political parties. ♦ Abolished November 17th, 1971 {see below National Executive Council). A new Constitution is to be drafted which will provide for a unicameral legislature comprising elected and nominated members. THE GOVERNMENT* HEAD OF THE STATE King Bhumibol Adulvadej (King Rama IX), bom 5 December 1927; succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother King Ananda Manidol, on 9 June 1946. The Heir-Apparent is Prince Vachiralongkorn, bom 28 July 1952. PRIVY COUNCII. H.H. Prince Dhani Nivat Kromamun Bidyalahu (Presi- dent), Gen. Luang Kampanart Sanyakorn. Phya Boriraks Vejjakarn. Gen. Luang Suranarong. Sri Sena Sajipatasiri. Phya Manavarat Sevi. Chao Phya Sri Dhamathibet. M. L. Dej Snitwongsa. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (formed December 9th, 1971) Chairman and in charge of Foreign Affairs, Justice and the Office of Prime Minister: Field-Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn. Deputy Chairman and in charge of Defence and the Interior: Gen. Prapass Charusathien. Economic, Finance and Industrial Affairs: Pote Sarasin. National Development, Agriculture and Communications: Air Chief Marshal Dawee Chullasapya. Education and Public Health; Pol. Gen. Prasert Ruciiira- WONGSE. Secretary-General of N.E.C.: Gen. Kris Sivara. * The Prime Slinistcr seized full power on November 17th, i97^’ abolished the Constitution, dismissed the Cab'nct, dissolved- Parliament and proclaimed martial law. THAILAND — (Diplomatic Representation, . Parliament) DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION embassies accredited to THAILAND (Bangkok unless otherwise stated) Afghanistan: Islamabad, Paldstan. Argentina: 6th Floor, Vongsvanij Bldg., 116/1 Silom Rd.; Ambassador: Rufino Laspiur (also accred. to Republic of Vict-Nam). Australia; Anglo-Thai Bldg., 64 Silom Rd.; Ambassador: Thomas Kingston Critchley. Austria: Maneeya Bldg. (3rd Floor), 518 Plocnchit Rd., P.O.B. 27: Ambassador: Dr. Werner Sautter (also accred. to Republic of Viet-Nam and Malaysia). Bangladesh: Chargd d‘ Affaires a.i. Belgium: 44 Soi Phya Phipat; Ambassador: J. Veriviishen (also accred. to Laos). Brazil; Maneeya Bldg., 518 Ploenchit Rd.; Ambassador: (vacant) (also accred. to Republic of Viet-Nam). Burma: 132 Sathom Nua Rd.; Ambassador: U Tun Win. Canada: Thai Farmers Bank Bldg., 142 Silom Rd., P.O.B. 2090; Ambassador: Gordon E. Cox. Ceylon: 28 Soi Asoke; Ambassador: (vacant). China, Republic of: ii26NewPhetchburiRd.;./4»i6assado>'; Dr. Shen Chang-Huan. Cuba: Tokyo, Japan. Denmark: 10 Soi Attakam Prasit Sathorn Tai Rd.; Ambassador: Albert Konigsfeldt (also accred. to Republic of Viet-Nam, Philippines and Laos). Egypt: 49 Ruam Rudee Rd.; Ambassador: Gamal Man- sour. Finland: New Delhi ii. France: Custom House Lane; Ambassador: Roger Lescot. Germany: 64 Phetchburi Rd.; Ambassador: Ulrich ScHESKE (also accred. to Laos). Greece: Asoka Hotel (Room 123), New Delhi. India: 139 Pan Rd.; Ambassador: Dr. P. K. Banerjee. Indonesia: 600-602 Phetchburi Rd.; Ambassador: Maj.- Gen. H. R. Dharsono. Iran: Silom Bldg. (7th Floor), 197/1 Silom Rd.; Ambas- sador: Abdul Hossain Aamzavt (also accred. to Malaysia). Iraq: Karachi, Pakistan. Israel: 31 Soi Lang Suan, Ploenchit Rd.; Ambassador: Abraham Darom (also accred. to Laos). Italy: 92 Sathom Nua Rd.; Ambassador: Dr. Eugenio Rubin o. Japan: 61 Wireless Rd.; Ambassador: Torao Ushiroku. Khmer Republic: Rajdamri Rd.; Ambassador: (vacant). Korea, Republic of: 349 Silom Rd.; Ambassador: Pyo W ooK Han (also accred. to The Maldives). . Laos: 193 Sathom Tai Rd.; Ambassador: H.R.H; Tiao Khamhing (also accred. to Philippines, ■ Burma, Pakistan and hlalaysia). Lebanon: 23/48 Panch Sheel Marg., Chanakya Puri, New Delhi 21, India. Malaysia: 35 Sathom Tai Rd.; Ambassador: Gen. Tan Sri Abdul Hamid, p.s.m. Nepal: 209 Sukhumvit 21, Soi Asoke; Ambassador: Gyanendra Bahadur ICarki. Netherlands: ro6 Wireless Rd.; Ambassador: Wadim Thorn Leeson (also accred. to Laos). New Zealand: Anglo-Thai Bldg., 64 Silom ’Rd.; Ambassador: ' Hon. E. J. Halstead, t.d. (also accred. to Laos). Norway: 16 Surasak Rd.; Ambassador: Olaf Teilefsen. Pakistan: 31 Soi Nana Nua, Sukhumvit Rd.; Ambassador: (vacant) (also accred. to Laos). Philippines: 760 Sukhumvit Rd.; Ambassador: Mauro S. Calingo. Portugal: 26 Bush Lane; Charge d' Affaires: Dr. Manuel SA Nogueira. Saudi Arabia: 2nd Floor, 385 Silom Rd.; Ambassador: Abdulrahman Al-Omran. Singapore: 90 Sathom Nua Rd.; Ambassador: R. H. Ho. Spain: 104 Wireless Rd.; Ambassador: Marques de V iLLADARiAS (also accred. to Republic of Viet-Nam). Sweden: 97 Silom Rd.; Ambassador: Eric Virgin (also accred. to Repubh'c of Viet-Nam and Laos). Switzerland: 35 North Wireless Rd.; Ambassador: Rudolf Hartmann. Turkey: 352 Phaholothm Rd.; Ambassador: TOrgut Ilkan (also accred. to Republic of Viet-Nam, Singapore and Laos). U.S.S.R.; 108 Sathom Nua Rd.; Ambassador: Anatole A. Rozanov. United Kingdom: Ploenchit Rd.; Ambassador: Sir Arthur DE LA Mare, k.c.m.g. U.S.A.: 95 Wireless Rd.; Ambassador: Leonard Unger. Viet-Nam, Republic of: 78 Wat Samphya Lane, Samsen Rd. Yugoslavia: Rangoon, Burma. PARLIAMENT* SENATE 164 members appointed by the Bang. President: Col. Vorakarn Bancha. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Speaker: Maj.-Gen. Siri Sirthiniyo. First Vice-Speaker: Supan Poonpat. Second Vice-Speaker: Nom Upramai. General Election, 10 February 1969 Party Seats United Thai People’s Party 75 Independents • . . . . . . 72 Democratic Party ..... 57 Democratic Front Party .... 7 Economist United Front Party . 4 People’s Party ...... a Joint Aid to Farmers Party I Free Democratic Party .... I Total 219 Dissolved November 17th, 1971. Under a proposed new constitution Parliament is expected to become unicameral. U78 THAILAND— (Political Parties, Judicial System, Religion) POLITICAL PARTIES* Saha-Pracha'Thai (United Thai People’s Party): “Suan Amphavan”, 1/226, Sri Ayudhya. Dusit, Bangkok; the party set up by the former military government: policies include development of a democratic society, promotion of national unity, suppression of communism, inter- national and regional unity, maintenance of the free enterprise system and the planned development of a diversified economy; initial membership: 1,022; 75 seats in House of Representatives: Chair. Field Marshal Thanom Kitiikachorn; Vice-Chair. Gen. Prapass Ruchirawong, Pote Sarasin; Sec.-Gen. Air Chief Marshal Pa wee CHOLLASApyA. Prachaiipat Party (Democratic Party)-. Mansion 6, Raj- damnem Ave., Bangkok; revival of an old party, active before the advent of military rule in 1958: 57 seats in House of Representatives; Acting Leader Momrajwong (Prince) Seni Pramoj. Pak Naev/ Prachathipatai (The Democratic Front Parly — DFP): House of Representatives, Bangkok; f. 29 October 1968; about 100,000 active mems., seven seats in the House of Representatives; aims: development of Thai political and economic independence through co-operation with all countries, promotion of industrial- ization, social justice; Party Chief Dr. Paitoon Cruagao Na Lumpoon, ph.d.; Deputy Chief Boonyen W oRTHONG, M.P.A.; Deputy Chief and Acting Chief Sec. Major Smarn Thongaram, m.a. Naevv Ruam Sethakorn (Economist United Front Party): House of Representatives, Bangkok; socialist party, particularly strong in North-East Thailand: 4 seats in House of Representatives; Leader Thep Jotinuchit. Prachachon (People's Party): House of Representatives, Bangkok; neutralist party; 2 seats in House of Repre- sentatives; Leader Liang Jayakarn. Chao Nah Chao Rai (Joint Aid to Farmers Parly): House of Representatives, Bangkok; r seat in House of Repre- sentatives. Free Democratic Party; House of Representatives, Bang- kok; I seat in House of Representatives. ♦ All political parties have been dissolved with the inauguration of military rule. JUDICIAL COURTS OF FIRST INSTANCE Magistrates’ Courts (Sarn Kwaeng): Function is to dispose of small cases with minimum formality and expense. Judges sit singly. Civil Court (Sarn Paeng): Court of general original juris- diction in civil and bankruptcy cases in Bangkok and Thonburi. Two judges form a quorum. Criminal Court (Sarn Aya): Court of general original jurisdiction in criminal cases in Bangkok and Thon- buri. Two judges form a quorum. Provincial Courts (Sarn Changvad): Exercise unlimited original jurisdiction in all civil and criminal matters, including bankruptcy, within its own district which is generally the province itself. Two judges form a quorum. At each of the five Provincial Courts in the South of Thailand where the majority of the population are muslims (i.e., Pattani, Yala, Betong, Satun, and Nara- thiwat), there are two Path Yutithura or Kadis (muslim judges). A Kadi sits with two trial judges in SYSTEM order to administer Islamic laws and usages in civil cases involving family and inheritance where all parties concerned are muslims. Questions on Islamic laws and usages which are interpreted by a Kadi are final. COURT OF APPEALS . , 8nrn Uthorn; Appeliate jurisdiction in all civil, bank- ruptcy and criminal matters: appeals from all of the ■Courts of First Instance throughout the country come to this Court. Two judges form a quorum. SUPREME COURT 8nrn Dika: The final court of appeal in all civil, bankruptcy and criminal cases. The quorum in the Supreme Court consists of three judges. The Court sits in plenary session occasionally to determine cases of exceptional importance and cases where there are reasons for re- consideration or overruling of its o\yn precedents. The quorum for the full Court is half the total number of judges in the Supreme Court. RELIGION Buddhism is'tbe prevailing religion. Besides Buddhists, there are some Muslim Malays. Most of the immigrant Chinese are Ancestor Worshippers or Confucianists. Christianity was first preached in the 16th century by Portuguese missionaries and later on by French Roman Catholics. Christians are found mainly in Bangkok and Northern Thailand and number about 149,655, of whom il6,on are Roman Catholics. BUDDHISTS Supreme Palriarch of Thailand: His Holiness Somdej Phra Ariyawongsakuttayarn Phra Sangharaja. The Buddhist Association of Thailand: 41 Phra Aditya St.. Bangkok; under royal patronage; f. 1934: 3,879 mems.; Pres. H.E. Sanya Dharmasaicti. ROMAN CATHOLICS angkok: Archbishop: Most Rev. Joseph KhiamsunNix- tayo. 217-1 Sathorn Rd. hard and Nonseng; Archbishop; Most Rev. Michel Kibn Samophithak. PROTESTANT he Church of Christ in Thailand: 14 Pramuan Rd., Bang- kok- f 1914; communicant mems. 24.000; Moderator Rev. CHAi^ooN W.cHAiD.sx; Gen. Sec. W.chean Watakeecharoen; affiliated mission mems.: United Presbyterian (U.S.A-), Disciples of Christ ^f'ssion American Baptist, German Lutheran (Marburger), Presbyterian Church of Korea, Church of South India, United Church of Christ in Japan, Member of the World Presbyterian Alliance, East Asia Christian Conference and W.C.C. 1479 THAILAND — (The Press) THE (Bangkok, unless otherwise stated) DAILIES Thai Language Arnachakr Thai : 436/4-5 Sriyan Theatre Lane, Sam Seu. Chao Thai; Thai Samaki Co. Ltd., 555 Chakrapatpong Rd., Siyaek jMaensrie; f. 1947; Editor Chalerm Wurni- kosit; circ. 12,000. Daily News; 423 Siph5fa Rd.; Editor Praean Hetrakul. Khao Panich (Commercial Nows): Ministry of Economic Affairs, Memorial Bridge; Editor Nai Charas Chaturas; f. 1950; circ. 4,000. Lak Muang: 95/8 Nakomsawan Rd. Kiatti Sakdi: 297 Hao Mak Rd.; Editor Charn Sinsook. Phine Thai: Din Daeng Rd.; Editor Mana Phreaphan; circ. 28,000. Pracha Thipatai: 161/4 Soi Mahadlekluang 3, Rajadamri; Editor Sawai Phrommi; circ. 5.000. Siam Nikorn: Din Daeng Rd.; Editor Charn Sinsook; circ. 6,000. Siam Rath: Mansion 6, Rajdamnern Avc.; Editor Pra choab Thongurai; circ. 25.000. Siam News (Khao Siam): 35 P3’athai Rd.; Editor Sanong Mongkol; circ. 10.000. Thai Rath; i Super Highway Rd. English Language Bangkok Post: Post Publishing Co. Ltd.. Mansion 4, Rajdamnern Ave.; Editor Michael J. Gorman; circ. over 17,000. Bangkok World: 522 Phrasumeru Rd.; f. 1957: Editor Denis E. Horgan; circ. 13,000. The Nation: Pracha Chang Co. Ltd., Charoenktung Rd. Chinese Language Chia Pao (Tang Nam) : 1017 Siphya Rd. Siang Sian Yit Pao; Siang Thai Wan Pao: 177-185 Charoen Krung Rd., Samyod; Editor Kienghung Sae-Yieng; circ. 50,000. Sakol: 21/1 New Rd.; Editor Eienglieak Sae-Thea; circ. 10,000. Tong Hua: 877-9 New Rd.; Editor Soon Sae-Tung; circ. 15,000. Siri Nakorn: 984-8 New Rd.; Editor Prasit Vareeves; circ. 40,000. WEEKLIES Thai Language Arthit (The Sun) : 58 Soi 36, Sukum\'it Rd. Bangkok: 33-9 Lan Luang Rd.; Editor Vichit Rojana- prabha. Bangkok Time: 37 Bamrung Muang Rd.; Editor Charoon Kuvanondh. Daily Mail Wan Chan: Siphya Rd.; Editor Mrs. Boon Youy Hetrakul. Dara Thai: 9 Soi Dampen, Tung Mahamek; Editor Surat Pukaves. Darunee (Lady): 7/2 Soi Watanawonge. Rajprarope Rd.; f. 1953; magazine for ladies; Principal Officer Chit Kanpai; Editor Weerawan Suw'anvipath; circ. 100,000. Khun Ying (Women’s Magazine): 215 Soi Saynamthip, Svkumvit Rd. PRESS Mae Sri Ruen: 13/22 Prachatipok Rd.; Editor Mrs. Nantra Ratanakom. Movie Stars and TV Magazine: 95/3 Nakom Sawan Rd.; Editor Kaorop Busayakorn. Nakorn Thai: 13-22 Soi Wat Hivanruchees Prachatipok Rd. PhadungSilp: 163 Soi Thesa, Rajbopit Rd.; Editor Aksorn Chuapanya. Phim Thai Lang Khao: i Din Daeng Rd. Ploen Chitr: Siyaek Lam Luang Rd.; Editor Benjmas U-DOMSILPA. The Ring: Din Daeng Rd.; Editor Samathchai Charubha. Sakul Thai: 58 Soi 36, Sukumvit Rd.; Editor Prayoon SONGSERM-SWASDI. Satri Sarn {Women’s Magazine): 83-36 Arkamtrithosthep 2, Prachathipatai Rd.; f. 1948. See Ros: 612 Luke Luang Rd.; Editor Mani Chindanondh. Siam Rath Weekly Review: klansion 6, Rajadamnem Ave.; Editor Samruey Singhadet. Sri Sapadah: Soi Sii Yan i, Nakom Cbaisri Rd,; Editor M. L. Y. Chitti Nopawongse. T.V. Movies Weekly: 323/2 Ram Butri Rd., Banglampoo; Editor Anand Khon Jan art. English Language Financial Post: Mansion 4, Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok. Siam Rath Weekly: Rajdamnern Ave., Bid. 6; Editor, M. R. Kukrit Pramoj. FORTNIGHTLIES Catholic Association Newsletter: 12 Convent St. Chaiya-Phruksa: 599 Maitrichit Rd.; f. 1953; Editor Anuj Apapirom. Mae Barnkarn Ruan: 612 Luke Luang Rd.; Editor ^Iis. Thong Muan Chindanondh. Nakorn Thai: 13/3 Prachatinok Rd.; Editor Sakdi Ratanakom. Pharp Khao Taksin: 226 Samsen Rd.; Editor Luan Viraphat. Saen Sook: 553/9 Sriayuthya Rd.; Editor Suchati Amonkul. Sena Sarn: Army Auditorium. Ministry of Defence; Editor Lt.-Col. Fuen Disyavong. Standard Yawachon: 77 Rama V Rd.; Editor Princess NGARilCHITR PREM PuRACHATRA. MONTHLIES Bangkok Chamber ot Commerce: 150 Rajbopit Rd.; Editor Sant Srong-prapha. Chaiyapruek: Maitri Chit Rd.; Editor Pluang Na-Nakorn. Chang Akhas {Thai Engineers’ Digest): Air Force Engineer- ing Dept., Sapan Daeng; Editor Wing-Commdr. Prasit Prapasanobol. Chao Krung: Mansion 6, Rajadamnem Ave.; Editor Mr. Nop-phorn Bunyarit. The Dharmacakshu {Dharmd-vision): Foundation of Mahamakut Rajavidyaffiya, Wat Bovafam'ves, Bahg- lumpoo, Bangkok 2; f. 1894; Buddhism and ^related subjects; Editor Group Capt. Megh Amphaicharit; circ. 5,000. 1480 THAILAND— (The The Investor: Siam Publications Ltd., P.O.B. 1946, Bangkok; f. Dec. 1968; business, industry, finance and economics in Thailand; Editor Dr. Asinuav Viravan; Man. Dir. Alan Darby; circ. 6.000. Kasikorn: Dept, of Agriculture, Rajdamnern Ave.; Editor Roem Buranaruek. Kosana Sarn: Public Relations Dept., Rajadamnem Ave.; f. 1948; radio and TV magazine. Editor Mrs. Cha-oom Yamngarm. The Lady: 77 Rama V Rd.; Editor Princess Kgarmchitr Prem Purachatra. Navikasart: Royal Thai Navy, Thonburi; Editor Com- modore Yong-Yut Anchavakom. Satawa Liang: 689 Wang Burapa Rd.; Editor Thamrong- SAK Srichand. Thai T,V. Mirror: Thai T.V. Co. Ltd., 73-75 Sow Ching Cha Square; f. 1954; Editor Archin Phnjaphan; circ. 20,000. Thailaad Iliustrated: Public Relations Dept., Rajadamnem Ave.; Thai and English; Editor Dr. Witt Siwasaiu- YANON. Varasarn Kru: 107 Tanee Rd., Banglampoo; Editor Mrs. Charas Aungchrit. Villa Wina Magazine: 3rd Floor, Chalerm Ketr Theatre Bldg.; Editor Bhongsakdi Piamlap. Peess, Publishers) Vithayu Sueksa: Ministry of Education, Rajdamnern Ave.; Editor Pluang Na-Nakorn. EVERY TWO MONTHS 8ilpakon {Fine Arts); Records Section, National Archives Division, Fine Arts Dept,, Na Pra That Rd.; f. 1957; all arts, including traditional art and architecture, plastic arts, literature, history, archaeology, music and theatre; Editor Prapat Trinarong; circ. 1,000, PRESS AGENCIES Foreign Bureaux Agenco France-Prosse: P.O.B. 1367, Bangkok; Corres- pondent Jacques J. Abelous. AP; 103 Pat Pong Rd., Bangkok; Correspondent Peter O’Loughlin. Central Nows Agency of China: 17 Soi II, St. Louis Lane, Sathom Rd., Bangkok; Correspondent D. K. Cheng. Antara, The Jiji Press and Reuters also have bureaux in Bangkok. PRESS ASSOCIATION Press Association of Thailand: 299 Nakom Rassima North Rd., Bangkok. PUBLISHERS Aksorn Charoen Tasna Ltd.: Bammng Muang Road 195, Bangkok. Chalermnii Press: 108 Sukumvit Soi 53, Bangkok; f. i957: dictionaries, history, literature, guides to Thai lan- guage, books on Thailand; Mans. Brig.-Gen. M. L. M. JUMSAK and Mrs. Jumsai. Post Publishing Co. Ltd.: Mansion 4, Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok: f. 1964; publishers of The Bangkok Post and The Financial Post; Chair. Prasit Lulitanon; Man. Dir. Mich-Ael Gorman. Pra Cha Chang & Co. Ltd.: Talad Noi 861-3, New Rd., Bangkok. ' . Prae Pittaya Ltd.: P.O.B. 914, 718 Wang Burapa Rd., Bangkok; publishers, stationers, ■ booksellers and general distributors. Pramuansarn Publishing House: 703/15-16 Petchaburi Road, Bangkok; f. 1955; general books, fiction and non- fiction, paperbacks, guidebooks, children’s books; Man. Lime Taechatada. Ruamsarn: Wang Burapha, Bangkok. , Siam Directory: Mansion 2, Rajdamnern Ave. 96, Bangkok; history, politics, economics, industry, directories. 8ie Kan Ka Co. Ltd.: Prayurawong Mansion 198, Mansion I, Thonburi. Social Science Association Press: Chula Soi 2, Phya Thai Rd., Bangkok; f. 1961; scholarly books, quarterly mag- azine; Man. and Editor Sulak Sivaraksa. Suekanka Ltd.: Practatipok Road 198, Thonburi. Suksapan Pnnit {Business Organisation of Teachers’ Insti- tute): Mansion 9, Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok; f. 1950.' textbooks, children’s books, pocketbooks; Man. Kam- thon Sathirakul. Suriwongs Book Centre: P.O.B. 44, Chiengraai; br. oflices: 79-81 Chang Klan St., 33 Rajdamnern Rd.; f. 19541 textbooks and general books in Thai; wholesalers^ and retailers of Thai and foreign books; Man. Propnetor Chai Jittiuecharaks. Thai Commercial Printing Press: Bangkok; law, administra- tion, politics, economics, industry. Thai Inc.: Mansion 96, Rajadamnem Ave. 2, Bangkok. Thai Vatnapanis: Maitrijit Road 599, Bangkok; children s books, picture books. 1481 THAILAND — (Radio and Television, Finance) RADIO AND . RADIO Thai National Broadcasting Station: Public Relations Dept., Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok; f. 1938; under full Government control, Dir.-Gen. Kricha Punnakanta; services in Thai, English, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malay, Laotian and Cambodian. Ministry of Education Broadcasting Service: Division of Educational Information, Ministry of Education, Bangkok; f. 1954; Dir. of Division Mom Luang Chintana Navawongs; evening programmes for general public; daytime programmes for schools in- cluding music, social studies and English. Pituksuntiradso Radio Stations: Two at Paruksakavun Palace and Bangkhen, Bangkok, tavo at Nakom, Rajsima and one at Chiengmai; Dir.-Gen. Suchart P. Sakorn; programmes in Thai. Radio Station HSUS: Bang-Sue, Bangkok; controlled by Government, permits advertising; Dir.-Gen. K. Ken- GRADOMYING. TELEVISION Voice of Free Asia: Ayutthaya Province; established 1968; 1,000 kW. broadcasting station; operated to broadcast programmes for the Royal Thai and U.S. Governments in Thai, English and several other languages used in the . . area. In 1971 there were 2,800,000 radio sets. TELEVISION Thai Television Co. Ltd.: Mansion B., Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok; transmissions from 1955, commercial pro- grammes 4.45-12.00 p.m. daily, 10.00 a.m.-i2.oo p.m. weekends; Man. Dir. Dr. Witt Siwasariyanon. Royal Thai Army : Pahol-yodhin St., Sanam Pao, Bangkok; transmissions over a 75 mile radius since Jan. 1958; daily 18.00-23.00 hours; Sundays 09.00-12.00 and 17.00-23.00 hours; Dir.-Gen. P. Cheunbonn. In 1971 there were about 230,000 TV receivers in use. FINANCE (cap. =capital; p.u.=paid up; dep.=deposit 3 ; m.omillion; res.=rescrv'es; amounts in baht). BANKING Central Bank Bank of Thailand; 273 Bang Khunprom, P.O.B. 154, Bangkok; f. 1942; Government-owned; cap. 20m.; dep. (Government and banks) baht 7,453m. (Dec., 1970); Gov. Dr. PuEY Ungphakorn. Banks Incorporated in Thailand Asia Trust Bank Ltd,; 80-82 Anuwongse Rd., P.O.B. 195, Bangkok; f. 1965; cap. p.u. 40m.; dep. 1,025m.; Chair. Princess Chumbhot of Nagor Svarga; Deputy Chair, and Pres. Wallob Tarnvanichkul. Bangkok Bank Ltd., The: 9 Suapa Rd., Bangkok; f. 1944; cap. 500m.; dep. 11,151.6m. (June 1971); Pres. Chin' SOPHONPANICH. Bangkok Bank of Commerce Ltd,; 171 Surawongse Rd., Bangkok; f. 1944: cap. p.u. 50m.; dep. 1,710m. (Dec. 1970) ; Chair. Boonrub Pinij Chonkadi; Vice-Chair. Kukrit Pramoj; Man. Dir. Ajavadis Diskul. Bangkok metropolitan Bank Ltd.: 84-96 Rajawongse Rd., Bangkok; f. 1950; cap. lom.; dep. 2,045m. (June 1971) ; Man. Dir. Udane Tejapaibul; 26 brs. Bank of Asia for Industry and Commerce Ltd.: 601 Charoen I&ung Rd., Bangkok, P.O.B. 112; f. 1939; cap. 45m.; dep. 887m. (Dec. 1970); Chair. Charoon Euarchu- KiATi; Man. Sathien Tejapaibul. Bank of Ayudhya Ltd.; P.O.B. 491, Bangkok; f. 1945; cap. p.u. 15.0m.; res. 79.4m.; dep. 2,403m. (June 1971): Chair. Pol. Gen. Prasert Rujiravongs; Man. Dir. Chuah Ratanaraks. Government Savings Bank of Thailand; 470 Phaholyotin Rd., Bangkok 4; f. 1913: dep. 6,8oom. (Dec. 1970); 364 brs.; Chair. Air Chief Marshal Boonchoo Chandru- beska; Dir.-Gen. Thongtang Thongtaem; pubis. Savings Bank Journal (bi-monthly). Annual Report. Krung Thai Bank Ltd. {Stale Commercial Bank of Thailand) : 260 Yawaraj Rd., Bangkok i; f. 1966; cap. p.u. 250m.; dep. 8,168m. (June 1971); Dir.-Gen. Man. Chamras Chaturabatara; 102 brs. Laem Thong Bank Ltd.: P.O.B. 131, 289/9 Suriwongse Rd., Bangkok; f. 1948; cap. 12m.; dep. 611.9m. (June 1971); Man. Dir. Baisal Nandhabiwat; Chair. Phya Prichanusat. Siam City Bank Limited; 13 Anuwongse Rd., Bangkok; f. 1941; cap. p.u. 4m.; dep. 1,772m. (Dec. 1969); Chair. Chalerm Cheo-Sakul; Man. Dir. Visidtha Srisom- boon. Siam Commercial Bank Ltd., The; 1060 New Bheirburi Rd., P.O.B. 15, Bangkok; f. 1906; cap. p.u. 3;3m.; dep. 2,539.1m. (Dec. 1971); Chair. .Nai Leng Srisomwongse; Gen. Man. Abhorn ICrishnamra. Thai Danu Bank Ltd.: 943 Mahachai Rd., Bangkok;!. 1949: cap. p.u. 20m.; dep. 642m. (June 1971); Chair H.S.H. Prince Upalisan Jumbala; Gen.;, Man. Chalerji Prachuabmoh. Thai Development Bank Ltd.: 276-278 Rajawongse Rd., Bangkok; Cable address: Patanabank; cap. loom.; 47 brs. throughout Thailand; Acting Man. Dir. Seri Supchareon. ' Thai Farmers’ Bank Ltd.: 142 Silom Rd., Bangkok; f. 1945: cap. p.u. 50m.; dep. 2,237m. (Dec. 1970); Pres. Bancha Lamsam; Chair. Phra Nitikarn-Prasom. Thai Militaty Bank Ltd .: Mansion 2, Rajdamnern Ave., Bangkok; f. 1957; cap. p.u. lom.; dep. i,o8im. (June 1970); Chair. Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn; Pres. SuKUM Navapan. Union Bank of Bangkok Ltd.: 624 Jawarad Rd., Bangkok; f. 1949; cap. p.u. 50m.; dep. 941m. (June 1971): Chair. Gen. Kricha Punnakanta; Man. Dir. Banjurd Cholvijarn. Wang Lee Chan Bank Ltd.: 1128 Chiengmai-Rd., Wat Wat Thong Thammachat, Thonburi; f. 1933; cap. p.u. 0.25m.; dep. iim. (Dec. 1970); Chair, and Man. Dir. Tan Siew Ting. 1482 THAILAND — (Finance, Trade and Industry) Foreign Banks ivith Branches in Bangkok Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association: San Francisco; 297 Surawongse Rd., P.O.B. 158, Bangkok 5; Man. J. M. Ahrens. Bank of Canton Ltd.: 270-274 Yawarad Rd., Bangkok; Man. W. L. Tsang. Bank of China: Taipei; 95 Suapa Rd., Bangkok; Man. L. Y. Rung. Bank of Tokyo Ltd.: 62 Tbaniya Bldg., Siiom Rd., Bang- kok; Man. Hisanobu Yamasaki. Banque de I’Indochino S.A.: Paris; 57 oriental Ave., P.O.B. 303, Bangkok; Man. RENk Gaillard. Chartered Bank, The: London; Rama IV Rd., Saladaeng Circle, Bangkok; Man. W. T. Watson. Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.: New York; 1153 New Rd., P.O.B. 525, Bangkok; Second Yice-Pres. and Man. John C, Richey. Four Seas Communications Bank Ltd.: 231 Rajawongse Rd., Bangkok; Man. Tan Puay Liang. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Tho: Hong Kong; P.O.B. 57, 2 Bush Lane, Siphya, Bangkok; Man. A. R. Petrie. Indian Overseas Bank: Madras; 221 Rajawongse Rd. Bangkok; Man. T. M. U. Menon. Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co.; Bangkok. Mercantile Bank Ltd.: Hongkong; P.O.B. 45, Siiom Rd., Bangkok; Man. W. G. G. Mckerron. Mitsui Bank, The: Tokyo; 4-6 Nava Bldg., New Rd., Bangkok: Man. T, Asanuma. United Malayan Banking Corpn. Ltd.: Kuala Lumpur; 147-151 Suapa Rd., Bangkok; Man. John C. Ling, INDUSTRIAL FINANCE ORGANIZATIONS Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand (I.F.C.T.): loi Naret Rd., Bangkok; f. 1959 to assist industrial estab- lishment, expansion, modernization and financing; a national private financial institution; makes medium- and long-term loans, underwriting shares and securities and guaranteeing loans; cap. p.u. baht loom. (Dec. 1970); loans approved 65gm. on 169 projects .(Dec. (1970): Chair. Renoo Sovarnsit; Gen. Man. Sommai Hoontrakool. Board of Investment:' 88’ Mansion 2, Rajdamnem Ave., Bangkok; Sec.-Gen. Somporn Punyagupta. STOCK EXCHANGE Bangkok Stock Exchange: 6th Floor, Siiom Bldg., 197/1 Siiom Rd., Bangkok: f. 1963: 50 registered mems.; Chair. Isaac Djsaac Dsemae; Pres. Subin Osathanu- grah; Sec. P. D. Howard. INSURANCE Bangkok Insurance Co. Ltd.; The Bangkok Insurance Bldg., 302 Siiom Rd., Bangkok; f. 1947; non-life insurance; Chair. Chin Sophonpanich; Man. Dir. Chumpon Rungsopinkul. Borisat Arkanay Prakan Pai Jamkat (Somh-Easi Instirance Co. Ltd.)-. South East Bldg., 315 Siiom Rd., Bangkok; f. 1946; Chair, and Exec. Dir. Luang Damrong Duritarekh; Exec. Dirs. R. S. Jotikasthira, P. Srikarnchana, V. Vathanakul; cap. p.u. 7m.; life, marine, accident, fire, etc. International Assurance Co, Ltd., The: 291-293 Rajawongse Rd.. Bangkok: f. 1952; Chair. Gen. P. Boribhandh Yuddhakich; Man. Dir. V. S. Saman; cap. p.u. 2.5m.; fire, marine, general. International Life Assurance (Thailand) Ltd., The: 52/4-5-6 Surawongse Rd., Bangkok; f. 1951: Chair. Gen. Kris Srivara; Gen. Man. Suriyon Raiwa; cap. baht 15m.; life. Ocean Insurance Company Ltd.: 1666 Krung Kasem Rd., Bangkok; Man. Dir, Phdngsak Assakul; accident, fire, life, marine, motor car. Sinswad Assurance & Development Corporation Ltd.; 49.2/ 494 Mahachai Rd., P.O.B. 186, Bangkok; 1 . 194&: Chair. J. Tanpairod; Gen. Man. T. W. Young; cap. p.u. 501.; fire, motor car, accident, marine. Thai Insurance Co.' Ltd.: 933 Maha Chai Rd., Bangkok; est, 1939; Man. Dir. Chalor Thongsuphan. Thai Life Insurance Co. Ltd,: Mansion 8, Rajdamnem Ave,, Bangkok; f. 1942; Man. Dir. Smit Yamasmit. Thoresen & Co. (Bangkok) Ltd.: P.O.B. 1587, Bangkok; f. iQ'37; shipping agents, shipbrokers and forwardi^ Man. Dir. T. A. Stewart; Man. A. K. Andersen. TRADE AND INDUSTRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Thai Chamber of CommerceM5o Rajbopit Rd., Bangkok; f. 1946; 520 mems.; Pres. Nai Charoon Sibunruang: Vice-Pres. Nai Ob Vasuratna,' Nai Preecha Tan- PRASERT, Dr. SoMPHOB SussANGKARN; Hon. Sec. Gen. Nai Dej Boon-Long; Asst. Hon. Sec. Gen. Nai Photipong-Lamsam; pubis. T/iai Chamber of Commerce ' Journal (monthly), Thai Chamber of Commerce Directory. INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS The Association of Thai Industries: "Sarasin” Bldg., 6th Floor, 14 Surasakdi Rd., Bangkok 5;' f. Nov. 1967, serving as a grouping of operators of all types of in- dustries in Thailand; centre for mems. in the exchange of ideas contributory to industrial efforts; building and promoting fellowship among industrial operators; con- ducting research, publicity, promotion and training of modem technical know-how Pertaining to m^sriial manufacture and commerce to enha.nce tte prog^^ ot industry and commerce in Thailand in °rder to comp with foreign products; bringing about solidanty among mems. for the purpose of protectag, a ^ promoting the stability of all mdustnes in encouramns the graduation of young mdustnalists and the liftiag^of their efficiency standards; j^rfomung charity work; engaging in- other industries thariwOTld promXe the prosperity of domesfac 220 public industries: Pres. Maj.-Gen. Pramarn Adireksarn- Vice-Pres. Bunjerd CHOtvicnARN, Yongsiep Ruangsook. Gen. Boonyong Vongvarij; Office Man. Sumt Ratanakul. Ic Association of Thailand: 335 New Rd., Bangkok. noral Industry Association of Thailand; 26 Bangkok Rd., 1483 THAILAND — (Trade and Industry, Power, Transport and Tourism) Thai Maize and Produce Exporters Association: 52/17-18 Pharmaceutical Association of Thailand: 150 Rajbopit Rd., Bangkok. Rice Mill Association of Thailand: 233 SouUi Sathorn Rd., Bangkok. Rico Traders Association of Thailand: 120 Sathom Rd., Bangkok. Rubber Trade Association of Thailand: 150 Rajbopit Rd., Bangkok. Sawmill Association of Siam: 258/1 Visutliykasat Rd., Bangkok. The Tapioca Association of Thailand: 291-293 Rajawongsc Rd., Bangkok. Surawongse Rd.. Bangkok. Thai Silk Association: c/o Industrial Promotion Dept., Ministry of Industry, Rama VI Rd., Bangkok. Thailand Lac Association: 66 Chaleamkatt 1, Bangkok. Timber Exporters Association: 119/1 Nr. Huachang Bridge, P.O.B. 240, Phaya Thai Rd., Bangkok. The Union Textile Merchants Association of Thailand: 121/1 Rajawongse Rd., Bangkok. TRADE UNIONS All trade unions were abolished in November 1958 and workers are forbidden to organize new ones. In 1958 tliere were 136 registered unions vrith 25,000 members. POWER CENTRAL AUTHORITY National Energy Authority: Pibultham Villa, Kasatsuk Bridge, Bangkok 5: Sec.-Gcn. Nitipat Jalichan. MAJOR ELECTRIC UTILITIES Yanhee Electricity Authority (YEA): Rama VI Bridge Bangkruay, Nondhaburi. North East Electricity Authority (NEEA); Rama I Rd., Yodso, Bangkok 5. Lignite Authority (LA) : Samsen Rd., Bangkok. Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA): 121 Chalaapet Rd., Bangkok, Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA): 200 Ngam Wong Wan Rd., Bang Khen, Bangkok 9. ATOMIC ENERGY Office of Atomic Energy for Peace: Srirubsook Rd., Bang IChen, Bangkok 9: Chair. H. E. Field-Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn; Sec.-Gen. Dr. Svasti Srisukh. The National Energy Authority maintains ' a pilot nuclear plant. Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University and the University of Medical Sciences have atomic energy labora- tories and are involved in nuclear activities. TRANSPORT AND TOURISM TRANSPORT RAILWAYS Thailand State Railways: Yosse, Bangkok; f. 1S91; made autonomous 1951: 21,918 permanent employees, 13,776 temporary (Sept. 1970); 3,765 km. of open lines, 3,885 km. of running track and 557 km. of siding track; gauge I metre; Chair. Gen. Kruen Suddhanindra; Gen. Man. Ahna Kamyananda; Sec. Prayoon KASEM smvAN; publ. Railway Monthly Magazine (Thai). ROADS Total length of primary and secondary roads at the end of 1970, was about 10,250 miles, of which about one-half were paved. SHIPPING Port Authority of Thailand: Bangkok; 6 vessels; Chair. Admiral Luang Chamnarn Adhavudha; Man. Dir. Lt.-Gen. Prachuab Suntrangkoon. Thai Maritime Navigation Co. Ltd.; c/o Ministry of Com- munications, 59 Yanawa, Bangkok; services from Bangkok to Far Eastern ports; 4 vessels; Chair. Air Chief Marshal Dawee Chulasapya (Minister of Com- munications); Dir.-Gcn. Nai Charoon Vathanak'orn. Thai Mercantile Marino Ltd.: Bangkok Bank Bldg., 4th Floor, P.O.B. 905, 300 Silom Rd., Bangkok; f. 1967; four dry cargo vessels on liner service between Japan . and Thailand; Chair. H. E. Thanat Khoman; Vice- Chair. Chin Sophonpanich. CIVIL AVIATION Thai Airways Co. Ltd.; Thai Airway Building, 6Larn Luang Rd., Bangkok; f. 1951 through the amalgamation oi Siamese Ainvays Co. Ltd. and Pacific Overseas Air- lines (Siam) Ltd.; Government controlled through the Ministry oi Communications; external services to Vientiane (Laos), Penang (Malaysia) from Bangkok airport; Chair. Board of Dirs. Air Chief Marshal Boonchoo Chandrubeksa; Man. Dir. Air Marshal Perm Limpisvasti; fleet of 6 HS 748, 5 DC-3. Thai Airways International Ltd.: CMMC Bldg., 1043 Phaholyothin Rd., Bangkok; • f. i960; Chair, and Acting Man. Dir. Air Chief Marshal BpONCHOO Chandrubeksa; Deputy Man. Dir.' K. A. Kristiansen; fleet of I DC-9-41, 5 DC-8-33. Air-Siam {Air-Siam Air Co. Ltd.)-. P.O.B. 4-155 Rajprasong Trade Centre, Bangkok; f. 1966; i DC-8 on lease; 3 DC-4 freighters; principal routes: Bangkok-Hong Kong-Tokyo-Honolulu-Lns Angeles, freighters opera- ting Bangkok-Hong Kong; Chair, and Chief Exec. H. H. Prince Varanand; Exec. Vice-Pres. Capt. W. McIntosh. Bangkok is also served by the following airlines: Air France, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Viet-Nam, Alitalia, B.O.A.C., ^thay Pacific Airways (C.P.A.), China Airlines, Civil Air Transport (C.A.T.), Garuda Indonesian Airways, Japan Air Lines Co. (J.A.L.), K.L.M., Lufthansa, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, Northwest Orient Airlines (N.W.A.), Pan American World Airways (P.A.A.), Philip- 1484 THAILAND — (Transport and Tourism, Universities) pine Air Lines (P.A.L.)i Qantas, Royal Air Cambodgo, Royal Air Lao, Scandinavian Airlines System (S.A.S.), Swissair, Trans World Airlines (T.W.A.), Union de Trans- ports Adriens, Union oi Burma Ainvays Board (U.B.A.), United Arab Airlines. TOURISM The Tourist Organization of Thailand (TOT): Head Office, Mansion 2, Ratchadamnoen Ave., Bangkok 2; f. tg6o; Dir.-Gen. Lt.-Gcn. Chalermchai Ciiaruvastr; Deputy Dir.-Gen. Col. Sirisak Suntarovat, Col. Somchai Hiranyakit; pubis. Thailand Travel Talk (monthly, English), Holiday Time in Thailand (quarterly, English), TOT's Magazine (monthly, Thai), Ncwsleiter (English) ; overseas offices in New "Y ork and Los Angeles, North Thailand Tourist Promotion Asscn.: Chuang Mai; Pres. Prof. Momluang Tui Xumsai. CULTURAL AFFAIRS One of the main aspects of the Thai cultural background and development has been the Buddhist religion of the majority of the inhabitants. The tolerance shown by Buddhists allowed complete freedom of religion in Thai- land; Islam was introduced to the southern part of the county between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, Christianity came in the sixteenth century and the many Chinese immigrants brought their own religions of ancestor worship and Confucianism. These various religions, and to a certain extent their cultural traditions, have existed peaceably side by side and the tolerance shown to religions also shows itself towards foreign contacts. Trade contacts began in the middle of the thirteenth century and Europeans established trade contacts early in the sixteenth century. The Thai people have shown a remarkable ability to assimi- late other nationalities — especially Chinese, of which Thailand has a large, integrated section — and yet preserve their own nationality, in spite of varying external pressures. The written language has been influenced by, and in turn has influenced, Mon and Khmer. The influence of Buddhism on Thai life is also seen in the development of the literature of the country, a large proportion of early literary works being Buddhist-inspired. Verse was the general medium of literary expression until the last century, and one of the richest fields is the folk literature, which was passed on only by word of mouth. Thai theatre has many traditional faces. The most ancient forms are the Hun and the Nang; Hun is a type of elaborate marionette theatre, with tlie story sung or recited by a singer, with chorus and musical accompani- ment; Nang is a shadow drama, again with singer and chorus. Both of these have popular forms, with less elabor- ate figures and more modern stories. Classical drama originally came to Thailand from India. There are two main categories, tlie Khon and the Lakhon. The Khon was originally an epic religious manifestation, but it has been adapted to a certain extent; the characters, all men, wear masks and the story is told by a reciter, though a singing chorus is sometimes introduced. The Lakhon characters, men or women, but not acting together, do not wear masks, except when portraying demons, animals, etc.; the action is sung by a chorus, with a leader. Tradi- tional music is closely bound up with Thai drama, with stylized, unvarying “action" and "singing” tunes played by a traditional orchestra of at least five players. Popular festivals and ceremonies still held today have been a common manifestation of Tliai culture lor many centuries; the majority are of a religious nature, connected •with the various phases of the life of Buddha. Fins Arts Dopartmont: Na-Pradbat Rd., Bangkok; promotes all sectors of the fine arts; Dir.-Gen. Chua Sariman. UNIVERSITIES Chiengmai University: Chiengmai; f. 1963; 508 teachers; 6,082 students. ChulalongRorn University: Phya Thai Rd., Bangkok; 1,042 teachers, 9,444 students. ' ■ . ■ Kasetsart University: Bangkhen, Bangkok; 433 teachers, 3,747 students. Khonkaen University: IChonkaen; f. 1966: 57 teachers, 300 students. Mahidol University: Siriraj Hospital, Thonburi, Bangkok; 871 teachers, 4,320 students. Silpakorn University: Na Pra Dhat Rd.; 661 students. Thammasat University: Bangkok; 651 teachers. 15,762 students. 1485 REPUBLIC OF TOGO INTRODUCTORY SURVEY Location, Climato, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital The Republic of Togo lies on the coast of West Africi^ forming a narrow strip stretching north to Upper Volt^ with Ghana to the west and Dahomey to the east. This climate is hot and humid, temperatures averaging 80% (27°c) on the coast and g7°F (3o°c) in the drier north. Th^ ofiScial language is French and there are a number o{ native tontnies. The majority of the population follovv animist beliefs; there are about 300,000 Christians an(J 75,000 Muslims. The flag consists of five stripes of alternate green and yellow, with a red section in the upper hoist charged with a white star. The capital is Lom6. Recent History Formerly a United Nations Trust Territory administereij by France, Togo became an autonomous republic withitj the French Union in 1956 and achieved independence in jpfin- The leading political figure and first President of Togo, Sylvanus Olympio, was assassinated by military insurgent^ early in 1963 and Nicolas Grunitzky returned from exile tc, become President. In May 1963 a popular referendun\ approved his appointment and elected a new National Assembly from a single list of candidates. Togo is s. member of the United Nations, the Organization for Afri-. can Unity, OCAM and the Consoil do I’Entente. An army coup d'dtat took place in January 1967. A now governmenf; under Colonel Dadjo was appointed after the voluntary withdrawal from ofiice of President Nicolas Grunitzky, In April 1967 Lt.-Gen. Etienne Eyadoma took over thij Presidency. In November 1969 a new party, the Togolesij People’s Rally, was founded with Gen. Eyadema a^ President. This party called for a referendum for th^ President of the Republic and this, held in January 1972, produced an overwhelming vote in favour of Gen, Eyadema. A Government reshuffle followed refiecting; Gen. Eyadema’s efforts to maintain stability. Government Following the army coup d’dtat of January 1967, th^ constitution was suspended. Executive power is in th^ hands of a President and a Cabinet, and elections to a new Parliament were promised as soon as possible. Th^ country is divided into four Regions each administered by an Inspector assisted by an elected council. Defence Togo’s Armed Forces total about 2,000, including an Infantry Battalion and a small naval force. Under military agreements TOth France, Togo is helped with training and equipment. Economic Affairs Togo’s considerable natural resources are still largely undeveloped. The economy is agricultural, the chief crop^ being manioc, palm kernels, coffee, groundnuts, cocoa and. cotton. Many of the forests and mineral reserves still have to be surveyed, but phosphates are being mined in increas- ing quantities and now form the country’s principal export. In 1967 major iron ore deposits were discovered in the North-Central region. It is intended to set up industries, mainly for food processing. Transport and Communications There arc 498 km. of railways, including three lines running inland from Lomd and a coastal line which joins with the Dahomey system. There are 7,125 km. of roads, of which about 1,300 km. are all-weather roads. There are several airfields in Togo, and an international airport at Lomd served by Air Togo, Air Afrique and U.T. A. Social Welfare Medical services are provided by the Government and there }s a Geserat JIaspJtaJ and 13 anrdhary hospitals. Education About half the schools provide free education and there are places for 40 per cent of children of school age. Mssion schools are important and educate about half of the pupils. Scholarships are available to French universities. • • • Tourism Big game hunting and fishing are the main attractions. There are a number of picturesque waterfalls. Visas are not required to visit Togo by nationals of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo People’s Republic, Dahomey, France, Gabon, Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Mada- gascar, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Upper Volta and Zaire. Sport There is little organized sport but football and lawn tennis are popular. Public Holidays 1972 : May 1 (Labour Day), May ii (Ascension Day), May 22 (Whit Monday), August 15 (Assumption), Novem- ber I (Memorial Day), December 25 (Christmas). ' . 1973 : January i (New Year’s Day), January 13 (Libera- tion Day), April 23 (Easter Monday), April 27 (Indepen- dence Day). Weights and Measures The Metric System is in force. Currency and Exchange Rates The currency unit is the Franc CFA. Coins: 5, 10, 25 Francs CFA Notes: 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000 Francs CFA Exchange Rate: 661 Francs CFA = £1 Sterling 254 Francs CFA = U.S. $i 1486 TOGO — (Statisticai. Survey) STATISTICAL SURVEY Area: 56,600 square km. Population (1970 census provisional results); 1.956,000; Lom6 (capital) 100.000, Sokod6 14,700, Palimd 11,900, Andcho 10,400, Atakpamd 9,200, Tsevie 9,200, Bassari 9,200, Mango 7,800, Taligbo 5.900, Bafilo 5,400 (1970 estimates). Main Tribes; Ewe 185,000, Ouatchi 152,000, Kabro 236,000. Employment: Agriculture 741.000; Commerce 78,000; Industry 31,200 (1966 estimates). Land Use ('000 hectares); Cultivated 2,300, Forests 500, Land capable of Cultivation 1,300, Waste Land 1,500. Agriculture: (metric tons) (1965); Manioc 840,141, Maize 90,392, Millet and Sorghum 152,892, Rice 18,529, Beans 13.428, Sweet Potato 8.067; (1967-68): Copra 420, Kapok 500, Karitd 1,760, Groundnuts 5,700; (1968-69); Coffee 17,200, Palm Oil 16,000; (1970-71): Cocoa 28,000, Cotton 6,500. Livestock (1969 Estimate): Cattle 180,000, Sheep and Goats 1,320,000, Pigs 275,000, Poultry 2,000,000. Animal Produce (1965) (tons): Reel 1,007, Mutton and Goatsmeat 147, Pork 53. Fisheries (1969); Sea 8,000 metric tons, Kiver 2,000 metric tons. Forestry (cubic metres): Firewood 28,060, Timber 6,700, Sawn lengths 4,000. Mining (1970); The Compagnie Togolaise des Mines du Bdnin_ produced 1,517,059 metric tons of Phosphate (Bauxite, Iron and Lime deposits are unexploited). Electricity: Total produced: (1969) 19.3 million kWh.; (1970) 22.5 million kWh. Currency: 1 franc CFA=o.o2 French francs; 1,000 francs CFA=;£i.5i sterling=U.S. $3.93. Recurrent Budget (1970) : Balanced at 7,980 million francs CFA; (1971): Balanced at 10,000 million. francs CFA; (1972); Balanced at 12,283 million francs CFA. Capital Budget (1971): 1.355 million francs CFA, of which Communications 426.2 million; Administration 222.2 million; Rural Development 220.4 million; Health, Education, Information. Sport, etc. 330.5 million; Industry 155.7 million. DEVELOPMENT FIRST FIVE-YEAR PLAN. 1966-70 (million francs CFA) Expenditure Public Private Total Transport and Communications . Town Planning, Housing Rural Economy .... Industry and Commerce Education ..... Health ...... Other Social and Cultural . Administration ..... 8,206 1.734 5.^41 1,416 1,336 1,195 184 840 2,100 2,800 800 2,400 300 140 10,306 4,534 5,941 3,816 1,636 1,335 184 840 Total .... 20,052 8,540 28,592 Second Five-Year Plan, 1971-75: Investments of 75,890 million francs CFA are planned, mostly in agriculture and infrastructure. 1487 - ALGERIA— (Introductory Survey, Statistical Survey) Visas are not required to visit Algeria by nationals of tbe following countries: Andorra, Bahrain, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France and the French overseas territories, Guinea, Guyana, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Morocco, Norway, Oman, San Marino, Spain, Spanish Sahara, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Yugoslavia. Sport Football is the most popular sport. Algeria also takes part in many athletic events, and sports of all lands are being encouraged. Public Holidays 1972: May i (Labour Day), June ig (Anniversary of the overthrow of Ben Bella), July 5 (Independence Day), November 1 (Anniversarj' of the Revolution), November 8 (Id ulFitr). 1973 ; January i, January 15 (Id ul Adha), February 5 (Muslim New Year), February 14 (Ashoura). Note: The European community observes the usual Christian holidays. Weights and Measures The Metric System is in force. Currency and Exchange Rates The Dinar is the monetary unit; it was kept in parity with the French Franc until the French devaluation of August 1969. Notes: 5, 10, 50 and 100 Dinars. Coins: i, 2, 5, 20, 50 centimes and i Dinar. Exchange rate: 11.70 Dinars = Is. sterling 4.50 Dinars = $i U.S. STATISTICAL SURVEY AREA AND POPULATION (1966) Area (sq. km.) Population Total Area Arable Pasture Vineyards Fruit Forests Scrub Total Population 2,381,743 62,000 96,000 3,700 2,000 35.000 383,750 i2,ioi,994* • Includes European population estimated at 80,000; omits an estimated 500,000 Algerians abroad. POPULATION BY DEPARTMENTS (1966 Census) Algiers . . 1,648,200 Oran Annaba . • 950,000 Saida Aurfcs 765,000 Saoura . Constantine • 1.513,100 S6tif El Asnam . 789.600 Tiaret Mddda . 870,200 Tizi-Ouzou Mostaganem 778,800 Tlcmcen . Oasis 505,500 CHIEF TOWNS Population (1966 Census) Algiers (capital) 942,769 Skikda . Oran 324,481 Mostaganem Constantino 254.744 El Asnam Annaba . . 168,744 Eatna Sidi Bel Abbds . 105.000* Bejaia SSUf 98,384 Biskra Tlemccn . . 96.072 M6d6a . Blida . 93,000* Tizi Ouzou 958,460 236,900 211.000 t.237.900 362.000 830,800 444,100 88,000* 74,876 69,580 68,856 65,012 59,052 53,951 53,291 * Estimates. 12 ALGERIA — (Statistical Survey) AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE (’ooo metric tons) 1963 1964 1965 1966 ^Vhcat ...... 1,495 1,798 1,330 700 Barley ...... 690 790 377 n.a. Wine* ...... 1,228 1,248 1,048 1,200 Olive Oil ..... 15 17 18 28 Citrus Fruit ..... 366 410 405 n.a. Fresh Vegetables (’000 quintals) 3.987 2,841 2,830 n.a. • Wine production (hectolitres) 1967; 6,666,768; 1968; 10,046,767. LIVESTOCK (1966 — ’000) Sheep .... 13,000 Goats .... 7,000 Cattle. 3,000 Horses, Asses, Mules 1,500 Chickens 10,000 MINING (metric ton.s) 19G3 1964 1965 1966 Iron Ore . 1,976,900 2,739.000 3,132,000 1,762,000 Coal 38,000 34,800 45,000 n.a. Lead 11,763 13,600 14,900 6,300 Zinc 55.923 64,200 63,000 24,600 Iron P)rritcs 37.750 61,000 56,876 49,000 Phosphates 348,100 72,000 86,000 93,900 Fuller’s earth . 81,608 49,200 59,890 n.a. Magnesium Sulphate. n.a. 20,400 16,410 n.a. Barium Sulphate 33,000 31,400 42.770 n.a. Crude Oil Natural Gas (million 23.646,353 26,487,778 26,480,788 33.253.000 cu. metres) . 400 699 1,754 n.a. Crude oil (1967) 39,078,000 tons; (1968) 43,000,000 tons; ( 19 ^ 9 ) 46,000,000 tons. Iron ore; (1967) 2,428,000 tons; (1968) 2,962,000 tons. FINANCE I Algerian Dinar = 100 centimes. 11.70 Algerian Dinars=;£i sterling; 4.50 Algerian Dinars=U.S. Ji.oo. 100 Algerian Dinars = £^- 5 ^ sterling = U.S. $22.22. The Algerian Dinar replaced the Algerian franc, of the same value, in 1964. BUDGET CURRENT REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE (million dinars) i 1964 1965 1966 1967 , 1968 1969 Budget (balanced, except in 1965, when 222m. dinar deficit) . 2,632 2,831 3,200 3,332 3,539 3,890 13 ALGERIA— (Statistical Survey) INVESTMENT EXPENDITURE 1970 1971 Agriculture .... 793 X.OIO Industry .... 3,100 3.100 Infrastructure .... 494 1,543 Education .... 784 S25 Housing and Health 238 220 Others ..... 714 390 Total .... 6,507 7,088 Add Current Expenditure 4,447 4,915 Total Expenditure 10,954 12,003 FOUR-YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1970-73 Unit 1969 Production (Estimate) 1973 ^ (Target) Crude Petroleum . . million tons 46 65 Natural Gas . , million cu. metres 2,500 6,500 Liquefied Natural Gas . t ! ft ft 2,000 5,500 Iron Ore '000 tons 3,500 3,700 Zinc Concentrates . tons 43,000 127,000 Phosphates tf 520,000 1,470,000 Electricity milhon kWh. 1,500 2,800 Crude Steel tons — 430,000 Sulphuric Acid ft 61,000 100,000 Manufactured fertilizers . tf 220,000 700,000 Refined Sugar . ft — 160,000 Cement .... ft 950,000 1,800,000 Paper Pulp . ... . ft 17,000 70,000 Cotton, Sjmthetic and wool Fabncs . million sq. metres 53-4 1 X0 EXTERNAL TRADE (million Algerian Dinars) 1965 1 1966 1967 1968 1969 Imports Exports 3,314 3,145 3,154 3,070 3.155 3,572 3.486 3.816 4,830 4.494 COMMODITIES {’000 Dinars) Imports 1967 1968 Food ..... 775,082 662,531 Machinery, Non-Electrical 381,314 799,942 Chemicals .... 312,599 4X5,400 Textiles and Textile Articles 285,530 368,285 Transport Equipment . . \| 247,930 331,389 Hon and Steel and articles thereof 230,248 405,293 Elecbical Machinery , , j Paper, Paperboard and articles 117,871 161,116 thereof .... 74.223 72,008 Exports 1967 1968 Petroleum, Crude . Wines ..... Edible Fruits and Nuts, Peel of 2,479,476 268,699 2,811,619 368.058 Melons or Citrus Fruit Natural Gas Petroleum Products Preparations of Fruit and 150,781 140,709 126,585 138,625 147,614 97,060 Vegetables Metallic Ores and Slags . of which iron ore . 33.419 21,067 8.293 39,947 127,151 105,161 14 ALGERIA — (Statistical Survey, The Constitution) COUNTRIES Imports j Exports 1967 1968 1969 1967 1968 1969 France ..... EEC, excluding France . Eastern Europe .... United States .... 1,877.6 278.5 262.3 251-5 1,989.0 533-0 192.3 303-4 2,138.3 1,094.8 332.9 434-0 2,118.0 731-6 T05.5 67.9 2,075.6 887.6 202.9 21.7 2,458.7 961.1 384.2 9-0 TRANSPORT Railways (1967): Passenger-km. 713m., Freight ton-km. 984m, Roads (1966): Cars 90,000, Buses, Lorries and Commercial Vehicles 76,000 current licences. Shipping (1968): Vessels entered 5,980; Freight entered 5,025,000 tons; Freight cleared 20,720,000 tons. Civil Aviation (1968): Passenger arrivals 286,035; Passen- ger departures 311,733. TOURISM Hotil Beds (1968): 8,000, EDUCATION (1968-69) Boys Girls Total Primary , . \| 976,110 575,379 1,551.489 Secondarj' 85,994 35,407 124.401 Technical 29,848 9,750 39,598 Teacher-Training Colleges 4.137 1,601 2,398 5,738 Higher . 8,283 io,68r Source: Direction Gdndrale du Plan et des Etudes Economiques, Ministfcre de I’Economie Nationale, Algiers. THE CONSTITUTION {Approved by popular referendum, September 1963) Preamble History of the Front for National Liberation (FLN). Fundamental objectives of the Republic. Need for single- party rule. Articles 1-11; Main Aims and Principles Algeria is a Democratic and Popular Republic. It forms part of the Arab Maghreb, the Arab World and of Africa. Islam is the official religion, but the State guarantees freedom of opinion and belief and free expression of religion. Arabic is the official language of the State. The <^pital of Algeria is Algiers, headquarters of the National Assembly and the Government. The National Popular Army ensures the defence of territory and takes pari in the country’s social and economic activities. The basic administrative unit of the Republic is the Commune. _ The main aims of the Republic are to safeguard national mdependence, territorial integrity and national unity; to exercise power by the people; to build a socialist democracy; to guarantee the right to work and to free education; to eliminate the vestiges of colonialism; to defend individual freedoms; to fight discrimination, in particular that based ^ race or religion; to strive for peace in the world. The Republic conforms to the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man. Articles 12-22; Fundamental Rights All citizens of both sexes have the same rights and the same duties. All citizens over 19 years have the right to Vote. The domicile cannot be violated and secrecy of Correspondence is guaranteed to all citizens. No one can be arrested or tried except for legal offences and according to legal procedure. All have a right to a decent life and a fair share of the national income. The Family, main unit of society, is under State protection. Education is com- pulsory and is offered to all. The Republic guarantees freedom of the Press and other means of information, freedom of association, freedom of speech and public discourse and freedom to hold meetings. Trade unionism, the right to strike, and the participation of workers in the administration of business will be upheld within the frame- work of the relevant laws. The Republic guarantees political asylum to all who fight for freedom. The rights and freedoms referred to may not be used to hinder national independence, or to affect temtonal integrity, national unity, the institution of the Repubuc, the socialist aims of the people or the principle of unity of the F.L.N. irlicles 23-26; The National Liberation Front (F.L.N.) The F.L.N. is the only avant-garde party in Algena. it ratlines policy and controls the activity of the National Assembly and the Government. It reflects the deep ^pira- ;ions of the masses. It educates and leads them. It achieves he objectives of the revolution and establishes socialism n Algeria. irlicles 27-38; Sovereign Rights — The Natimal Assembly Sovereign rights belong to the people. They are exer- ■ised by representatives in the National Assembly, lominated by the F.L.N. and elected for five yearn bv lirect and secret ballot. The method of election, number of 15 ALGERIA — (The representatives, and conditions of eligibility are fixed by law and reviewed by a Commission. The Assembly meets within two weeks of election of its members and confers power on them. It then elects its President, Bureau, and Special Committees. The President of the National Assembly occupies the second highest position in the State. The President of the Republic and Members of the Assembly have the power to initiate laws. All members of the Government have the right to attend debates and to address the Assembly. Control over Government acts is exercised by: hearings of Ministers in Committees; written questions; oral questions with or wthout debate. Articles 39-59; The Executive The executive power lies with the Head of State, the ' President of the Republic. He is nominated by the Party, and is elected by universal direct and secret ballot, for a five-year term. Any Moslem of Algerian origin having all civil and political rights and being 36 years of age or older, may be elected President of the Republic. The President is sworn in by the National Assembly. Foreign diplomats are accredited to the President. The President, on the advice of the Minister for Foreign Afiairs, appoints Algeria's Ambassadors and Envoys. The President; signs, ratifies (in consultation %vith the Assembly), and ensures the execution of Treaties and other International Agreements; is Supreme Leader of the Armed Forces; declares war and draws up terms for peace, with the approval of the National Assembly; presides over the Higher Councils of Defence and the Law; exercises the right to grant a legal reprieve; nominates Ministers, of whom two-thirds must be members of the Assembly; has sole responsibilitv before the Assembly; defines and directs Government policies; proclaims and publishes Laws and ensures that they are executed; appoints all civil servants and defence personnel. The President must promulgate Laws within ten days of their formal transmission by the National Assembly. Within this time limit the President can ask the Assembly to deliberate a second time, and this request cannot be refused. The period of ten days can be reduced at the re- quest of the Assembly in matters of urgent necessity. If the President of the Republic does not proclaim the Laws • within the time limit, the President of the Assembly shall do so. A motion of censure may be tabled against the President if signed by one-third of tte members of the Assembly. A majority vote in the Assembly on such a motion shall entail the resignation of the President and the automatic dissolution of the Assembly! This vote by public ballot shall take place after five clear days have expired frotn the time of tabling the motion. In the case of resignation, death or incapacitation of the President, the President of the Assembly shall carry out the duties of President of the Republic with the assistance of the heads of permanent committees of the Assembly. He shall arrange %vithin two months elections for a new President, and if necessary for a new National Assembly. The President of the Republic may ask the Assembly to give him the power to make Laws by Decree for a limited period. Such Decrees shall be taken in the Council of Constitution) Ministers and submitted for ratification by the Assembly within three months. In the case of emergency, the President can take exceptional measures to safeguard national independence and the Institutions of the Republic. The National Assembly then has the full right to meet automatically. Articles 60-62; Justice Justice is done in the name of the Algerian People. The, right to defence before the law is recognised and guaranteed. Judges obey only the Law and the interests of the Socialist Revolution. Their independence is guaranteed by Law and by the existence of a Higher Council of Law. Articles 63-64: The Constitutional Council The Constitutional Council consists of the President of the Supreme Court, the Presidents of the Civil and Administrative Chambers of the Supreme Court, three nominated members of the National Assembly and a member nominated by the President of the Republic. The members of the Constitutional Council elect their own President, who has no casting vote. Either the President of the Republic or the President of the Assembly may ask the Constitutional Council to judge the validity of Laws and Decrees. Articles 65-70.- Higher Organisations The Higher Council of the Law consists of the President, the Minister of Justice, the President and Attorney General of the Supreme Court, a Lawyer of the Supreme Court, two Magistrates, one of whom is a judge, elected by their colleagues, and six Members of the Assembly elected by the permanent Committee of Justice. The Higher Council of Defence consists of the President, the Ministers of National Defence, the Interior, and Foreign Affairs, the President of the Assembly’s Commission for National Defence, and two Members nominated by the President of the Republic. The Higher Economic and Social Council consists of five Members of the Assembly, the Director of Economic Planning, the Governor of the Central Bank of Algeria, members of the national organizations and representatives of major national economic and social activities appointed by the President. It elects its own President. Articles 7J774 Constitutional Alterations The initiative for altering the Constitution lies jointly with the President of the Republic and the National Assembly. Two readings and two votes with absolute majority must be given at an interval of two months, to draft any bill. This draft shall then be submitted for approval to the People by referendum. A bill approved by the People shall be proclaimed Law within eight days of the referendum. Articles 75—78: Temporary Measures The national hymn is Kassamen until such time as an extra-constitutional law shall fix a new national hymn. The use of French in education shall continue only until the realisation of all-Arabic education becomes possible. After approval of the Constitution by popular referendum it shall be promulgated within eight days. The election of the President of the Republic shall take place within one month of the approval of the Constitution. ALGERIA — (The Government, Diplomatic Representation) THE GOVERNMENT REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL arrest of President Ben Bella. With Col. Houari the Council includes the following members: following the Boumedienne as its President Set up in June ig05 Moxn.Av Addelkader Ahmed Belhouchet Cherif Belkacem Mohammed Ben Ahmed Ahmed Bencherif Bouhadjar Benhaddou Cheddi Benjedid Abderrahman Ben Salem Abdelaziz Bouteflika Ahmed Draia Ahmed Kaid Tayebi Larbj Ahmed Medeghri Yahyaoui Mohammed Salah Salah Soufi COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (March i97~) Prime Minister and Minister of Defence: Col. Houari Boumedienne, Minister of Transport: Rabah Bitat. Minister of the Interior: Ahmed Medeghri. Minister of Justice: Boualem Ben Hamouda. Minister of Industry and Energy: Belaid Abdessalem. Minister of Foreign Affairs: Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Minister of Finance: Smail JIahroug. Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform: Tayebi Larbi. Minister of Primary and Secondary Education: Abdelkrim Ben Mahmoud. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mohammed Ben Yahia. Minister of Health: Omar Boudjellab, Minister of Public Works: Abdelkader Zaibek. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications: Mohammed Kadi. Minister of Commerce: Layechi Yaker. Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Mohand Said Mazouni. Minister of Youth and Sports: Abdallah Fadel. Minister of Tourism: Abdelaziz Maaoui. Minister for Hahous: Mouloud Kassem. Minister for Ex-Servicemen; Mahmoud Guennez. Minister of Information: Ahmed Taleb. Under-Secretary of State for Planning: IOvmel Abdullah Khodja. Under-Secretary of State; Abdullah Arbaoui. DIPLOMATIC representation embassies ACCREDITED TO ALGERIA (Algiers unless otherwise stated) Albania: 50 rue Oukil Mohammed, Birniandrcis; Ambassa - dor : Riza Taushani, Argentina: 7 rue Hamani; Ambassador : Mario Raul Pico. Austria: Citd Dar el Kef. rue Shakespeare, El Mouradia; Ambassador : Albert Filz, Belgium: 18 ave. Claude Debussy; Ambassador : Paul Denis. Brazil: 48 blvd. Mohammed V; Ambassador : Paulo Lead DE Moura. Bulgaria: 13 blvd. Bougara Mohammed: Ambassador : A. P. Pachev. Cameroon : 28 chemin Sheikh Bachir Brahimi ; A mbassador : Ferdinand Leopold Ayono. Canada: Ambassador : Christian Hardy. Chile: Ambassador : Eduardo Yazigi. China, People’s Republic: 34 blvd. des Martyrs; Ambassa - dor : Lin Ching. , Congo, People’s Republic (Brazzaville): 115 Abdelkader; Ambassador : D. Mountsaka. Cuba: 14 rue Claude Barndard, Le Golf; Ambassador . Raul Fornel Delgado. Czechoslovakia: Villa Malika, Parc Gattlif; Ambassador . Vaclav Plescot. Denmark: 23 blvd. Zirout Youcef; Ambassador : Diplev Gorgen Scheel. Egypt: chemin de la Madeleine, Hydra; Ambassador . Naguib H. EL Sadr. Finland- 2 blvd. Mohammed V; Ambassador : O . Saikky. ™ tab. Alik. Hydra. A..kW.r: (Sorma“n”otn.mr«tic EopuMlt: (address not available): Ambassador : Si ' EGFRVS'D Yaw Ghana: 62 me Parmenticr. Kubba; Ambassador . Yaw G re“8 - Suche Mourad; Dimitri Guir4TlT\|ntrM SaMHamdiue, Hydra; .m... HunTarrr’i::uRy^^ — — lndfa??irVue Didouche Mourad; Ambassador : Pek I ndoneJarrue Etienne Baillac, Mouradia; Ambassador : Mourad; War: Diahakguir, Tafazoli. 17 ALGERIA — (Diplomatic Representation, National Assembly, etc.) Iraq: 4 rue Areski, Abri-Hydra; Ambassador: A. el Yassine. Italy: 37 cbemin Sheikh Bachir Brahimi; Ambassador: A. M. Saredo. Ivory Coast: Parc Paradou, Hydra; Ambassador: Ibrahima ■ foriRE. Japan: 3 rue du Lucien Reynard; Ambassador: Yukihisa Tamura. Jordan: 25 blvd. Colonel Amirouche; Ambassador: Dr. Attiyate Ahmed. Kenya: Cairo, Egy^pt. Korea, Democratic People’s Republic: 49 rue Salvandy; Ambassador: O Yong-Chin. Kuwait: rue Didouche Mourad; Ambassador: Nouri Abd- Al-Salam Shuwaib. Lebanon: 9 rue Kaid Ahmed el Biar; Ambassador: Khalil Aitani. Libya: 15 chemin Bachir Brahimi; Ambassador: Muham- MED Busairi. Madagascar: rue Abdelkadir Aonis; Ambassador: Besy Arthur. Mali: Paris, France. Mauritania: 33 rue Vercors Bouzariah; Ambassador: Saad Bouh I^ne. Mexico: Cairo, Egypt. Mongolia: rue Marcel Suites, Hydra; Ambassador: D. Charav. Morocco: 6 rue des Cfedres; Ambassador; Muhammed SlJlLMASSI. Nepal: Cairo, Egypt. Netherlands: 23 blvd. Zirout Youcef; Ambassador: G. J. Antonios Veling. Niger; Aiid>assador: Dodo Bodkari. Nigeria: 2 rue de I’Abrevoir; Chargi d' Affaires: Sokoya James. Norway: Rabat, Morocco. Pakistan: 14 ave. Souidani Boudjemaa; Ambassador: Mahmoud Shaeqat. Poland: 37 ave. Mustafa AliKhodja, El Bias; Ambassador Grzegorz Kopozynski. Romania; 24 rue Si Areski, Hydra; Ambassador: Mihat G. Stefan. Saudi Arabia: chemin des Glycines; Ambassador: Riad al Khatib. Senegal: 50 ave. Souidani Boudjemaa; Ambassador: Latyr Kamara. Spain: 10 rue Tirman; Ambassador: Carlos Iniesta Cano. Sudan; 27 me de Carthago, Hydra; Ambassador: Aboubakr Osman Muhammed Saleh. Sweden : 4 blvd. Mohammed V; Ambassador: Claes Konig. Switzerland: 27 blvd. Zirout Youcef; Ambassador: Jean- Denis Grandjan. Syria: chemin de la Madeleine, El Biar; Ambassador: Dr. M. K. Baas. Tunisia: ii rue du Bois de Boulogne, Hydra; Ambassador: Habib Shatty. Turkey: Villa dar el Guard, blvd. Colonel Bougara; Ambassador: Efdal Deringil. U.S.S.R.: chemin du Prince d'Annam, El Biar; Ambassador' Serge Grouzinov. United Kingdom: 7 chemin des Glycines; Ambassador: Ronald Burroughs. Vatican: (address not available); Apostolic Delegate: Mgr. Sante Portalupi. Viot-Nam, Democratic Republic (North Viet-Nam): me d« Chenoua, Hydra; Ambassador: Nguyen Doc Thieng, Yemen A.R.: 74 rue Mokhtar el Menaoud Bouraba; Ambassador; Abdallah Barakat. Yugoslavia: 7 rue d’ Anjou, Hydra; Ambassador: Osman Djickil. Algeria also recognizes Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Peru, Venezuela, and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Viet-Nam. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY General Elections vrere held in September 1964 when a single list of candidates presented by the F.L.N. was returned unopposed. The Assembly has not met since 1966. In October 1969 President Boumedienne announced that a general election would be held during 1970; none was in fact held, an
2279	dbpedia	0	27	https://www.facebook.com/100063653052926/videos/rev-fr-peter-watson-was-a-mill-hill-missionary-in-kumbo-diocesefr-peter-watson-w/364873551873849/	en	Rev. Fr. Peter Watson was a Mill Hill Missionary in Kumbo Diocese. Fr. Peter Watson was born in 1933 in the northeast of England . He is first of six,...	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…GEiA&oe=66BF4A7D	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…GEiA&oe=66BF4A7D	[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Rev. Fr. Peter Watson was a Mill Hill Missionary in Kumbo Diocese. Fr. Peter Watson was born in 1933 in the northeast of England . He is first of six,...	de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		https://www.facebook.com/100063653052926/videos/rev-fr-peter-watson-was-a-mill-hill-missionary-in-kumbo-diocesefr-peter-watson-w/364873551873849/
2279	dbpedia	1	84	https://beadsofmemory.com/martin-jumbams-my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-the-compelling-testimony-of-a-renewed-christian/	en	Douglas Achingale's review of Martin Jumbam’s “My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi": The compelling testimony of a renewed Christian	https://beadsofmemory.co…ey-1-225x300.jpg	https://beadsofmemory.co…ey-1-225x300.jpg	[ "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/My-Conversion-Journey-1-225x300.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=80&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Imbolo-313x213.png", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bearing-Witness-Book-launch-313x213.jpeg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Mission-to-the-British-Cameroons-1-313x213.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_today.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_yesterday.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/7days_user.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/30days_user.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_month.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_total.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_today.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_yesterday.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/7days_views.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/30days_views.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_month.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_total.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/whos_online.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Martin Jumbam", "www.facebook.com", "martin.jumbam" ]	2021-06-03T03:39:54+00:00	A compelling tale of a fallen but converted Christian.	en		Beads of Memory	https://beadsofmemory.com/martin-jumbams-my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-the-compelling-testimony-of-a-renewed-christian/	The icing on the cake is the flavour-filled language in which Jumbam’s lines are so bewitchingly couched. Read them; you will find yourself soaring with the author in such literary altitudes that would make landing a difficult pill to swallow, when it finally happens. Having either been first published in Cameroon Panorama or l’Effort camerounais or not, the articles and interviews are divided into four parts, viz: “The Journey Begins”, “My Prayer Life Firms Up”, “My Interest In Church Governance Grows”, and “The Social Dimension Of My Faith”. Getting renewed in the Faith Martin Jumbam begins his “journey” with an article titled “I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi”. In it, he recounts his participation in a five-hour march for peace around the city of Douala organized by the Emeritus Archbishop of the Douala Archdiocese, on 1 January 1993. The author, a secular freelance journalist, had as main purpose to cover the event for a media organ. That was his very first encounter with Christian Cardinal Tumi. In the preface to the book, Jumbam enthuses: “Little did I know that the Lord was leading me to him that he may in turn lead me back to the Lord.” As it were, the march was characterized by prayer recitals and singing of religious songs, most of whose wordings and lyrics the deviant Christian (Jumbam) was unfamiliar with. Hear the effect of the march on him: “Five hours and nearly 30 kilometres later…I had stared so long and so deep into my Christian life, or what was left of it, that I took a firm decision to run back for shelter under the canopy of Mother Church…” An early fruit of this decision was a resolve to spend some time of rest and meditation in the monastery in Mbengwi, beginning 1 August 1993. Jumbam’s godly experiences during his stay here constitute the bulk of the content of his second article entitled, “I spent a week with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi”. Those seven days clearly served to further his journey to conversion, just as he had expected. The expertly counsel he received from the monks and priests in the monastery, the utter quietude of the place, and the long hours of prayer and meditation brought Jumbam much closer to the Lord than ever before. While there, he went for confession and received the Holy Communion for the first time in over 30 years! The ensuing relief was glaringly overwhelming. In fact, Jumbam left the Mbengwi monastery an exhilaratingly pensive and transformed man. This is how he captures his feelings when he quit the place: “…I left Mbengwi steeped in prayers. I felt like a newly minted coin.” Communing with a Saint Having rushed back to embrace his Creator, it went without saying that Martin Jumbam could not miss being amongst the multitude to welcome Pope (now Saint) John Paul II to Cameroon, when he came visiting for the second time in September 1995. Indeed everything about the Sovereign Pontiff’s visit to Yaoundé, as reported in “I walked beside a Saint”, enchanted the author. Of particular interest is the emphasis Jumbam lays on the Pope’s sharing of the Catholic clergy’s anguish over the feeling of insecurity “engendered by senseless violence that has been unleashed on them for reasons no one seems able, or willing, to explain.” On that occasion the Supreme Pontiff “cited the case of Monsignor Yves Plumey, the Emeritus Archbishop of Garoua, assassinated under circumstances that have so far remained a mystery.” What baffled Jumbam, and certainly other observers, was the direct manner in which the Pope confronted “the head of the Cameroonian nation over the question of insecurity, which not only threatens the clergy but the ordinary people as well.” Animated by God’s spirit The writer’s spiritual growth had now become evident in every action or activity he found himself involved in. And this is undoubtedly the case to this day. That is why he records in “Come, follow me” that not only is he a founding member of the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA) of the Our Lady of Annunciation Parish in Bonamoussadi – Douala where he worships, he is also called upon to have spiritual reflections with the group, such as the one he did on July 24, 2007. It was based on three words from the Sacred Scripture – “Come, follow me” — that constitute the title of the article in question. Sometime later, the author was on the campus of the University of Buea where he had an appointment with a colleague, so he says in “A prayer at the University of Buea”. It was a Saturday and UB stood “unbelievably empty and quiet.” Having arrived earlier than the meeting time, he was virtually alone on the campus for most of the time he was there. He immediately saw the presence of God through the teeming elements of nature that adorn the campus and which he viewed with rapture. The silence of the place was so “prayerfully inviting” that the renewed Christian could not help reaching into his pocket for his rosary. After Christian Cardinal Tumi had led Jumbam back to Christ, the former remained a close collaborator of the man of God’s in the Archdiocese of Douala. In “The Catholic Church and the radio”, Jumbam, amongst other things, recounts his involvement in the running of the diocesan radio, Radio Veritas, as well as his tenure as General Manager of the diocesan printing press, MACACOS, from 2004 to 2008. The counselling dimension of the writer’s transformation comes out clearly in “Train seminarians to be good managers of human and financial resources” where he has some overly useful advice for priests, including the need for them to be grounded in responsible human and financial resources management. In “Father, watch your health!”, the writer equally counsels priests to take good care of their health by watching their meals, for “It is virtually important that our priests remain in good physical health to attend to the spiritual needs of the people God entrusted to their care.” A show of gratitude to those who have touched one’s life in a special way is one of the hallmarks of a true Christian. That is what Martin Jumbam does to the Emeritus Archbishop of Bamenda, Paul Verdzekov, “now in heaven”, to Prof. Bernard Fonlon, his teacher, and to Prof. Daniel Lantum, the architect of Jumbam’s acquisition of a scholarship to do post-graduate studies in Spain and of his actual departure from Cameroon. The two interviews in this volume are those which Jumbam had with Rev. Fr. Zephyrinus Mbuh, SD, a liturgical expert of the Diocese of Kumbo, and Laura Anyola Tufon, head of the Bamenda Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission and member of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms. The one dwells extensively on the need for some rituals during Mass to not be over-protracted, and the other on the successes registered by the Justice and Peace Commission in the area of conflict management in the North West region. From the foregoing, there is no question that by recounting the progress of his journey to conversion, Jumbam is literally holding the hands of other ‘lost’ Christians in a bid to lead them to the Lord as well. His extensive use of biblical quotes and references, quotes from Saint Augustine’s book, “Confessions”, and others seems to be meant to get straying Christians steeped in the Lord’s word as well. Autobiographical thread, palatable style All of which literature is fastened with a thread of autobiography that visibly runs through the length and breadth of the work. Jumbam’s articles present vivid and memorable snapshots of his early childhood as well as his school-going days at home and abroad. The impression one has upon perusing “My Conversion Journey…” is not that one is reading a collection of articles and interviews but rather that one is watching an illuminating movie, with the subtitled sections into which the articles are divided appearing like episodes in the film. Of course, the writer’s perspicuous rendition and journalistic style make for easy understanding. His plenteous use of highly evocative imagery gives the effect of his words being chewed delectably with hugely palatable condiments. The more you turn the pages, the greater the appetite to voraciously devour the luscious lines.
2279	dbpedia	0	31	https://m.facebook.com/dmrtvonline/videos/pastoral-visit-of-his-lordship-micheal-bibi-bishop-of-the-diocese-of-buea-to-st-/460952225704357/	en	Pastoral visit of His Lordship, Micheal Bibi, Bishop of the Diocese of Buea to St George Mission Station Mabeta New layout Under Holy Family Parish...	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…tPnw&oe=66BF485B	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…tPnw&oe=66BF485B	[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Pastoral visit of His Lordship, Micheal Bibi, Bishop of the Diocese of Buea to St George Mission Station Mabeta New layout Under Holy Family Parish...	de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		https://www.facebook.com/dmrtvonline/videos/pastoral-visit-of-his-lordship-micheal-bibi-bishop-of-the-diocese-of-buea-to-st-/460952225704357/
2279	dbpedia	2	90	https://vdoc.pub/documents/historical-dictionary-of-the-republic-of-cameroon-7shfqj8g1rn0	en	Historical Dictionary Of The Republic Of Cameroon [PDF] [7shfqj8g1rn0]	https://vdoc.pub/img/det…7shfqj8g1rn0.jpg	https://vdoc.pub/img/det…7shfqj8g1rn0.jpg	[ "https://vdoc.pub/theme/static/images/header-logo3.png", "https://vdoc.pub/theme/static/images/logo-socudoc-square.png", "https://vdoc.pub/theme/static/images/logo-socudoc-square.png", "https://vdoc.pub/img/detail/7shfqj8g1rn0.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/7shfqj8g1rn0.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/25ibvo1rjk4g.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/63gj9aorhfe0.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/2b06geh2dimg.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/u936redib8s0.jpg", "https://vdoc.pub/img/crop/300x300/7j9i9853g7q0.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Historical Dictionary Of The Republic Of Cameroon [PDF] [7shfqj8g1rn0]. Cameroon is a country endowed with a variety of climates and agricultural environments, numerous minerals, substantial f...	en	https://vdoc.pub/theme/s…avicon-32x32.png		https://vdoc.pub/documents/historical-dictionary-of-the-republic-of-cameroon-7shfqj8g1rn0	Toc: Contents......Page 10 Editor’s Foreword......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Acronyms and Abbreviations......Page 16 Maps......Page 28 Chronology......Page 32 Introduction......Page 40 THE DICTIONARY......Page 56 Bibliography......Page 444 About the Authors......Page 530
2279	dbpedia	0	89	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/golden_jubiliee_magazine_st_jude_s_parish_fdg_-_co	en	St Jude's Parish Fundong	https://image.isu.pub/21…age_1_social.jpg	https://image.isu.pub/21…age_1_social.jpg	[ "https://static.isu.pub/fe/product-header-frontend/781e53c/31d186ba39f38e8c4fac.png", "https://static.issuu.com/fe/silkscreen/0.0.3042/icons/gradient/icon-canva-gradient.svg", "https://static.isu.pub/fe/product-header-frontend/781e53c/1e794a8c4ec65e549678.png", "https://photo.isu.pub/mhmcorrespondent/photo_large.jpg", "https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/211115161303-59666e592b9f4e666e39c22c45cb1c7f/v1/58a9f9b45e17b440afc6359f56121cda.jpeg", "https://static.isu.pub/fe/default-story-images/news.jpg", "https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/211115161303-59666e592b9f4e666e39c22c45cb1c7f/v1/0e66d3fc50e2cc3484bf1008d934c3dd.jpeg", "https://image.isu.pub/221123182046-e3edb48f0aa23cee619f1e31172390d3/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/221117213147-ed6630099c99fbd07f293dd7b7270668/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220922200028-446908fc66bdd302d9ee6b514d1b57af/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220816205843-79e0226821ad6b9fbf0dd6e431923b22/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220628130417-815f161f6f2f70847e399f36512a5b9e/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220505130333-818539f3ee8f53f0e438626b71d42e76/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220301142702-bec0690edabc47259b4c1b7544bac78f/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220209172009-ccf50813c3fa8cfa1d03e87e519c02bf/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://static.issuu.com/fe/silkscreen/0.0.2541/icons/gradient/icon-instagram-gradient.svg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "mhmcorrespondent Follow this publisher" ]	2021-11-15T00:00:00+00:00	Golden Jubilee Magazine	en	/favicon.ico	Issuu	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/golden_jubiliee_magazine_st_jude_s_parish_fdg_-_co	Welcome to Issuu’s blog: home to product news, tips, resources, interviews (and more) related to content marketing and publishing. Here you'll find an answer to your question.
2279	dbpedia	2	74	https://educareafrica.blogspot.com/2009/	en	Educare Africa	https://educareafrica.blogspot.com/favicon.ico	https://educareafrica.blogspot.com/favicon.ico	[ "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPSFlVVSNUK2uEzM-gL-aaoH1EuUVF4aFXyUd3fdgk_t4U2nEZ_mSqB5zZkT4fsyVg48ly7Nle7ZGGcTiysHMXfFycii2upI64zHi9_9GADEyhZFUlwJEfDJZQRMcgF2M9EksoQkolciz4xXLqzrLHGpbOZKq9buAtMlmHVCZj5MZ8rQOUh3cXnjHvoafL=s752", "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA_lL2MI80WErqt5ZMI8s3cmaIQSpNAYlN2q3kuESQ4GWWlUD1NuPF3JsQZecwpd9LA_szEejZ3fnndInfSFn9MZfDpbrTYlGcKnPmnCwwtSzIMCmS0mdUXCo5DWV-cLvabWuVysZTJTV/s200/EtienneTawong09.JPG", "https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_email.gif", "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNoHo0YMVM5ChCLeauF6ZlQ9WPvP9XsLxsKqeaOffsGdwrwRmS3OthMkZlS41XJb2ArCPJrDg76aqL-h36dQ8I8wOwxb04xbUFMYz8SVUg1a_hvdpu1XoYVz4RZxr29YoJY4ryxK1nXg3/s320/GloryWCesarsDVD.JPG", 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The hundred and fifty plus students we chose now need our assistance in order for them to stay in school or to register at universities. People who would like to help them can choose one student (secondary/high school or university) or contribute more to send two, ten, twenty or thirty students to secondary/high school. Either choice will make a difference in the lives of these students. News/Updates On September 4th, Pavla sent $3,240 and on October 26th $2,700 to assist many students at the beginning of the school year. $1,250 out of the total was donated by One Ummah Foundation in Portland to support at least 34 students. You can now donate to Educare-Africa using your credit card on line. Go to http://www.justgive.org/ and type in Educare Africa as your charity of choice and proceed from there. They give 100% of your donation to the group you choose. Thanks to an angel by name Loyan Roylance, we now have a new flexible blog that replaced our older website. Pavla has been invited to talk about Educare-Africa and her Peace Corps experience on the One Hour Hope TV show in Salem on November 14th. Wish List Digital video camera to document our activities especially in Cameroon Stamps 44 & 98 cents What your $$ do for students $1 – 4 pens or about 20 pencils $15 – school uniform or school bag or school shoes $18 – scientific calculator $35 – secondary school fees or House rent for 10 months $40 – high school fees $45 – GCE exam registration fees $60 – secondary textbooks $80 – high school textbooks $350 – helps to register at a university (One year costs about $1,000.) These prices were calculated when the exchange rate was $1=460 CFA francs. Exchange rate fluctuates. Holiday Fundraising We are planning for our eighth Christmas giving Tree at the Heritage Mall in Albany from November 27th to December 27th. There will be envelopes with our mailing address and information cards. For the first time we are able to participate in the Gifts for the Better World store in Corvallis, at the First Congregational Church, 4515 SW West Hills Road. The store will be open from November 7th to November 29th. We will have greeting cards with Pavla’s photographs from Tanzania, 8x10 matted photographs, jewelry, dresses, CDs with African music and other items for sale. Pavla will also have a table at a Holiday Bazaar in Scio, Z Hall, 38704 Main Street on Friday and Saturday, November 20th and 21st. Pavla needs a volunteer (s), to help her unload the items and spend a few hours with her at the table. If you wish to volunteer, please, contact Pavla. Sponsoring students There are many ways we can assist the students. Interested individuals or groups can sponsor individual students and will receive letters from the student, updating them on her/his progress in school. Or, people can send monthly donations, which will accumulate to assist many students. Or, a donation can be made once a year, either for an individual student or to assist several students. It depends on what each donor prefers to do. Any donation is always greatly appreciated! Call for unique support One of Pavla’s former students, Etienne Tawong, won a 2010 green card lottery, which means he can come legally to the United States and go to school and work. He was always a very good and quiet student. After Etienne and his younger brother Bertrand lost both of their parents their grandfather was their only support. He died this June while Pavla was in Cameroon. This is a great opportunity for Etienne to change his life for the better so that eventually he will be able to assist many others. However, before Etienne can come, he needs a place to stay and someone to help him adjust to his new surroundings and provide minimal financial support. He will also need to live with this person. He will need the name and address of the person who offers support. The Consular Center will contact the person to confirm and show proof that he/she is financially able to accommodate Etienne. We are turning to you on behalf of Etienne and asking if you or someone you know could be that person and enable Etienne to come to the United States. Please, let Pavla know as soon as possible since he is compiling the necessary documents now. Other possibilities Remembering Educare-Africa in your last will is another way how to provide more support for the children in Cameroon. For more information you can contact Mike Reddy. Phone: (541) 485-6676; Email: mike.tiplace@gmail.com; Pavla is also looking for more opportunities for presentations to interested groups such as Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, Zonta, Altrusa International, Women’s and Youth groups, leadership middle, high school or University classes, and other groups. Volunteers and ideas are always welcome and greatly appreciated! All donations are tax deductible. We will look forward to hear from you at the right time. Thank you all very much on behalf of the children in Cameroon for your continuing kind and generous support. It is appreciated tremendously! Have a richly blessed Holiday Season, filled with much joy & unconditional love. My name is Tangko Julius Ngala, 26 years young and the son of Tangko Manases and Agnes Mangu, all late, who were residents in Douala, Cameroon. I attended primary school in Mbot, a village in the Donga Mantung Division in the North West Region of Cameroon where I obtained my First School leaving certificate. Here I lived with some relatives while my parents went out to provide for us, including our education. In 1996 I entered into the secondary school at G.S.S. Tatum. At that time things started changing negatively in the family and polygamy came in to break it apart. My mum was the only one struggling for all the five of us in the family. I loved studying right up to the university but the challenge here was that she started getting tired when I was still in the second year of the secondary school. God being so kind provided for us Madam Pavla Zakova-Laney, my class mistress from form one to three and Peace Corps volunteer. She was and has remained a kind loving and cheerful mother to us, thereby justifying the saying that "the Lord does everything with a reason." She provided most of the textbooks I needed to succeed and supported me financially especially in form five when the situation became critical. I was able to register, write and obtain my Ordinary level GCE in nine subjects, thanks to the support from Madam Pavla and my mum. This not withstanding, I also received a scholarship from the Cameroon Government in forms two and three for which I was very grateful too. In 2007, I transferred to G.B.H.S. Kumbo where I continued in lower and upper sixth. My mum was able to assist me with the house rents, food and textbooks while Educare-Africa assisted me with the school fees for my two years in high school. Again, I must confirm that it was thanks to these two parties that I was able to succeed in all the 3 subjects, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology in the advanced level GCE exams. After high school life became a nightmare. I had to stay at home for two years trying to get something doing that could help me proceed with studies but success was rare. Nevertheless, Madam Pavla and Educare-Africa came in as usual and registered me into the first year in the University of Yaounde I where I read Animal physiology with the hope of being a health care worker one day. Madam Pavla also provided spiritual booklets which together with the moral support I get from the Joy and Success Club that was also founded by her, has helped to restore my faith and hopes. Mid way in level two I lost my mum and life once again seemed too meaningless to me, but Educare-Africa continued to support me over the year and today I can boast of being in year 3, a high point toward achieving my goal. I cannot quickly conclude that from Educare-Africa and Joy and Success Club I have only received material and financial assistance but I want to confess here that I have also been educated morally and on how to choose a career, an important feature in the life of a student. My family and I are very grateful for what Educare-Africa has been doing to me and to other students like me. From Educare-Africa on one hand and the Joy and Success Club on the other hand, we have drawn more than one lesson about Love, devotion and encouragement. We pray God to bless Educare-Africa abundantly and give its staff long lives. TJN By Pavla Zakova-Laney, President of Educare-Africa On May 14th, 2009 I arrived successfully in Yaounde, Cameroon. Mr. Emmanuel Sunjo, our country coordinator, picked me up at the airport and drove me to a rest house. The following day I picked up our funds. On May 18th, Mr. Sunjo and I traveled to Limbe to visit one of our former students, Verbe Ajime Tina, who was posted there to teach biology at the Government Secondary School Bonadikombo. We met the principal, Mrs. Dorothy and the staff, talked to the students in all four classrooms and observed the interaction of Tina with her students. Basic school supplies for 96 best students from G.H.S. Tatum, G.S.S. Nseh and G.H.S. Ntumbaw were purchased and given during prize giving ceremonies on May 28th and 29th. Donated toothbrushes, toothpastes and other donations were distributed to 58 students. 14 Joy & Success Clubs in various schools received donated spiritual books and Daily Word magazines. 38 students received financial assistance for their immediate needs such as school fees, G.C.E. registration fees, rent, kerosene food, school uniforms, shoes and transport to their villages. 100 students received pens and pencils. About 85 staff members from G.H.S. Tatum, G.S.S. Nseh and G.H.S. Ntumbaw received pens for encouragement. Science lab equipment for G.H.S. Ntumbaw was purchased and during the summer some essential textbooks will also be purchased for the students from the funds set aside from trip 2009. Funds for students on our priority list and other students were set aside to pay school fees directly to the schools in September. Ywo Wellesley College Book Awards were given to the best females science students from G.H.S. Ntumbaw and G.B.H.S. Kumbo. On May 23rd I arrived in Tatum. On May 26th I went to G.B.H.S. Ndu and G.B.H.S. Nkambe to inform the students about re-applications and scholarship applications for new students. On May 28th and 29th Mr. Kevin and I drove to G.S.S. Mbu-Warr, G.S.S. Nseh, G.H.S. Ntumbaw and G.H.S. Tatum, where we also distributed prizes in the last three of them.. On Saturday, May 30th, we met with our students at G.B.H.S. Kumbo, arranged for our new representative there and presented a Wellesley Book Award to the best female science student. On June 6th we met with our students in Bamenda and at Bambili, on June 24th with university students in Buea and on July 1st with students in Yaounde. In Tatum, we met and discussed with students and parents on June 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th and 20th. During my trip we chose 135 students to assist. We will continue to look for more females. On June 7th, Wirba Pascal and I visited Mbinkar Victor, one of my former students, at Bangante, West Region of Cameroon, where he now owns a small bakery. In addition, he provides holiday jobs for needy students and looks for ways to help stray animals. For that purpose he found a veterinary nurse and a veterinarian so that together in collaboration with S.P.A.L.E. they can assist more animals. I gave them some of the donations in-kind too. All our activities have been documented with photographs and some video clips and you can view most of them on our blog. During our annual board meeting on June 11th in Bamenda, we decided to make some changes in the way we recruit new students in order to make the process more efficient. In addition, to inspire more outstanding female students to apply, we will award a special monetary prize next year to a female student from Form Three with an average of at least 18.6/20. Our goal is to assist 60% female and 40% male students. We gave an opportunity to 50 new students to apply for scholarship in the 2009/2010 year. Our first fundraising event in Cameroon is planned for November. On June 18th, a short wave radio donated by a new non-profit group in North Carolina called the Ears to Our World was handed over to a teacher at G.S.S. Mbu-Warr which is located in a remote part of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It was the first of many to come sometime this summer. Since the Cameroon government established Tatum as a Subdivision, new offices will be coming in and new buildings built. Most other building projects have been stopped until further notice including our Educare-Africa Center. We continue to set aside some money for our first vehicle each time we send funds to Cameroon. Our first choice is a Toyota Hilax double cabin pick up but we may find it necessary to start with a smaller vehicle. We need about $8,500 to purchase the pick up and $2,800 for registration, necessary documents, insurance, tires, fuel, maitenance and unforseen expenses for the first year. As a side project, Justin Tagne from the Cameroon Baptist Center in Bamenda and I organized the handing over of donations in-kind from the Reid Veterinary Hospital, Albany Animal Hospital, Periwinkle Pet Clinic in Albany and Hopes Haven Rescue group in Salem. Justin will continue to work with veterinarian, Dr. Munki Julius Nfor, who is a coordinator for a non-profit group S.P.A.L.E., P.O. Box 5170 Nkwen Bamenda, Cameroon; Tel: (237) 75-14-92-85, which also assists stray dogs. Dog Whisperer DVDs have been shown to many dog owners and other interested individuals in Bamenda and Tatum. About 45 dog owners, breeders, veterinarians and children participated. UPCOMING ASSISTANCE We hope to assist about 125 secondary/high school students and about 25 university students. Approximately $10,000 by mid September 2009 would take care of these students' essential educational needs. Since the dealine for payment of school fees is in mid September, it would be desirable to have the funds available before September 15th. When the school fees and the GCE exam registration fees are not paid in time, students are often sent home from school, which has a detrimental effect on their exam results. Dear Friends and supporters, On behalf of the students in Cameroon I want to thank you very much for your loving care and continuing generous support. Appreciation of our assistance by the students, parents, teachers and the whole community has been immense. Let us continue in this spirit and let us work together to help those less fortunate... Love, Pavla "I am dedicating myself to the love of God and the love of my neighbor as myself. I am dedicating myself to serving 'the least of these my brethren,' and the greatest along with the least." Joel S. Goldsmith, Consciousness Is What I Am
2279	dbpedia	1	76	https://tuckmagazine.com/2017/05/11/cameroon-open-letter/	en	Cameroon: An open letter – Tuck Magazine	https://tuckmagazine.com…/05/cghmcgh.jpeg	https://tuckmagazine.com…/05/cghmcgh.jpeg	[ "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/proxy.png", "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cghmcgh.jpeg", "https://tuckmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/fr-gerald-jumbam-150x150.jpg", "https://i1.wp.com/2d3.896.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/etchi-photo-5.jpg?resize=150%2C150", "https://c.statcounter.com/7270781/0/dda796b0/0/" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2017-05-11T00:00:00		en	https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50d1da308f66394dcf11c90bc51ac13b?s=16		https://tuckmagazine.com/2017/05/11/cameroon-open-letter/	Cameroon: An open letter Reuters photo By Joseph Besong An Open Letter to the President Of The National Episcopal Conference Of Cameroon (NECC) – Archbishop Samuel Kleda Father Gerald Jumbam wrote the following letter to Archbishop Kleda to appraise him of the current situation in Anglophone Cameroon: Your Grace When I yielded to the earnest desire within me that I should write you, a friend encouraged me to do so. I consented with something of the reluctance which I developed when I thought of the huge and exalted task of writing you. I rejected the thought of writing. After a little moment, I went on deep thought, meditation and personal prayer about this issue. When I felt the call, I held my pen and began writing until I arrived at this letter before you. It may happen to some persons to feel surprised that it is a priest who is writing an Archbishop. I do so with the happiness and conviction of speaking my own mind, in conscience, about a situation which touches us all in Cameroon. These are my own thoughts and solutions to our recent predicament – welling from unshakeable convictions. I have written them freely without coercion from anyone but only being guided by my conscience – a small voice telling me, ‘Gerald tell the archbishop and the world your own convictions about the crisis bedeviling your homeland. Do so freely without any fear knowing that you and the Archbishop are just citizens and Christians seeking to know and serve God’. It is this voice in me that has enabled me send you this letter in its entirety and helping the world also – by addressing it an open letter – to learn from its ideas. I am happy to embrace this challenge. Opening Remarks I wish to begin straight away by informing Your Grace of the raison d’être of my letter. I share the conviction of the Cameroonian who has recently commented about your letter that “It is discernible from an anxious reading of the first letter of the Bishops of Cameroon, that of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and the present letter of the Bishops of Cameroon that the latest letter of the Bishops of Cameroon is actuated by political rather than Christian motivations.” To me the tone and spirit of your recent letter is not only Pontius Pilating your brother bishops of the Southern Cameroons, but the silence over what you were supposed to have done and have not done, is an impeachment of your brother bishops West of the Mungo. What were you supposed to do? I fear to expose my own ignorance of Episcopal policies and proceedings, but I had thought that as leaders who feel for their suffering brothers of English speaking Cameroon, you bishops of French speaking Cameroon would write a public letter condemning the act of taking whole bishops to court. We know who is behind these things; not so Archbishop? Why are we pretending to call a spade a spade when we have been given the mandate as Apostles of Jesus (who is The Truth) to defend the truth even on to the cross. To me it has been a betrayal which the Church leaders of East Cameroon ought to hang their heads in ashamed. Your silence has given the impression that the Bishops of our Church province have been disobedient to the country. Our Bishops have not been unfaithful to the State. They have been united to the State very much like a believing wife to a husband who is about to commit suicide and so as a Christian wife holding to the relationship, the Bishops have struggled recently to save not themselves, but the government from the crime of political apostasy. We of the Southern Cameroons, if we act consistently with our history, we cannot be loyal subjects to the despicable and tyrannous Yaoundé government. Archbishop, you speak of Decentralization and you offer us it as the best gift you think fitting for the resolution of this crisis? We are determined to decline a gift so laden with spurious promises and deceitful propensities. And who can blame us for so doing? Who should be surprised that Yaoundé would still do to Buea what it did after the Foumban constitutional conference of 1961 – turn traitor to the very constitution that bound them together as brothers with two equal strengths (and not that spurious decentralization you are talking about that wants to equate Buea with Garoua as if you do not know that Buea is the capital of a country and Garoua is a mere region of another country) or turn Cain against his brother Abel by killing everything we (Abel) had as culture, economy, jurisprudence, education, politics, military etc. The Church is the joy and happiness of all of us, and therefore, when justice cries out as it did in the Southern Cameroons (with rapes and killings and abductions and military bestiality over defenseless civilians), it is the duty of the Bishops to speak out loud for the poor and the underprivileged. You spoke but we never got that loudness and that weak voice gave the Yaoundé political cabal encouragement to go ahead. Our Bishops of the Southern Cameroons took the bull by the horns and spoken out loud for the poor and used history, scriptures and the Church’s social teachings to state their case because they love the Church which is people and not money. The world of politics has its own logic and truth that brooks no breaking. One of them is that of nemesis – that any despotism that goes up would come down. Yaoundé has perpetuated that tyranny on Buea and that tyranny is about to have its nemesis. Remember history – that there are two states in Cameroon represented by Yaoundé and Buea. That is why I will always equate the two capitals for that is how it was supposed to be. I wish to let you know something of the people of the Southern Cameroons which many French Speaking Cameroonians seem to be ignorant of. They are people who do not distinguish between their love of country and their love of the Church. They love those two things with their whole hearts. Their patriotism is ethical, concrete, and religiously dutiful – reason why your brother bishops of Southern Cameroons (in the example of that pragmatic culture) have spoken for their subjugated and dispossessed people against such a stinking political tyranny as Biya’s. That is why though many from East Cameroon are comfortable with the atheistic political system glorifyingly baptized laicite, it has been scandal of the highest order to the religious sensitivity of Southern Cameroons who like true Africans (and tinged by Anglicanism’s reverence for God and respect for the Monarch) believe that without God and indigenous culture life is impossible. We know very well that this atheism we see in Cameron politics is not from your own ancestors but it is borrowed from France. The people East of the Mungo have been educated in Gallican opinions. We of the West have been educated in Anglican opinions. The respect of each other’s opinions from those educational systems have been what La republique du Cameroun has deprived us of, and it pains us to the marrow. That is why our teachers and lawyers took to the streets to peacefully demonstrate their anger and protest against an evil system. They were met with an autocratic response by a government you fear to criticize. The Testimony of Early Church History To explain my case I make the first century of the Church my special model; It was a virgin Church, yet, a period afflicted by the political autocracy of the Roman empire and its emperors. When Emperors Decius and Diocletian slaughtered thousands of Christians because they stood for truth, the Christian family stood courageously strong against that political cruelty. Both bishops and laity were one against such political tyranny in the example of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons with their maligned flock. They publicly and formally abjured to worship the gods of the Roman empire’s totalitarianism. The picture is what is happening today in our land the Southern Cameroons by the colonial emperors of La Republique du Cameroun. St. Athanasius as a result would go on exile and St Chrysostom would be sent off to Cucusus to be worried to death by an empress. St. Ignatius of Antioch would be arrested by the political authorities and taken to Rome to be given to wild beasts to eat him up because of the Truth. And that is why I am angry with the behavior of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons to have allowed you walk around doing what you are doing and giving the impression like they have no authority over their jurisdictions as full consecrated bishops of Local Sees of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. If the governance of that Church called Cameroon is beyond your governance, the best thing is to inform the Pope to send a Vatican delegate to do that job. I feel your going round Southern Cameroons for such an exercise is the unwisest thing the Bishops of that Church province have allowed to happen in recent times. Good Shepherds lay Life for Flock Times like this are dangerous times. Times when our future is decide by a clay footed political clique that has bastardized the fortunes of the British Cameroons to a shambolic muddle. Sacred altars have been desecrated. For if we are to score the Church leadership performance in these times, it will be clear to all that the tail has been wagging the dog. In moral and spiritual terms, much has been given to religious leadership, and much is expect of her. That is why the tenacity and integrity that Christian giants like Cardinal Christian Tumi and Cardinal Albert Malula, Mgr. Oscar Romero and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have mustered in the world, take us back to the visionary words of President John F. Kennedy: Of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment of each of us…recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state…our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answer to four questions: Were we truly men of courage… Were we truly men of judgment… Were we truly men of integrity… Were we truly men of dedication… With the towering paradigm of Pope Francis in recent times, the world correctly recognizes that Christianity has the potential to lead the way as champion of mores and faith. Perhaps it would be much truer in the Cameroon context. However, the current Catholic national leadership certainly has not lived up to its possibilities, for the most part because the majority of its bishops have been intimidated into silence and inactivity. A Bayangi proverb goes that, “a man who cannot challenge what is wrong is not better than a corpse”. We are living in times where our political and spiritual shepherds have been found wanting in challenging falsehood, and therefore Cameroon has turned in to a graveyard, a cemetery of silence in the face of blatant half-truths, divide-and-rule tactics, flagrant disrespect of human rights, mass abductions and killings. The National Episcopal Council (NEC) has been silent because it concerns the British Cameroons. Though it is disgraceful, we thank them. We thank them for the powerful memento sent to the world that there are two countries in this country. It reminds us of the evil of silence before evil. We know very well that when the National Episcopal Council (NECC) speaks out, it is listened to by the political powers in Cameroon. When tinged by the inspiration and endorsement of Cardinal Christian Tumi in 2000, the NECC spoke against the canker warm of bribery and corruption. The whole world listened and the government of Cameroon adjusted. Those were prophetic times for the clergy. Spiritual leaders the world over are always pace-setters; their intervention on socio-political disasters has always been prototypical, precisely because it sets the tyrants quaking. With the retirement and deaths among your circles, of names like Ndongmo, Tumi, Etoga, Wouking, Verdzekov, Awah, the national Episcopal Council all this while has been a sleeping bag. Today, NEC has been a fiasco, if we must speak the truth. Cameroon should be courageous to accept they are flawed and stop blaming France or Britain. The Bribery and corruption that we have been African champions for more than a decade, is self-inflicted. Bribery and corruption are a moral and spiritual problem. And therefore the moral and spiritual authorities are to blame. If the Church truly cared for its members, the problem will not be happening every now and then. And the oppressed people of British Cameroons are undergoing something of a genocide now because the National Episcopal Council (NEC) is on holidays, and the world knows that too well. We know what the bishops of the British Cameroons have gone through from the national episcopacy because they kicked up the storm in the daring letter they wrote (despite earlier hesitations) not because they were hoping the leadership of NEC would notice, but precisely because they knew that with the 2016-2017 NEC leadership in charge, every raped, maimed and unjustly imprisoned British Cameroonian might as well add NEC to their laundry list of Do-It-Yourself. The bishops of the British Cameroons came up with another communiqué by the very to the effect that they have not closed down their schools and that they are waiting for the Catholic pupils and students to return to school. But right up till now, the pupils and students have not returned, meaning that the parents have lost faith in the Church’s hierarchy. It is precisely because the Cameroon National Church lacks the courage to support what is right that people are going their own sweet ways. Is it asking too much from Church leaders to say good shepherds must lay life for flock? The Writing is on the Wall If situations were still as they used to be (by bishops not being able to be taken to court in the face of a pernicious silence demonstrated by their brother bishops), I would not hold my pen to write you and I would not have the heart to write this letter to so high an authority as you. Your public silence on the matter of the Bishops of our Church Province being taken to court has provoked this letter from a priest of the Church you belong. We are not unmindful of the history of La Republique du Cameroun when it concerns bishops betraying bishops. In fact, if those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, the Christian who is ignorant of what role the Cameroon Church has played in the governing of Cameroon is even less fortunate. And the metaphor of Bishop Albert Ndongmo’s life is the one great example. Albert Ndongmo was Bishop of Nkongsamba, born to a Christian family of La Republique du Cameroun. His statements on political subjects earned him the hostility of others in the Church as well as of the government. But the best statement about the life of this Oscar Romero of Africa came from the pen of none other than the revered Albert Womah Mukong: Bishop Ndongmo understood those fellows and treated them as they deserved…A lot of rubbish was spread round about him then girls whom he had helped were brought there as his collaborators in crime. They were declared his girl-friends and even dirty pictures of him and one Marie Bella were produced which a criminally minded and gullible audience accepted without asking this simple question: how many respectable people in the community would ever degenerate to taking photographs of this act, how much more a highly respectable member of the clergy? Perhaps his brother, Bishop Jean Zoa, believed in those things, for neither in the BMM nor in the Tchollire days did he ever visit his brother nor did he send him any material or financial help. The comment above about Bishop Jean Zoa puts me in pain, so much pain because it is Albert Mukong recounting this story in a book and not just an essay. Albert Mukong is a respectable man in our parts of the world, and if you count three most highly regarded human right activists in our country he must fall among them. Consequently, there is truth in Mukong’s Zoa-Ndongmo story above. The story above tells us how the bishops allowed their brother into the hands of the ruthless political psychopath that was Amadou Ahidjo. It is a story of backstabbing and betrayal among religious leaders. That is why I say perhaps the Bishop Jean Zoa cooperation with the Ammadu Ahidjo tyranny against his fellow brother Bishop Albert Ndongmo (recorded in the book above-mentioned) is a powerful metaphor of what is happening in the Cameroon episcopate today. “Shweri yii shaa baa yen kinyi ke ngwev” as the Nso would advise you in our rich language. The wind has blown away the feathers to expose the anus of the fowl. The Ndongmo-Zoa story is a mesmerizing eye-opener, a revelation and the wind that did blow to remind me and any other clergyman under affliction in our country that you will suffer alone when trouble comes. When the Bishops of La Republique rejected and abandoned their brother Bishop Ndongmo into the hands of tyrant Amadou Ahidjo, was it not our Bishops of Southern Cameroons through the instrumentality of Mgr. Peeters that consoled Ndongmo and stood by him and even got a lawyer for him from the Southern Cameroons? So I expected from you the Bishop of East Cameroon this time to do to the Bishops of West Cameroon what Mgr. Peeters in a Christlike fashion did to Albert Ndongmo of East Cameroon . But recently you have failed us woefully. There is a Country “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.”, Desmond Tutu Your Grace, I have thought long and hard about my place in the plight of my native land and I find myself writing about what I have never written before. The right time for it has come. The story I am to tell. The story is: I am of the British Cameroons. Proud and unashamed. I am composed, a composed British Cameroon priest and glad I am. I say that the British Cameroons is part of my story, part of who I am. Its colonial character is what my countrymen and I have assumed for over a century. We are tired. It was time I come out from the security of the sacred sacristy to the market place of concrete truth and public debate. It was time I come out from quiet to tell those who still doubt, the justice of a State meriting restoration, of course, Independence. The British Cameroons. But it is just one part of my life: I am a human being. My village is the world. By all means, Christianity loathes violence, attends to the poor, defends the oppressed, embraces peace, esteems the dignity of each human person. These are ideals espoused by the cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons. Most likely there will be people with personal cruel agendas. The British Cameroonians have been Mahatma Ghandis. Contrariwise, the ruthlessness of their oppressors, has been registered by the high court of history as they callously emit cruelty on peace loving peoples: Buea/Bamenda, tell me, is this you, this back that is bent, This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation, This back trembling with red scars And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun? But a grave voice answers me: Impetuous son, that tree young and strong, That tree over there In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers, That is Buea/Bamenda, That grows again patiently, obstinately… The words of the Cameroonian poet comes down to us, warm with weight and wisdom. This adapted version of David Diop’s poem ‘Africa’, addresses Bamenda and Buea. Darkness has descended on the British Cameroons in the killings, imprisonments, abductions, rapes, graves of mass burials and maim. Bamenda/Buea is facing viral alteration of psychic conditioning. In this state of affairs, silence is criminal. The sense of urgency has lagged so much that a month ago I lost my anger on a letter to a compatriot invading media space with the banner, screaming: Homecoming or Homegoing – the Southern Cameroons! It is a wakeup call no more on failed internal religious and political bodies, but on Britain and International Human rights institutions and activists, not to delay, because what happened in Rwanda is at our doors. AU and UNO look up and act! UK look up and speak! The urgency of speaking for despoiled peoples is so felt that I don’t really care if this anger breaks the bounds of office. How could it be when a priest is first and foremost a citizen. He owes his community a contribution to its wellbeing for his upbringing. He serves God and recognizes that the cry of the powerless and the voice of the voiceless is the cry and the voice of God. Vox populi vox Dei. Anna Quindlen, said: “Look back, to slavery, to suffrage, to integration and one thing is clear. Fashions in bigotry come and go. The right thing lasts.” God lasts. Independence lasts. The Church teaches its leaders a preferential option for the dispossessed, for the hoi polloi. Before someone points the finger at me that I am taking the role of Pope to lay down ways a priest should live today, let me say that I do feel Christian ethics and the Holy Bible would be unambiguous that the priest takes sides with the subjugated. Evidently there is no moral compulsion as pastor to pasture the flock in a particular way. But there is, I believe, a moral obligation as a priest, not to allow oneself be used by tyrants to perpetrate spurious propagandas against the defenseless. A clergyman, in my definition of that office, would not be someone who takes sides with colonial governors against the oppressed. I strongly believe that a priest worthy of the name, should go ahead and dare those forces –morally, nonviolently and with determination – that keep millions of constituted people caged in a cruelty so dehumanizing as the yoke over the British Cameroons, our native land. This because, someday history will disclose to him that those who took courage to work for their mother country, those who spoke for the speechless, those who stood for justice, those who listened attentively to the cry of the oppressed, and those who championed the cause for the non-violently restoration of the sovereignty of a nation, have been champions of whom all upcoming epochs will be proud. Your Grace, The cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons is a one built on a big idea supported by legality. You don’t kill an idea with the bullet or prison cells. It is established on a winning banner that debate is stronger than the gun. The power of debate and not the debate of power. This power of debate and legality convinces us beyond all doubt that there is a country. I look out of myself into the struggle of our cause and I see a sight which fills me with appalling sorrow. The ignorance of those who don’t see it coming, who don’t see the plain truth of which my whole being is full. There are two alternatives – the way to Southern Cameroons, and the way to la Republique. Federation is the halfway house on the one side, and New Deal decentralization is the halfway house on the other. I have been gravely disappointed with the federalists (the moderates). ‘Shallow understanding’, says Martin Luther King, ‘from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of bad will’; that is why the British Cameroon’s greatest obstacle in the walk towards independence is not even La Republique’s CPDM or Mgr. Kledda’s Decentralization, but the federalists. Federalists are cowards standing on the fence – neither cold nor hot. They have left substance to pursue shadows. The federalists do not know that it is their presence which is the triumph of the oppressor; it is the sight of them which is the Southern Cameroon’s confusion and helplessness. Our oracle of truth is independence, and it looms high and has a reality, and its “Truth can fight its battle. It has a reality in it, which shivers to pieces swords of earth.” When we are skilled enough to dance truth’s music, that truth will set us free. Truth be told: our miseries as a people would accumulate from leaders being afraid to look difficulties in the face, palliate falsehoods which they should denounce and expect truths to spring from fabrications. I speak most earnestly when I say that our great reawakening like great Achilles, has the soft spot of ignorance – ignorance of who our opponent truly is. When we begin to see, all and sundry, that the issue at stake is Independence, we would notice that the enemy is not Paul Biya, but the structures put in place for a Paul Biya (or any other la Republique party chairman like Ni John Fru Ndi) to cage us inside this prison of despicability forever. The cause we are undertaking is (to use the words of St. Augustine), “an abyss so deep as to be hidden from him in whom it is”. Many have only hints and glimpse of what it truly is. It is a herculean task. But it is hallowed by God and no one has to be afraid. Is it too difficult to realize that a constituted people are deprived of sovereign air and autonomous space in the 21st century? Is it too difficult to realize that they are bent and determined on anything to see their goal attained? The good news is that we speak with one voice, thrash out disharmony. It is good news. The British Cameroons’ struggle, its most significant quality is the re-opening of topics politicians of doom have tried to close down since the rain started beating us. It is a breath of fresh air we should be proud of, to stand tall and speak out, and speak out for future generations. I am comfortable to cross the red sea with a Moses. It may come out tough, yet there is no complexity that can’t be worked out with a good crack of Kolanuts, in the mouth. Kolanut in our traditions is symbol of integrity, symbol of unity, symbol of life, symbol of love, symbol of strength, symbol of sovereignty. The Magna Carta of Liberation Your Grace, Mahatma Gandhi once spoke disapprovingly of the followers of Christ when he read the Beatitudes. He said he was charmed by the magic Christ’s words held, and therefore he loved Jesus. He could, but he would not be Christian. Christians in India discouraged him. They did not practice Christ’s beatitudes, and so, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ, ” Gandhi exclaimed. The beatitudes are the secret keys to the Promised Land. They are the magna carta of liberation. The beatitudes are self-determination. Self-determination championed by the poor, the meek, the weak, the humble, the voiceless, the persecuted, the upright, beside us: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill’ (Matthew 5:6). Blessed is the British Cameroons under colonial yoke, they shall have their independence restored to them. Choose what you like, but you can’t open eyes and not see the valley of tears of our people and their quandary in a despicable Cameroon New Deal apartheid cage. It takes faith to keep their spirits afloat. And what is faith? Faith is a simple ‘yes’ to my heart and my conscience. Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.” Faith is Patrice Lumumba guillotined for an embattled continent. It is Nelson Mandela’s “if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is the British Cameroons’ “enough is enough”. It is a sweet kiss whistled on the lips of a fatherland in the restoration of its Independence. There is a mustard seed that is deep in the heart of every human being. It is faith. “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:5-10). Let us believe without seeing, and sing when our voices are cracked, and move to victory. And were your faith the size of Mount Fako, you will tell the mountain to move and plant itself in Ndop Plains, and it will do! Criminals Without Crime Our people say that when the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby. That hole for us is God. We are fighting a battle of the oppressed and God has never failed underprivileged peoples. Sometime ago, I arrived at a motto of life which I like to remodel once more and bring to use: “You only Live Once”. Then some weeks ago I shared with a priest-friend, this good news of a rule in my life. The gentleman laughed. He asked me and I gave him the reason for such a pledge. I said I find it atrocious that poverty has been death penalty passed on the crimeless people of the British Cameroons. Criminals without crime! Your Grace, there is a recent story of two girl friends, one Bafia(French Cameroon) another Babungo(the British Cameroons) who congregated along buyamsellam lines in Bamenda food market and after petty gossips of what caused the wild fire that consumed the market, they landed on the following informative discussion: “A young man is suffering terribly in jail in Kondengui, my boy-friend” Babungo said. “It is the right thing for him. Are you for the restoration of Southern Cameroons independence?” Bafia intervened. Babungo seems startled “of course”. “You Francophones” she continued. “You’re so lucky to be free: free internet, free boyfriends, free husbands, free children, free people. But living in the British Cameroons, it’s impossible to escape brutality, it hangs in the air.” “You can’t really blame the air for brutality” Bafia cuts in. “The brutality is generated by you Anglos. 55 years under domination, for nothing, for not taking your destiny into your hands. That’s quite a prison sentence!” And that is the word: prison sentence. crimeless criminals serving prison sentences. But the rumbling of the people’s anger is on. I tell this story to say that it has reached a level where we have to dream our own dreams, live our own views, believe our own beliefs, and do so with dignity. On the recent imprisonments without crime of the cream of our native land, it is difficult to comprehend. But let us be consoled by the brave Martin Luther King Jr. : “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” Let this be known: arrests of freedom fighters is an advantage. It hastens freedom. Christ was arrested. The apostles were arrested, but sang alleluias in prison cells and bamboozled their oppressors to shock. They knew, as I know today, they only live once. The imprisonment of our leaders is a warning: freedom is important but fragile. Sovereignty and liberation are won at great price. We must guard our liberty stance like egg and not allow the British Cameroons’ non-violent revolution be hijacked by exploiters of popular anger. The problem is not Paul Biya, neither is it the military all over our land. It is disunity planted by those who enjoy the flesh pots of Yaoundé and won’t move an eye for a united moral force against a communal threat. But the poor masses are wiser than power seekers know. When the anger of Mount Fako’s Chariot of God and the Holy Ghost of the Kilum hills will rise! (The time is near): You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Your Grace, it was devastating as it was aching for me to find la Republique du Cameroun declared in the Vatican among peace loving nations in the mouth of Paul Biya – even though Pope Francis knows. His visit to the Vatican may be difficult to describe only to jaded viewers. It was a masquerade that deceived only the stupid people who give themselves to be mislead by such aimless travesty. This president is not unfamiliar with these apparatus of mass deception he has applied on subjugated peoples for over three decades. His blood-colored track record of brutal killings and unjust incarcerations is well-known to the high court of history except to the leaders of the National Episcopal Council of Cameroon. Talk less of the recent genocide he is perpetuated in the British Cameroons. The whole national edifice has been sanguinary taking into consideration that he inherited the same heritage from a brutal warlord of a president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. The British Cameroonians have turned refugees in their own nation. It is this decadent model of authority that has characterized us since 1961 that we must interrogate. In a nation where silliness is given a standing ovation and fools ride on royal horses, a sell out like PM Philemon Yang who shamelessly takes himself a dishonorable recent trip around the North West, should be taken critically. Cameroon’s false impression of greatness and self-styled portrayal as the island of peace in a sea of troubled Africa has been exposed for what it truly is. The Internet blockage and the mass abduction of the British Cameroonians to Yaoundé by the republican forces of lawlessness and disorder, expose them as a flimsy country pretending to be tough. Our people say that there is no greater injustice than when anus farts, head receives a knock. The tyrant who is oppressor has engaged in placating international eyes that he is the oppressed. What a shame! The heart of our people is bleeding. They are carted like cattle in groves into prison yards away from homeland to Yaoundé. In a country where you are arrested because you are poor, in a country where you go to prison because you have no godfather to back you up, in country where you are put behind bars because you stand for justice and freedom – in such a country, good men must rise up to say Enough is Enough. Now that the shambolic regime is abducting our strong men, how do we gain patience when we are challenged by hurtful things? How do we pick up patience when a villain has cut the throat of a beloved, when a loved one has been raped from life by impious brutes? The undisclosed trick is to busy yourself with some other thing in the period in-between. Gandhi said “If patience is worth anything it must endure to the end of time.” Patience is protest in non-violence. Patience is Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Many people gamble with their lives. They take disasters for wives or husbands because of lack of some little patience. And they pay for it when the mask falls off. Patience is faith in a journey fraught with dejection but rewarding still. Once patience goes, everything goes. It might take a day, it might take a year, it might take a decade, what will be will be. So be patient. ”Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.“ (James: 5:7-10). One patient pause in ill-tempered times can save us painful apologies after. Organization is patience. Patience in other words is stock-taking. Patience is telling the tyrant NO, and giving time waiting to gain breathe, to build other strategies in the darkness of the cause. It is victory when it looks like defeat. Courage is patience. Leadership is patience. Truth is patience. Integrity is patience. Freedom is patience. Ma pipol, mumu don do. A mumurised people are doomed forever. We tried. Your Grace, we tried. We tried. We are tired. Patience is enough-is-enough. The danger signals are enough. UNO, AU, UK, act now or never! A stitch in time saves nine. Conclusion Your Grace, I wish to conclude here by saying that the capacity for self-determination is Christian. No one can conquer the British Cameroons. You can’t extinguish the fire that led our forbears out of Nigeria. That fire burns. If our effort is not enough to win the battle, our children will win it with better effort. But it shall not be postponed this time around. And yet, the cry of the agonizing British Cameroonian has fallen on deaf ears around the globe. For them, the pogrom in the British Cameroons is only some localized problem. The abductions and butchery of humans are hidden, ill-reported. Along with the nonstop infiltration of our land with armed killer squads and military bastards criminally excused from any probe, query or answerability, we are witnessing an experiment with “ethnic cleansing” authorized and sustained by the French Cameroon psychopath, Paul Biya. Strange that those that obtain the just publicity of terror in our land, are only the French Cameroons controlled media. A military selected for the assignment of absolute “pacification” of the British Cameroons is doing its work unopposed. Where is Britain’s assuagement in this matter? It is impossible to believe these things are happening under the nose of international human right bodies and the silence of Great Britain in this carnage in its trusteeship territory it sacrificed its independence in the altar of De Gaullism. The fortunate have been able to break through this militarized and ignominious iron curtain with freedom songs in foreign lands. The rest back home have been blocked from internet use and therefore have had for about 93 days no media through which to inform the world’s people of goodwill of the shocking evils each day exacted on their British Cameroon compatriots. Alas, we have eaten the bitter fruit of blind compromises made with boorish neighbors. We have learnt from this concubinage with Cain, that he who keeps a scorpion in his pocket must constantly watch his groin and he who inherits a cobra should know a cobra is not a pet. The lesson is learnt once and for all. Your Grace, because we are commissioned to preach “the good news to the poor… announce release to the prisoners and … to set oppressed people free”(Luke 4:18), I will do all it takes. I will comfort the powerless people. I will pull them out of the affliction of so painful a colonial yoke. The world must hear their story through me. There has never been a time like this fitting for this challenge. My defense for a fatherland is put on this context. In fact, preaching to empty stomachs without showing them how to come out of misery is as worthless as saying Mass to dogs. Go grant them the secrets to improve on their standards of living and conscientization to bring down the tyrant who has held their progress hostage. Go tell it on the mountain that injustice has been practiced on depraved peoples for the whole length of fifty-six years. Of course, Amos’ denunciation of social injustices quickly puts the poor in perspective: “Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country” (Amos 8:4-7). Archbishop Desmond Tutu is told to have said that when the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “let us close our eyes and pray.” When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land. This may not have exactly been true but there is some grain of truth in it when we consider the type of doctrinal material we got from missionary pulpits in those days and how all wealth was bad. That Christians should have nothing to do with the things of the earth. Abandoning their lands and properties to gain passport to Heaven. That is bad and dangerous theology. Here is the type of theology that impoverished our people. They gave up their lands and forests and mines and best places in cities to imperialists and ended up empty. Churches, mosques and synagogues should be careful. Religion has sometimes been used to impoverish the already despicable situation of poor people. What I mean here is the social doctrine of the Church. And where Christianity stands there is Self-Determination. Your Grace, you may wonder why such an important letter like this to such a respected personality like you was not written in French for your personal benefit and the rest of the Cameroon Francophone episcopate. The simple reason is that English is the language that the British taught their colonial subjects in the British Cameroons. And so I want to ask Your Grace, what France and her subjects are doing in a British colony at this time in history? Would it not sound strange if for instance the people of the British Cameroons moved to neighboring Equatorial Guinea and were asking in English the people of Equatorial Guinea to accept the British Cameroons control of their territory when everybody in Equatorial Guinea knows that Britain was not their colonial master? Accept then, Your Grace, the expression of my gratitude for taking time to go through this message from the pen of a priest of the Church which you are Bishop. Yours devotedly, Fr. Gerald Jumbam Fr Gerald Jumbam, Cameroon Joseph Besong I am the editor-in-chief of Kilimandjaro radio. I hail from Africa, precisely from Cameroon in Central Africa. I did my secondary education at Bishop Rogan College Soppo-Buea located in the South West Region of Cameroon. After graduation, I proceeded to the University of Buea-Cameroon where I read English minor in Journalism and Mass Communication. I later worked in Cameroon as a broadcaster with Two radios namely Radio Evangelum and CBS Radio all located in Buea. Presently, I work with Kilimandjaro radio, an online radio station based in Canada. 0 Comments Leave a Reply
2279	dbpedia	3	96	https://www.hilltopvoices.com/2019/03/bamenda-bishops-speak-out-on-sacredness.html	en	Bamenda Bishops Speak out on sacredness and dignity of Human Life amidst brutal killings in NW/SW	https://blogger.googleus…menda+Bishop.jpg	https://blogger.googleus…menda+Bishop.jpg	[ "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcibcW3wSGokOdgQsvhJK-ymd4G9xAuX3x4HPcYlIdTcF_LQjHNGuA97thsLN829tivPfN-tOQDZb8HzkT4vTi8WmdiNou0IdULCiLQtEeEAQNvR258-qV_Gv4dQZUEjtDaz8nFEpl2LBSZprt5j3lBPZvk25U48S7kX55XbLbEJzPtdVnVy2dC8yOxH9n=s150", "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSz0jbYwqJ2AI4seilsTRLCfRHv5_IUP3_GtOiL7KtfBIFIsD0UtfrD0fQuceHIgqJF4PmPJefvwkKKblE0XUbGH3MnERkfUoLqTQdZj2VmSgGepFB8Z44LG2ftOdkgbNCVfWdx7paOA4R/s640/Bamenda+Bishop.jpg", "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRalWDNMIgMet9rsDImg5WhE3qWgKxGcVkaQpFSneDWqeFWV9n8_mIQMsJCUYLBE6USKJgxshpR7LZIu9v1Gh6W1mSQpMatOSbT9KNXt6cSWvGTysfdUeDEkNBJeOkyMYjPrIgO3Hn91VSq878CDZf0C9E5ieAoon95DMYUmYqNtly4XNppfYH9I74LzAZ=s1600", "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6gPUiWdTlY8/W3rHVM9BvkI/AAAAAAAAJaY/VGOpZjvxEs8GyvjqskFKLDrlQaVhxdOSQCK4BGAYYCw/s300/agriculturalfestival20162017071455260000005.jpg", "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhh_2KD_G_ScAgf3ZaGv1LBM6V7oyGgrkccsEYUcQS7q5o-tOiFw3k_8USF0Dg9jk_iJD0BgViTMcJiphMri7QNIzDo5zOfxfXQL9gonEsIJEcRqCSNJ3et0rsY0rpy7MKTXjM3ejNMSTx6UMsIRv3hgMrKDlfbOJUOrX5zyFVJImvg_FJMuBI1JKxnh4n=s150" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "THE HILLTOP MAIL" ]	2019-03-08T09:17:00-08:00	Bamenda Bishops, Sacredness and dignity of human life, Archdiocese of Bamenda	en	https://www.hilltopvoices.com/favicon.ico	HILLTOPVOICES NEWSPAPER	https://www.hilltopvoices.com/2019/03/bamenda-bishops-speak-out-on-sacredness.html	By Hilltopvoices Team The Archbishop and Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda have addressed a letter to those they describe as “the faithful and people of Good will.” The signed by †Cornelius FONTEM ESUA Archbishop of Bamenda and his collaborator †Michael MIABESUE BIBI Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda dated March 6 focuses on the sacredness and dignity of human life. The letter comes at the killing has become a regular recurrence in armed conflict battered NW/SW regions of Cameroon. Here is the Full letter Photo Credit Bamenda Archdiocese PASTORAL LETTER OF THE ARCHBISHOP AND AUXILIARY BISHOP OF BAMENDA ON THE SACREDNESS AND DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE TO ALL THE FAITHFUL AND PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL “God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Dear brothers and sisters, 1. “I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy” (Phil. 1:3). This is particularly true now because of the difficult socio-political situation in which we have been living during the last few years. We thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has called all of us to be saints (cf. Rom. 1:7), for your faith and endurance. You are all present in our thoughts and prayers in a special way as we begin once more the holy Season of Lent. Lent is a time when we contemplate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unique Saviour of the world. By his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death, reconciled us with God and restored us to the dignity of the children of God. Lent is a time when we endeavour to open up to God and to our neighbour through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. That is why we invite you to meditate on the sacredness and dignity of human life during this Season of Lent. The Biblical Foundation of the Sacredness and Dignity of Human Life 2. Human life is the most sacred gift with which God, the author of life, has endowed the human being. Right from creation humanity has been called to share in the divine life because “God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). This is the basis of the sacredness and the dignity of human life. Without this divine dimension the human person will be nothing but dust as the Ash Wednesday liturgy reminds us: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). Aware of this the Psalmist exclaims: “what is man that you should spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him?” (Ps. 8:4). 3. This sacredness and dignity of the human person has been made even more wonderful by Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us (cf. John 1:14).By the Incarnation, the Son of God “was for a short while made lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:7) and “emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; … and humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:7-8). By his Resurrection he was raised high by God “so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). By his Incarnation, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, identified himself with every human being and raised human dignity even to a higher level. He tells us that whatever we do to any human person is done to him (Mt. 25:40). Our human dignity is a gift of God’s tremendous love for which we should continuously thank him and of which we should jealously take care. 4. The first incidence of the profanation of human life recorded in the Bible is the brutal and senseless murder of Abel by his brother Cain (Gen. 4:1-16).This is because he cannot control his emotions of anger against God and envy of his brother (vv. 5-7). The blood of his innocent brother that he sheds will continue to cry out to God from the ground that had opened its mouth to receive it (v.10). Nevertheless God continues to protect the life of Cain, who is afraid that he might be killed in revenge, by putting a mark on him. He tells him that anyone who kills him will pay for it sevenfold: “if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for him” (Gen. 4:15). Later on the Decalogue formally forbids the shedding of human blood: “You shall not kill” (Ex. 20:13). Rampant Profanation and Disrespect of Human Life and Dignity 5. When human beings forget about their sacredness and dignity, they consequently often behave as irrational beings and become a prey to one another. This seems to be the case in the situation in which we now find ourselves. Since the beginning of the crisis of the Anglophone Problem which escalated on 21st of November 2016, there has been increasing and rampant profanation and disrespect of human life and the dignity of the human person. This has taken unimaginable and alarming proportions. Violence has become common place because of the frequent confrontations between the military and the secessionists. Nearly every day we hear gunshots which are now jokingly referred to as “popcorn” from various corners of our towns and villages. There is indiscriminate killing of innocent people with impunity. It seems that human life has lost its value and sacredness and the dignity of the human being is rubbed in mud. Hospitals and health facilities are vandalized for reasons hard to explain. Human Rights are being violated with impunity in such a way that some wounded persons are denied medical care and are taken away from hospitals and health centres for summary extra judicial execution. Cold blooded killing has become rampant and sometimes it is actually celebrated by opposing parties. In fact, people are quick to kill those they suspect or consider as their enemies. The breaking into houses, the burning of houses, leaving hundreds of people homeless, and the looting and burning of property no longer make news. Some men and women, students and teachers, parents and children, religious men and women are not only molested but kidnapped for ransom. Life seems to be valueless and meaningless. The question on every lip is: what is life? 6. We are also experiencing a frightening disrespect for the dead. Human corpses, sometimes terribly mutilated, are abandoned in the streets and in the mortuaries without identification. The corpses of some of those who have been killed are thrown into streams and rivers or dumped near others’ compounds to make them suspects. Some of those killed are burnt to ashes. We have seen dead bodies with heads, legs or other parts of their bodies chopped off. It has now become normal to hear an announcement over Radio that there are unidentified corpses in the Bamenda Regional Hospital Mortuary. It is now not unusual to see fresh or decomposing dead bodies on the public high way. A lot of disrespectful things have been and are being done on dead bodies. Many people have been prevented from taking and burying their loved ones. All this is against the sacredness and dignity of the human person. This is unheard of in our African tradition where the dead are venerated. The Teaching of the Church on the Sacredness and Dignity of Human Life 7. The teaching and tradition of the Church upholds that the bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the resurrection (CCC, n. 2300). The triviality with which many seem to consider human life in the present moment in the North West and South West Regions is a cause for great concern. We are deeply concerned about the many innocent people who have lost their lives, about the plight of the many people who are destitute, sick and suffering, the men and women struggling for survival, and who are forced to seek refuge and livelihood outside their homes, outside their region of origin and outside their country because of the ongoing senseless, fratricidal war. All human life is a precious gift from God and every human being has dignity, worth, value and meaning, regardless of size, shape, gender, ability, tongue or race because he/she is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen.1:26-27). The Second Vatican Council teaches that “the dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists, it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges the love and entrusts himself to his creator” (G.S. n.19). 8. Human life is the most precious and sacred gift from God, the author of life. It is “sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, under any circumstance, claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” (C.C.C. n. 2258).Its value is intrinsic, for it derives from God. “Of all visible creatures only man is ‘able to know and love his creator. He is ‘the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake’ and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity” (C.C.C. n. 356). The Catechism of the Catholic Church goes on to state that: “being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone” (C.C.C., n. 357). 9. Human life is sacred from conception until natural death. This teaching of the Church is based on the belief that our lives have their origin in God and return to God when we die. We believe that we live our lives under God’s providential love and care. At times this is difficult to understand, especially when tragedy and sorrow enter our lives. However, as Christians, we believe that our lives come from, and are cared for by someone greater than us - a loving God and Father, who has given us the dignity of his adopted children and wants all of us to discover him, live in the security of his love and return to Him. Every human life, regardless of his or her stage of development is sacred. As Pope Francis emphasizes, “equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable, infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery and every form of rejection” (G.E. n. 101). 10. The divine injunction “Thou shall not kill” equally prohibits all acts of the abuse and disrespect of human life and human dignity. Such acts include torture “which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred" (C.C.C., n. 2297). The abuse of human dignity sometimes leads to the loss of life. Taking delight in torturing the dying person, removing the wounded from hospital or abandoning the wounded to die unattended to are all sins against the Fifth Commandment. It is sad, shameful and totally unacceptable that even ambulances and private cars carrying patients, wounded persons and pregnant women have not enjoyed the freedom they need to bring such people speedily to hospital for treatment, as should be the case. This is to the disgrace of all those who apply rules disproportionately, or to those who, acting arbitrarily, have ignored international conventions regarding behaviour during war. The Necessity and Urgency to Safeguard the Sacredness and Dignity of Human Life 11. The situation we are living now cannot leave us indifferent. All acts that rub human beings of their life and dignity should be vehemently condemned no matter who their perpetrators are. Human life and its God-given dignity should always be respected and protected, even during war and in situations such as the one in which we find ourselves. It is therefore urgent and imperative that we do something and immediately to prevent the situation from getting worse as it has happened in other countries. In order to achieve this, all are invited: individuals, families, groups, Christian communities, the civil society, the government and the International Community to work towards finding a lasting solution to stem the abuse of human life and dignity that is going on now in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. We want to reiterate that violence and the approach of “neutralising” the secessionists is not the right solution because violence only begets violence. 12. We, therefore once more earnestly appeal to the competent authorities that the military should desist from the wanton killing of innocent civilians and the burning down of houses which is the basic cause of the displacement of the populations. We plead that there may be no more delay in addressing effectively the real causes of the present crises. “No matter what difficulties we face in our country, a solution will never be found in violence, but rather in a dialogue between opposing groups”. This message that was sent to the Heads of State of all African countries 26 years ago by the Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) is still relevant to us today. We call on all the protagonists to put down their arms, stop this senseless fratricidal and suicidal war and have the courage to enter into dialogue with one another. There is no other way outside frank and meaningful dialogue. Might is not always right. True dialogue calls for humility. The process is not just about sitting around a table, but changing the way of thinking, talking and communicating with one another. Participants must be willing to address the root causes of a crisis, not just the symptoms. There can be no way forward without dialogue. 13. We appeal to the separatists to put down their arms in favour of dialogue as the most appropriate way of solving the Anglophone Problem. This dialogue should first be among themselves because a household divided among itself cannot stand. We call on them and on other armed groups which are exploiting the situation to refrain from the use of violence and stop shedding the blood of their brothers and sisters which like the blood of Abel is crying out to God from the ground (cf. Gen. 4:10). We pray that they refrain from all forms of abuse of human life and dignity such as intimidation, harassment, torture, abduction, extortion and maltreatment which inflict untold suffering and hardship on their brothers and sisters. We must all unite to fight against exploitation, corruption and injustices of all kinds if we want to build a better society for ourselves. We should respect the common good, our own lives and the lives of other people. 14. During this crisis the fundamental human right of the children to education has been greatly violated. We would like to reiterate the importance and necessity of the education of the youth as the indispensable instrument of the liberation and development of the human person. The best way of preparing a better future which we are all dreaming of cannot be through stopping our children from going to school. What is needed is the education of the heart. As someone said; “The heart of education is the education of the heart”. We should always treat others as we would like them to treat us. This is the golden rule (cf. Mt. 7:12). 15. The Church recognizes the importance of the media and the fact that if the means of social communication are properly utilized they “can be of great service to mankind, since they greatly contribute to men's entertainment and instruction as well as to the spread and support of the Kingdom of God. The Church recognizes, too, that men can employ these media contrary to the plan of the Creator and to their own loss. Indeed, the Church experiences maternal grief at the harm all too often done to society by their evil use” (IM, n. 2). While social media have made the world a global village and eased communication which can strengthen relationship among the people of God and enhance the quality of life, they can become a dangerous tool in unscrupulous hands, when they are used to misinform the people, propagate hate language and division instead of love and unity. It is regrettable that some of the information presented by the media during this crisis has not always promoted the sacredness and the dignity of human life. We call on all and sundry to refrain from the spread of false information, horrible and degrading images of the human person and incendiary language which instil fear and hatred in the hearts and minds of the people. The advice of Pope Francis to young people on Tuesday 21 March 2017 immediately comes to mind “Don't let yourselves be led astray by this false image of reality! Be the protagonists of your history; decide your own future”. This advice holds good for us today. 16. There is the need for education especially about the evil of torture which degrades both the tortured and the torturer. In fact, Article 10 of the International Convention against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment says: “Each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment”. We appreciate the efforts which some members of the military and the forces of law and order are making to protect human life and dignity. However, while the hierarchy congratulates the military on the work they do, they should not fail to condemn when they do the opposite of what they are called to do, to protect human life. 17. Our priests and religious should preach and teach the faithful on the sacredness and dignity of human life. We call on our Christian communities to reinforce their efforts in the practice of studying and sharing appropriate texts of the Word of God in the family and the Small Christian Communities. It is in this way that the Church can continue to be a light particularly in this dark period, to offer hope to the people, and to stand for truth, justice and reconciliation. It is equally in this way that, in the words of our venerable predecessor, the late Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, of blessed memory, who was a real apostle of the fight against torture, “the consciences of Christians and of Christian Communities need to be awakened and sensitized so that we may all face the reality of torture and join in the struggle for its total elimination. Victims and torturers alike need liberation. For this struggle, one of the principal and efficacious arms which Christians must use is prayer, followed by acts of solidarity with the victims of torture and their families, legal action, denunciation, and pressure on the State Institution”. 18. Lent is the favourable time for conversion and reconciliation with God and our neighbour. This is the message which St. Paul addresses to us on Ash Wednesday to be ambassadors of reconciliation for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20-21; 6:2). It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer opens us up to God; fasting liberates and strengthens us in the fight against sin and evil; and almsgiving opens us out to our neighbour. This Lent we must intensify our prayers, especially the Eucharistic celebration and Adoration. Let us pray more than ever before for the Lord’s intervention in this crisis. Christ alone is the one liberator who can free men and women from all forms of servitude that dishonour humanity. It is Christ who “brings good news to the poor, freedom to captives, opens the eyes of the blind, and liberates the oppressed…” (Lk. 4:18). Let us pray for the repose of the souls of those who have lost their lives in this crisis. Let us fast and make penance and reparation for the sins of the profanation and disrespect of human life and dignity. Through fasting and penance we are in solidarity with all those who are suffering, especially the innocent ones, who share in the Cross of Jesus Christ. Let us show compassion, generosity and love to all those who are suffering: the poor, the sick, the internally displaced and all those who are in need. Let us pray for forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. 19. All of us must work for peace. This is the first step towards avoiding war. If war has unfortunately broken out, all parties must avoid arrogance and empty pride and be ready to acknowledge their failures and readiness to engage in meaningful dialogue as a way towards finding a lasting solution. Anger, vengeance, resentment are clearly immediate steps towards killings (Mt. 6:21-26). St. Francis’ peace prayer is a tool that can touch our hearts and move us to seek ways of regaining peace, beginning with ourselves. Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace. Gratitude to all who are promoting the Sacredness and Dignity of Human Life 20. We wish to render immense gratitude to each and every one in the Archdiocese of Bamenda and beyond who has been working hard since the beginning of this crisis to help the displaced person through their generous contributions and in various other ways. We acknowledge the heroic courage of our health institutions: doctors and nurses who continue to risk their lives to save human life. May the Lord, the chief physician, be their reward. We congratulate those members of the military, the forces of law and order, the separatists and all who have had the courage to acknowledge the fact that killing and torture are abominable crimes and have consequently refused to participate in carrying out such crimes. We remain grateful to all the people who have risked their lives and gone out of their way to save lives, help the injured and bury the dead, including strangers. By doing this they are living Jesus’ invitation that “whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers that you did for me” (Mt. 25:40).Pope Paul VI emphasized this role when he said “May people look to us not just for charitable handouts but for support in their legitimate struggle against all forms of injustice and oppression (The Development of Peoples). We remain grateful to those who have been praying night and day for God’s intervention, and those who have acted as instruments of peace and reconciliation. Christ said: “Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called sons of God!” (Mt. 5:9). 21. We call upon all the faithful and people of good will to pray together, reason together, decide together, and act together, so that the truth may prevail and the sacredness and the dignity of human life be respected. May each and every one of us become what Saint Pope John Paul II referred to as “promoters of a new way of looking at life” (E. V., n. 99). In the face of the present crisis let each and everyone repeat the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have decided to stick to love; hate is too great a burden to bear." May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, Queen of Peace and Patroness of Cameroon intercede for us all. Amen. Given on 06th March 2019 Ash Wednesday †Cornelius FONTEM ESUA Archbishop of Bamenda †Michael MIABESUE BIBI Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda References 1. Bonaventure Ndong (2018). Reflection on the 5th Commandment in Radio Evangelium, on the Programme “Proud to be a Catholic”. June 2018. 2. Chapman, G. (1999). Catechism of the Catholic Church, Popular and Definitive Edition, Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Cittàdel Vaticano. 3. Paul VI (1963). Decree on the Media of Social Communications Inter Mirifica. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 4. Pope Paul VI (1965). Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution On The Church in the Modern World). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 5. Paul VI (1967). Populorum Progressio (The Development of Peoples). 6. Paul Verdzekov (2005). Southern Cameroons: Torture and Human Rights in Our Society. Speech on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights March 17, 2005. 7. Pope John Paul II (1990). Redemptoris Missio . 8. Pope John Paul II, (1979). Redemptor Hominis, (The Redeemer of Man). CTS. 9. Pope John Paul II (1995). Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). 10. Letter of African Bishops (1993). First task is to ensure justice for all. Message sent to the Heads of State of all African countries by the Standing Committee of SECAM, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (cf. L’Osservatore Romano, No. 19 – 2 May 1993, page 3 Weekly Edition. 11. Pope Francis (2018). Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad), On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2018. 12. Pope John XXIII. (1961), Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 13. Pope Francis (2016). Address to Doctors in Spain and Latin America, June 9, 2016. “Human life is the most sacred gift with which God, the author of life, has endowed the human being. Right from creation humanity has been called to share in the divine life because ‘God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27).” A Prayer for Life “Father and maker of all, you adorn all creation with splendour and beauty, and fashion human lives in your image and likeness. Awaken in every heart reverence for the work of your hands, and renew among your people a readiness to nurture and sustain your precious gift of life. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).
2279	dbpedia	3	79	https://www.bareta.news/southern-cameroons-genocide-26-points-anglophone-bishops-declaration/	en	Southern Cameroons Genocide: 26 Points Anglophone Bishops Declaration	https://www.bareta.news/…/12/DSC_0371.jpg	https://www.bareta.news/…/12/DSC_0371.jpg	[ "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Baretanewsweb-011.png", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/fake-ad-2.png", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Baretanewsweb-011.png", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Baretanewsweb-011.png", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e9defe019b6c0399aaa58b19c42f1b6e?s=46&d=mm&r=g", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSC_0371.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e9defe019b6c0399aaa58b19c42f1b6e?s=60&d=mm&r=g", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Baretanewsweb-011.png", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/fake-ad-2.png", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CE0437F1-73EC-4FC5-BC91-9C5216C5B99F-300x180.jpeg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CE0437F1-73EC-4FC5-BC91-9C5216C5B99F-80x80.jpeg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Parliament-300x180.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Parliament-80x80.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Biya_30_Ans270814300-300x180.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Biya_30_Ans270814300-80x80.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TRANSPARENCY-300x180.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TRANSPARENCY-80x80.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/6a00e54ffa3d5788330134890888c4970c.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/6a00e54ffa3d5788330134890888c4970c.jpg", "https://www.bareta.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Baretanewsweb-011.png", "https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "James Agbor" ]	2017-10-06T10:45:52+00:00	BAPEC/PRES/2017/28 – 4th October 2017 DECLARATION OF THE BISHOPS OF THE BAMENDA PROVINCIAL EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE (BAPEC) FOLLOWING THE MASSIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND THE CURFEW IMPOSED ON THE NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST REGIONS FROM FRIDAY, 29TH SEPTEMBER TO MONDAY, 2ND OCTOBER 2017. “If you in your turn had only understood on this […]	en	https://www.bareta.news/…d-BN-192x192.jpg	BaretaNews	https://www.bareta.news/southern-cameroons-genocide-26-points-anglophone-bishops-declaration/	BAPEC/PRES/2017/28 – 4th October 2017 DECLARATION OF THE BISHOPS OF THE BAMENDA PROVINCIAL EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE (BAPEC) FOLLOWING THE MASSIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND THE CURFEW IMPOSED ON THE NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST REGIONS FROM FRIDAY, 29TH SEPTEMBER TO MONDAY, 2ND OCTOBER 2017. “If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace!” (Lk. 19:42) 1. Since Friday, 22nd September 2017, and particularly from midnight on Friday, 29th September to midnight on Monday, 2nd October 2017, the people of the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, which regions are coterminous with the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda, have gone through a very challenging and crucial period. Although the danger is not yet over, we, the Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC), consider it our bounded and God-given duty to make this declaration at this point in time to share with our brothers and sisters and people of good will what we have gone through up till now and possibly to contribute to the prevention of the worse that may still come if our voice, which is that of the voiceless, and similar other well-intentioned voices are not heeded by the competent authorities. 2. “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.” (Mt. 2:18; cf. Jer. 31:15). This lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah is once more a reality as it was with the brutal murder of the Holy Innocents in the place of the Infant Jesus. From Bota in Fako to Ako in Donga Mantung, from Bakassi in Ndian to Menji in Lebialem, families are weeping for their children, for they are no more. Since Friday, 29th September 2017, there have been various forms of violence and atrocities that have bedevilled most towns and villages of the North West and South West Regions, which coincide with the territory of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, resulting to even the supreme loss of human lives. The groans from the dying and shrieks of the wounded make our hearts bleed from pain. The sighs of those who have lost property through looting or arson, the pain of anxiety inflicted on families and friends of those abducted or missing, the trauma caused on the young and the old by the fright from the warlike atmosphere of last weekend in particular have left another heap of painful memories in our minds and hearts. We want, in the first place, to express our profound grief and sympathies to those families who in the recent crisis have lost their dear ones. We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died. May the Risen Lord welcome them into his Kingdom. We express our solidarity with those who have sustained injuries and those suffering in any way, those arrested and incarcerated, and the families that have been separated from their loved ones or displaced. May the Crucified Lord, with whom they are now hanging on the Cross, be their consolation. 3. In the Gospel of Luke (19:41-42) we are told that when Jesus drew near to the city of Jerusalem he shed tears over it and said: “If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace!” Following the initial peaceful demonstration of Lawyers of the Common Law, the sit-down strike of the Teachers’ Trade Unions in November 2016, on 6th December 2016, we, the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, in an Appeal concerning the Sit-down Strike Action Called by the Teachers’ Trade Unions of the English-Speaking Subsystem of Education, pointed out that it is important to respect the conventions that bind us together as a people and that the bicultural nature of Cameroon, which enriches our diversity, should be a treasured commodity that guides our interaction with each other as children of the same fatherland. We also condemned in very unequivocal terms the violence perpetuated by some groups of young people on the one hand and the acts of brutality, torture, inhuman and unjustified treatment meted out to some of our youths by the Forces of Law and Order on the other hand. We called on the Government to restrain such barbaric action of the Forces of Law and Order and to bring to justice those of them who had been irresponsible, so that peace may reign. 4. Unfortunately, the Government did not heed our appeal, but the CPDM Ruling Party went on to organise a so-called ‘Peace March’, which provoked the resistance of most of the people and the subsequent reaction of the Forces of Law and Order that led to further violence on 8th December 2016. Violence begets violence! The consequent result of the violence on that day was the shooting of unarmed youths by the Forces of Law and Order, a black Thursday indeed in Bamenda! Despite the call of the Archbishop of Bamenda for the demilitarisation of Bamenda Town and the rest of the towns of the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, the military presence in the area was rather increased and many more persons were arrested and ferried to Yaoundé. 5. In the meantime, we asked in writing to meet with the Head of State to explain to him the situation on the ground in the two regions as we saw and lived it and to present to him a Memorandum, which we had written on 22nd December 2016 about the Anglophone Problem. In the Memorandum, we gave the historical background of the Anglophone Problem, articulated the Problem in five points, gave various instances in which the Problem is manifested and proposed a way forward to solve the socio-political impasse in the North West and South West Regions. The requested audience was never granted. Till today, there has been no official response to the Memorandum. Rather, we have been erroneously accused of being the invisible hand supporting the activists and of keeping the schools closed as it is evidenced by the fact that we were dragged to court for treason, because we did not tell the parents to bring their children back to school and for other related accusations. 6. Friday, 22nd September 2017, was a very significant turning point. Following weeks of propaganda and a call by different groups and persons, most of whom have taken refuge outside the country and who are advocating for the restoration of the independence of West Cameroon, a huge population of men, women, youths, old and young, and even children turned out on the streets of many towns and villages of the North West and South West Regions to demonstrate peacefully and express their right to self-determination. This peaceful march of mostly innocent citizens, carrying peace plants and shouting “No violence! No violence!” and defying the Forces of Law and Order, should have sent home to the authorities a message of the fact that it was not just a handful of people outside the country calling for this restoration. While some of the Forces of Law and Order, reading the signs of the times, did not react violently, others instead of using their guns to protect citizens, shot live bullets at unarmed civilians, killing some and maiming others. Within the same period, there has been a harassing chase of Anglophones by the Forces of Law and Order even outside the territory under consideration, so much so that many of them do not feel free anymore throughout the national territory of Cameroon. 7. The climax came when, in an attempt to prevent the programme of the restoration of independence on 1st October 2017 by the leaders of these groups, the Government declared a curfew in the North West and South West Regions from midnight on Friday, 29th September to midnight on Monday, 2nd October 2017. This was in fact authorized by the Senate and Parliament in their Joint Communiqué of 26th September 2017. The communiqués of the Governors of the North West and South West Regions forbade movement from one division to another, public gatherings and assemblies of more than four (04) persons in their respective territories from 29th September to 2nd October. In some places, like Buea and Mamfe, Sunday Mass was anticipated on Saturday in the evening. However, the Archbishop of Bamenda, in consultation with the Governor of the North West Region, wrote to inform the Archdiocesan Community that the Governor’s prohibition on public gatherings and assemblies of more than four persons did not include religious services. The letter of the Archbishop, which was endorsed by the Secretary General in the Governor’s Office on the 30th of September 2017, repeated the call he and the other Bishops have made several times, and asked the faithful to pray for peace and tranquillity especially in the Church Province of Bamenda. 8. On Sunday, 1st October 2017, some Priests and some members of Christ’s Lay Faithful were prevented by the heavy military presence on their streets from going to church and so they failed to exercise their constitutional right of freedom of worship. In some areas, we noted with disgust that some Christians were teargassed as they came out of Mass! This move, by whosoever instructed, created a lot of confusion and chaos, especially as the faithful believed that the Archbishop’s letter, calling for prayers for peace and tranquillity and which had been endorsed by the Governor of the North West Region, was sufficient authorization for Sunday worship to go on as normal, despite the political tension. We, the Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, are sad and disturbed, having learned that some of our Christians were pursued into their houses – some arrested, some maimed and some (including defenceless teenagers and elderly persons) were simply shot to death, some from helicopters. Elsewhere in the world, the Forces of Law and Order protect demonstrating citizens. In our country, peaceful demonstrations, except perhaps those organized by the ruling party, seem to be an opportune moment for our Armed Forces to demonstrate their shooting prowess both from the ground and from the air on unarmed and helpless civilians. 9. We also note, with embarrassment and shame, that the Minister of Communication has praised the professionalism of the Armed Forces, in total disregard of the fact that some of the heinous acts of brutality and barbarism meted out to the populations were by some members of the same Armed Forces. Either the Minister of Communication was not adequately informed or he was misleading the national and international communities. The enthronement of lies, no matter from which side in our country, does not help in nation building. It rather destroys the efforts of honest and God-fearing Cameroonians who truly seek to be free and responsible, not only for themselves but also for others and for their environment. Today, at least in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, there is a huge gap of credibility between the population, those calling for restoration and the administration. 10. We condemn in the strongest terms possible the barbarism and the irresponsible use of firearms against unarmed civilians by the Forces of Law and Order, even if they are provoked. The divine injunction: “Thou shalt not kill!” remains valid even in such circumstances. We call on the Head of State of the Republic of Cameroon, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, to stop the bloodbath and genocide that has skilfully been initiated in the North West and South West Regions. Mr. Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, said that “a genocide begins with the killing of one man – not for what he had done – but for who he is”. The statement by the Minister of Communications, the Spokesperson for the Government, that some Anglophone Cameroonians are “terrorists” is a subtle call for what can be described as “ethnic cleansing” or a genocide as all Anglophone Cameroonians are now considered as ‘terrorists’ and as such they qualify for elimination, just because they are Anglophones! We need to stop the imminent genocide! We, as a nation, need a change of orientation to forestall any further deterioration of the situation in the North West and South West Regions. We call on all stakeholders to exercise restraint, develop a sense of respect for the truth and for human dignity and return to an inclusive and facilitated dialogue that will begin a process of national healing and reconciliation. 11. The massive turnout of people for the demonstrations on Friday, 22nd September 2017, and on Sunday, 1st October 2017, has, among other things, the following implications: i. The Anglophone Problem is now truly one that touches the hearts of very many people in all villages, towns and cities of the North West and South West Regions. ii. It is no longer just a problem of “a few disgruntled Anglophones at home and in the diaspora”, as some people have tried to play it down. iii. It is no longer just a problem of lawyers and teachers, as it seemed to be from the outset last year. 12. At the moment, the Anglophone Problem can no longer be taken lightly or ignored. It needs urgent attention, to avoid the growing genocide. People have lost loved ones to brutal killings and do not even know where some of their corpses are now. Every individual who is killed increases the number of aggrieved persons and families, resentment and anger, which are very difficult to address. 13. The heart of the matter is the ongoing Anglophone Problem which the Government has persistently failed to address adequately, resulting in deep and mounting resentment and bitterness among the population. Cosmetic changes which benefit only a few are not enough. The delay in addressing the problem has distanced many citizens of these two Regions from the rest of the country. The demonstrations of Friday, 22nd September 2017, across the two Regions should have opened the eyes of many, including the Government, to the scale of the problem. While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, there were a few incidents, provoked by either side that led to some deaths. We condemn all acts of violence by any one. 14. We vehemently condemn the intoxication and exploitation of the masses by some of the members of the restoration group. Some of them had told the populations to march into government offices and take back their country. They were to arrest any civil administrators, who had not abdicated, and take them to the palaces of Fons and Chiefs. This was irrational and not feasible. Sadly, the result of such an action has been the torture, arrest and killing of so many people. No matter what diplomatic gains have been made at the international level, right reason and international law informs us that this is not his nations gain independence. 15. We equally denounce the deception and lies by the official and some private media. The lack of adequate reporting of the reality on the ground only shows that the Government is not prepared to address the problem. It is a fact that there was heavy militarization of the same regions leading up to 1st October 2017. This was followed by threats on the official media from some government officials that anyone who came out to demonstrate on 1st October 2017, would face the law in its full force. Military men and women and machinery were positioned in the towns, cities and even villages of the Regions. This was simply intimidation. Military helicopters were also seen flying over the territory. Although the curfew did not include religious worship, many clergy and Christians were prevented from going to church. In some cases, Christians were caught and beaten up. In Mbve in the Diocese of Kumbo, tear gas was thrown at Christians as soon as they left the church. In Momo Division in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the Senior Divisional Officer sent out a communiqué, forbidding religious worship, and, by so doing, contradicting the order of the Governor. 16. Government gave firm instructions through the Communiqués of the Governors and Senior Divisional Officers asking people to stay at home from 29th September to 2nd October. The majority of the people, who stayed at home, were quickly visited by the Forces of Law and Order, who intimidated them, arrested some, tortured some, and took some away to where we do not know. In Buea, Kumba, Mamfe, Kumbo and Bamenda, this trend of activity was rampant. In Bamesing, in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, some young men were caught and shot on the legs. There are gruesome pictures of the acts of violence committed against unarmed and innocent civilians during the period. Some people who were killed were carried away and it is not known where their bodies were taken to. The bodies of the prisoners who were shot dead as they tried to escape from Kumbo Prison, after having been taken to Shisong Hospital, were hurriedly retrieved by the soldiers. No one knows where their mortal remains are now. 17. It is reported that truckloads of people arrested have been driven down to Yaoundé. This adds to those arrested earlier during the year whose release the populations have been requesting from the Government. This only makes a bad situation worse. Citizens of these two Regions have been branded as terrorists and are being treated as such. It is hard to believe that the hundreds of thousands of children, men and women, who came out to demonstrate peacefully on 22nd September and on 1st October 2017 are all terrorists. We shall soon all be considered terrorists! Anglophones living in Francophone Cameroon are now targets. The military have broken into some of their homes, looted and arrested people. The mere fact of being an Anglophone now looks like a crime in itself! 18. The very fact that the Presidents of the Senate and of the National Assembly organized a rally at the Reunification Monument in Yaoundé on the same 1st October 2017 under the pretext of celebrating National Unity, when the military was intimidating, torturing, arresting and killing people in the North West and South West Regions, can be considered a mockery of the people of the North West and South West Regions, who were literally under siege and brutality for daring to air the same concerns. This is an indication that the Government is insensitive to their problems and welfare and that they do not belong. Schools are not functioning as they should and businesses have been grounded in these Regions. The economy is badly hit by this crisis and things are likely to get worse. 19. Almost exactly 25 years ago, on 29th November 1992, the late Archbishop of Bamenda, Most Rev. Paul Verdzekov, wrote a message to the Christians condemning torture, which had been rampant during the State of Emergency imposed on the North West Province. We would like to paraphrase and make our own what he said at that time because it is very relevant to us today in a similar context of socio-political crisis and curfew, imposed this time in both the North West and South West Regions. We congratulate publicly those police officers, gendarmes and soldiers, who have acknowledged the fact that harassment, wanton arrests, destruction of houses and property (cars, motorbikes, farms, estates, etc.), ransacking of others as well as looting, arson, torture, brutalizing, and killing are abominable crimes and have consequently refused to participate in or carry out such acts. Torture, cruel and inhuman treatment, was totally unheard of in the Cameroons under the United Kingdom Trusteeship. It was inconceivable in the British Cameroons for a police officer to slap anyone, let alone torture or harass people. We pray and hope that the priceless heritage of respect for the human person, which prevailed in the British Cameroons before 1961, may soon be recovered and shared among the people of this nation. Even though few, such uniformed men and women are the honour of the Forces of Law and Order and they bear witness to the fact that “one must never confuse error with the one who errs … The person who errs is always and above all a human being, and he must always be regarded and treated in accordance with that lofty dignity” (Pacem in Terris, no. 54). 20. To those administrative authorities, gendarmes, police officers and soldiers who, unfortunately, accept to inflict torture and other forms of cruel, sadistic and degrading treatment on human beings, we respectfully and fraternally propose the following points for deep reflection. First, if you are a believer in God, remember that “whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on the body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity … all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They do not only poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than to those who suffer the injuries. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonour to the Creator” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 27). The practice of these ills makes you more of a brute beast than a human person. Second, these practices which you indulge in make you one of the worst subversive and destabilizing elements working against the State and the Nation. The State of Cameroon desires to be recognized by national and international public opinion as one which exists and operates under the Rule of Law. When you practice these ills, you subvert and undermine the moral authority of the State, you erode and you destroy the credibility of its claim to be recognized, respected, and held in high esteem as a State which operates under the Rule of Law. Every time you force people to roll and to wallow in mud for your ‘amusement’, you drag the name of the country and its Government into mud and make the country a pariah among the nations. Third, remember that when you accept to inflict such pain upon others, merely because you have been ordered to do so by your superior officer, you make yourself a mere robot and not a responsible person. Remember that you have a personal conscience which tells you that these practices are abominable evils and should be avoided. You know it and that is why you carry out most of these practices in a secret torture chamber, away from the public eye. Remember, too, that even if the State does not punish you for these crimes, the lame excuse that you were only carrying out orders will not help you before God. As a human being endowed with reason and personal freedom, God holds you responsible and accountable for all your actions, including these crimes. 21. Finally, let every member of the Administration, the Forces of Law and Order remember that this nation has freely committed itself to adhere to the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Convention stipulates, among other things, that “exceptional circumstances such as a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency may not be invoked as a justification of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” The Convention says furthermore, “that an order given by a Superior Officer or some other public Authority cannot be invoked as a justification of torture.” Consequently, those Administrative Authorities and the Forces of Law and Order who took advantage of recent happenings in the North West and South West Regions to commit these and similar crimes are making a mockery of this Convention and thereby bringing shame and contempt on the name of the country. “So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12). 22. Mindful of the mandate of the Church from her Divine Founder to go out and teach all nations (cf. Mt. 28:19), we have insisted on the fact that since “all men of whatever race, condition or age, in virtue of their dignity as human persons, have an inalienable right to education” (Gravissimum Educationis, n. 1), all children of the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon should be given the opportunity to continue formal education. The Church believes that the school as a place of learning should always remain open, no matter what problems the people are undergoing. The reason is that learning is absolutely essential for the better mastery and resolution of the same problems. It is precisely because such problems can take years to resolve, the best way for children to be involved in the struggle is by being in school, by studying. Many are aware of this, and have sent their children to other regions of the country and even abroad, so that they may continue their education. However, the vast majority of people are unable to send their children elsewhere, which is why we, the Bishops of BAPEC, urge and encourage everyone to stand by all the schools in our two Regions so that our children may not be left behind through our own fault. 23. We once more call on the Government to release all those arrested in connection with this crisis. No meaningful dialogue can take place while those people remain in prison. All those killed during this curfew and the whole crisis, whose bodies have not been presented to their families, should be accounted for and their bodies returned to their families. The two Regions should be demilitarized as soon as possible and all forms of threats and intimidation on individuals and groups living in any part of the country should cease. All forms of manipulation and false propaganda especially through the media should stop. The Church advocates responsible journalism and the right use of the media. Irresponsible and misleading propaganda by individuals, groups or the State is unacceptable. We condemn all forms of threats, intimidation, wanton arrests, torture, and killings in the strongest terms. 24. We call for honest and meaningful dialogue with the right people to determine the nature and form of the state to be undertaken as soon as possible. We must refrain from divisive and poisonous behaviour and language. Utterances that are demeaning, insulting, or derogatory should be discouraged. As St. James says, the tongue must not set fire to the forest (cf. James 3:5). We call on all Christians to intensify their prayers for meaningful dialogue and for peace. 25. We call on all our families, Small Christian Communities and parish communities to organize the praying of the Rosary this month of October for peace in Cameroon. We pray that Our lady, Queen of the Apostles, Principal Patroness of Cameroon, may intercede for us and for the departed martyrs of the Anglophone Struggle. Let us pray for a true change of heart, so that as a reconciled people we may build a country wherein truth, justice, reconciliation and peace reign. 26. We declare Saturday, 14th October 2017, a Day of Mourning in our Ecclesiastical Province, to be marked by the celebration of Requiem Masses in all our parishes for the repose of the souls of all those who have died because of the present socio-political crisis. We call on everybody to say the following Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, following the Prayer after Communion at every Mass until we get a solution to the problem. PRAYER OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI FOR PEACE Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Given in Bamenda. This Wednesday, 4th October 2017, Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. George Nkuo Bishop of Kumbo President of BAPEC Andrew Nkea Bishop of Mamfe Vice-President of BAPEC Cornelius Esua Archbishop of Bamenda Immanuel Bushu Bishop of Buea Agapitus Nfon Bishop of Kumba
2279	dbpedia	0	7	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1542930	en	Paul Verdzekov	https://www.wikidata.org/static/favicon/wikidata.ico	https://www.wikidata.org/static/favicon/wikidata.ico	[ "https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1", "https://www.wikidata.org/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg", "https://www.wikidata.org/static/images/footer/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Catholic archbishop	en	/static/apple-touch/wikidata.png		https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1542930	Catholic archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov edit
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[29]. Cuzzolino, L., Franani, F., Verlato, G., Joppi, M., Baldelli, P., & Benoni. G. (2010). Use of Herbal Products among 392 Italian Pregnant Women: Focus on Pregnancy Outcome. Pharmacoepidemiology Drug Safety, 19: 1151-1158 [30]. Dako-Gyeke, P., Aikins, M., Aryeetey, R., Mccough, L., & Adongo, P.B. (2013). The Influence of Socio-Cultural Interpretations of Pregnancy Threats on Health-Seeking Behavior among Pregnant Women in Urban Accra, Ghana. BMCPregnancy and Childbirth, 13, 211. [31]. Duru, C., Uwakwe, K., Chinomnso, N., Mbachi, I., Diwe, K., Agunwa, C., Iwu, A., & Merenu, I. (2016). “Socio-demographic Determinants of Herbal Medicine Use in Pregnancy Among Nigerian Women Attending Clinics in a Tertiary Hospital in Imo State, South-East, Nigeria.” American Journal of Medicine Studies, vol. 4, no. 1 (2016): 1-10. doi: 10.12691/ajms-4-1-1. [32]. Ebere, Z.O. (2013). 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2279	dbpedia	2	19	https://dokumen.pub/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.html	en	My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi [1 ed.] 9789956792429, 9789956792894	https://dokumen.pub/img/…789956792894.jpg	https://dokumen.pub/img/…789956792894.jpg	[ "https://dokumen.pub/dokumenpub/assets/img/dokumenpub_logo.png", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-to-web-design-with-passion-not-with-code.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-african-journey-9788027242184.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-with-maya-first-edition-9780316341738-0316341738-9780316341745-0316341746.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-9781761102394-1761102397.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/i-am-me-my-personal-journey-with-my-forty-plus-autistic-son-9781683508007-9781683507994.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-remarkable-journey-9781602861022-1602861021.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/a-history-of-christian-conversion-9780199910922-2019057695-9780195320923-9780190062620.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/becoming-christian-the-conversion-of-roman-cappadocia-9780812207378.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/a-journey-round-my-skull-9781590172582.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-in-this-life-9789672408116.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/dokumenpub/assets/img/dokumenpub_logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Faith conversion experiences are first of all personal before being universal. While biblical history records relatively...	en	https://dokumen.pub/doku…e-icon-57x57.png	dokumen.pub	https://dokumen.pub/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.html	Citation preview Martin Jumbam Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon Martin Jumbam MARTIN JUMBAM was born and raised in Nkar in the Diocese of Kumbo in the northern grassland region of English-speaking Cameroon. He is a translator and a conference interpreter by training, and a freelance journalist. He served for several years on the editorial board of L’Effort camerounais, the weekly newspaper of the Bishop’s Conference of Cameroon. He also runs programmes on Radio Veritas, the radio of the Catholic Archdiocese of Douala, Cameroon. He is married with three children and lives with his family in the port city of Douala in Cameroon. MY CONVERSION JOURNEY WITH CHRISTIAN CARDINAL TUMI Faith conversion experiences are first of all personal before being universal. While biblical history records relatively few conversion encounters as dramatic and as explosive as Saint Paul’s on the road to Damascus, it is not rare for individuals in the throes of a religious conversion to fall prey to intensely agonizing confusion. That is what happened to Martin Jumbam when he marched for peace in his country alongside the charismatic and irrepressible Emeritus Archbishop of Douala in Cameroon, Christian Cardinal Tumi. He joined the prelate as a secular journalist but went back home more than ever conscious of his state as a fallen Christian, the first step in his journey of faith. Since then, all his writing, be it secular or religious, now bears the fruits of that encounter, characterized by intense empathy for the human person. This book recounts the myriad ways Jumbam’s encounters with Christian Cardinal Tumi have activated, nourished and inspired his faith. MY CONVERSION JOURNEY WITH CHRISTIAN CARDINAL TUMI Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam Langaa Research & Publishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Publisher: Langaa RPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [email protected] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [email protected] www.africanbookscollective.com ISBN: 9956-792-89-6 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. © Martin Jumbam 2015 DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG. Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Table of௖Contents Preface………………………………………………………… v Part One: The Journey Begins……………………………….. 1 1. I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi……………………… 3 2. I spent a week with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi………... 15 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Part Two: My Prayer Life Firms Up…………………………. 35 1. Come, follow me!............................................................................... 37 2. Foyer de Charité, an oasis of silence in Bonjongo…………….. 49 3. A prayer at the University of Buea……………………………. 53 4. Jesus heals in silence………………………………………….. 57 5. I walked beside a Saint……………………………………….. 61 Part Three: My Interest In Church Governance Grows…….. 73 1. The Catholic Church and the radio…………………………… 75 2. Train seminarians to be good managers of human and finance resources……………………………………………….. 87 3. Keep processions and the homily short………………………. 91 4. Father, watch your health…………………………………….. 97 5. Giving to the Church is a Christian duty………………………101 6. The Catholic Church and the Reunification of Cameroon……. 105 7. I remember Father Paul Verdzekov………………………….. 109 Part Four: The Social Dimension Of My Faith……………… 119 1. The devastating consequences of abortion…………………….121 2. The Justice and Peace Commission of the Bamenda Archdiocese…………………………………………………….. 125 3. I salute you, Professor Daniel Noni Lantum…………………. 133 4. Why I donate blood…………………………………………... 151 iii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. iv Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Preface Saint Augustine once wrote: “Reaching Milan, I found your devoted servant Ambrose, who was known throughout the world as a man whom there were few to equal in goodness. Unknown to me, it was you who led me to him, so that I might knowingly be led by him to you”1. I could very well express similar feelings about my first encounter with Christian Cardinal Tumi, the Emeritus Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala, Cameroon. Unknown to me, the Lord led me to him and he knowingly led me back to the Lord. It all began on January 1, 1993 when I joined the first of what has become a tradition in the Catholic Church that is in Douala, what Cardinal Tumi himself called “The March for Peace” around the city of Douala. Our country, Cameroon, then stood in dire need of peace as the notoriously intolerant political establishment of the day was desperately trying to stifle the audible, painful and violent birth pangs of multi-party democracy in our land. Christian Cardinal Tumi is one of the few sons and daughters of our land who have had an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the proponents of political intolerance in our land and lived to tell the tale. Many others, who dared to ask why, including the Cardinal’s fellow religious leaders, are today history. In January 1993, I was a young journalist yearning for news and who else to track than the fiery Archbishop of Douala, who created news by his mere imposing presence anywhere, anytime? As I accompanied him in what ended up to be a well-over-five-hour procession around the city of Douala, hoping to beat every other journalist with news of whatever dramatic encounter we might have along the way with the forces of law and order, little did I know that the Lord was leading me to him that he may in turn lead me back to the Lord. It was only later that I realised that I was a mere penitent whose restless soul, to paraphrase Saint Augustine again, could only find rest when, and if, it rested in the Lord. v Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook What has this journey of faith alongside Christian Cardinal Tumi done to, and for, me as a Christian, a journalist and a writer? Quite a lot! First of all, it has given my prayer life considerable strength, although, every so often, I still have to run to the Master with the cry: ‘I do have faith, Lord, but help me to have more!’ (Mk 9: 24). Secondly, I have come to see the way the Church functions from an angle I would otherwise never have seen. This is reflected in a number of articles included in this book on the Church and its governance. Thirdly, each time I pore over a blank sheet of paper, wondering how to stain it with my thoughts, I always hear Saint James whispering in the ear of my mind that faith devoid of action is a dead faith (Jas 2 : 14). That is why I have included articles in this book that reflect my views on issues of justice, peace, and reconciliation, themes that are so dear to our Church in Africa. I have also expressed open gratitude and admiration to, and for, people, near and far, whose actions have influenced my life in one way or another. In this journey of faith with Christian Cardinal Tumi, I have decided that all I do and all I write must be coated with the garment of my faith. My encounters with Christian Cardinal Tumi have activated, nourished and inspired my faith in myriad ways, directly and indirectly, as the articles included in this collection suggest. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam vi Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam at his office in Douala vii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Christian Cardinal Tumi Emeritus Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala Delivering a Sermon viii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Christian Cardinal Tumi in Douala ix Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. x Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Part I Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The Journey Begins 1 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 2 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 1 I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi (Revised and reproduced from Cameroon Panorama Nos. 376 of April 1993; pp. 17-19) and 377 of May 1993; pp. 18-21). Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The news of the “March for Peace”, which His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi was organising was in the air all week long, but the details were rather sketchy. That is why I was not sure of what to expect as I approached the large crowd in front of the small Saint John’s Parish Church in Deido, Douala, at 7 o’clock on the morning of January 1, 1993. No placards? What struck me as I scanned the crowd for a face to pin a name on, was the absence of placards and banners. I had thought that I would find an excited, noisy crowd waving a forest of banners and placards, bearing high-sounding slogans, calling on the powers-thatbe to restore to our land and people the peace that once was theirs. But, what I saw surprised me: just simple, ordinary people, mainly women of a certain age, many of them dressed in white or in deep blue uniforms, lining up behind a crucifix, singing songs of praise to the Lord and telling the beads of their rosaries. I was still wondering what to make of it all, when I saw Doctor Arnold Yongbang a few feet away. With Doctor Yongbang there, I began to breathe a little easier as I knew I would have answers to some of the questions I had on my mind. A few days earlier, I had stopped by his house, as I so often do whenever I need reliable information on just about anything happening in the land, to get details on the impending march, but he hadn’t been more enlightened on it than I was, not having seen nor talked with the Cardinal that past week. 3 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The Cardinal’s ring ‘You’ve answered present then, eh?’, Doctor Yongbang asked as we shook hands with each other. ‘Couldn’t miss this for anything in the world’, I remember answering him. We were still wondering about the itinerary of the march when we saw the tall figure of the Cardinal towering above a small crowd a few feet away. That was the first time I had ever come that close to His Eminence, and I wouldn’t have known how to greet him had Doctor Yongbang not immediately gone up to him, taken his hand in his and kissed the ring on it, genuflecting in the process. That was new to me; so I, too, took His Eminence’s hand in mine, brought his ringed-finger to my lips, genuflecting as I had seen Dr. Yongbang do. The action was so fast that I didn’t have the time to take a closer look at that ring as I would have loved to. Bishop Awa’s ring Just then, my mind raced back in time to the day I met Monsignor Pius Awa of Buea in his cousin, Mr. Peter Akumchi’s house in Yaounde some seven years or so earlier. That was the first time I came face-to-face with such a high-ranking official of the Catholic Church. I remember approaching him with a mixture of awe and uncertainty but, to my greatest surprise, delight and relief, Monsignor Awa suddenly said something unbelievably funny, and before I knew it, I was already at ease with him, asking him questions that have always intrigued me about the Catholic Church, and getting frank and direct answers wrapped in a seemingly inexhaustible fount of down-to-earth humour I hadn’t imagined a prince of the church could be endowed with. When I had to leave, I noticed that Bishop Awa, who had taken off the ring from his finger for a while, quickly put it back on before offering me his hand. I remember hesitating for a second, not knowing what to do, and then deciding just to shake it. Now I know I should have kissed his ring and perhaps knelt down for his blessing. That was what his Lordship probably expected me to do as well. Don’t we learn everyday! 4 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Call off the march As we greeted the Cardinal that morning, that usual, broad, warm, reassuringly contagious smile opened up on his face as he jokingly said: ‘Weti wuna di do here, you pagan people dem?’ Then, casting his eyes from that commanding height of his over the crowd that was growing by the minute, he said: ‘I hope no one shows up here in a party uniform or with a party banner’. We also echoed the same hope. Then he added: ‘The government has been very scared of this march and has sent delegation after delegation to me to call if off’. That was news to me and I asked why. ‘Well, that is because they don’t believe that a gathering of this nature at this time can be devoid of politics.’ Then he added with that disarming smile of his: ‘But, I told them this march had nothing to do with their politics. This is a purely religious event and I won’t call it off.’ I recall someone near me wondering aloud if that was the reason the place was, in his word “swarming” with CENER (secret police) agents. To prove his point, he pointed to one fellow loitering around the corner and to another one pretending to be repairing a motorbike a few feet away, but who kept shooting furtive glances at us. He also showed us another suspicious group of three or four individuals lurking at another corner who he also identified as plain-clothes men, claiming he knew their type well and that they were up to no good. I don’t know how the Cardinal would have reacted to that claim, but he didn’t hear it, busy as he was greeting those who came up to him. Many would die for Maria Just then a beautifully decorated pick-up truck drove into the mission yard, bearing the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His Eminence looked at the crowd milling about the yard and remarked, with a smile on his face: ‘There are many people in this country who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for Maria.’ Then the pick-up truck swung round and began slowly to move out of the yard. The Cardinal with one or two of his priests and some altar boys, took their places behind it, and we fell in line a few yards 5 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. behind them. As we came out onto the street, I was surprised to see that the head of the procession was nowhere in sight. I also looked behind me and the crowd in the churchyard seemed to have grown tenfold. I had no rosary! A woman next to me intoned a song in a language I guessed was Ewondo. This was followed by much hand clapping and dancing. After that song, another woman began to recite the rosary. I saw just about everyone with a rosary in hand and it suddenly dawned on me that I might be the only one there without one. For a few minutes, I felt at a loss, wondering whether I really belonged with that crowd of believers at all. What intensified that feeling of loss and guilt was the sudden realisation that I couldn’t even recite a single prayer in French correctly; neither the ‘Hail Mary’, nor the Lord’s Prayer. I then decided that I would say the prayers in English instead. There, too, I stumbled on one or two words and gave up the exercise. What of Lamnso, my native tongue? There, I had better luck, but my mind kept straying to the French prayers around me. I was still wondering how best to immerse myself in the prayers when Gregory Alem, a CRTV journalist on FM 105, walked up to me. I asked him in a whisper if he was on duty, and he said he was there to join the march, having decided that he could no longer stay on the sidelines while others were doing so much to shape the history of our land. That was why he was determined, he said, to join the Cardinal’s march for peace. The Cardinal was already nearly a kilometre ahead of me although when we started off, I was only a few yards behind him. As we went along, more and more people were joining the procession and preferring to be as close to the Cardinal and the statue of the Virgin Mary as possible. It was not long before Gregory and I were far apart from each other. 6 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Fallen by the wayside All around me, prayers and songs rose and fell as groups sent their praise and admiration to the Lord. I realised to my horror that I could neither recognise nor join in any of those songs or prayers. It then began to dawn on me that I had indeed fallen by the wayside in my religious life. Not that I hadn’t been aware of it, though; but it was how far away I had fallen from the right path that hit me with such frightening suddenness. Unable to join the chorus around me, I decided I would withdraw into myself and try to come to grips with my relationship with God since such an opportunity to stare into the rear-view mirror of my life uninterrupted for hours on end, had never presented itself to me before. As we wound our way at a snail’s pace through tiny, potholeladen streets, from Deido through Bepanda Voirie to Ndokoti and well beyond, I suddenly felt how the dregs of all those years of neglect of my Christian life had hardened and were weighing down so heavily on the shoulders of my conscience. Here I am, Lord! The only other time I felt an outsider in church was on April 22, 1992 in the Cathedral in Bamenda during the ordination of five young men into the sacred priesthood. Maika, my wife, Mrs. Rita Bomki Akumchi, her cousin, and I had travelled from Douala the Saturday before to be present at that ceremony to witness one of ours, George Tomrila Ngalim, take his place among the clergy of this nation. George has always been like a younger brother to me, just as I had been like one to his father, the late Joseph Ngalim, a simple man who had lived a simple, honest life of a great Catholic Christian. As I stood there watching George, I felt really sad that his father couldn’t be there with us to see his first son take the vow of the priesthood. In fact, I fought back a tear when George answered the Lord’s call, and his mother, accompanied by his junior brother, Stephen, standing in for his father, led him by the hand to the altar to 7 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. surrender him to His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, as their own gift to the Almighty Father. I remember His Grace Archbishop Verdzekov’s commanding voice exhorting his fellow priests to abide by the dictates of their vocation. If you cannot stand the smoke, he told them, get out of the kitchen. That was one of the most profound sermons I have ever listened to. The power of that message seemed to be amplified by the magnificence of the music, which the conducting priest, Reverend Father William Neba, standing on a raised platform, seemed to be literally pulling out of the belly of the cathedral with his arms. Music of rare beauty and intensity. Heart-lifting sounds, which I still sometimes hear, in my mind’s ear, whenever I take a momentary respite from the rat race. It brought tears to my eyes. The river of age On that day, my mind was not so much on George – even though it was his day – as it was on his father, whom the Lord had called ‘home’ some years ago. I recalled that in August of 1984 when I returned home after several years abroad, one of the first things my old mother asked of me, was to go down to Gharu, Joseph Ngalim’s compound, to greet him for, she said, he had been very ill and would be pleased to see me. My family has always considered me Joseph Ngalim’s ‘son’ because of the liking he had taken for me from the time I was only a child. I must have been only five or six years old when he, still a young primary school pupil, asked my parents to allow me to stay with him in a hut he had, like all young men of his age, built for himself in his parent’s compound of Gharu, a kilometre or so away from our compound at Mboon. I still have fond memories of those childhood days when I would play in the yard with other children of his compound while watching out for him. When he came back home, I would run up to him and he would always give me something to eat, usually a piece of meat from the day’s hunt, or a fruit. 8 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. My friends and I would sometimes play by the banks of River Mensai that takes its rise from the Ngongba hills that brood so menacingly above. River Mensai, today a mere shadow of its former self, used to rush down the hills into the valley, seeming to us who had never seen any other bigger river, frighteningly massive, as it wound and unwound itself down the valley like a huge wounded snake. We were always warned against playing too close to it as it was said to be unforgiving to anyone who was foolish enough to fall into it. Thinking of those days, over thirty years later, on that bright, sunny day in August of 1984, was like taking a ride up the river of age to those days of unblemished innocence. Out of touch As I walked down the hill leading to his house, I wondered what I would say to him. Whenever I was home on vacation, my mother would always ask me to go to Tobin and visit him and his family. He was always very happy to see me and took a keen interest in my academic progress. Unfortunately, as my quest for the ‘Golden Fleece’ took me further and further into the beckoning, wide world, I lost touch with him. So, it was with a very heavy heart and guilt feelings that I walked into his house that sunny August afternoon. As I took his hand in mine, a smile walked its way across his agony-wrinkled face. He could hardly turn his head as his neck hurt him so badly. I recall fighting hard to halt a lump that was already crawling unrelentingly up to my throat, always a prelude to a flood of tears, which I could already feel warm on my cheeks. I remember apologising profusely for my protracted silence over the years. In his usual manner, he merely smiled and said he had been wondering if he had done me wrong, but that all that was now history as he was happy I had thought of him immediately I returned home. It was then that the tears came tumbling from my eyes, a bucket-full. I was to let another generous flood of tears wash my face some months later when I learnt of his death. He had apparently 9 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook recovered and gone back to work when the illness struck again, and he succumbed to it. I was in Yaounde, trying to find a job and feed a family, and couldn’t unfortunately attend his funeral. I did, however, pray that the Lord receive him with trumpet blasts. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. August 29 Meanwhile, the Cardinal-led procession continued its slow, dignified and graceful journey through the streets of the nation’s economic capital. I came out of my reverie only long enough to notice how far we had gone, and then I was back in my shell again. I remember that a few years ago, on a dreary, rainy and foggy morning of August 29, I stood over Joseph Ngalim’s grave in the small cemetery below the Church in my village of Nkar. August 29 is a memorable day to my family, being the day my father-in-law, Pa Anthony Tala, a long-time teacher of the Catholic School in Nkar, died. On that dreary morning, my wife and I joined the other members of the family to call on the Lord to accept Pa Anthony Tala, our father and His humble servant, among His chosen flock. Afterward, I walked over to Joseph Ngalim’s grave and communed for a while with one of the greatest souls that ever lived on earth. George, then a deacon, was also present. My beloved ones Beside my father-in-law and Joseph Ngalim, many a loved one of mine also reposes in that small church cemetery. Monica Bongberi, my only sister, lies a few feet away. She had given up the struggle against a merciless ailment and had passed away right in front of my eyes some ten years earlier. I remember that even though she died in my presence, I only felt the impact of her absence one year later when I went back home on vacation. I remember standing above her compound, waiting in vain for those shouts of welcome and warm hugs and smiles of joy, which I was so used to. I stood there staring into space, tears abundantly washing my face, to the surprise of many. May the Lord Almighty place His soothing hand on Monica’s forehead! 10 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Not far from Monica, lies Gertrude, my sister-in-law. Our phone rang one summer Sunday morning in Edmonton, Canada. I picked it up and an emotion-drenched voice told me that Gertrude was no longer with us. When the impact of that reality finally hit home, I jumped up, screaming and refusing to believe what I had just been told. Her husband, Kenjo, my brother, had left Laval in Quebec, where he had been studying, only a few days before, and hadn’t even had the time to call to inform us of his safe arrival in Cameroon, when we learnt of his wife’s death. Maika, a regular church-goer, nearly pulled me by the hand to church that Sunday morning to pray for the repose of Gertrude’s soul. ‘Even if the devil has truly made his home in your heart’, I remember her telling me as I grudgingly trudged behind her, ‘at least, on a day like this, you should ask the Lord to forgive your sister-inlaw her sins and welcome her into His kingdom’. I knew she was right, although I didn’t want to seem too eager to agree with her. I did, however, follow her to church to ask God to welcome Gertrude among His chosen few. John, my boyhood friend. A few feet away, under a fresh mound of earth, lies one of my childhood friends, John Fondzeyuf. John and I had served our first Mass as altar boys together way back then. I remember shocking my mother by waking up too early to go to church that day. John and I had been selected the previous day to serve our first Mass that morning, and had been warned not to be late. Despite my mother’s threats to tan my skin if I didn’t go back to bed immediately, I left for church, arriving when it was still very dark and, to my surprise, John was already there, dressed and waiting. You could have heard our heart-beats a mile away as we later accompanied the priest to the altar under the close and critical scrutiny of the elder altar boys, our trembling backs to the congregation. I still find it difficult to believe that John is no longer with us. I hadn’t been able to attend his funeral, but the impact of his death had hit me a few months later when I went to greet his family in Yaounde. 11 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. I walked in and was greeted by John’s picture staring at me from the wall. I sat down on one of the all-too-familiar chairs, talking to Aloysia, his wife, and it was just as it had always been. It even looked as if John would walk out of the room any time to join us. I could still hear his voice, in my mind’s ear, as usual noisily contesting my claim to a traditional title, calling me, albeit jokingly, an impostor. We would then engage in friendly gibes at each other for hours on end. As those memories made their way back to mind, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and it was with some difficulty that I held them back from his children. May the Lord give John a huge pat of welcome on the back! In that small cemetery, lie people who have been precious to me. Hopefully, when my own time runs out, my mortal remains, too, will join those of my loved ones at one corner of that cemetery. My soul, God willing, will link hands with all my family members who have slept in the Lord to give praise and thanks to God Almighty for eternity. Peace with myself Those were the thoughts that were winding their way through my mind at the same snail’s pace as we went through the streets of Douala. Never before that day did I realise how much I needed to incise my past as a way of coming to full grips with my present life of a fallen Christian. Thereafter, I suddenly felt at peace with myself. I still, however, felt inadequate before the Lord. I couldn’t remember the last time I ever spent more than a few minutes in church. I would, more often than not, drive my family to the church door, drop them there, only coming back for them when I knew the Mass was over. I had always found spending an hour in church unbearably boring, and I was wondering if I would stand the Cardinal’s Mass that was to follow the march. Peace on earth However, no sooner had the Cardinal arrived than he was at the altar saying Mass. I remember Gregory Alem and I earlier expressing 12 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. the fear that, at his age, the Cardinal might not stand the tempo of such a long march; but there he was, still looking strong and preaching peace on earth to men and women of good will. As I listened to him, he seemed to be talking to me personally. The peace he talked of seemed to be making a home in my mind and in my heart. Since then, I cannot say that I have suddenly become an ideal Christian, but at least I do now feel the urge to lead my family, not only to the church door, but right into the church itself. There, I listen without the urge to glance at my watch. The message of the Gospel has been tickling my heart these days more than at any other time of my life. Even though I will never open my mouth in church to sing for fear of offending whoever may be standing near me, I have always had a weakness for church music which, over the past few months, has been sounding even more splendid than ever before. God bless the clergy The Cardinal’s march for peace seems to have done me much good. Only the other day, not only did I listen with unusual attention to, but was also profoundly moved by Archbishop Verdzekov’s pastoral letter denouncing torture in our land. I remember bowing my head and asking God to bless the Archbishop and the victims of torture in our land. However, I still haven’t found the courage to pray for those who order or execute torture, as the Archbishop recommends. How can one ever do that? I wonder. Not long ago, though, I would never have thought that God could listen to someone like me, and the idea of praying for no less an eminence than an archbishop could never have occurred to me. Maybe the indescribable satisfaction I felt after that prayer is a good indication that the Lord did, after all, listen to His humble servant! It seems by marching with Christian Cardinal Tumi for peace in our land, I had found that much desired but elusive peace with myself. A prayer for the Cardinal. May he too remember my family and me in his prayers. 13 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 2 I spent a week with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi (Reproduced from Cameroon Panorama Nos. 385, 386, 387, 388 and 389 of January through May 1994). The desire to spend a week of rest and meditation with the Cistercian Monks in Mbengwi took root in my mind, in my heart and in my soul in early 1993 after I heeded a call from his Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi to join him on a “March for Peace” in our country2. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Should we join the march? In fact, the decision to join the Cardinal’s march was not an easy one to take. I remember Maika and I sitting up late at night, after our three kids had gone to bed, wondering whether to participate in it or not. If yes, who should go? The two of us, or just one person? Our indecision was understandable given the brutality with which the “law-keepers” of this land have so far handled any popular display of discontent with the status quo. Not that long ago, tear-gas canisters and grenades could be heard popping from street corners in Douala like champagne corks, leaving in their wake pavements caked by blood that had oozed from shattered limbs and split skulls. Strange hearse I was once a witness to the strangest ‘hearse’ that has perhaps ever been paraded anywhere: a wheel-barrow, bearing a young chap, way below his teens, struck down by a murderous bullet from a trigger-happy policeman’s pistol. That ‘hearse’ was being riotously escorted around town by a crowd of bloodshot-eyed, bare-chested, sweat-soaked kids, many of them foaming at the mouth, and loudly daring nervous, gun-totting soldiers to stop them. That was indeed a frightening scene in a land that has always prided itself as an oasis of peace in a mercurial sub-region prone to instability. 14 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. That is why the Cardinal’s call for a march for peace caused us such anxiety. We both would have liked to join, but, we wondered, what if it turned out ugly and bloody? Wouldn’t it be foolish, at this time when responsible parenthood is an expression that is so warm on everyone’s lips, for a mother and a father to abandon their kids in the house to walk together into what had virtually become a battleground? Sacrificial lamb Those were some of the searching questions we had to wrestle with before finally deciding that I should go alone. If any mishap were to happen to me -- God forbid! -- Maika would then have to join the increasing class of widows that some people’s greed for power was daily creating in this land. It turned out -- thank God! -- that there was no violence at all. There was not even an armed, riot-shielded police force anywhere in sight; just one mammoth crowd, the largest I have seen anywhere in this land, and I have seen some crowd-pulling events here in Douala lately. A crowd, armed not with politically-marinated, slogan-studded placards, but with the simple armour of prayers and hymns of praise to the Lord Almighty. Five hours and nearly 30 kilometres later, with the gruelling Douala sun and heat enveloping us like foam, the impossible had happened to me; I had stared so long and so deep into my Christian life, or rather what was left of it, that I took a firm decision to run back for shelter under the protective canopy of Mother Church, that is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and universal in its immensity! Shun falsehood I remember that a few months after immortalising my impressions of that march in Cameroon Panorama, I was part of a huge crowd of Nso people who had gathered at the Saint Louis’ Church grounds in Bonaberi, to meet with His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi. In fact, it was a kind of a long-overdue event as the 15 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Nso community in Douala had not yet had the opportunity to meet His Eminence since he arrived in Douala nearly two years earlier. The occasion had begun with a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by the Cardinal himself, assisted by a number of priests. His Eminence’s homily was dedicated to truth. Seek the truth and shun falsehood, he urged the attentive congregation. He regretted that falsehood had already made such deep inroads into the very fabric of the Cameroonian society that many have come to accept it as a normal part of life. He cited the simple example of age in Cameroon today. Ask any one his/her age, the Cardinal said, and the likely answer would be: “My official or school age is …, my true age is …”. The situation has already become so ridiculous, his Eminence continued, that some children are now even officially older than their parents! The congregation greeted this with much mirth. Joy in heaven It was after that light-hearted but profound homily that the Cardinal called me to his side. He had, he said, read my impressions of the march I had with him in Cameroon Panorama and had enjoyed it immensely. I said I felt flattered by his observation. He then wondered if I had ever read the Confessions of Saint Augustine as my writing sounded much like his. When the answer was negative, he promised he would get me a copy, which he did some months later. I remember Maika and I paying him a courtesy visit later, and I wondered how someone like me, who had had nothing to do with the church and her sacred sacraments for so many years, could do to regain favours in the eyes of the Lord. The Cardinal’s response was that there was no specific time for anyone to come back to the bosom of the Lord, and that whenever that happens, there is always much rejoicing in heaven because one soul has repented. Write to the monks I took the Cardinal’s answer in my hand and decided to look for a calm, isolated place to reflect on it. I was wondering where to go 16 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. when a colleague of mine, Ms Lucia Nnam Chuo, suggested I try the Monastery in Mbengwi. She said she went there frequently, and that for meditation, prayers and spiritual counselling, I was not likely to find a better place than that. She then gave me the address of her “Spiritual Father”, Reverend Father Pius Okoye, himself a monk. Care-free days I had, of course, heard of people spending time in Mbengwi, but had never thought that I would one day be a candidate myself. I remember going to that monastery once back in the seventies, to buy a wedding cake for my brother. The monks then had a reputation for making particularly good but inexpensive pastry. In those days, I considered those monks a bunch of crazy people who had fled the reality of daily life to hide in the hills of Mbengwi. Bamenda town then was really a place to be in. What with those countless night clubs and bars where live brass bands held you spell bound on the slippery floor for hours on end, with multi-coloured bulbs gyrating on the ceiling and bathing the turbulent, sweat-soaked crowd on the floor in a rainbow of colours! One of those bars in particular – I believe it was called “Happy Day Bar” – was a favourite spot for many of us, from the University of Yaoundé on holiday in town. University students of those days were “swimming” in cash which they spent with astonishing lavishness. I remember a certain musician, who played in the band in that bar had, as one of his credentials, which he loudly brandished to anyone who cared to listen, the mere fact that he had once played in a band in Bangui, and claimed to speak fluent Lingala, or some such language. For that fact alone, he felt superior to every other musician in town, and drank considerable beer; at our expense, of course. Crime-free town Life in Bamenda town was throbbing with much excitement, the town being virtually crime-free, and you could go and come as you wished, well into the early hours of the morning. 17 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. That was why I could not understand why anyone would give up that life for what looked to me like the drab, cold and depressingly quiet life of the monastery. I was in my early twenties then, and always had many unprintable things to say whenever the bells of the Big Mankon church disturbed my morning sleep, our house being located in Metta Quarters, less than half-a-mile away. Irony or ironies, nearly twenty years later, I was back to the same monastery, no longer the free-spirited, I-don’t-give-a-damn young man of those days, but a humble father of a family, already subdued by the slings and buffets of age, more confused now than ever before, and seeking solace in what someone has called “the deep pool of spiritual quietness”; a mere prodigal in quest of spiritual nourishment. The same people I had dismissed as sheer fugitives from reality, were the ones I was now turning to for quietude and reflection. Monastery, cold and silent My brother, Kenjo, and my sister-in-law, Joan, accompanied me to Mbengwi on a rainy, cold and windy Sunday afternoon of August 1, 1993. As we approached the monastery, that massive structure stared at us, cold, silent, and sealed from the outside. A note on the door warned us that since that Sunday was the first of that month, stricter silence was required. The silence was not only strict, it was truly profound. Kenjo gave a buzz on the door. A few minutes later, keys rattled in the keyhole, and the door flung open, revealing a strongly-built, tall, white monk with neatly cropped hair, a clean chin and eyes that darted here and there behind a pair of thick, horn-rimmed glasses. Invitation to benediction After the habitual hellos! I showed him a letter from Father Pius. “Hello, Martin, I’m Brother William, the Guest Master”, he said with a smile. “I’ve been expecting you. Come right in”. He held the door open for us and we walked in. He asked if we would like to join them in church since it was already benediction time. The answer being affirmative, he said he would show me to my room later, and then led 18 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. the way up a flight of stairs and out at the back to the church some one hundred metres or so away. The beauty of your hymns What immediately struck me as I took a seat in the small chapel was the deep silence reigning therein. The altar section was very spacious, the altar itself occupying the central position. A line of chairs ran along the walls, with three others, bigger and more comfortable, occupying the mid section, which I rightly guessed would be for the officiating priests. The church walls were surprisingly bare; instead of the colourful, saint-studded windowpanes one usually associates with churches, what I was gazing at were just plain window-panes that let in a bright, but austere light. I was still exploring the bare walls of the church with my eyes when the deep bellows of an organ suddenly fell from the other side of the church that was shielded off from the lay section by a wall. I felt like pushing away that wall to unveil the organ, which had by now intensified in strength, rising up in pleasantly soothing waves. For the one week I was to spend in the monastery, I came to look forward to that music with intense eagerness. Listening to those monks sing, I could understand what Saint Augustine meant when he wrote: “I wept at the beauty of your hymns, and I was profoundly moved at the sweet sound of your Church’s singing. Those sounds flowed into my ears, and the truth streamed into my heart. My feeling of devotion overflowed, and the tears ran from my eyes, and I was happy in them”3. Benediction and terror There was a flurry of movements from the other side of the wall and the music suddenly fell silent. Then the monks began to walk out onto the open altar section, one after the other, taking their seats along the wall. They were all dressed in white cassocks with cowls attached to the back of the neck. Then five or six priests arrived and the Chief Celebrant began the service. 19 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Benediction and terror have always held hands in my mind. The reason dates back to the early 60s when, as a young altar boy, I served benediction under a Dutch priest of the Mill Hill Congregation, nicknamed “Fara Nji”. May eternal rest be his! I have never known how he got his nickname, but the mere mention of it sent tremors down the spines of many people in my village. “Fara Nji” was indeed the incarnation of brutality. I was a witness on several occasions to some truly disturbing and humiliating kicks he took delight in giving to the behinds of even elderly men and women whom we venerated for the wisdom which their ages conferred on them. I once saw him slap an old woman just because she happened to have smiled near him, and he didn’t seem to have liked her kolanut-stained teeth! I know of more than one person who received such humiliating treatment, walked out of church and never ever looked back again. “Fara Nji” probably never heard this wise advice the saintly Redemptorist priest, Father Francis Xavier Seelos, once gave to a young priest, an advice that is perhaps more relevant today than it was then: “The priest who is rough with the people does injury both to himself and to others. Thousands reject the Church and perish in eternity simply because they have been badly treated by a priest”4. Fara Nji stubbed his foot One day, a friend and I were serving benediction under “Fara Nji”. It was my role to pick up the cushion on which he was kneeling whenever he stood up to go up to the altar. In those days, the priest and the altar boys kneeled backing the congregation during services. I was apparently distracted because I didn’t realise the priest was already up. My friend, realising my inattention, bent down to pick up the cushion himself. It was precisely at that moment that I recovered from my reverie and also reached for it. As we tugged on both ends of that doughy cushion, “Fara Nji” stubbed his foot on it and almost landed nose first on the floor. Shocked surprise rippled through the congregation as he swung round in fury to face me. 20 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. I remember my teeth chattering in my mouth as I clenched them hard in anticipation of the blow I knew would not fail to come. Had “Fara Nji” not been known to administer violent kicks to people’s behinds for much less “offences”? However, to everyone’s surprise, he merely grunted, stared at me in suppressed anger for what seemed to me an eternity, before walking up to the altar. When I managed to stand up from where I was kneeling, my knees nearly wobbled under me. On my forehead, stood visible beads of sweat, and I could feel some of it coursing down my neck. Even later in the sacristy, I still expected to be beaten, but when nothing happened, “Fara Nji” deciding to ignore me with a royal disdain, news went round the village that the man might, after all, be growing old. Who had ever heard of such a thing? “Fara Nji” missing a golden opportunity to land a well-aimed kick to anyone’s behind? No! No!, people said, shaking their heads in utter disbelief. Age, everyone seemed to agree, was beginning to play tricks with him. Nostalgic yearnings From every indication, however, it would seem not everyone in my village hated or feared “Fara Nji”. Just only a few months ago, my brother Bongfen and I met one of his classmates of those days, who expressed regret that the type of discipline “Fara Nji” had imposed on the Church had been eroded by sloppy neglect. Loudly pronouncing “Fara Nji” a saint, this fellow, who is himself notorious in our village for senseless acts of violence, asked me if I had been to church lately. When I said I had, he asked if I wasn’t appalled by what he called the ‘market atmosphere’ that has taken hold of the church these days. Swaying from side to side under the weight of alcohol, he declared the church these days a mess, loudly regretting that there was no longer any priest around with “Fara Nji’s” stamina “to beat sense” into the heads of church-goers. So, while some of us quiver at the mere thought of the ‘blood and iron’ Bismarckian discipline of those days, someone yearns for it! 21 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. A ceremony steeped in gentleness I believe my misadventure with “Fara Nji” was the last time I attended benediction until the other day at the monastery. That must have been why just prior to that benediction service, I still felt the jitters of that Sunday evening, well over thirty years before. I could still see the stern contours of “Fara Nji’s” face in the fading horizon of my mind, staring at me with repressed rage. However, the monastic benediction was a complete contrast to “Fara Nji’s”. The chief celebrant, Father Clement, officiated over a ceremony steeped in unbelievable gentleness, humility and grace. Every gesture bore the weight of meticulous tenderness. This feeling was intensified by the music that almost brought tears to my eyes. My room After the ceremony, Kenjo and Joan left and I stood alone looking round the small guest room I occupied. What struck me immediately was the spartan austerity around me: the furniture, the curtains on the window, the small camp-like bed, the bedding, the reading table, the chair, the small sink at the corner, the towel, etc., were all impeccably clean, but that was a cleanliness that bore the weight of age. You couldn’t help feeling that you were indeed in very humble surroundings. The house rules, which Brother William had given me earlier, stressed silence as the golden rule. They identified the congregation hosting me as a Cloistered, Contemplative Order that seeks encounter with God through silence. No radio or tape-recorder was allowed without headphones. Meeting Monsignor Hishon I was still surveying my room when a gong went for the evening meal. I had been told to expect that gong three times a day: at 8 a.m. for breakfast, 12:30 p.m. for lunch, and 7 p.m. for dinner. I went to the Guest House refectory a few feet away and saw a long table around which stood several chairs. Already seated and waiting for me were Monsignor Ron Hishon of Small Mankon, and a young boy he 22 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. introduced as his altar boy. Had they come together? I wondered. No, I was told the young lad had been there a few days before, but Monsignor Hishon had just come in as well I was, of course, meeting him for the first time. He said he had been ill and had been unable to accompany the other priests of the Bamenda Archdiocese who had earlier gone to Bambui for a retreat. He had therefore decided to come to Mbengwi both to rest and, at the same time, have his own retreat. I expressed surprise that there were still English priests working in Cameroon and, I believe, he said there were two of them here. Asked how long he has been here, he said he had come to Cameroon in the seventies on a special arrangement between his Bishop and the Archbishop of Bamenda. He had gone back home and had been sent to head a seminary in the northern Spanish city of Valladolid. Murdered for their faith I was surprised to hear that the English have a seminary in Spain. Monsignor Hishon said that as Catholics were being persecuted in the England of those days, the idea came up to establish seminaries abroad. Those who wished to pursue seminary studies either went to Rome or to Spain. Unfortunately, many of them went back home as priests only to be put to death shortly thereafter. There is, if I recall what he said correctly, a list of martyrs, former students of that seminary, on the seminary wall. We had much to talk about Spain, a country I had also lived in for a year back in the seventies, when I was a student of Spanish studies at the “Universidad Complutense” in Madrid. I had visited the city of Valladolid on my way to the historic cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where for centuries, pilgrims trooped to visit the grave of Saint James. Needless to say that my interest in those days was purely academic, since, as a student of Spanish art, I was required to make a pilgrimage to that cathedral, as to many others throughout Spain, including numerous fabulous mosques studding Spain, legacies of centuries of Moorish domination of the Iberian Peninsular. 23 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Restless in silence My first night at the monastery was not an easy one. Instructions required that all guests be back in their rooms by 8:30 p.m. I had no radio, no television, and no telephone. I didn’t mind the absence of television since I hardly ever watch Cameroon television anyway, but I always listen to the radio, mainly foreign radio stations: the BBC, VOA, etc. I missed the telephone as I would have liked to call home to find out how Maika and the kids were doing. I was restless in that silence, which was so thick you could reach out and grab it with your hand. I glanced at my watch every five minutes, wondering if I would ever be able to sleep. To make matters worse, the unforgiving weather planted a violent cough in my chest and blocked my nostrils with a stubborn cold that stayed with me for the week I was there. Finding the Lord in silence I paced up and down my small room that was enveloped in a thick foam of silence. I looked at my watch again. Only 9:30! I almost swore obscenely, but remembered just in time where I was. I picked up the Confessions of Saint Augustine and began to read. Barely half an hour later, my mind began to wander again. If only there was a phone, I thought, I would call home. From the din of Douala, a city that never sleeps, to the deep silence of Mbengwi; boy, what a world of a difference! My eyes strayed up the wall to the crucifix. I stared at it intensely for a while and suddenly had the uneasy feeling that the Lord could just unhook Himself, climb down from there, and sit opposite me. I took fright and quickly left the table to sit on the small camp bed. When I later reflected on my action, I thought it was truly ironic that I could be searching for the Lord, for that is what I was doing, and yet shy away from the mere thought of Him coming to sit by me! I have read of people who spend hours on their knees yearning for the Lord to come to them. That my first reaction was to run away from Him was perhaps an indication that I still had a long way to go in my spiritual quest. 24 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Vigil It looked as if I was in bed for barely thirty minutes when the church bell rang. I turned on the lights and looked at my watch. What! 2:15 in the morning! What in the world would these people be ringing the bell at that ungodly hour for? I nearly shouted, to no one in particular. But then, the gentle breeze began to float into my room, bringing with it the soothing music from the melodious voices of the monks. It was as limpid and pure as the cold air around me. It felt like a soothing balm on my anger. I sat up listening to it, but despite its magnetic appeal, I still felt too weak to stand up and join the monks in church as I would have loved to do. Satan seemed to be standing resolutely tall and insurmountable on my way, fanning my eyes back to sleep. Later that day, I could not help asking Father Pius why anyone would dare wake up that early in the morning. He responded that the monks always kept a vigil in the early hours of the morning. Didn’t I know, he asked, that monumental events always happen at night? The Lord’s birth, his sufferings prior to his crucifixion, darkness enveloping the world when the Lord died, etc. So, each night, the monks keep a vigil in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Morning Mass That morning, the church bell again rang out at 6:15. I sat in the pew with three other people listening to the refreshingly soothing sound of the music from the choir hidden from view by the wall. The lingering anger from the previous night was slowly receding, being peeled away by the enthralling sound of the music that was inviting my soul to prepare itself for Holy Mass, with its symbolic reenactment of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, for the salvation of mankind. The music suddenly fell silent and the monks began to walk up to the altar, one after the other, slowly, wearily and silently. I was immediately struck by the long, voluminous arms of their gowns that 25 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook seemed to stretch right to the ground. I could guess that those arms helped to keep their hands and arms warm in the cold weather. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Shortly thereafter, five or six priests, including Monsignor Hishon, walked up to the altar, kissed it in turn and took their seats by the wall. They were followed by the chief celebrant, Father Clement, a man of medium height with a slight stoop in his gait. He sported an impeccably white beard and behind his dark, horn-rimmed glasses, a pair of limpidly clear eyes stared searchingly at you. I marvelled at the clarity of his voice as he invited all of us to prepare ourselves for Holy Mass by calling to mind our sins. Throughout the Mass, I was struck by his simple, unhurrying gestures that were at the same time so majestically moving. He lifted up every word with care and respect, leaving you in no doubt that those words came from the bottom of his heart. Distractions I had never seen Mass anywhere said with such solemnity. The impression I usually have in most churches is that the priests want to get it over with as quickly as possible so as to rush off to “more urgent matters” elsewhere. On several instances during that Mass, I was a victim of distractions. I couldn’t help regretting that there was no phone for me to call home. I even caught myself wondering how best to describe the scene I was witnessing. The writer in me seemed to be wondering with the Psalmist how best to make “my tongue the pen of a ready writer” (Ps:45:1). Distractions in church have always posed a particular problem to me. I remember walking past a beauty parlour one day and, to my astonishment, there was a man I knew very well sitting among women, a hair-dryer sitting like a pot upside-down his head. Frankly, I had never known men too could be admitted into such places! The next day, I went to church and saw the gentleman walk in. From that moment until the Mass ended, I couldn’t think of anything else, but 26 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. of him sitting under a dryer, among women; a particularly shocking sight that seemed, I couldn’t say why, to hurt my pride as a man. I was worried of the increasing distractions I was facing, but then I recalled that no less an eminence than Saint Augustine himself had also been a victim of such distractions in prayers: “When my heart becomes the receptacle of distractions … and the container for a mass of empty thoughts, then too my prayers are often interrupted and distracted; and in your sight, while I am directing the voice of my heart to your ears, frivolous thoughts somehow rush in and cut short an inspiration of the deepest importance”5. The value of silence One of the things that struck me with the Mass at the monastery was the place of silence. After the reading of the Gospel, and shortly after Holy Communion, everyone sits down, head bowed for what looks like an eternity. No one moves. Time itself seems to suspend its flight for that length of time. In those moments, I thought of what Doctor Norman Vincent Peale, the great American exponent of positive thinking, once wrote about silence: “[It] conditions the mind to those sharper illuminations which surely come from God working in your thoughts. Divine guidance is always spoken in a still, small voice. You can scarcely hear it in confusion – certainly not in excited panic, nor when your mind is filled with anxiety. You cannot perceive God’s will in the midst of noise, (…) especially noise within”6. As I watched that row of bowed heads, I wondered what could be going through their minds. Were they like me whose mind kept rushing back to my family in Douala, or had they disciplined their own minds so well that they could zoom them exclusively on the Lord? That “deep pool of spiritual quietness” brought to mind the words of Saint Augustine: “Let us leave a little room for reflection, room too for silence. Enter into yourself, and leave behind all noise and confusion. Look within yourself. See whether there is some 27 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. delightful hidden place in your consciousness where you can be free from noise and argument, where you need not be carrying on your disputes and planning to have your own stubborn way. Hear the word in quietness, that you may understand it” (Sermon 52, 22). Confession After Mass that first day, Father Pius came to see me. He had met me briefly the previous evening and had inquired about my faith. I had told him that what was left of it was probably not worth talking about. He had smiled and told me not to worry, that many had been there before, like me, and that prayers and reflection had healed their souls. He didn’t see why that would not happen to me as well. All I had to do was trust the Lord and He would work wonders for me, as He always does for anyone who runs to him. He then recommended that I read Luke Chapter 5, the story of the lost sheep, the lost drachma and the prodigal son. Going through it, I recalled what Cardinal Tumi had told me several weeks before of rejoicing in heaven at the repentance of a lost soul. Father Pius also brought other reading material, especially on confession and the rosary. He talked to me lengthily about the origin of such prayers as “Hail Mary” and Our Lord’s Prayer, situating each of them within the tradition of the church. We discussed confession and its significance in depth, and he recommended I prepare myself for confession by reviewing the literature he had given me on it. That was going to be my first confession in perhaps well over one quarter of a century, and I was somewhat nervous about it. As I went down on my knees before that simple monk that Monday evening, I felt so unworthy of the care he was taking to cure my soul from so many years of neglect of the Lord. On my knees before him, I saw the contrast between us, standing out stark and bare. While I am a man of the world, who would rather listen to music, or read poetry than pray, he is a man who has dedicated his entire life to God. I could see the details of his hands roughened by hard work in the fields or in one of the workshops. I had been told that the monks consider ordinary labour too as part of their prayers. 28 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Holy Communion The next morning, I looked forward to Holy Mass with some excitement. It reminded me of the first time, well over three decades ago, when I had, for the first time, stuck out my tongue and “Fara Nji” had placed Holy Communion on it. My friends and I held Holy Communion in an awe that bordered on terror. We had all heard of what was said to have happened to a certain woman who had received the host and had surreptitiously taken it out of her mouth and taken it home to her “pagan” neighbours. One of them, we were told, had playfully thrown it on the fire and the whole house is said to have suddenly been engulfed in blood, threatening to drown the occupants. The panicky neighbours are said to have rushed to the parish priest, who came and blessed the blood-filled house, and when the blood receded, retrieved the host from the fire, where it was said to have lain, sparkling like a star. That morning at the monastery, well over three decades later, I still felt the weight of that legend on me as I waited for Father Clement to place the host on my tongue. In fact, I was so eager to receive it that my tongue was already dangling out of my mouth long before the priest arrived. I did not even remember to acknowledge with an “Amen” when the good priest reminded me that I was about to receive the body of Christ Himself. I rushed back to my seat, cherishing the flavour of the host that had, for one strange reason or another, decided to stick like gum onto my palate. I remember having to wiggle my tongue with some tact before dislodging it from there. I couldn’t help wondering if that was not what might have happened to the lady in the aforementioned story. Shedding tears What happened to me thereafter could best be described as a “miracle”. I am not someone who is unnecessarily sentimental and if someone else had told me an experience like this, I would have dismissed it as sheer sentimentalism. However, after I had succeeded to devour the sacred host, I suddenly felt as if a heavy load had been 29 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. lifted off my shoulders. An unbelievable feeling of relief started to descend on me and tears began to flow uncontrollably from my eyes. It was a good thing the few people in church were so immersed in their own prayers that no one saw me shedding tears. I suddenly felt like a “new” member of a family from which I had unwisely excluded myself, and I wept unashamedly. From that day on, whenever Father Pius came for our daily rosary, those prayers no longer sounded boring and repetitive. Despite the inclement weather and the nasty cold and cough that were exacting much more than their own share of punishment on me, I began to feel as if I belonged to the monastery too. The afternoons I had to myself for prayers and reading passed smoothly, and I remember once being surprised that time could have passed so quickly without my noticing it. Mass for my family On Thursday afternoon, the eve of my departure, Father Pius dedicated his usual weekly Thursday afternoon Holy Mass exclusively to my family. I had never before had the privilege of being the centre of so much holy attention, and I felt truly unworthy of it. When I had to leave the next day, I felt I was leaving friends behind, people who had cared for my soul, people who had provided me a quiet corner, far from the noisy din of Douala, to meditate on my salvation. I left Mbengwi with my mind clear on a number of things. I discovered to my astonishment that the rosary is a prayer that could be said with delight and relative ease. I remember one afternoon after Father Pius had talked to my about the significance of the rosary, I suddenly felt the urge to pray. I picked up the rosary, opened my prayer book, so as not to miss the mysteries and some of the stillunfamiliar prayers, fixed my eyes on the crucifix on the wall, signed myself, and was surprised at how easy and delightful it truly could be to say the rosary. 30 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Prayer for my family From then on, I remember saying it a few more times, alone. I also realised that to my horror that I had never really included my family in my prayers before – at least, the few times in the past when I had ever bowed my heat to pray. To me, providing the material needs and giving them the love a father and a husband should give his family, was enough. In Mbengwi, Father Pius kept asking me to think of my wife and children in my prayers. It was then that I realised how Lucky I am to have such a wonderful family : a good wife and three strong, healthy children, and I thanked God Almighty for it. I remember also thanking the Lord for giving me a wife who has stuck faithfully by my side, especially when, as someone once said with a poetic flourish, dark clouds of despair had loomed thick and menacing over our heads in foreign lands. It was frightening to come to the sudden realisation that I had never thought of Maika in my prayers before. It took Mbengwi for me to render her that long over-due service. The Church as a place of reflection One thing I came to realise in Mbengwi was just how important a place a church is for reflection. I remember walking to the chapel every so often throughout the day, just to be alone with my thoughts, sometimes thoughts that were not always religious in nature. I would sit there just rummaging through my life and I would leave feeling astonishingly relaxed. Positive thinker, Doctor Normal Vincent Peale, says that the church is « … a wonderful source of security because this is where people, for générations, have congregated in an effort to bring the health-producing, life-changing laws of God together in a single concentrated expérience. Church worship is much more than a formal duty to perform. (…) It is your exposure to the greatest of all power. In fact, a vital church is the greatest power relay station in existence. Through it flows the vibrant life-changing energy of Almighty God himself »7. No truer words have ever been spoken ! 31 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The presence of others Another significant event that happened to me at the monastery was the presence of Monsignor Hishon. I learnt a great deal from him about the Catholic Church in both Europe and Cameroon. We always had time at meals to talk about one aspect of the Church or another, and I came to cherish those discussions immensely. I also recall the arrival a day before my departure of two members of the Focolare Movement : Demi, a Filipino, from Fontem, and Jean, a Malgache, from Bamenda. From them, I learnt much about their movement, which had organised a recent world-wide télévision programme dubbed « Family Fest ». Monsignor Hishon and I left Mbengwi the same day. Prior to our departure, I went to his room, went down on my knees and asked him for his blessing, which he readily gave, after a short prayer. So I left Mbengwi steeped in prayers. I felt like a newly minted coin. Morning prayers. I remember Father Pius telling me I could now go back to my daughter and tell her that I was now a fullfledged Christian. I had told him that one Saturday I had asked Simolen, my daughter, who seemed unusually reluctant to leave the house, to quickly go to the parish so as not to be late for doctrine classes. She surprised me by asking why I did not go with her to doctrine classes as well. I told her I received Holy Communion several years before. She had then wondered why she had never seen my receiving Holy Communion before. That had come as an unexpected surprise to me and had made me really uncomfortable for many months thereafter. In fact, when I received Holy Communion that morning, I wished she were there to see me. I remember bowing my head down in prayer and asking God to bless her and her two brothers and guide them along the path of righteousness. One thing I have been doing ever since I left Mbengwi is to wake up each morning with a prayer, thanking God for having kept Watch over my family during the night and asking him to take us into his 32 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook hands during the day. That is an advice I took from an anonymous poet who wrote the following enlightening verses : Every morning, lean thine arms awhile Upon the window-sill of Heaven, And gaze upon the Lord … Then, with that vision in thy heart, Turn strong to meet the day.8 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. As I reflect on my one week stay with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi, I recall the words of Saint Gregory, talking about some poor peasants : « By their example, they keep me fastened to the peaceful shore of prayer whenever I am tossed about by the endless waves of worldly affairs». When the rat race threatens to overwhelm me, I do pose for a moment to think of the Cistercian monks in the hills of Mbengwi. Then a simple prayer pops to mind, and I feel at peace with myself and with the world around me. 33 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Part II Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. My Prayer Life Firms Up 34 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 35 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 1 Come, follow me! Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. On Sunday, July 24, 2007, the Catholic men of the Douala Archdiocese held the general assembly of the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA) at the Our Lady of Annunciation Parish in Bonamoussadi. I was asked to lead the assembly in a bible reading but I preferred to reflect with the group on three words from Sacred Scripture: “Come, follow me!”, some of the most frequent words on the lips of our Blessed Lord as he began his public ministry. Introductory remarks Generally, during CMA-organised Masses, the priest would often give time for members to go out into the congregation to ‘fish out’ and bring to the fore, against the background of the beautiful CMA anthem, potential candidates for CMA membership. The Catholic Women’s Association (CWA) has come up with a much more colourful version; the women go out in search of potential members with candles alight; the candles symbolizing Christ, the light of the universe. “I am the light of the world,” says the Lord, “anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). When we take our brothers by the hand and ask them to follow us, we are merely re-enacting what Christ himself did on several occasions at the beginning of his public ministry. He went out in search of faithful followers who would take his message of salvation to the four corners of the earth. Thus, the words: “Come, follow me,” became some of the most frequent words our Redeemer pronounced as he screened potential candidates for discipleship; those who would suffer persecution and even martyrdom in his name because he would be sending them out to hostile territory, like sheep among wolves (Mt 10:16). 36 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. They must therefore be men of steel will because Christ’s enemies would only be too happy and ready to hand them over to the courts to be condemned for their faith; to synagogues for scourging, and to governors and kings to be bound hands and feet and thrown into dungeons for daring to preach his word (Mt. 10: 17-23). These three words of divine invitation, “Come, follow me!”, which still ring in our ears as fresh as when they were pronounced well over two thousand years ago, constitute the subject of our meditation. They have been echoing down the corridors of human ears from one generation to another for centuries, and they still carry the urgency of those early days because then, as now, the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few (Lk 10:2). Let us therefore reflect on the Lord’s invitation in two phases: first of all, how Christ calls his disciples in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke); and secondly, how he calls them in the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel according to John. In my conclusion, I point out the obligation we all have to extend Christ’s invitation “Come, follow me!” to our own brothers and sisters, especially those whose faith has weakened, for one reason or another, or those who have not yet heard our Lord’s call to sanctity. Evangelisation territory Our Lord’s evangelisation territory starts off rather small as he sends his disciples only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10: 6), which he himself has come to redeem. It would later take the unrelenting persistence and strong faith of a stubborn Canaanite woman, whose daughter is possessed by a demon (Mt 15: 21-28), for our Blessed Lord to start changing his policy of “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He would later abandon this policy altogether when the said “lost sheep of the house of Israel” reject his message of salvation, thus forcing him, as it were, to turn his full attention to the whole world. It is then that he tells his disciples, and us this day, to “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Gospel of creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16: 15-17); 37 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28: 18-20). With such a vast territory to conquer, Christ necessarily needs faithful followers under a strong leadership because the harvest is plentiful, but the harvesters are few (Lk 10:2). The three words, “Come, follow me!”, become the hallmark of our Lord’s command to a select few, a band of timid followers, who are still wondering if they are doing the right thing by following him. Let us begin with the synoptic gospels. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called “synoptic” (from the Greek word which means “seen together” or “seen at a glance”) because of their remarkable similarity to each other. They narrate the events of Christ’s life, including his call of his apostles, in very similar ways. According to Matthew, Jesus called his first disciples by the Lake of Galilee. “As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him” (Mt. 4: 18-22). The pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, receive an instant call and respond instantly. The same instant call and prompt reaction characterize Mark’s description of Christ’s call to his first disciples: “As he was walking along by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon’s brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. At once he 38 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. called them and, leaving their father in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him" (Mk 1: 16-20). If Matthew and Mark give such a similar account of the call of Christ’s first disciples, what does Luke say about it? Saint Luke gives his account a lot more flesh than does Matthew or Mark. Whereas Matthew and Mark show us that Jesus is meeting those he is calling to his service for the first time, Saint Luke tells us that Jesus has already met Simon Peter for some time before extending a formal invitation to him to become his fisher of men: “Leaving the synagogue he went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in the grip of a high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. Standing over her he rebuked the fever and it left her, and she immediately got up and began to serve them” (Lk 4: 38-39). Christ’s reputation as a miracle-worker is fast gaining ground and people are already asking him for favours. Simon would see so many of such wonders that when some begin to reject Christ and abandon him, finding his teaching too strong for their liking, and Christ asks the Twelve if they too want to go away, it is Simon who makes this wonderful profession of faith: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6: 68-70). After the miracle in Simon’s house, days go by before our Lord again meets Simon, this time by the Lake of Gennesaret. Saint Luke tells us that the crowd is pressing around him, listening to the word of God, when he catches sight of two boats at the water’s edge. “The fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat” (Lk 5: 2-3). Is our Lord’s choice of Simon’s boat a mere coincidence? I doubt that it is. By performing one of his first recorded miracles at Simon’s house, and later choosing Simon’s boat to preach from, our Blessed Lord is definitely sending out signals to whoever cares to listen that he has already found the leader of his team. Simon is being ‘anointed’, as it were, for greater things ahead. The Lord is gradually hewing the 39 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. rock on which he will build his Church. It won’t be long before he publicly tells Simon: “And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16: 18-19). But, that is still to come; for now, we are still at the early stages of Christ’s ministry and Peter’s personality is still a little fuzzy in our minds. We can only imagine him also staring dumfounded at our Lord alongside the crowd that is listening to him. He too must be asking himself where this young man has had this type of knowledge from. “They were all amazed and said to one another, ‘what is it in his words? He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.” (Lk: 4: 36-37). Word is already reaching beyond the confines of the province about the wonders wrought by our Lord and Simon, who has seen one of our Lord’s first miracles performed under his very roof, is also invaded by feelings of wonderment. As Simon is still staring in disbelief, our Lord suddenly turns to him and asks him to cast his net. “Put out into the deep water and pay out your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4). Simon Peter, with the rough features of a seasoned fisherman, his face having been beaten by the storms at sea for years on end, knows that sea like the palm of his hand. He and his kid brother, Andrew, and the other companions, James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, have struggled all night long but have had to admit defeat and come back home, empty-handed. They were now cleaning their nets to wait patiently for another day, for there would always be another day. So, being asked to pay out his nets must have sounded to Peter like sheer folly; and he would have not hesitated to say so, had the command not come from our Blessed Lord himself. Simon is beginning to understand that with this young man, anything is possible. Has he not been a witness to some amazing things from his hands not that long ago? Was it not under his very roof that the young teacher rebuked the fever that had grounded his mother-in-law for days? Now that he is asking him to cast his net one more time, who is he not to obey? “Master, we worked hard all night 40 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets” (Lk 5: 5-6). The “if you say so, I will pay out the nets” is already a mark of submission to a more powerful authority. It is the attitude of a humble man before his Lord. In gratitude, our Blessed Lord rewards him, as he always rewards all who obey him, with another miracle: “And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when they came, they filled both boats to sinking point” (Lk 5: 6-7). It should be noted that it is Simon and his kid brother, Andrew, who invite their friends, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to come and help them with this amazing catch. By so doing, they win for Jesus those who are to be some of his most devoted followers. That is what we too are called upon to do, my brothers. We should invite others to come to Christ so that together, we can bear witness to his endless miracles. But, let’s see how Simon reacts to our Lord’s miracle in his boat. The miraculous curing of his mother-in-law a few days previously is still fresh in his mind. Then comes the miracle of the fish and he can take it no more. He and Andrew, his kid brother, and his other companions, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are “completely awestruck” (Lk 5:9). The evangelist tells us that “When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Lk 5: 8-9). This is already a great sign of what kind of leader Peter is going to be to his flock; a leader steeped in humility; a man with what Archbishop Fulton Sheen calls “a deep sense of his unworthiness,” a true mark of greatness in a leader, who will serve his flock, rather than wait for his flock to serve him. Seeing how confused Peter is, our Lord quickly stretches out his hand to rescue him, as he will on several other occasions in the three years they will spend together. “Do not be afraid,” he tells him, “from now on it is people you will be catching. Then, bringing their boats back to land they left everything and followed him.” (Lk 5: 10). That’s the same message Christ is still giving us today. “Pay out your 41 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. net among your brothers and sisters. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I will protect you.” We have, my brothers in Christ, seen the remarkable similarity in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, on how Christ called his first disciples, the pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew, and the Zebedee brothers, James and John. We have also seen how Luke gives his own version a little more flesh than the other two evangelists. Let us now see how John treats the same call in what has come to be known as the Fourth Gospel. Christ’s call as seen and heard by John Let’s begin with a brief review of how John differs from the synoptics. A number of features differentiate John’s Gospel from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John is much more concerned than the synoptics to bring out the significance of the events of Christ’s life and of all that he did and said. He is also far more interested than the synoptics in worship and sacraments. His is a much more complex work and gives more details of Christ’s life. Now, how does John see Christ’s call of his first followers? The answer is seen in John Chapter 1: 35-51. First, we are told that Jesus’ first followers were first of all John the Baptist’s disciples. As Jesus is walking by, John the Baptist, who baptised him a day before, very much against his will since he felt that he is not fit to untie the thongs of Christ’s sandals (Lk 3: 16), points him out to his followers, in these words: “Look there is the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:36). That pricks the young men’s curiosity and they decide to follow Jesus. He turns round, sees them following him and asks: ‘What do you want?’ They answer, ‘Rabbi – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live? (Jn 1: 38-39); and then comes the divine invitation: ‘Come and see!’ They go with him, see where he lives, and stay with him all day (Jn 1: 3940). One of these young men is Andrew, who can hardly wait to find his elder brother, Simon, to bring him to the Lord: Anyone who truly finds the Lord cannot keep the joy to himself. He has to share it; and that is what Andrew does. He hurries to his elder brother and tells 42 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. him: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:40), and then takes him to Jesus. I can almost hear Andrew urging his reluctant and perhaps sceptical elder brother to “come and see.” And Simon perhaps thinking to himself: “Oh, these young people are always excited over nothing. Okay, I’ll go and see but knowing Andrew, I won’t be surprised if I don’t find anything exciting about this guy at all. But, it doesn’t hurt to go and see.” That is what we are being called to do this day, my brothers. “Tell our own sister and brother -- even the most reluctant ones -- that ‘we have found the Messiah’" and lead them too to Jesus, as Andrew does his brother. A remarkable thing then happens. Christ takes one look at Peter and immediately calls him by name. He does not ask Peter his name, he simply says: “You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas – which means Rock” (Jn 1:42). Christ, the Saviour, the Co-Creator of the world with his Father, knows us all by name. As the prophet Jeremiah reminds us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer 1: 5). We see Peter already being singled out as the Rock on which our Blessed Lord will build his Church. (You’ve probably heard the Latin expression “Ubi Petrus, ibi eclessia” – where there is Peter, there is the Church of Christ.) So the Rock on which Christ builds his Church comes to our Lord through his kid brother, Andrew. What a lesson for us all! The next day, Jesus meets Philip as he is leaving Galilee and invites him to follow him. With no hesitation at all, Philip follows him. The excitement of having been touched by divine grace is so intense that Philip decides to share his joy, and he goes out in search of others. There is a beautiful exchange between Philip and his friend, Nathanael (Bartholomew). Philip tells him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus Son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” (Jn 1:45-46). But, like many of us, Nathanael is a victim of the stereotype syndrome. He judges people from outward appearances or from their origin. Stereotyping, of which we are all guilty, distorts the picture we have of people. It reduces us to narrow-minded tribal loyalists, regionalists, racists or trumpeters of ethnic intolerance. The question 43 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Nathanael asks shows that he is merely putting everyone from Nazareth into one basket and dismissing them as worthless. That is why he is astonished that anyone can admire what comes from Nazareth. “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 46-47, he asks, his voice steeped in disbelief. What I find remarkable about Philip, my brothers, is his refusal to indulge in fruitless polemics. He probably knows his friend well enough not to argue with him. Nathanael is probably the type who finds it difficult to change his mind, especially about people from remote and backward villages, like Nazareth. That must be why he finds it difficult to understand why his friend, Philip, is so fussy about a man from Nazareth. For his part, Philip thinks it better to simply invite his friend to “Come and see” and then make up his own mind by himself. All this while, our Blessed Lord is beckoning Nathanael to come to him. He has obviously heard the discussion between the two friends and is calling them to come to Him, the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent. What happens when they do come to him? Instead of getting angry at Nathanael for his negative view of him and his village, as many of us would be in a similar situation, our Blessed Lord has only words of praise for him. As soon as he sees Nathanael, he says: “There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.” (Jn 1: 47). Nathanael is astonished, as we all would be, I guess, and asks “How do you know me?” (Jn 1: 48). Oh, what a question to ask our Blessed Lord! From that question, it is clear that we are still in the presence of a soul that has not yet encountered the marvels of the Lord. Peter and the others, who have seen our Lord at work, who have witnessed the miracles our Lord has performed so far, would not ask such a question. Our Blessed Lord simply tells him “Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48-49). And what follows is the true encounter of a receptive soul to the saving grace of the Master. Nathanael, now completely dumbfounded, as had been Peter and his companions earlier, gives one of the first, if not the first, public recognitions of Christ as the Son of God in Sacred Scripture: 44 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. “Rabbi,” he says, his voice dripping with astonishment, “you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (Jn 1: 49-50). And our Lord tells him, “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that. (…). In truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of Man,” (Jn 1: 50-51). Conclusion In this short reflection, my brothers in Christ, we have met some of those who are to travel with Christ throughout the three years of his public ministry. Our Blessed Lord calls each of them by name and in the state in which he meets them. The same holds true for us, he calls us in the state in which he finds us. He does not ask us to become someone else. No, he merely asks us to shed our old ways and embrace the new, that is, the doctrine of love, which we should spread around us. Christ is asking us to invite others, as Andrew invites his elder brother Simon, and Philip, his friend Nathanael, to “come and see” and hear him. Christ’s followers are not necessarily people who think or act alike. We can still think differently, vote for different candidates in elections, militate in different political parties and still carry Christ’s message of love to the whole world. After all, Christ’s early followers came from different backgrounds. In fact, you couldn’t find a much more heterogeneous bunch of people than Christ’s apostles. They include sceptics (like Thomas, the Twin), barely literate fishermen (Peter), scholarly tax collectors (Matthew), seasoned writers (John), impatient and violently antiRoman nationalists (Simon the Zealot), among others. There is even a traitor among them, Judas Iscariot, whose feet our Lord washes, but who turns round and sells his Master for thirty pieces of silver. The case of Matthew, the publican, and Simon, the Zealot, is worth mentioning. Whereas Matthew, by his trade as a tax collector, is widely shunned as a traitor to his people, since he collects taxes for a despised foreign power, Simon, the Zealot, is a virulent anti-Roman combatant, who is ready to use violence to overthrow the foreign 45 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. yoke. He must, like Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus, be dreaming that Christ would be the one to liberate Israel from the Roman yoke (Lk 24: 21). This leaves one wondering why our Blessed Lord would choose such two diametrically opposed individuals as his companions! In his beautiful book, Life of Christ (p. 113), Archbishop Fulton Sheen says that Christ might have chosen Simon the Zealot “because of his wholehearted enthusiasm for a cause.” If he carries that enthusiasm into the defence of the new faith, Christianity would certainly thrive in hostile environments. Whether we are political activists, soldiers, tax collectors, “bayam sellams”, or even highway robbers, our Lord is asking us to “come, follow him” into his vineyard. After receiving the grace of salvation, we should then go out in search of others. The divine invitation “Come, follow me” still resounds in our ears everyday. We are still being urged to come and follow the Lord, not alone, but with our brothers and sisters in the light of what the Apostles Andrew and Philip did. This is far from being an easy task, but with Christ’s Advocate, the Holy Spirit, guiding us, everything is possible, “for nothing is impossible for God" (Lk 1:37). May our Blessed Lord continue to inspire us in our evangelisation mission. Amen. 46 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 47 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 2 Foyer de la Charité, an oasis of silence in Bonjongo Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. On one of the hills protruding like a finger from the side of the m
2279	dbpedia	3	55	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/friends_20of_20mill_20hill_20newsletter_20december	en	Friends of Mill Hill Cameroon	https://image.isu.pub/20…age_1_social.jpg	https://image.isu.pub/20…age_1_social.jpg	[ "https://static.isu.pub/fe/product-header-frontend/781e53c/31d186ba39f38e8c4fac.png", "https://static.issuu.com/fe/silkscreen/0.0.3042/icons/gradient/icon-canva-gradient.svg", "https://static.isu.pub/fe/product-header-frontend/781e53c/1e794a8c4ec65e549678.png", "https://photo.isu.pub/mhmcorrespondent/photo_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/221123182046-e3edb48f0aa23cee619f1e31172390d3/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/221117213147-ed6630099c99fbd07f293dd7b7270668/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220922200028-446908fc66bdd302d9ee6b514d1b57af/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220816205843-79e0226821ad6b9fbf0dd6e431923b22/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220628130417-815f161f6f2f70847e399f36512a5b9e/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220505130333-818539f3ee8f53f0e438626b71d42e76/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220301142702-bec0690edabc47259b4c1b7544bac78f/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://image.isu.pub/220209172009-ccf50813c3fa8cfa1d03e87e519c02bf/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg", "https://static.issuu.com/fe/silkscreen/0.0.2541/icons/gradient/icon-instagram-gradient.svg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "mhmcorrespondent Follow this publisher" ]	2020-11-10T00:00:00+00:00	December 2020 Edition	en	/favicon.ico	Issuu	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/friends_20of_20mill_20hill_20newsletter_20december	Welcome to Issuu’s blog: home to product news, tips, resources, interviews (and more) related to content marketing and publishing. Here you'll find an answer to your question.
2279	dbpedia	3	14	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2020/02/1454-2/	en	EPISCOPAL TRANSITION IN BAMENDA: RETIRED ESUA HANDS CROSIER TO NKEA	https://1.bp.blogspot.co…ES%2BCROSIER.jpg	https://1.bp.blogspot.co…ES%2BCROSIER.jpg	[ "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-SA4HnYYaUJQ/XlOqGK4eoAI/AAAAAAAAAdM/i0e5AU6OIjktD2wigUL4jZvyE4C7S3DkgCEwYBhgL/s640/NKEA%2BTAKES%2BCROSIER.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1hY2io7zeg/XlO2eurpPtI/AAAAAAAAAdY/S5q4MPX4GCclpLvt32yFzesaZHDT8M_KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG-20200223-WA0016.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cob_VQVqFo/XlO2wVRhQyI/AAAAAAAAAdg/OuW4kQIEj9k9sQ3TohIPb60f8JJVrlEkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/BISHOPS%2BAT%2BTHE%2BEVENT.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4mhoVhZ1iM/XlO292KGUmI/AAAAAAAAAdk/kwAFBSE9ZGIFpqokTpA_SnTRBKZQf7XMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/GIFT%2BFROM.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Ytw9eOLRPI/XlO3HWrmkCI/AAAAAAAAAdo/GEg7Kfp9MykCekN_-INmYLyXPYCJJg-SACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG-20200223-WA0013.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkzMog6CWEg/XlO3TT-GkPI/AAAAAAAAAdw/9Yjq-9yuVtIbdcLUortHX-0ocrj4x_90QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG-20200223-WA0011.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Uv6NCc-MU8/XlO3ecv6daI/AAAAAAAAAd4/tEZ1RK-pBZsqVcsV7qkKrNAhYeHMP3pmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG-20200223-WA0041.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_4iGOk9dU8/XlO5sQJf8GI/AAAAAAAAAeI/EQwTnSh5PisFDM36R2MitGHVfYnPeTqBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ESUA%2BTHANS%2BGOD.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Mildred Wung" ]	2020-02-24T10:50:00+00:00	BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM Cornelius Fontem Esua passed possession of Bamenda Archdiocese to his successor. The sacred moment to induct Andrew Fuanya Nkea as third metropolitan of Bamenda Archdiocese ignited jubilation, leaving imprint on the archdiocese’s history as the … EPISCOPAL TRANSITION IN BAMENDA: RETIRED ESUA HANDS CROSIER TO NKEA Read More »	en	https://i0.wp.com/camero…it=32%2C18&ssl=1	Cameroon Infotrend	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2020/02/1454-2/	BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM Cornelius Fontem Esua passed possession of Bamenda Archdiocese to his successor. The sacred moment to induct Andrew Fuanya Nkea as third metropolitan of Bamenda Archdiocese ignited jubilation, leaving imprint on the archdiocese’s history as the time of episcopal transition. The high point was presentation of the bull of appointment, the handing of the Crosier and the cathedra. This was witnessed by hundreds including bishops, priests, religious, consecrated men and women, civil, political and religious leaders who all turned out at the St Joseph Centenary Piazza, 22nd February 2020. It took place during a Holy Mass in the presence of His Grace Julio Murat, the Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea representing Pope Francis, while Cameroon’s president was represented by Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration. At the ceremony, Andrew took the crosier, a symbol of his pastoral ministry being Chief Shepherd. He was handed the cosier from Cornelius in the presence of the Nucio. Andrew then sat on the cathedra, the chair made from furniture that symbolises his teaching role. At the accomplishment of the rites, bishops and priest at the event come in fraternity kissing the ecclesiastical ring of the most Reverend Andrew Fuanya Nkea. This is followed by a mood of conviviality with the newly installed archbishop blessing each and every segment of the crowd witnessing the occasion. Andrew aided by the Nuncio takes the crosier from Cornelius His Lordship George Nkuo, bishop of Kumbo Diocese enjoined the new Archbishop to his call “The purpose of a bishop is to be a father to his people, a brother to his Priests and consecrated men and women and wife to his witness of Jesus to the world. That is the duty entrusted to Andrew as he assumes duty as Archbishop of Bamenda” The incoming Archbishop in a statement to the press pledged commitment to the needs of his flock “I am going to do everything within my powers so that the hatred, the killing, the violence should stop” As he signed out from the office of Archbishop, emeritus archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua thanked the people for their collaboration. He also called on the flock to support his successor whom he described as young, dynamic and wise. Andrew Fuanya Nkea takes over from Cornelius Fontem Esua as the third chief shepherd of Bamenda after his predecessors Cornelius Fontem Esua and late Paul Verdzekov. The Diocese is currently being plagued by a socio political crisis diffused into the Church from the country’s unjust social and political trend. All eyes are raised to His Grace Andrew Fuanya Nkea as he comes into the embattled Archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Bamenda is conterminous with five divisions of the Northwest region; Boyo, Mezam, Momo, Menchum and Ngoketunjia. It has an area of, 11000000 square meters, a population of 1.5000000 persons with about 600,000 Catholics. There are about 156 diocesans and religious priests, currently saving across the parishes of the archdiocese. It has the pastoral, presbyterial, laity, health and education councils.
2279	dbpedia	0	16	http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/bcm.html	en	All Bishops of Cameroon [Catholic			[ "http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/ich.gif", "http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/idc.gif", "http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy1.gif", "http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy3.gif", "http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/qfeedback.gif" ]	[]	[]	[ "Cameroon", "CH", "Catholic-Hierarchy", "Directory", "Reference", "Biography", "Bishops", "Dioceses", "Roman", "Church" ]	null	[ "David M. Cheney" ]	null					null
2279	dbpedia	3	43	https://www.facebook.com/100064289815599/videos/what-a-culture-what-a-people-%25EF%25B8%258F/380903569587833/	en	What a culture, what a people 💪❤️	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…WUuw&oe=66D35D43	https://scontent.xx.fbcd…WUuw&oe=66D35D43	[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	What a culture, what a people 💪❤️	de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		https://www.facebook.com/100064289815599/videos/what-a-culture-what-a-people-%EF%B8%8F/380903569587833/
2279	dbpedia	2	5	https://unpo.org/article/2172	en	UNPO: Southern Cameroons: Torture and Human Righs in Our Society			[ "https://unpo.org/article/img/header-logo.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/border-color.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/header-logo.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/border-color.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/donate-button.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/footer-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en			null	Archbishop Paul Verdzekov speech on the fiftienth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Torture and Human Rights in Our Society” by Archbishop Paul Verdzekov Introduction : I am grateful to the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), Bamenda, for organizing this celebration of Human Rights Day which comes up next Thursday, 10th December. As we all know, next Thursday will be the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948. ACAT has kindly asked me to say something on this occasion about Torture and Human Rights. What I wish to say this afternoon falls under 7 main headings, viz: i. The meaning of Torture and its Incidence in our world; ii. Why some States practice or tolerate Torture iii. The Techniques of Torture iv. Prohibition of Torture v. Torture in Cameroon vi. Religion and Torture vii. Our Rejection of Torture. I shall then conclude with a few considerations about the need for education about this horrendous phenomenon and the need for action by all men and women of good will. I. TORTURE AND ITS INCIDENCE IN OUR WORLD 1. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights briefly says that “ No one shall be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Torture that is practiced by isolated individuals, for example, in the context of the home, is not considered in this paper, even though it is indisputably torture. We shall limit ourselves here to the definition that the United Nations Organization gives to torture in its Convention on this subject. “Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions”. 2. Although it can be said that the practice of torture is prohibited under international law, the fact remains that the General Assembly of the United Nations receives countless Reports every year from United Nations reporters about the widespread use of torture by States around the world. Well documented reports of the practice of torture by States and their agents have been established by such reputable and unimpeachable organizations as Amnesty International and ACAT. By 1979, Amnesty International had established that torture was currently “used against detainees by over fourteen African nations, eleven Asian nations, and four countries in the Americas, eight countries in the Middle East, three countries in Eastern Europe and the (former) Soviet Union”. 3. The African countries in which torture was discovered to be current practice in1979 included Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Namibia, Tanzania, Togo,Tunisia, and Zambia. In spite of the incontrovertible evidence about the existence of the practice of torture, none of the States that practise it ever admit what they are doing. II. WHY SOME STATES PRACTISE OR TOLERATE TORTURE 4. “Torture is often an integral part of a government’s security strategy, a component of the State’s machinery for suppressing dissent. Torture of common criminal suspects may also be a routine aspect of a government’s justice system. Torture is used to gain information, to obtain a confession, to punish, to intimidate, and to terrorize.” (Amnesty International, Handbook, Seventh Edition, 1992.p.32). Those who have thoroughly examined this issue inform us that contemporary regimes use torture for one or more of four main purposes, namely: i. extraction of information from a determined person; ii. preparation of a prisoner for a show trial; iii. putting an end to, or even reversing, the political effectiveness of the prisoner; iv. inculcation of a climate of generalized fear among certain sections of the population. 5. Some regimes, for example, the French in Algeria during the Algerian war of independence, justified the use of torture as a means of self-defence and as a means of maintaining police morale. The Wuillaume Report on the torture used by the French police in the interrogation of Algerian prisoners concluded that “to cast aspersions upon the body of public servants who have so much devotion and indeed so much heroism to his credit, would be unwise and might lead to serious consequences…… (and that) to forbid any methods of interrogation other than those which are strictly legal……. (would be to) plunge the police into a state of disorder and paralysis. ” The Report referred to the threat posed by Algerian terrorists and cautioned that the benefits of police effectiveness were sufficient justification for applying torture on prisoners. “The major function of torture today is its use by many regimes lacking popular support who desire to inculcate a climate of fear and political apathy in the general population. In the analyses of Amnesty International, to set torture as the price of dissent is to be assured that only a small minority will act. With the majority neutralized by fear, the well-equipped forces of repression can concentrate on an isolated minority.” 6. The Actors responsible for torture can be classified under three groups or categories: i. those who give orders for torture to be carried out; ii. those who directly carry out, or execute, the order to torture, and iii. those who lend their co-operation to the tortuers. With regard to those who give orders for totture to be carried out, it must be said that “the political power in place carries the primary responsibility for the torture inflicted by its police or its armed forces on the citizens. It is significant that torture is the only form of violence which the State always seeks to deny. The highest rulers in the State in seek anonymity, hide themselves behind feigned ignorance concerning the real activities of the agents of national security.” Whenever the Government or the Head of State tolerates the use of torture or of degrading and inhuman treatment, top civil servants proceed to set an autonomous machine of repression which soon acquires its own self-identity and dynamism to such an extent that a reversal of the situation becomes very difficult. Those who execute the orders to torture are generally members of the police or of the armed forces, those in charge of criminal investigation centres, political prisons and other prisons, detention centres, etc. A former French torturer in the OAS (Organization Armee Secrete) in Algeria says: “Once I put my hand to the plough of torture, I got caught in the mesh. No turning back. Why? Simply because it seemed to me that it was my duty… Once you begin to torture, you just continue, without asking yourself any more questions. You become completely blind. The only answer you give to anyone who asks you any question about what you are doing is this: it is not for me to discuss this matter. Others will answer on my behalf”. The torturer, soon considers himself an ordinary technician, carrying out orders. Those who co-operate with tortures are generally medical doctors. They are present at the interrogation under torture, of a prisoner or detainee. The doctor is there to monitor the victim’s physical stamina, to what extent the victim can sustain torture. He orders a temporary halt to the torture when there is a risk that the prisoner may succumb and die. Thus, when the victim has recovered enough energy, the interrogation under torture can continue. The doctor is there to protect the torturer/interrogator against any possible inquiries, seeing to it that the victim does not die in the torturer’s hands. In some cases, the doctor is there to make sure that, in case of death under torture, a death certificate, which camoflages and disguises the real cause of death which is immediately established. Any traumatic lessons, fractures, contusions, etc. will only be partially mentioned or described in the death certificate, and will be attributed to either a fall or to injuries which the prisoner will be said to have inflicted upon himself. The death will then be declared as either accidental, or as suicide. Only a counter-expertise carriedout by a different, independent doctor can then establish the truth. But this rarely happens. III. TECHNIQUES OF TORTURE i. Physical Abuse 7. “Submarine: The prisoner’s head is submerged continuously in a tub of filthy water, urine,excrement, and petroleum while the victim’s sexual organs are squeezed. Electric shock: Electric shocks are delivered to the sensitive portions of the victim’s body. Body extension: The victim is fastened at the knees or ankles to a bar suspended from the ceiling and beaten or subjected to shock treatment or sexually abused. Often another prisoner or the victim’s spouse is forced to witness the torture. Eventually, the victim is ‘cut down’ and experiences severe pain on imoact with the floor resulting from the fact that all the blood has drained into the victim’s arms. Water pipe: The victim is bound and secured. Then the eyes are bandaged, the nose is plugged up, a tube is thrust into the mouth, and a strong stream of water is injected into the mouth until the victim is ‘inflated’ and loses consciousness. The victim is then ‘pumped out’ and the process is again initiated. Falange: The prisoner is secured to a bench and the soles of the prisoner’s feet are beaten with sticks or pipes by five or six men. Such prolonged beating leads to a painful swelling of the feet, but, other than broken or fractured bones, no lasting overt physical impairment is likely to result. During the torture process the victim is forced to run around the bench periodically and is continuously beaten. These beatings are accompanied by the pouring of water down the victims mouth and nose, rubbing a detergent, soap, or pepper into the victim’s eyes, banging the victim’s head on the bench or floor, and beating other portions of the victim’s body. Extraction: Teeth, nails and pubic hair are torn out”. Women often face sexual dgradation of the most horrendous and unspeakable kind at the hand of their male torturers. ii. Psychological Techniques “Threats: Prisoners are threatened with maiming, death, and rape of themselves or their families. Mock executions often are conducted, and prisoners are forced to witness the torture of their fellow prisoners. Declarations: Individuals are forced to sign denunciations of their family, spouse, or Political beliefs. This induces a sense of moral compromise. Drugs: Victims are injected with harmless substances which they told are toxic. Nudity: Prisoners are forced to remain in a state of nudity in the cold, damp, often insect-infested cells; or the prisoner is forced to share the cell with a psychiatrically deranged mental patients”. “The purpose of torture”, says Jean-Paul Sartre, “is not only the erxtraction of confessions, of betrayal: the victim must disgrace himself, by his screams and his submission, like a human animal. In the eyes of everybody and in his own eyes, he who yields under torture is not only to be made to talk, but is also to be marked as sub- human”. IV. PROHIBITION OF TORTURE 8. Torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is prohibited under International Law. Reference has already been made to Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which prohibits Torture. Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adapted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 16 December 1966 says: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation”. This Covenant was entered into force on 23 March 1976. On 10 December 1984, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This Convention entered into force on 26 June 1987. The United Nations Organisation has adopted these Instruments and invited its Members States to ratify them out of a desire to make more effective the struggle against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “The term ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’ refers generally to any harsh treatment that could damage a prisoner’s physical or mental health, or any punishment meant to cause suffering…. Torture is distinguished from ‘cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment’ only by the severity inflicted by torture, and by the fact that suffering caused by torture is always deliberate.” 9. When a Member State of the United Nations ratifies, or accedes to, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, what does that mean? What does such ratification or accession imply? By ratification, or accession, such a Member State is saying that the Convention, which is a treaty document, has been formally accepted by the legislative and executive branches of its own Government. Such ratification, or accession, signifies the assurance given by the Member State concerned that its own National Laws are in full conformity with – or even exceed – the minimum standards called for in the Convention itself. 10. It is necessary to mention that the prohibition of “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” is absolute, unconditional, meaning that the prohibition admits of no exceptions. Article 2.2 of the Convention says: “ No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war or internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture”. And paragraph 3 of the same Article 2 says: “An order from a superior officer or public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture”. V. TORTURE IN CAMEROON 11. Cameroon declares in the Preamble to its Constitution of 18 January 1996 that it adheres to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 of which prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Cameroon has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 7 of which prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Cameroon has also ratified the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 12. In spite of this, Torture, including severe beatings, of both political detainees and of criminal suspects by the police and gendarmerie are routine practices in Cameroon.” The frequency of beatings of detainees, including on the soles of their feet, was acknowledged publicly at a training seminar for law enforcement officials, including police, gendarmes and prison officers, organised in July (1994) by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms, which had been inaugurated by President Biya in 1992.” 13. The Endeley Commission of Inquiry created by Order No. 262/CAB/PR of 15 May 1991, issued by the President of the Republic, and “charged with throwing of light on the events that have recently taken place in the University of Yaounde” , established beyond all reasonable doubt the use, by the armed forces , of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against University students. In this Report, the Endeley Commission noted that brutalities were indeed inflicted on the students by the armed forces. “ Some students were molested by gendarmes. Some had to suffer all sorts of humiliations such as rolling in mud or reciting stupid remarks at gun point. We recorded cases of people who were arrested out of the campus,just anywhere in town or even out of town just for having the word student marked on their cards. It was enough to have the word student on your card for you to be thrown roughly into a truck and driven away either into a police or gendarme cell . In this way many young men and women were molested and deprived of their liberty for hours, even for days. Young ladies had their decency insulted gravely by unscrupulous men in arms”. Members of the Commission had “enough evidence to show that students were beaten with truncheons and hit with gun buts resulting in wounds or swellings”. The Commission also “found that the chances of rape were very high.” 14. “In March 1994, the United Nations Human Rights Committee deplored the many cases of illegal detentions, torture, death sentences, and extra-judicial executions in Cameroon”. 15. It would be too long to narrate the countless instances which prove beyond any doubt that torture is endemic in the public life of this country. The Human Rights Reports for Cameroon which are established on a yearly basis by the State Department of the United States of America also prove that torture is not a marginal or incidental phenomenon in our country but rather an on-going plague that is very widespread. The following summary from Amnesty International’s Report entitled: “ Cameroon - Blatant Disregard for Human Rights”, and dated 16 September 1997, will close this section on Torture in Cameroon. “Fundamental human rights are persistently violated in Cameroon. In many cases, these violations occur when the law is deliberately ignored or contravened by the authorities. There is little accountability for Human Rights violations and the perpetrators generally act with impunity. Hundreds of critics and opponents of the government, in particular, members and supporters of opposition political parties, journalists, human rights activists and students, have been harassed and assaulted, arrested and imprisoned. Torture and ill-treatment by the security forces of both political detainees and common-law prisoners is routine. Some victims have died as a result of injuries inflicted while in custody. Others have been killed when the security forces used what appeared to be excessive lethal force. Conditions in Cameroon’s prisons amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and result in a high mortality rate. More than one hundred prisoners are reported to be under sentence of death; the first execution since 1988 was reported to have taken place in January 1997. Detainees are often held beyond the legal limit allowed by law before being brought before a judicial authority to be either charged or released. In other cases legislation allowing administrative detention has been used to detain critics and opponents of the government without charge or trial and without the right to challenge their detention before a court. Where the courts have ordered the release of political detainees, the administrative authorities have in some cases refused to comply with the court’s ruling. Often there are serious irregularities in judicial procedures in cases brought against government opponents. A revised Constitution which was signed into Law in January 1996 did little to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. In addition to violations of the law by government authorities, there is also widespread abuse by traditional rulers, who act with the tacit approval of the government. Traditional Rulers, in particular in the North of Cameroon, continue to detain illegally and ill-treat political opponents”. VI. RELIGIONS AND TORTURE 16. The world’s great Religions generally accept the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others what you would have others do to you’. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, Article 7 addresses the evils of torture in the following words: (a) “It is not permitted to torture the criminal, still less the suspect: ‘God will inflict punishment on those who have inflicted torture in this world. Likewise, it is not permissible to compel anyone to confess to a crime which he has not committed; and all that is elicited by compulsion is null and void: ‘ God has taken from my community sin, forgetfulness and all that they have done under compulsion”. (b) Whatever be the crime of an individual, and whatever be the punishment decreed for it in the saria, his human nature and his dignity as a son of Adam remain inviolate”. 17. For Christians, the abolition of torture is demanded by biblical faith. The Bible says that all people, men and women, are made in the image and likeness of God. This point is made clear in the Book of Genesis: “God created man in the image of Himself, in the image of God He Created them” (Genesis 1:27). In St. Mathew’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples: “ So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets” (Mt.7:12). A Christian immediately understands the implications of these words as far as the practice of torture is concerned. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the following words: “Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the one body” (Hebrews 13:3). Christians believe that “To the sons of Adam (Jesus) restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled, by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too. For by His Incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man”. This means that when I torture any person, it is Jesus Himself that I torture. 18. According to the Second Vatican Council, “Whatever is opposed to life itself such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction; whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as sub-human living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonour to the Creator”. 19. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say about torture: “In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who themselves adapted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights for the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors”. 20. What about the death penalty? Is it legitimate? Is it not a cruel, inhuman and degrading form of punishment? Should it not be entirely abolished everywhere? In fact, a good number of countries have abolished the death penalty. On this extremely difficult and delicate question, here is what the Catholic Church has to say: “There is a growing tendency, both in the Church and in civil society, to demand that it be applied in a very limited way or even that it be abolished completely. The problem must be viewed in the context of a system of penal justice ever more in line with human dignity and thus, in the end, with God’s plan for man and society. The primary purpose of the punishment which society inflicts is ‘to redress the disorder caused by the offence’. Public authority must redress the violation of personal and social rights by imposing on the offender an adequate punishment of the crime, as a condition for the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way authority also fulfills the purpose of defending public order and ensuring peoples safety, while at the same time offering the offender an incentive and help to change his or her behaviour and be rehabilitated. It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organisation of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent”. This teaching of Pope John Paul II has been inserted into the definitive version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. VII . OUR REJECTION OF TORTURE 21. In conformity with Article 2 of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to which we already referred, our rejection of torture must be total, absolute and unconditional. Unfortunately, there are Christians who, probably out of ignorance, are prepared to justify torture “in certain cases” of emergency or of grave peril. For any Christian who lives in coherence with his Faith, there are no circumstances whatsoever in which torture would be justified. It is always and everywhere totally inadmissible. “Reason attests that there are objects of the human act which are by their nature ‘incapable of being ordered’ to God, because they radically contradict the good of the person made in his image. These are the acts which, in the Church’s moral tradition, have been termed ‘intrinsically evil’: they are such always and per se, in other words, on account of their very object, and quite apart from the ulterior intentions of the one acting and the circumstances. Consequently, without in the least denying the influence on morality exercised by circumstances and especially by intentions, the Church teaches that ‘there exist acts which per se and in themselves, independently of circumstances, are always seriously wrong by reason of the object”. Concluding remarks: The International Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment holds its rightful place among the Instruments by which the United Nations seeks to achieve an effective protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms. Certain rights are natural rights. If, as Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights solemnly proclaims “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”, it follows that human rights existed long before the formation of the state. In other words, the State is not required to grant any "recognition" of these rights because they must necessarily derive from the dignity that is inherent in every human being who is independent of State structures. 23. It is absolutely essential that we hold firmly and uncompromisingly to the following two assertions: First, Human Rights are indivisible. This means that it is not possible to invoke one right as an excuse for the violation of another right. The human person consists of body and soul. These rights concern people who necessarily belong to a community, since man is social by nature. Secondly, Human Rights are universal, which stems from the fact that all human beings share the same human nature, and that is why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights exists. “It is a matter for serious concern that some people today deny the universality of human rights, just as they deny that there is a human nature shared by everyone”. Need for Education 24. In order that human rights may be effectively protected and promoted, and in order that every citizen may be able to enjoy these rights without let or hindrance, all of us need to be educated about them. Everyone of us needs to become personally aware about the gravity and seriousness of this whole issue, about what is at stake, so as to keep alive our firm convictions concerning the values that we need to defend without compromise, to uphold, to promote, and to foster. We have a duty to get ourselves informed about what is happening around us, in our own country, and in the world. By thus getting ourselves informed, we will be in a position to lend our support to human rights activists in our country, to make our own contribution towards the triumph of justice, to express our solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses and with their families, and to support those national and international humanitarian organisations which are struggling in order that the rule of law may be upheld everywhere. We need to be educated, too, about how to seek redress when human rights are violated, either in our country or abroad. 25. This education also concerns the law enforcement agents of the State. It is indispensable. Article 10 of the International Convention against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment says: 1. “Each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment”. 2. “Each State Party shall include this prohibition in the rules or instructions issued in regard to the duties and functions of any such person”. 26. Lack of education on human rights on the part of some members of law enforcement personnel can result in some rather bizzare situations. On 7 May 1992, Dr. Solomon Nfor Gwei, President of the National Human Rights Commission created by Decree No. 90/1459 of 8 November 1990, paid an official visit to a commissariat at the Gendamerie Legion, in Yaounde, duly accompanied by the State Officer of Prosecutions as provided by the Decree, with the intention of visiting the detention cells at the Commissariat. The gendarmes on duty categorically refused to allow Dr. Nfor Gwei, and the State Prosecutions Officer accompanying him, access to the cells to exercise their duties and prerogatives as laid down in the Presidential Decree. The gendarmes did not stop there. As Dr. Nfor Gwei and the State Prosecutions Officer were about to leave the Commissariat, they were instead sequestrated by the gendarmes, i.e., held under detention. They were only later released on the intervention of a higher officer, who, before releasing the hapless detainees, confiscated the material equipment which they had brought along for work. This incident was duly reported to the Fourth Plenary Assembly of the National Human Rights Commission held at Yaounde on 2*3 June 1992. A similar incident again took place at Yaounde in the course of 1994 : “when a lawyer From the Public Prosecutions Office visited a Police Station in Yaounde in October 1994 to inspect detainees; he was himself held for five hours, stripped and beaten. Six police officers were subsequently arrested”. Incidents such as these, and the fact that law enforcement personnel can, for most of the time, commit such illegal acts with impunity, illustrates how much all of us, including the law enforcement personnel, stand in need of education. The fact also that sentences passed by the Courts against law enforcement officers who violate the human rights of citizens are brazenly and blatantly ignored, with impunity, shows how much we all need to be educated about human rights and freedoms. Need for Action 27. It is very important for all of us to join the struggle for the abolition of torture. For that we need to employ the strategy: SEE, JUDGE, and ACT. ACAT has taken the lead. It deserves to be supported and encouraged with enthusiasm by everyone of us. We should not allow torture to become even more endemic than it is already. It should be totally eliminated. Torture dehumanizes both the victim as well as the torturer. It dehumanizes the torturer even more than his victim. It is our duty to assist all the law enforcement personnel in every way in order that they may, all of them, without exception, reject torture. As Article 2, paragraph 3, of the Convention against torture says: “An order from a Superior Officer or a Public Authority may not be invoked as justification for torture”. 28. The consciences of Christians and of Christian Communities need to be awakened and sensitized so that we may all face the reality of torture and join in the struggle for its total elimination. Victims and torturers alike need liberation. For this struggle, one of the principal and efficacious arms which Christians must use is prayer, followed by: - acts of solidarity with the victims of torture and their families - legal action - denunciation - pressure on the State Institution. 29. On 26 April 1994, Amnesty International addressed a letter to all the Bishops who were in Rome for the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, appealing to them to engage the Church resolutely in the struggle for Human Rights in Africa. The issue of Justice and Peace as well as of Human Rights received by far the greatest number of interventions in the Synod hall. And that is reflected in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa. Amnesty International deserves our firm and committed support. May the courageous and exemplary action of Amnesty International, of ACAT – Bamenda, ACAT – Cameroon, and of other humanitarian organisations be abundantly blessed by Almighty God. May it succeed in eliminating torture from this country. May these Organisations go from strength to strength in their noble mission of protecting and promoting Human Rights and Freedoms in Cameroon, in Africa, and in the world.
2279	dbpedia	3	34	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/category/religion/page/22/	en	Religion – Page 22 – Cameroon Intelligence Report	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIRlogo.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Rev-Father-Lafon.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Bishop-Jerome-Feudjio.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/The-Bishops.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nkea-and-the-Cardinal.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Vatican-Pietro-Parolin.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Iraqi-cleric.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Boko-Haram-killings.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Francis-and-Benedict.jpeg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MuslimFast.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tabetando-CPDM.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Soter-Agbaw-Ebai.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWAS-leader.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15443061_1288047547922035_8881697775161873782_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/88274b.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15723506_1297938123599644_5496544536068955670_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Buhari-and-Paul-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6a00d83451ce8669e2019aff3bc5c1970d.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/dist/images/gdpr-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2021-03-04T23:28:03+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/favicon.ico		null	The death has occurred, after a brief illness, of the Vicar for clergy in the Bamenda Archdiocese, Rev Fr. Patrick Nyuydini Lafon, who also moonlighted as lecturer at the Catholic University of Bamenda. Archbishop Andrew Nkea expressed his sympathy to the family and friends of the Vicar and said priests of the metropolitan Archdiocese were saddened by the news of his passing as he held, over many years, several roles of leadership and responsibility in the Archdiocese of Bamenda and nationally. Fr. Patrick Lafon was ordained a priest 43 yrs ago and was among the last outstanding academic batch of Cameroonian priests trained in Bigard seminary that celebrated their forty years in priesthood in 2017. Cameroon Concord News Group understands that his final alumni celebration included Fr John Bosco Ambe, Fr William Neba, Fr Polycarp Fonjock (RIP) and Fr Martin Kima. Fr. Lafon was National Catholic Education Secretary, and Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference. He spent 15 years in the nation’s capital and facilitated the growth and solid establishment of the English speaking Catholic Communities in Yaoundé from Etougebe to Nsimeyong. He mastered the modus operandi of the Cameroon Catholic Church hierarchy, and gained a reputation for speaking truth to power, in very difficult times such as the tragic death of Fr Patrick Adeso at the Catholic University, unexplained till date. At the end of his tenure in French Cameroun, Fr. Lafon pursued a doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America, CUA (Washington DC) in Metaphysics under the direct supervision of renowned John Wippel, a leading scholar on Thomistic Metaphysics, and wrote a thesis on “Virtue in Politics” according to Yves Simon. Upon return he was made principal of St Paul’s College, Nkwen, and lecturer in Metaphysics & Epistemology at STAMS Bambui. When the Catholic University in Bamenda opened the Department of Philosophy, he became a part of the CATUC family and rose to the rank of Dean of Faculty replacing Prof Paul Nkwi. Fr. Lafon’s last public appearance was his coordination of the encounter between the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Palorin with the clergy of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. He was frank, candid and he provided a thoughtful key to understanding the Southern Cameroons Crisis. He will be greatly missed by his students at St John Paul II Major Seminary, Bachuo Ntai in Manyu Division, where he lectured Metaphysics & Epistemology and also those of CATUC, where he recently launched the Doctoral Program in Philosophy. By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai Pope Francis appointed Mgsr. Jerome Feudjio on Tuesday to lead the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Originally from Cameroon, Feudjio has served as a priest of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ diocese for more than 30 years. Commenting on Feudjio’s March 2 appointment, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the apostolic administrator of St. Thomas diocese, said: “Bishop-Elect Jerome is no stranger to the people of the diocese. His long history of service and pastoral dedication to the people of this community of faith are well known and widely respected,” Feudjio, 65, currently serves as the vicar general of the Diocese of St. Thomas and rector of its Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands was established in 1977 and is the sole suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Washington. The diocese is made up of 30,000 Catholics across the islands of St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, and Water Island. Feudjio first arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1988 after Cardinal Seán O’Malley, who at the time was a coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas, invited him to work as a campus minister in the Saints Peter and Paul School. Two years later, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of St. Thomas and appointed as parochial vicar of the cathedral. He taught French and religion at the Catholic school and went on to serve in multiple positions within the diocese, including as director of vocations, finance officer, administrator, and chancellor. Born in Cameroon in 1955, Feudjio entered religious life at the age of 17 as a postulant for the Congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart (SCJ). He attended their Saint Apostles Seminary in Otele, Cameroon, from 1972 to 1975, as well as the major seminary in the capital city of Yaoundé from 1975 to 1979. While still in formation in 1980, Feudjio traveled to the United States, where he met the then Fr. Seán O’Malley, who invited him to stay and study in Washington, D.C. Feudjio completed his studies in philosophy and theology in the Archdiocese of Washington at Oblate College, and in 1987 joined the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, making a temporary religious profession. During his time in the U.S., Feudjio completed a graduate program at Southern Illinois University in the Administration of Justice Program, through which he interned at a local transitional house that helped former inmates readjust to society. In 2004, Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., who served as bishop of St. Thomas from 1999 to 2007, asked Feudjio to return to Southern Illinois University to pursue further graduate studies in Rehabilitation Administration. Feudjio has served as rector of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2008. As bishop of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Feudjio will succeed Bishop Herbert Bevard, who retired in September after he was hospitalized and airlifted to the U.S. mainland for medical treatment. “Regrettably, I have experienced some new and unanticipated medical conditions that unfortunately preclude my ability to continue to maintain my position in the Diocese of St. Thomas,” Bevard wrote in a letter to the diocese on Sept. 18. “I have loved serving the People of God; the clergy, religious, laity, and the entire Virgin Islands community in the Diocese of St. Thomas and will treasure the fond memories that we share together. It is this same love and concern for them, recognizing my own limitations, that now compel me to make this request,” he said. Bevard, 75, has remained in North Carolina for ongoing medical treatment. He led the Diocese of St. Thomas for 12 years. Pope Francis appointed the then Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington to serve as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of St. Thomas until the new bishop is installed. “I readily join the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands today in warmly welcoming Pope Francis’ appointment of Msgr. Jerome Feudjio as the sixth Bishop of this local Church,” Cardinal Gregory said. “He now begins a new chapter in his own life and in all of your lives as well. Please keep him in your prayers as he transitions into his new office as I am certain he will hold all of you securely in his daily prayers from this day forward.” Source: Angelusnews Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin expresses Pope Francis’ closeness and concern for Cameroon and the African continent, in his homily during the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda. “The Pope is well aware of the difficulties that you have experienced in recent years and which you are still experiencing. He implores the Lord’s consolation for you, especially for those who have been victims of violence or who, in this crisis, have lost friends and loved ones.” Those were the words delivered by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in his homily at Mass in Bamenda for the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. He expressed Pope Francis’ closeness to the people of Cameroon, as well as to the entire African continent. The Pope, added the Cardinal, “joins in the desire for peace and reconciliation that rises from this beloved and wonderful land toward God.” Reconciliation, compassion, hospitality Cardinal Parolin arrived in Cameroon last Thursday accompanied by Monsignor Ivan Santus, an official with the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State. His visit is meant to be a concrete sign of the Pope’s commitment and solidarity, and a call to promote compassion, reconciliation, and healing, especially in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 humanitarian emergency. In communion with the Pope “The Pallium,” explained Cardinal Parolin in Bamenda Cathedral, “is a symbol of a special bond of communion with the Pope. It is woven from the wool of lambs blessed by him on the feast of St. Agnes, and evokes the figure of the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of the lost sheep and places it on His shoulders. It represents the power that the Archbishop exercises in his Diocese, in communion with the Supreme Pontiff. It is a sign rich in meaning, which powerfully inaugurates the mandate of every new Archbishop: his new ministry is placed from the beginning under the sign of communion, in obedience and union with the Holy Father and in communion with his brother Bishops.” With the Gospel in his pocket “While many voices resound around us; while so many want to act as teachers in our lives,” the Cardinal stressed, we need to give “unique weight to the Word of Christ.” “For this reason,” he added, “the Pope, on several occasions, has invited us to carry a small book of the Gospels with us. ‘The Gospel in your pocket’ is not a slogan but a spiritual program.” The effectiveness of the Word “Jesus desires good for humanity, and therefore frees us from Evil,” said Cardinal Parolin. “Jesus is able to completely free us precisely through His simple and powerful Word: Come out of him! There are no magic formulas; not even strange gestures: it is His Word that is exceedingly effective.” The Secretary of State underlined that “Evil exists and Christ is able to defeat it. It is up to us to carry on this battle every day.” Serenity and vigilance Cardinal Parolin then evoked the teaching of the Apostle Paul, indicating two important themes that must mark each person’s spiritual journey: serenity and vigilance. “Serenity: because with Christ we are victorious, in our adherence to Him through prayer and the Sacramental life. Vigilance: so that we can discern Evil where it lurks, beginning with our own hearts.” Seed of hope Cardinal Parolin then urged the faithful of Cameroon to combat the violence, divisions and fratricidal struggles that afflict the nation. “He who fights against the evil that dwells in his heart becomes a bearer of good and peace in his family, among his friends, in his community. He thus becomes a seed of hope for all.” Avoiding the risk of spiritual pride The Vatican Secretary of State concluded his homily by recalling that after two thousand years, amazement before the Lord Jesus is a precious attitude to be guarded with care. “We should never stop reflecting on this Mystery, so that we avoid the risk of spiritual pride, of those who are convinced that they already know everything about Jesus, without realizing that He is always greater than we can humanly comprehend. We should never cease to marvel before the fundamental Mystery of our Christian faith: that of the Son of God who became man to set us free.” The Mass in the Cathedral of Bamenda was attended by a large number of the faithful, offering a sign of affection for Archbishop Fuanya and of joyful communion with the Pope who was represented by his Secretary of State. Source: Vatican News The Vatican’s Secretary of State kicked off a week-long trip to Cameroon on Thursday in which he will visit a region blighted by clashes between government forces and separatists. During his visit from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is scheduled to meet with the local authorities and Cameroon’s Catholic bishops in the country’s capital, Yaoundé, and visit the English-speaking Northwest Region. Local media in Cameroon have reported that the cardinal will likely use his visit to work towards the resolution of the dispute known as the Anglophone crisis. Both the Holy See and the local Church have appealed for dialogue to end the strife. One of the Catholic leaders who has played an active role in seeking a resolution is Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Cameroon’s Northwest Region on Nov. 5. A video published on social media showed the 90-year-old cardinal calmly responding as one of his captors confronted him about his calls for separatist fighters in Cameroon to lay down their arms. To this, the cardinal responded: “I will preach what is the truth with pastoral conviction and biblical conviction.” “Nobody has the right to tell me to preach the contrary because I was called by God,” Cardinal Tumi said. He was released by his kidnappers on Nov. 6. The crisis in Cameroon is rooted in country’s colonial history. The area was a German colony in the late 19th century, but the territory was divided into British and French mandates after the German Empire’s defeat in World War I. The mandates were united in an independent Cameroon in 1961, but English-speakers have complained ever since of marginalization by the French-speaking majority. There is now a separatist movement in the Southwest and Northwest Regions, which were formerly the British Cameroons. Violence escalated in October when gunmen attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy, a school in Kumba in Cameroon’s Southwest region, on Oct. 24 and opened fire on students in a classroom. Seven students aged 12 to 14 were killed. Pope Francis prayed on Oct. 28 that “the tormented regions of the northwest and southwest of [Cameroon] may finally find peace.” In Cameroon’s Northwest Region, Parolin will offer Mass on Jan. 31 at the Catholic cathedral in Bamenda, where he will give the pallium to Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. Nkea, 55, was appointed archbishop of Bamenda in December 2019. He is known for his emphasis on family, community, and traditional values. At the 2018 meeting of the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith, and vocational discernment, Nkea, who was the bishop of Mamfe at the time, said that the Church in Cameroon and many parts of Africa was growing — including among young people. “My churches are all bursting, and I don’t have space to keep the young people,” Nkea said during a Vatican press conference in Oct. 2018. “And my shortest Mass would be about two and a half hours.” A 2018 study by the Pew Research Center found that church attendance and prayer frequency was highest in sub-Saharan Africa and lowest in Western Europe. Four out of five Christians in Cameroon said that they prayed every day. During the synod on young people, Nkea credited the Church’s growth in Cameroon to the alignment between Church teaching and the values of Cameroonian society, and the strength of the family as a cultural institution. “People ask me, ‘Why are your churches full?’” Nkea said in 2018. “Coming from Africa, the family is a very, very strong institution.” “We come from a culture in which tradition normally is handed from one generation to the other.” “Our traditional values still equate to the values of the Church, and so we hand over the tradition to our young people undiluted and uncontaminated,” he continued, noting that a strong sense of community in the Church is something “very important that Europe can learn from Africa.” Source: The Catholic News Agency Pope Francis is to meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during the first-ever papal visit to Iraq in March, a senior Catholic cleric told AFP on Thursday. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a “private visit” between the two religious figures at Sistani’s residence in the shrine city of Najaf, “without formalities.” Sistani, 90, is never seen in public and rarely accepts visitors. The confirmation of the bilateral meeting comes weeks after other parts of the Pope’s visit were set. Sako said he hoped the two figures would sign the document on “human fraternity for world peace,” an inter-religious text condemning extremism. Pope Francis signed the document with the leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019. Sako said the pope was hoping for endorsement from an influential Shiite cleric like Sistani. “He would represent the second major part of Islam signing on to this historic document,” the cardinal told AFP. Pope Francis is set to be in Iraq from March 5 to 8 with an ambitious programme that will take round the country. In Baghdad, he will hold a mass at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation, where a deadly attack in 2010 left dozens of celebrants dead. He will also travel north to Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh plains, overrun by the Islamic State group in 2014, and the nearby Kurdish regional capital Arbil. Following his visit to Sistani, he will travel to the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born. The Pope will hold an inter-religious prayer service there, to be attended by representatives of Iraq’s various faiths — Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Yazidi and Sabean, Sako said. – ‘A source of hope’ – Iraq once counted more than 1.5 million Christians, but the community has been ravaged by successive conflicts. Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by IS in 2014 further hit all minority communities. Now, an estimated 400,000 Christians remain in Iraq, out of a total population of 40 million. Many have expressed hope that the Pope’s visit will highlight the challenges facing the community, including prolonged displacement and little representation in government. “It will be a comfort and a source of hope,” Sako said. He said Christians were suffering from the weakness of the Iraqi state, compared to other armed actors and even tribes that were threatening the presence of minorities. “It’s like the Middle Ages,” said the cardinal. Much of Iraq is no longer experiencing active conflict but a twin suicide blast a week ago killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more. The Pope condemned that attack as a “senseless act of brutality.” But overall, Iraqis have been more concerned by a severe economic downturn prompted by the collapse in world oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused thousands of deaths in the country over the past year. The spread of the virus appears to have slowed according to official numbers, and Pope Francis was recently vaccinated. Source: AFP Both Pope Francis and his predecessor, former pope Benedict XVI, have received the coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican said on Thursday. The Argentine pontiff, 84, has previously spoken of the importance of the jab in the fight against Covid-19, which has severely curtailed his own love of being among his flock. Under the Vatican’s vaccination programme launched Wednesday, “the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered to Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said. It had already been reported that Francis, 84, had received the jab on Wednesday, but officials declined to confirm the news. The Vatican News portal said Benedict, 93, was given a dose on Thursday morning. The former pontiff, who stepped down in 2013, lives in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens. In an interview broadcast at the weekend, Francis urged people to get the vaccine. “There is a suicidal denial which I cannot explain, but today we have to get vaccinated,” he told Canale 5. The Vatican in December said it was “morally acceptable” for Catholics even where the vaccines had been developed using cell lines from aborted foetuses. In his Christmas message last year, Francis also added his voice to calls for vaccines to be available across the globe, not just in rich countries. He urged “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet”. – Iraq trip in doubt – The Argentine has been forced to limit his interaction with the public since the virus first swept Italy early last year, notably switching his weekly Wednesday audiences online. Francis conceded at the weekend that his historic trip to Iraq planned for March, the first visit by a pope to the Middle Eastern country, could be in doubt. Recalling how he was forced to cancel his foreign trips last year due to the pandemic, he said: “I don’t know if the upcoming trip to Iraq will happen.” He added: “I cannot in all conscience encourage gatherings.” There are serious concerns about how Francis would cope if he himself became infected, given both his age and his history of lung problems. The pope almost died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy, according to biographer Austen Ivereigh, and had part of one of his lungs removed. He recalled the incident in a recent book, “Let Us Dream”, saying: “I have some sense of how people with coronavirus feel as they struggle to breathe on ventilators.” Media reports suggested Pope Francis received the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which was authorised for use in the European Union on December 21. Source: AFP With a ball made from rags and surging adrenaline, the young Jorge Bergoglio and his friends pulled off “miracles” playing football in the street, Pope Francis recalled on Saturday. Now 84, the Argentine pope remembered “the joy, the happiness on everyone’s faces,” after the 1946 victory of his Buenos Aires team, San Lorenzo, in a 31-page interview about sport published Saturday in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. The first pope from Latin America called Diego Maradona a “poet” on the field, as he weighed in on the joys of sport. Expounding on themes of hard work, sacrifice and camaraderie, Francis shared memories of the makeshift footballs that sufficed to exhilarate him and his boyhood friends. “Leather cost too much and we were poor, rubber wasn’t used so much yet, but for us all we needed was a ball of rags to amuse ourselves and to create miracles, almost, playing in the little square near home,” Francis said. Acknowledging he was “not among the best” of the footballers, Bergoglio played goalkeeper, which he characterised as a good school for learning how to respond to “dangers that could arrive from anywhere”. The pontiff — described by the paper as “a pope of the people in the most noble sense of the term” — touched on the need for teamwork and working towards a shared goal. “Either you play together, or you risk crashing. That’s how small groups, capable of staying united, succeed in taking down bigger teams incapable of working together,” he said. The interview, which took place in early December at the Vatican, also saw the pope condemn doping in sport and stress the need to nurture talent through hard work. “It’s not only a cheat, a shortcut that revokes dignity, but it’s also wanting to steal from God that spark which, through his mysterious ways, he gave to some in a special and greater form,” he said. Francis called the Olympics “one of the highest forms of human ecumenism”, involving “sharing effort for a better world”. – Fragile poet – He recalled meeting Argentine footballer Maradona, who died in November, during a “match for peace” in Rome in 2014. “On the field he was a poet, a great champion who brought joy to millions of people, in Argentina as well as Naples. He was also a very fragile man,” Francis said. The pontiff said that after learning of Maradona’s death, he prayed for him and sent a rosary to his family with some words of comfort. The pope, who has made inclusion of marginalised people one of the central themes of his papacy, shared his amazement and emotion at the accomplishments of the athletes who compete in the Paralympic Games, while expressing disappointment at “rich champions” turned “sluggish, almost bureaucrats of their sport.” Sport, he said, was marked by the efforts of so many of those who, “with sweat on their brows” beat those born with “talent in their pockets” “The poor thirst for redemption: give them a book, a pair of shoes, a ball and they show themselves capable of unimaginable achievements.” Source: AFP In Cameroon, thousands of Muslims are joining Christians in churches all over the country in Christmas prayers for peace in 2021. For the annual tradition this year, the Inter-Denominational Prayer for Peace group focused on Cameroon’s troubled western regions and COVID-19. Muslims in Cameroon joined together with Christians Friday to celebrate Christmas and offer an annual prayer for peace. Cheikh Oumarou Mallam is president of the Islamic Superior Council of Cameroon and a member of the Inter-Denominational Prayer for Peace group. This year, he says, they prayed for an end to COVID-19 and peace on the border with Nigeria, where security forces have been battling the Islamist militant group Boko Haram for close to 10 years. Mallam says they prayed especially for an end to the separatist conflict in Cameroon’s western regions, which has left more than 3,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. “Be loyal to your country,” Mallam said. “Compete for goodness through social work and community service to enhance people’s lives and improve the progress of the society. Let us be united building our nation. Let us be united for peace, safety, security, unity, reconciliation and prosperity.” Anglophone rebels have been fighting in the western regions since 2016 to carve out an independent state from Cameroon’s French-speaking majority. The separatists have destroyed symbols of the state, such as schools and bridges, as well as mosques and churches. Reverend Father Humphrey Tatah Mbui is director of communications at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops. He spoke by telephone from the northwestern town of Bamenda, the capital of the troubled region. “If there is any Cameroonian who has not learnt from the 4-year war{separatist crisis} that might, force, violence does not, will not, cannot and should not be able to solve the problem, then I wonder if that person will ever learn,” Mbui said. “What is going on is horrendous and therefore justice and peace should be the message that all of us should talk about. We have everything to gain in peace than in war.” Christmas songs play on the speakers at the Our Lady of Victories Metropolitan Cathedral in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. Far from the separatist conflict, the focus is on another battle – to defeat COVID-19. Cameroon instructed churches to guard against the spread of COVID-19 during Christmas day activities. To fight the spread of the virus, Cameroon’s churches are holding multiple Christmas day services. Church usher Christian Olinga says they are also limiting access to the cathedral. He says the catholic church asked him to make sure the government’s instructions are respected – no one will be granted access to the cathedral without a face mask. Olinga says worshipers and guests must sit two meters from each other and there are enough hand washing basins and sanitizers in the church. Cameroon has confirmed nearly 26,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 400 deaths since the first case in March. A surge of more than 2,000 new infections this month raised concern that holiday gatherings could see numbers increase further. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Muslims and Christians are praying for a healthy and peaceful new year. Source: VOA
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"https://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Derick-1.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	https://www.ofmcapcamero…esus-150x150.jpg		https://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/	Novices get set for First Profession No Comments Novices get set for First Profession After 12 months of discernment into the Franciscan Capuchin way of life , Brothers Lidwin Ndzedzenyuy Venban, Brandon Njoke Nchang, Ginoel Keliewoh, Brendan Wiyfengla and Albert Kilofonyuy, get set to pronounce their first vows in July 14, 2024 in Saint Theresa’s Parish Church Sop at 10:00AM. As they get set for this great day in their life, may Saint Francis and Saint Clare, intercede for them. Les Aspirants à Toket No Comments LA SESSION DES ASPIRANTS CAPUCINS A TOKET (DU 7 AU 9 JUIN 2024) « Venez et voyez. Ils vinrent donc et virent où il demeurait, et ils demeurèrent auprès de lui ce jour-là » Jn. 1 :39 La session des aspirants capucins du Cameroun s’est tenue du 7 au 9 juin 2024 à Bafoussam, précisément à Toket. A cet effet, huit (08) jeunes, venus des différents coins du pays ont assisté à cette rencontre : Bovra Jérome (Yagoua), Gejung Brandon (Bamenda), Ambrose Nyuykighan (Kumbo), Bole Bibou Bienvenu (Yagoua), Zogning Thomas d’Aquin (Bafoussam), Priestly Liynuy (Kumbo), Fonkeu Remi (Yaounde), Chin Priestly (Yaounde). Durant cette session qui a débuté le 7 juin 2024 à partir de 17heure, plusieurs activités ont été menées. Ainsi donc, le vendredi a été une journée consacrée à l’accueil et présentation des différents assistants. Par ailleurs, le programme de la rencontre toute entière a été aussi présenté par le Frère Cedric Verbe après avoir prononcé son mot de bienvenu. Après cette présentation, le frère Christophe chargé des aspirants souhaita à son tour la bienvenue à tous les participants. Et la journée fut clôturée par la prière du couché. La journée de samedi 8 juin fut pour sa part déterminante pour la session, car elle a connu le déroulement de la plupart des activités. C’est ainsi, après s’être resourcer de la grâce matinale via la messe, nous nous entamions avec le premier entretien conduit par le Frère Cedric. Il nous a entretenu sur le thème : « La Fraternité, un grand don Franciscain ». De cet entretien, il ressort que le don est quelque chose de gratuit, donnée sans aucune exigence, et la fraternité, comme un grand don aux franciscains à travers la personne de Saint François d’Assise, renvoie donc à la vie en frère. Suivant les explications, le Frère a présenté les valeurs de la fraternité franciscaine : la prière commune, le repas commun, les chapitres qui désigne les rencontres fraternelles dans le but de programmer, exhorter, corriger, évaluer les uns les autres ainsi que les activités de la fraternité ; le travail, le partage, les sorties communautaires, la récréation/sports/moment des divertissements. Il a mentionné aussi la dimension fraternelle des vœux de pauvreté, chasteté et obéissance. Pour donner le sens ou enrichir cette vie en frère, certaines valeurs sont importantes à cultiver : le respect mutuel, le pardon mutuel, la confiance, la tolérance, la présence effective. En somme, il a souligné que nous devons toujours penser, parler et agir communauté (always think, speak and act community) Après cet échange, nous avons entamé une autre phase : les rencontres personnelles et les travaux communautaire. A 15h :30, nous avons repris avec une autre conférence, présentée par le frère Christopher : Pourquoi voulez-vous devenir Capucin ? la réponse permettra donc de déterminer le degré de l’amour que l’on a de vouloir adhérer cette vie. Suite à cet entretien, nous avons effectué une marche à la paroisse Saint Charles Lwanga de Ngouache. L’hors du repas, pour conclure officiellement la session, nous nous sommes échangés les mots des remerciements. Le dimanche, dernier jour de la session fut ouvert par les laudes suivie de la messe. Après le petit déjeuner, les frères sont rentrés chacun à sa destination. Bovra Jérome et Chin Priestly FIVE FRIARS ORDAINED PRIESTS No Comments PRIESTLY ORDINATION OF FIVE CAPUCHIN BROTHERS MARKS CELEBRATION AT BAMBUI Bambui, June 29, 2024 A momentous occasion unfolded at the Capuchin Friary of Bambui as five brothers – François Djorwe, Philip Mbungai, Rene Mbakou, Fabrice Awembom, and Michel Tiague- were ordained to the priesthood, bringing immense joy to the Capuchin Custody of Cameroon and the wider Church. About the ordinations in Bamenda of four friars (François, Philip, Rene, and Fabrice), the ceremony, conducted by Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda, commenced with a solemn Holy Mass at 9 AM, at Saint Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral Bamenda, coinciding with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Alongside the four Capuchin brothers, two Jesuit priests and one Conceptionist were also ordained. Notably, Father Bernadine Gam, the newly ordained Conceptionist, had spent three years at the Capuchin Friary of Bambui during his theological studies at the Major Seminary of Bambui. The ordination ceremony also included eleven deacons, among whom two were destined for the Archdiocese of Bangui in the Republic of Central Africa, and nine for the Archdiocese of Bamenda. In his insightful homily, Archbishop Nkea underscored the significance of Saints Peter and Paul as co-founders of the Church of Rome, emphasizing the unity of the Catholic world under the leadership of Pope Francis. He quoted Saint Augustine, highlighting the Church as the mother of all believers and stressing the importance of fidelity to the Holy Father in Rome for authentic Catholic identity. Archbishop Nkea exhorted the newly ordained priests and deacons to dedicate their lives to the service of Christ and His Church, emphasizing the primacy of proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments to the faithful worldwide. Following the solemn ceremonies in the Cathedral of Bamenda, festivities continued at the Friary of Bambui, where a celebratory feast honored the four newly ordained brothers amidst a spirit of jubilation and communal rejoicing. Meanwhile, in Douala, Brother Michel Tiague was also ordained on the same day, adding to the blessings received by the Church on this memorable occasion. Looking forward, the brothers continue to offer prayers for Brothers Elvis Tadzenyuy and Gotran Tata, who are set to be ordained priests on August 16th, 2024, at Saint Theresa Parish in Sop, within the Diocese of Kumbo. As the Capuchin Order and the Church in Cameroon celebrate these ordinations, the community remains united in prayer and support for the ongoing vocations within its midst. Gideon N. WIRSIY. Celebrating the “Cook” No Comments 23 YEARS BY FIRE Mr Laisin Edwin, the friar’s long serving cook in the custody (23years) is appreciated by Shisong Fraternity as he quits his noble profession as COOK. This ceremony of thanksgiving took place in the Sacred Heart Fraternity (Shisong) on Sunday 14 April 2024. While thanking God for such a figure “Ta Lai” (as called by many friars) who had served different generations of friars, the House Guardian of Shisong, Br. Felix Afoni, implored the Most High’s blessings upon him and his lovely family for good health, peace and harmony. Celebrating Fraternal Proximity No Comments Fraternal proximity On Sunday 31st of march 2024, Easter Sunday, the fraternity of Shisong entered the Novitiate Fraternity Sop. This was a moment to celebrate ‘fraternity’, to celebrate ‘brotherhood’ in the context of Jesus’ victory over death through his Resurrection. This fraternal moment was spiritually filled as brothers all gathered for vespers. From the chapel, all proceeded for supper where the Guardian of Sop, Br. Cornelius B. Wirsiy welcomed all the friars, expressing to each, showers of Easter wishes and blessings. This fraternal moment continued the next day with prayers, mass, works, lunch to share the Easter Joy as brothers. The fraternal joy was heightened with the birthday celebration of some friars (Br. Cornelius, the Guardian and Br. Gui noel). An Easter Football Encounter between the Postulants and the Novices spiced this moment of fraternal proximity. The day ended with another great fraternal touch: the GREAT TOMBOLA. Oh! What a joy when brothers live together. And the Lord gave me brothers. ministries in bambui No Comments RECEPTION OF MINISTRIES IN BAMBUI FRIARY FEBRUARY 12, 2024. Today, February 12, 2024, St. Francis’ Capuchin Friary Bambui, Cameroon, lives another great event and moment in the life of nine friars who received the ministry of lector (Brs. Keflet Aseni, Gideon Nyuyshiyi, Magloire Demaya, Melchizedek Kpudzeka, Dimitri Mbombo, Herbert Yenika, Mbimenyuy Bongli, Achilis Ntumnyuy, and Emmanuel Fang) and four other friars, who received the ministry of Acolyte (Brs. Zachaeus Ntumnyuy, Steven Italo, Adolf Baba, and Anicet Njutapvoui). This celebration began at 5:30pm with vespers in the Fraternity chapel, followed by the Eucharistic celebration, animated by friar students, officiated by the Custos, Br. Kenneth Ayeni Kinyuy, and concelebrated by all the other Friar formators of the fraternity. In his homily, the custos dwelt on the word: Scroll, which appears a number of times in Holy Scripture, and holds the content of divine revelation. He focused more in the book of the Apocalypse (5:6) where we read that the scroll had seven seals and only Christ could break it or open it. Therefore, this seal must be continuously opened and this can only be realized when people give up everything and avail themselves as ministers and servants of the Scroll breaker, who himself is the Word. The Custos underlined that if today, people fail to persevere in the faith, resolve to embrace violence and other forms of evil, then we, as ministers and servants of the Word, need to ask ourselves if truly we are breaking the seals of the scroll and planting them in the lives of the people. Therefore, as Franciscans, with the gospel being our rule of life, our intellectual, moral, and spiritual influence should create positive marks in the society. To the Lectors in particular, the father custos exhorted them to explore the Wisdom of God found in Sacred Scripture, in fact, to become Scriptures for others to read through their life of witnessing. To the Acolytes, the custos made reference to the book of Daniel (5:1-25), where Belshazzar took the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem and drank fromthem together with his noble men and concubines, and immediately a hand appeared and wrote on the wall declaring the ruin of his pride, and the end of his reign. Consequently, the Acolytes were called upon to show reverence to the sacred vessels, for their care of these sacred vessels would portray the place God occupies in their lives, the reverence they have for the Holy. To crown it all, the preacher, reminding all friars that they are all vessels that still require the infilling of the Holy Spirit, urged that we all pray and work to avoid externalism and truly serve faithfully the Lord in the ministries in which we have all been called. Feelings of Brothers after the reception of Ministries FRIAR THADDEUS ESOPE (OFM CAP) 12/02/2024 Visit to the novitiate No Comments MOTHERS VISIT THEIR CHILDREN VISIT OF CWA, SOP PARISH TO THE NOVITIATE FRATERNITY, FRIDAY- FEBRUARY, 9 2024. It was at about 12:25 PM that a large crowd of Catholic Women Association (CWA), dressed in their marian uniform stormed the friary and all settled around the fount of Our Lady, singing Marian songs. This was an occasion for these mothers to express their joy for the presence of the Capuchin Friars in Sop Parish. The Divisional President of the CWA, Mme Cornelia Liydzeka, speaking on behalf of the mothers, expressed her joy for the presence of the friars, reminding them that their tradition of visiting the Novitiate Fraternity and bringing them some food stuffs as mothers, has not and will never be forgotten. On his part, the Fraternity Guardian, Br Cornelius Bamenjo expressed his heartfelt thanks to the mothers, for always coming to their assistance, spiritually as well as materially. No Comments Consecrated Life Celebrated / La Vie Consacrée Célébrée Celebration of Consecrated Life in Bambui Deanery Friday, February 2, 2024. Sr. Marceline Mokia Mbuh, a Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto (Bambili), tells us that this celebration took place in Bambili with the Sisters of Christ, the Capuchin sisters of Mother Rubatto, The Capuchin Friars, and the Marist Fathers, all present in the Deanery. It was an occasion to thank the Lord for his call and a moment to renew the call to follow Christ. The message retained for the day was: “Consecration is not a burden rather a joy. It does not bring sorrow, it brings joy. Consequently, a sad religious is a contradiction”. Thus, celebrating this day, according to sr. Marceline, remains an occasion for people to know who we are, the life we have chosen and the value of consecration in the world today. Moreover, it is necessary to let young people know that it is not what they are that makes them happy but who they are. All in all, my wish and prayer is that all Consecrated Persons, beginning from me, radiate joy to the world. Sr. Marceline Mokia Mbuh, Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto Was Consecrated Life celebrated in Mamfe Diocese? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy (Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, Mamfe), what have you to tell us about the celebration of Consecrated Life in Mamfe? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy tells us it was a wonderful celebration in Mamfe, on Sunday February 4, 2024, around their Chief Shepherd, Mgr. Aloysius A. Fondong. She tells us that, they as Consecrated Persons in the Diocese of Mamfe, did celebrate their consecration in the context of the Silver Jubilee of the Diocese. She makes us understand that the Bishop thanked all Consecrated men and women for the witnessing in his Diocese. He equally reminded them of the Letter of Pope Francis calling on consecrated men and women to go back to the roots. Sr. Kinyuy tells us that this celebration gave her an opportunity to revisit, to revise, to check, to edit, infact, to evaluate her calling, and motivation for choosing this life. As her own message of the day, sr. Kinyuy said: “If we are to be true witnesses we must do so in joy. The inner joy that the challenges of life cannot take away”. She profited to check the things she clings to, which take her off from the lane, from the life she has willfully accepted to live. How to do away with what prevents her from being faithful to her spouse, was the assignment she gave herself. The Bishop, Aloysius A. Fondong, left a question to all Consecrated men and women present, that if their founders and foundresses were to come back to this life, will they really recognize them as their disciples? A question Sr. Elizabeth rephrased as: if my foundress, Mother Rubatto was to come back, will she recognize me as her daughter? Sr. Elizabeth Kinyuy (Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, Mamfe) World day of consecrated life in the Archdiocese of Bamenda The day of Consecrated Life in the Archdiocese of Bamenda was celebrated in Bambui Deanery, precisely in Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bambili, on Sunday the 4th of February 2024, in the presence of Mgr. Andrew Fuanya Nkea, the Archbishop of Bamenda Archdiocese. The Archbishop ceased this opportunity to express his gratitude to all Consecrated Persons in the Archdiocese, for their close collaboration with him and for their life of witness amongst God’s People. He encouraged the Christians present at this solemn occasion to always support the Consecrated Persons God has given them. To the young people present, he exhorted them to embrace this way of life without fear, without hesitation for God who calls, gives the grace even though we need to collaborate with his grace. Other activities spiced the day, such as, Choral music, sketches, and fashion parades. Br. William Kongnyuy (OFM. Cap. Bambui) Bafoussam Diocese was not left out “IT’S OUR LIFE, IT’S OUR FEAST” was the slogan adopted to adorn the day of the Consecrated Life in Bafoussam. The celebration of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Bafoussam took place at the St. Joseph Cathedral Bafoussam, with about 44 Religious Orders/Congregations/Secular Institutes/New Communities. The celebration was preceded in February 1, 2024, with activities such as: a visit to an orphanage in Kouogouo II (Bafoussam Deanery), a friendly match with the Diocesan clergy and religious men at the Cathedral Stadium, a friendly match between the religious women, vespers and a cultural evening at the Cathedral hall. February 2, 2024, at 9:55, Consecrated Men and Women, working in the Diocese of Bafoussam, coloured the Cathedral with their presence at the Eucharistic celebration presided over by His Lordship, Mgr. Paul Lontsie-Keune, Bishop of Bafoussam. Commenting on the Table of the Word, the Chief Shepherd, expressed gratitude to all the consecrated men and women for their presence in the Diocese, for the touch they give to the lives of the faithful in the Diocese, stressing that the Church in Bafoussam needs them and loves them. He encouraged the all present saying that in the face of secularism and all the ills society undergoes, all that the world proposes to man in today’s society, consecrated persons should still stand as witnesses and true witnesses to Gospel life. He acknowledged challenges that come as a result of their consecration, saying that some, as a result of those challenges start nurturing the idea to quit. He reassured such consecrated persons to go back to the first day they made their step into the congregation. He regretted too the fact that elderly consecrated persons turn to devalue the young ones who just come into the life, telling them they have no space because they have made no experience of religious life, hence, making life a hell for the young ones who come into this way of life with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. He cautioned such persons that even a postulant has something to offer into the congregation, for it is not the number of years spent in the congregation that makes one holy. Moreso, the Bishop exhorted all Consecrated Persons to live their consecration with Joy, for without joy, we start dying and our consecration dies too. To crown it all, Mgr. Paul underlined that Consecrated Life has its beauty and value only through the cross. He then admonished that each Consecrated Persons sees meaning in his or her daily cross as a test to his or her consecration. The novelty brought by His Lordship, Bishop Paul to this solemn celebration of Consecrated Life, was his invitation to the Diocesan Group “Sainte Anne” (a group for widows) to participate at this celebration. He said that like Anne, the widow in the Bible, they too have consecrated their lives to serve the Lord in his Holy Temple and in the upbringing of their children. He then encouraged them to be faithful to the Lord and in the upbringing of their children. Br. Cedric Verbe K. (ofm Cap.- Bafoussam) How was it in Kumbo Diocese? The celebration of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Kumbo began on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 8:30am, with the talk at the Cathedral on: DO OUR LIVES AS CONSECRATED PERSONS REFLECT THE JOY OF ETERNITY. This talk helped the participants to revive their calling as missionaries of joy in a society and in an environment where many are saddened due to the socio-political climate and its effects on the populace. After the talk, came sporting activities with two matches of football: the first being: Religious Women against the Youths of Meluf Denary and the last match, Religious Men against the Diocesan Clergy. On the D-Day, that is, February 2, 2024 at 9am, a Holy Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral Church with the Chief Shepherd, Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo Diocese. A beautiful celebration animated by Shisong Community of the Tertiary Sisters of Saint Francis. The Bishop used the occasion to remind all consecrated Persons to get back to the roots of their call and to use this moment to renew their calling. He expressed the desire that the celebration be extended to all the Faithful, since we are all consecrated, each in his or her own way. The day ended with some refreshment, and recreational activities. Capuchin Postulant, Paulino – Shisong Br. Albert kilofonyuy (Capuchin Novice) gives his own witness In the Diocese of Kumbo, the World day of consecrated life which is celebrated on the 2nd day of February as the D-day, rather started with some sporting activities on the 1st of February 2024. These activities took place in the SAC Nso sports complex. On the 2nd day of February, the world day of consecrated life, the events of the day started with Holy Mass at the Kumbo Cathedral at 9:00am. This Mass was celebrated by his Lordship Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo. The liturgy was superfluous and well animated. What marked most Br. Albert was the fact of seeing many congregations still present in Kumbo in spite of the socio-political situation. This brought to mind the fact of Consecrated Persons being signs, pointers to the future reality; their presence have given hope to the hopeless, and life to the lifeless. May God’s Holy Spirit continue to accompany all Consecrated Persons in being true witnesses to the society. And in Rome, how was it celebrated with the Pope? Br. Peter Tar tells us more Reflecting on the prophetic anticipation of the Lord’s arrival as foretold by the prophet Malachi, the Pope said that while the people were long for their salvation, prophets kept their hope alive through their prophecy like Malachi in the first Reading for today– “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple”- the Pope upheld the figures of Simeon and Anna, who after being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they waited in hope everyday in the temple for the fulfillment of the promised salvation. “It is good for us to look at these two elders who were waiting patiently, vigilant in spirit and persevering in prayer. Their hearts have stayed awake, like an eternal flame. They are advanced in age, but young at heart,” he said. They did not allow their age to weigh down on them nor given in to disappointments and hardship. In the child Jesus, they were able to see the promised Messiah to the nations. He went on to say that waiting for God is vey important in our faith journey because everyday the Lord visits us, therby revealing himself to us in an unexpected way. We therefore should wait in an expectant hope. The worse thing that can happen to a Consecrated person is to let our spirit doze off; to let the heart fall asleep; to lock hope away in the dark corners of desolation and resignation. Simeon and Anna’s ability to preserve the flame of hope is an indication to Christians, in a world filled with distractions, to remain with their eyes fixed on God in expectation. “By staying awake in expectation of the Lord, they are able to welcome him in the newness of His coming,” he said. And directly addressing Consecrated men and women, he says that there is the present danger of running behind doing things to the detriment of our religious calling. That sometimes we risk our community and personal life by calculating the odds of success, instead of cultivating in total humility the small seed that has been entrusted to us. That we have lost the ability of patient waiting with open hearts for the Lord like Simeon and Anna. Obstacles to waiting The Pope then identified two obstacles that hinder the ability to wait. The first, he said, is the neglect of the interior life, where weariness prevails amazement, where habit takes the place of enthusiasm, where conflicts or negative experiences turn us into bitter persons. He says it is not good to ruminate on bitterness, but to recover the lost grace through an interior life through the spirit of joyful humility and silent adoration in order to reawaken the amazement of the first day of our profession. The second obstacle is adapting to a worldly lifestyle that ends up taking away the Gospel. This is characterized by speed, activism, and the pursuit of immediate gratification. In this case, silent is banished and lost from religious communities. He then calls us to slow down the pace at which we are going. “Where silence is banished and lost, waiting is not easy, for it requires an attitude of healthy passivity, the courage to slow our pace, to not be overwhelmed by activities, to make room within ourselves for God’s action,” he said. The Pope continued with a call to cultivate a spirit of waiting, careful that “the spirit of the world does not enter our religious communities, ecclesial life and our individual journey, otherwise we will not bear fruit.” Like Simeon, he added, “Let us also pick up this child, the God of newness and surprises. By welcoming the Lord, the past opens up to the future, the old in us opens up to the new that he awakens.” Pope Francis concluded his homily reminding those present that “these questions are for us, for our communities and for the Church.” “Let us be restless, let us be moved by the Spirit, like Simeon and Anna. If, like them, we live in expectation, safeguarding our interior life and in conformity with the Gospel, we will embrace Jesus, the light and hope of life.” Br. Peter Tar (ofm Cap. Rome) Emmaus Center No Comments Emmaus Outreach Centre Bamenda – Caring for the MENTALLY DISABLEDhttps://www.emmausoutreach.org/ WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER? No Comments Where is your brother? The Capuchin Friars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, from Sunday the 7th of January to Saturday the 13th of January 2024, gathered in the Dominican Nunery, Bambui, for their annual retreat, preached by Br. Author Nga Abanfegha. This spiritual exercise, had as anchor, the question by God to Cain in the book of Genesis (4:9): Where is your brother (Abel)? Where is my brother? Br. Author, the retreat director, helped the friars to reconsider the place of FRATERNITY in the life of a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, who rejoiced in his Testament saying: “And the Lord gave me brothers.” The preacher stressed we all are members of the same family as friars, infact, that we are all in the same boat where, what affects one, affects all. Biblical personages were examined in line with the brotherhood such as: Esau and Jacob (Gn. 25:27-34), whereby the conflict between the two brothers brought about their separation especially at the moment Jacob received the blessings of his brother Esau. The page on Joseph and his brothers in Gn. 37 was another opportunity to examine how brotherhood could be shattered; where the brothers of Joseph (all sons of the same father) cultivated hatred for Joseph because he was so loved by Jacob more than the others, he came reporting his brothers to their father (Gn. 37:2), above all, his dreams injected jealousy into the life of his brothers; the consequence being their hatred and desire to eliminate their own brother. Another picture of brotherhood brought for meditation was the story of the Lost Son – the younger brother. At his return, his elder brother refused to welcome him. These stories were therefore seen as realities that a fraternity like ours could undergo, where a brother could fight to be at the place of the other through fraud as in the case of Jacob, where out of hatred and jealousy, a brother could desire to eliminate the other as did the brothers of Joseph and even reject a brother as did the eldest son in the parable of the Lost Son. But in the case of Andrew and Simon, we see a brother who works for the other’s good. Andrew sees Jesus, then goes to bring his own brother to Jesus. Brothers bringing each other to Jesus As a result, the retreat director, Br. Author, therefore asked each friar to bring the other friar closer to Jesus, to have the good of each other at heart, avoiding all that destroys, harms or shatters fraternity. This would help us avoid the response given by Cain to God: “I do not know, Am I my brother’s guardian?” (Gn. 4:9) Twins Speak (paroles aux jumeaux) No Comments Paroles aux Jumeaux (Twins Speak) “And the Lord gave me brothers” (Saint Francis of Assisi). In gratitude to God for the richness in vocation for the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (4 final professed friars and 9 Capuchin deacons), the wish is to hear these friars tell us their feelings, and their motives for accepting to make such steps into the Order. What do they wish for the Order, the Church and God’s People? We shall listen to some of them speak to us. Over to you brothers? Final Professed and Deacons Br. Adolph Baba Br. Adolf is happy to give himself to the Order and for the Order accepting him . http://www.ofmcapcameroon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Ptt-2023-12-08-at-10.36.50.ogg Deacons Br. Rene Mbaku Brother Rene is grateful to God for his love and mercy, for having looked upon him, by raising him to the ministry of the Word, a ministry which is not for export, a ministry that carries a message he has to propose to others and to impose on himself, since he has to read the Gospel, believe in it and then, put it into practice. Br. Elvis Tardzenyuy Before the ordination, I was cogitating on the word Reverend. After ordination, many will be calling me Reverend. So, I asked myself if all would end only at that calling. I therefore told myself : “Elvis, that calling of Reverend should be in perfect harmony with your acts.” Truly, I am happy to be ordained a Deacon for the Order and for the Church. I am happy because God has given me this wonderful gift of ministering to His people. This is something wonderful for me. I do not merit it, but his love has made me who I have become. So, my duty and task is SERVICE. Having been ordained, I even asked to know what had changed in me. I am still Elvis, right? But then, something more has happened to Elvis, something spiritual has taken place in me. So, 1Tim. 4:13 is a text that has inspired me in accepting this call to be a minister of God : “Devote yourself to reading, preaching and teaching until i come.” This phrase of St. Paul sums my mission: one who reads (the word of God), preaches (more by deeds) and teaching (according to the mind of the Church). I therefore pray to be a faithful deacon, a faithful servant of God for the rest of my life. May God give me this single grace. Br. Esope Thaddeus Moseu I thank God Almighty for this grace to share in this ministry, it’s a great joy, I thank my parents for accepting that I follow God’s call, I thank my formators from postulancy till date, I pray for continues grace to be a good and fruitful minister of the word, and to be part of the goodness of God in and for our custody. “Your word Lord is a lamp for my feet”. This is the phrase that leads me into the ministry. Sometimes in life, it is difficult to predict which path to take or steps to make, but I came to realise that at the moment of confusion, the answer is the bible, that is, God’s Word. In it, I gain consolation for my worries. The above word of action has been a source of comfort and guidance to me, I have seen, I still see and will stil see God’s hands in my life and vocation. In fact, His Word serves as a source of illumination in the darkness of my journey, providing clarity and wisdom, peace and fulfilment, knowledge and truth and hope. Despite all, God’s faithfulness still leads me on to a place of purpose and fulfilment. Br Michel Laubryl Tiague I thank God for having called me to serve at his altar as a deacon. I’m very happy for this great gift to me and to the Order at large. Before the Ordination I chose as Motto 2Tim 4:2 to preach the Word at all time, welcomed or unwelcomed… because the world is fast changing and the tendency is to please the people and not say what the Word of God demands of us. So I resolutely take upon myself to proclaim it with boldness and therefore live accordingly. I sincerely thank the Community of Bambui and the Custody for making that day a wonderful day. May God continue to bless and strengthen us in this path of life. Br. François Djorwe After the ordination I was very happy and at the same time challenged by what I had brought myself into. This is due to the fact that, today we live in an era where the world is proposing ideas that are very appetizing, ideas which even contradict the Gospel message. So, I chose as motto: Let thy will be done not mine. (Lk 22:42b), as a reminder, that l have been ordained to always search, know and do the will of God. In fact, this is not only a motto but a prayer. Consequently, my vision has always and remains, being a happy and a faithful servant of God wherever I find myself no matter the circumstance. Br. Fabrice Awembom I feel very happy and grateful to God for my ordination on this day. I have done nothing to merit this grace and can only express my gratitude to the one who had ordained this from the beginning of time. I equally feel grateful to all who have been journeying with me and have contributed in one way or the other to bring this day to it’s realization. May God himself be their reward. We are merely servants…”(Lk. 10:17). God’s call, is always a call to loving, humble and selfless service and not to self-glorification. Such is the ministry of the diaconate to which he has called me. I therefore find in this verse in Luke’s gospel a true reflection of what Jesus expects of me as a deacon in the church of which he is the head and it is my wish to commit myself to it with an undivided heart: humble, loving and selfless service in the name of Christ. Br Philip Nyuysemo Mbungai I, Br Philip Nyuysemo Mbungai, OFM cap, feel so happy as I see myself continuing on my vocational journey. I’m glad for God’s call and for His Grace that have led me this far. I chose as my motto: Do to me according to your word (Lk 1:38) this is supported by Psalm 51:11, “Do not cast me away from your presence nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit.” All of these, remind me of the one who has called me and whose will I have to carry. It is for me to be a true servant, dedicated and ready to go out to serve my neighbours, knowing that it is in His will and spirit that I act. Beloved brothers, may the Lord of all goodness, bring to fulfilment the good work started in you. May St. Francis and St. Clare intercede for you. TWINS IN BAMBUI No Comments TWINS IN BAMBUI Final Profession and Diaconal Ordination Great things we have promised God, greater things has he promised us, says Saint Francis of Assisi. Saturday, 2nd December 2023, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (OFM. Caps), Custody of Saint Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, was graced with a twin celebration, that is, the Final Profession of four friars (Zachaeus Ntumnyuy, Italo-Steven Lele, Adolph Baba and Anicet Ariel) and the Diaconal Ordination of 10 friars (9 Capuchins: Brs. Francois Djorwe, Esope-Thadeus Moseu, Phillip Mbuhngai, Ignasius Kenso, Rene Mbaku, Elvis Tardzenyuy, Michel Tiague, Gotrand Tata and Fabrice Awembom and an Augustinian, friar Michael). This twin event took place in the capuchin friary of Bambui. The Holy mass was presided over by Mgr. Angelo Pagano, Apostolic Vicar of Harar-Ethiopia, the ordaining minister; while the Perpetual vows were received by Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, Regular superior of the Capuchin Brothers in Cameroon. May the Lord bless these our brothers in the various steps undertaken, to be witnesses of His love amongst His people. Pax et Bonum Br. William Kongnyuy A Domus Ordinis in Buea? What a blessing!!! No Comments The official blessing & opening of the Capuchin friary in the Diocese of Buea as a Domus Ordinis by the Provincial Minister Angelo Borghino on the 29th September 2023 One of the greatest fruits of the Extraordinary Custody Assembly convoked by the General Curia animated by the General Councillor fra. Kilian Ngitir, who providentially is the second Cameroonian Capuchin friar, accompanied by Fra. Akilu Petros from the Solidarity office of the Order and the Provincial Minister fra Angelo Borghino held from the 25th – 26thof September 2023, was the official opening of the Capuchin friary in Buea. The Occasion commenced with a Pontifical high mass presided over by fra Kilian Ngitir, concelebrated by Fra Kenneth Kinyuy (Custos), fra cyril Kerla (Guardian of the said fraternity) and the Provincial Minister. Furthermore, in attendance was the august guest, fra Akilu Petros and fra Theophile Seka, a member of that fraternity. The blessing proper of the sacred vessels, the Lectern, the liturgical books, the Cross of Saint Damian and the general blessing of the house graced the Capuchin presence in the Diocese of Buea with a Domus Ordinis a Landmark in the administration of fra. Kenneth Kinyuy and his council, the first indigenous Major superior of the Capuchins in Cameroon as the Custody celebrated her 40th Anniversary (1982- 2022). Immense thanks go to the mother Provincial for her love, accompaniment, and sacrifices. Immense thanks equally go to Fra Nestor Nyamnjo, the project coordinator for his ingenious and meticulous follow up of this noble project till this stage. We cannot forget our benefactors especially Mr. Divine Feh a great and God-given Contractor, for his untold contributions. The story began on the 18th May 2021 with the pecking of the foundation, then the digging and casting of pillars. In the twinkle of an eye the first decking. Then, came the second and third floors. God has been faithful till this blessing and opening of the house this 29th September 2023, feast day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael. Fra. Theophile Seka ofmcap A Summary of the Custody’s Assembly No Comments CUSTODY’S ASSEMBLY- DOMINCAN CONVENT-BAMBUI September 25-26, 2023 A summary of the discussions at the Custody’s Assembly, held in the Dominican Convent (Bambui) Monday, 25 September 2023 The assembly doors opened at about 9am (Monday, 25 Sept. 2023), with 63 participants. Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, the Custos, welcomed all the brothers present. He expressed gratitude for the presence of the brothers especially the presence of Br. Kilian Ngitir (General Councilor for Africa), Br. Wachamo Aklilu Petros (from the solidarity office in the Curia), and the Provincial Minister, Br. Angelo Borghino, for making it for the Assembly. The Custos, Br. Kenneth, basing on the word “rapprochement”, indicated that the assembly would be a moment of verification, whereby information received by the Curia and the Provincial has to be verified and clarified so that we all, as friars, move on the same footing and to the same direction. Br. Kilian intervened after the Custos. He expressed the General Minister and his council’s worry about Cameroon concerning the postulancy project and other projects of the Custody. He acknowledged the fact that the postulancy had been an urgent project for the past 9 years, a project which is being realized today in Mbohtong. He indicated that this giant project was happily welcomed by the Curia even though, along the lines, the project has undergone some misunderstandings, reasons for their presence at Assembly, an opportunity for clarity to be made on the Postulancy project and to see together the steps to take for the realization of this noble project so dear to the Custody. After the intervention from the Curia, through Br. Kilian, the Provincial Minister spoke up. He spelt out that the assembly is convened because of the need to enlarge our reflection as a custody, on the custody and its future. Moreover, pointing to the numerous projects of the custody as a major concern, the provincial explained that the fundamental question is not on the mistakes made about these projects not discussed or clarified with him, but on the mentality behind these projects. He even enquired to know if it was important to build people or the walls. He further highlighted the place of authority as service. In his presentation about the animation of the custody’s life by the council, two points were looked into: firstly, that the Custos and his Council ought to animate spiritually, pastorally, and fraternally the life of every fraternity and brother. He stated that in all the superior does, he must ask himself how what he does is of help to the brothers to faithfully respond to the call of Jesus Christ. Secondly, that listening to the brothers is of prime importance in animating the brothers and of great value or service to fraternal life. Moreover, Br. Borghino, the Provincial Minister, gave guidelines on how to animate the custody based on his own experience as councilor and provincial. The need of the custos to visit brothers in their fraternities and in their functions such as bursars, guardians etc. The need to create active commissions to assist the council. Giving more accent to formation of brothers in the custody and that a healthy relationship exists between the superiors and the formators. After the Provincial’s interventions, brothers went into constituted groups of 7 to evaluate the Custody’s activities. This evaluation was guided by the following questions: QUESTION ONE Approximately five months after the celebration of the custody chapter, how do we evaluate the significant events and moments, as well as the problematic ones? For those who did not participate in the chapter, what perception or feedback could they have gotten? What effect did I have within the various fraternities? QUESTION TWO At the custody level we can reflect on these elements: =how do we live the relationship with the custody? What feeling of real belonging do we live and express? Do we feel like active members, who live responsibly, or passive members, who use the custody for their own projects? How do we evaluate our personal commitments in the life and activities of the custody? How is the quality of our communication with each other and with those in charge and service of authority? How do we use forums and social media? To what extent are they constructive and unifying instruments rather than a source of division? What real openness do we experience with respect to the national territory, starting from vocational animation? What are our expectations for the future of the custody? Are our current activities and commitments helping us achieve these goals? How do we live the relationship with the province, what are the expectations? What can and should we grow and improve on? QUESTION THREE At the initial and ongoing formation level: how do we evaluate the initial formation path in the custody, what are the strong points and what are the weak ones? What evaluation do we give to ongoing formation? What opportunities can we avail ourselves of and what are the lacks? The feedback from this workshop was a great help to the brothers to see what has been done, what needs to be improved and how to move on as a Custody. TUESDAY: 26 September 2023 The second day of the Assembly had as vision, to tackle the projects of the Custody and to bring out solutions to the uncompleted structures. Br. Wachamo Aklilu (from Ethiopia), working in the solidarity office in the Curia, being the first to intervene for the day, briefed the brothers on the following points. Firstly, he expressed his joy of being present in the custody, indicating it was his second time of coming to Cameroon since 2009 with the inauguration of the Cardiac Center. Then, he presented to the brothers the structure of the solidarity office. He further explained the difficulty of assisting the brothers of the Custody in their projects as a result of the financial crisis that undergoes the Curia. After his presentation, the brothers went into groups to continue reflecting on the life and projects of the custody through the following questions: At the level of projects how do we evaluate the strong commitment sustained in the construction projects still underway? What sharing took place within the custody At the ecclesial level we can ask ourselves: What participation do we experience in the events of the dioceses in which we are inserted? What is our contribution to the journey of the local church with our own charism? What is our involvement and our communion with the bishops, with the priests, with other men and women religious? How do we evaluate bishops’ relationships with our superiors? Sharing general observations: joys, worries, fears, hopes etc. After the interventions from the brothers in response to the questions, Br Tobias then greeted the brothers, informing them of his departure for mission to America, precisely in the province of New Jersey. From his intervention, came closing remarks. The first closing remark from the Custos, Br. Kenneth, who said that what had provoked the Assembly was a mistake in the construction of giant structures in the custody; a mistake God has used to reunite us and to help us reunite our ideas for the good of our Custody. The Custos appreciated the Provincial Father for having a critical eye on him and on our custody. He concluded by thanking the Provincial for being always a father who leads the custody into the “promised land”. The remarks of the Custos were then followed by those of the Provincial, who in the first place, thanked the brothers for making the Assembly a fruitful one through their frankness and sincerity. He acknowledged being hard on the brothers, yet underlined he has a responsibility before the province to respond to each member of the province. About the construction of the postulancy, he pleaded that each brother of the Custody sacrifices something in view of the structure. Lastly, he acknowledged the fact that the Custody needs to move towards autonomy, knowing there are modalities to be arrived at. Consequently, there is a need to start reflecting on such modalities. Br. Aklilu Petros, on his part, equally expressed his joy of meeting the brothers and sharing with them. He appreciated the hard work of the brothers, and encouraged all to keep striving always for the good of the custody, which one day, shall be raised to a Province. Finally, came the words of Br. Kilian, who articulated his satisfaction for the spirit of collaboration amongst the brothers, exhorting them to continue to strive for perfection, valuing each other as a gift. He added that brothers do away with their differences and learn better ways of handling them. This will then foster unity amongst the brothers and in the custody as a whole. We thank God for having led us throughout this family gathering. Pax et Bonum Br. Cedric Verbe Kohyen Custody Assembly in the Dominican Nunery – Bambui No Comments Monday, the 25 September 2023, the Capuchin Brothers of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon, in their numbers ( around 59), in the presence of the Curia (represented by Br. Kilian) and in the presence of the Provincial Minister (Br. Angelo) gathered for an assembly in the Domincan Nunery in Bambui. This assembly has as goal, reuniting all friars of the Custody, evaluating the life, projects and activities in and of the Custody, five months after the Custody Chapter. The fruits of the Chapter shall be published in the next hours. Silver Jubilee celebration No Comments 25 Years of Religious Life Silver Jubilee 2023 Already 25 years (07/09/1998-07/09/2023) since Brothers Vitalis T. Nyuysever, Donatus M. Wirkom, Francis B. Dor and Cyril Kerla vowed their Yes to God. This anniversary was hectically celebrated in Shisong Sacred Heart Parish (Kumbo Diocese), on Saturday 09-09-2023. It was a moment to thank God for his faithfulness and love; a celebration prepared for through a spiritual retreat in St. Mary of the Angels’ Fraternity Sop, preached by Fr. Andrew Ngah Solii (a priest from Kumbo Diocese). He invited the brothers to look back at the years past, and then, thank God for the 25 years of witnessing as friars. Furthermore, he indulged them to beg from God, forgiveness for the moments of poor witnessing. This would permit them to start afresh the life they had embraced, following the invitation of St. Francis to the friars as he neared death: “Let us begin again for until now we have done nothing.” Before this great celebration, the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, in his circular of August 30, 2023, had addressed the brothers saying: “Dear Brothers Vitalis, Donatus, Francis and Cyril, I humbly beckon you to strive and persevere in your Religious Franciscan-Capuchin vocation in such a way as to become a vivid response to God’s injunction in Leviticus, ‘The Jubilee will be a holy thing for you.’ (25:12). Holiness is the universal target we must never lose sight of. The jubilee is an opportunity to bring back to mind this reality.” Dear Jubilarians (Brothers Vitalis, Donatus, Francis and Cyril), may God, through the intercession of St. Francis and St. Clare, through the maternal intercession of Mother Mary, continue to bless, guide and lead you in this noble and happy vocation. Bayon s’occupe ses jeunes No Comments Bayon s’occupe ses jeunes En vue d’occuper les enfants de Bayon durant cette période des vacances, la Paroisse Sainte Famille, sous la direction de son curé (fr. Felix Ayuvea) et son vicaire (fr. Valery Tukov), avec l’assistance des frères René, François et Nestor, a organisé un camp des jeunes dans lequel ont participé les jeunes de la Paroisse Sainte Famille de Bayon ainsi que les jeunes de Melon 2 (accompagné par le frère Nestor de la communauté des Frères de l’Emmanuel Melong 2). Ce camp des jeunes de Bayon avec les jeunes de Melon 2 a eu lieu à l’enceinte de l’école catholique de Bayon du 11 au 16 août. Ce camp s’est tenu sur le thème “ne vous laissez pas égarer par toutes sortes des doctrines étrangers”, avec un effectif de 70 participants. Les thèmes suivants ont enrichis le séjour des jeunes: Que personne ne méprise pas ta jeunesse (les défis actuels qui menace la vie des jeunes), les risques et les effets néfastes des pratiques sexuelles dans la vie des jeunes, les jeunes face aux défis de la société : la nécessité d’une bonne formation de la conscience morale, et, La Vierge Marie: modèle pour les jeunes. En plus des thèmes développés pour la formation ou la culture des jeunes, les activités spirituelles (messes quotidiennes, confessions, écoute, exposition sur la vie des saints…) et les activités récréatives (le sports, la soirée culturelle) ont meublées leur présence à Bayon. Que toute gloire soit rendue à Dieu Père, Fils, Esprit Saint; à notre Mère la Vierge Marie, nos saints patrons, nos anges gardiens, à toutes personnes de bonne volonté de nous avoir assisté tout au long de ce camp de jeunes à Bayon. les jeunes après la messe l’équipe organisatrice Brothers fetch water for the children la détente Fishing for the Custody and for the Order No Comments Fishing Vocations for the Custody and for the Order The first two weeks of July 2023 in Bafoussam Diocese, i.e., from the 5th – 9th of July and from the 12th – 16th of July 2023, were great moment of fishing vocations for the Custody and for the Order in Bafoussam Diocese. For Kumbo Diocese, this same experienced was made from the 25th – 30th of June 2023. These moments permitted the Franciscan Capuchin Charism to be sold to the young who gathered for various vocation camps. La joie de la jeunesse May the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of St. Francis and all Franciscan Saints, help the young, touched by the Franciscan charism, respond positively to God’s call into the Order. Holiday Program in Bambui: Hotcake for children No Comments Holiday Program in Bambui: Hotcake for children “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt. 19:14) Bambui Fraternity organises and hosts a special holiday program for children. This program under the chairmanship of the House Guardian of St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity Bambui, Br. Terence Sahven is aimed at helping kids in and around Bambui develop skills in variant domains of life such as reading and writing, computer elementary, playing of musical instruments such as the piano and the guitar, the fabrication of rosaries and bangles, and the production of liquid soap. Moreover, sports such as football, and other games form part of this holiday program for learning without playing makes Jack a dull boy. The various lessons are dispensed by the Capuchin students (Brs. Esope, Ignatius, Fabrice, Elvis, Augustine, Anicet, Keflet, Gideon, Immanuel) under the umbrella of brothers Terence, Jude, Martin and Aloysius. This program which started on the 18th of July, and shall run till the 29th of August 2023 every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00am to 12:00pm and every Sunday afternoon from 2:00pm to 5:00pm in the Capuchin friary Bambui, with free registration. The very first day of the session that took place on Tuesday, 18th of July 2023, recorded about a hundred and fifty-six children (156 children), ranging from the ages 5 to 19. This number is due to a great sensitisation by the friars, the desire of the parents to have their children occupied during this period in order keep them from idleness, in fact, to help them avoid being the devil’s “workshop” and above all, the desire of the children to learn and develop talents or treasures hidden in them. Making of rosaries/bangles/liquid soap with Br. Anicet Reading and writing with Br. Augustine Computer lessons with Br. Gideon Piano classes with Br. Elvis Guitar classes with Br. Ignatius Sports/games with Brs. Esope/Anicet/Immanuel Hence, while we pray and hope for the best as this program unfolds for our children, who at the end should be each proud to say: “I was there”, we equally are open to welcome suggestions and free donations (material/personal skills/financial) to assist this maiden holiday program for our children. May St. Francis and St. Clare intercede for us. Br. Esope MOSSEU Thaddeus (OFM Cap) Vows Refreshed No Comments Vows refreshed The Constitutions of the Capuchin Lesser brothers, paragraph 23,4 states: “Formation in our Order is implemented in two phases: initial and ongoing. Initial formation includes intitiation into consecration according to our form of life, lasting until perpetual profession.” Therefore, brothers in initial formation after the novitiate experience, are bound to renew their vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, following the formula approved by the Holy See for the Franciscan First Order and for the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis (cf. Constitution, par. 21). As a result, brothers, who, in July 15, made their First Profession, are bound to renew those vows until the day they become perpetually professed or permanent member of the Order. Brothers listening to some admonitions Through this renewal, a brother continues to examine his call into the Order and verifies if he can fully embrace and live the life as it ought to be lived. May God continue to assist you with His Holy Spirit and through the intercession of Francis and all Franciscan Saints to remain steadfast to you call brothers. A Time to Cross-Over No Comments A time to cross-over There is a time for everything. A time to begin and a time to end. The Order celebrates his brothers who move-on to other stages of formation. Postulants making a step into the novitiate (July 14, 2023); and novices making a step out of the novitiate through their embrace or Temporary profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience (July 15, 2023). Postulants getting set to cross-over into the novitiate The reception of the probation habit * The novices pronouncing their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience inorder to embrace the Capuchin life as Lesser Brothers Brothers Godlove, George and Sergius make their triumphal entery into the Order Brother George MBUYE, before crossing-over to a new stage of life as a friar in Temporal vows , makes a flashback to his dreams as he prepared to enter the novitiate as well as share his experiences in the novitiate. A POSTULANT’S DREAM FOR THE NOVITIATE Every postulant’s dream at the end of the Postulancy is to put on the habit of probation. It is a sign of progression into the life from one stage to another stage but this is just the surface of what the Novitiate can impart on us and so there is need to go deep and have mature expectations or dreams for the Novitiate. To begin, I dream to be a Holy Friar; a good capuchin brother and to follow the path of St. Francis of Assisi. I hope during the 12 months, it will help mold and build me to be God’s best friend. Secondly, I expect to interiorize the Franciscan values, learn the capuchin way of praying and working which has given the Order and the Church many capuchin saints and blessed. To go further, I hope I get to be a fraternal brother who can make his community livable and loving. All in all, I expect to be initiated into the Franciscan Family, the capuchin brotherhood, so that I can be of value to the community and to the world. I pray to be a good example of Saint Francis, loving God and his creation always and everywhere. Brother George, at the end of his novitiate year, desires to share his novitiate experience. Have his novitiate dreams been realized? He tells us more? MY EXPERIENCE AS A NOVICE IN THE CAPUCHIN NOVITIATE FRATERNITY In the first place experiences shape each and every one. God speaks through events, He daily communicates to all who seek his face on how particular assignment(s) should be carried for the benefit of Heaven and earth. John Main in his book “The Joy of Being” says “the church cannot effectively proclaim a past experience. It can only proclaim what it is actually experiencing. It can only proclaim what it is. Therefore, if the gap between what we believe and what we experience makes us inauthentic, our message can convince no one until it has so convinced us that we are transformed by it”. We vow to live obedience, chastity and poverty. It is in this connection that one who is a novice and has embraced the depths of intense initiation into the truth that the capuchin spirituality and charism holds to it members, should make them all authentic in living fraternal life and observing the rule which is the gospel. In fact, fraternal life is built on prayer, manual work, recreations and visitation of the sick which helps me grow in total consciousness of the presence of God. This is to ascertain that life not based on prayer, a church that is not spiritually founded, a world that is not prayerfully sophisticated, cannot be a world, a church or life that is fully alive. Consequently, for me to be fully alive, as a novice, the foundation stone is prayer without which I am inauthentic in everything that a capuchin novice should be. Novitiate is a decisive stage in the capuchin life where one gets deep into his call to follow Christ in the footsteps of Saint Francis. As a matter of fact, the novitiate helped me to make the longest journey of my life which is the journey of myself to my inner self. The gospel, that is, the good news I listened to at every Eucharistic celebration made me good and new as well as the journey to my inner world throughout this one year of experience made an authentic change of goodness and newness in my being. I underline this aspect because once in the novitiate, one is called to a spirit of the Holy Scripture where one doesn’t just read to digest its fundamentals but also to listen to Christ who speaks and instructs. In a nutshell, my experience as a novice is the experience of myself which revealed to me the light that lies hidden within and the darkness of my very person which calls to total surrender of my being to the true identity of who a capuchin is and should always be. By Mbuye George The Novitiate Year draws to a close No Comments In few days from now, the novitiate year will end for some and begin for others. Infact, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins in Cameroon, will soon put to birth three children in the persons of Br. Godlove Lendzemo, Br. George Mbuye and Br. Sergius Yovla through their temporary profession, marking an end to their novitiate/canonical year. May St. Francis, St. Clare and other Franciscan Saints pray for you and for us all brothers. Happy Birthday to the Capuchin Order No Comments July 3, 2023, the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchins celebrates their 495th anniversary of existence. It was in July 3, 1528 that, through the good offices of Catherine Cibo, Duchess of Camerino, the Capuchin reform was approved by Pope CIement VII in a brief Exponi nobis given at Viterbo and on the same day officially “sealed,” that is issued in the form of a bull beginning with the words: Religionis Zelus. To mark this celebration, the Provincial Father of the Friars of Lombardia, Fra. Angelo Borghino addressed the sons of Francis in the following words: Dear Brothers Today, July 3, marks the anniversary of the approval of the bull Religionis Zelus. This circumstance offers an opportunity to be reminded of that spirit of “reform” which characterized our beginnings and which continually challenges us as a proper dimension of our journey, both on a personal and fraternal level. With this we are once again invited to refocus our lives in the following of Christ, obedient, poor and chaste, in order to take on his “form” more and more, through that path of conformation to Christ and to his sentiments towards the Father, which constitutes the ‘heart’ of our life of consecration. The beauty of following Christ, according to that particular form to which in freedom we have been delivered, will become increasingly persuasive for us and a witness to those who meet us to the extent that the desire for conversion and change in our hearts remains alive and awake. The anniversary of July 3 comes at the time when the Provincial Council meets again in view of the “List of Appointments and Transfers.” All this is part of that journey of continuous reform to which our very choice of life always leads us back and which, as provincial minister and council, we are called to accompany and support. May the Immaculate Virgin, patroness of our Order, St. Francis, St. Clare and all our saints, especially Blessed Innocent of Berzo and Blessed Arsenio of Trigolo, accompany our renewed commitment to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ and to serve the Kingdom of God according to those circumstances and ways to which we will be called. Fraternally Brother Angelo Borghino Minister Provincial The Curia’s Formation Team in Cameroon No Comments Br Jaime Rey, Secretary of formation from General Curia visits Cameroon. He arrived Cameroon on Wednesday 24 May 2023 and quits for another mission on Wednesday 31 May 2023. We thank God for his presence and for the impact his presence has had and will have in the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon as far as the formation of brothers is concerned. Congratulations to Br. Gioacchino No Comments GOLDEN JUBILEE 50 YEARS ALREADY!!! No Comments Br. Gioacchino Catanzaro warms-up to celebrate 50 years of Priestly Ministry Gioacchino.aigd Br. Gioacchino Catanzaro, we celebrate you for your 50 years of service as a Priest and a faithful servant of God in His vineyard (27 May 1973 – 27 May 2023). This celebration will be marked by a solemn mass celebrated in the Bambui Conventual Chapel (Bamenda) on Saturday 27 May 2023 at 11 am. We cease this occasion Abba, to thank you for dedicating almost half of your priestly ministry (i.e. 22years from December 2000 till date), for the people of God in Cameroon. May our Good and Holy God, who began this good work in you, bring it to fulfilment. Forty-six, confirmed Soldiers for Christ in SAPCCCOL-Mbohtong No Comments Confirmation in SAPCCCOL Mbohtong-Sunday, May 7, 2023 Saint Anthony of Padua’s Catholic Comprehensive College (SAPCCCOL) Mbohtong is a co-educational institution; i.e. general education and technical/commercial education. Presently, this beautiful institution hosts over 150 students (both borders and day students) from different areas and different cultural backgrounds, giving a stupendous environment for both intellectual work and human/moral integration. In SAPCCCOL, students learn to accept, love and help one another. On Sunday the 7th of may 2023, the Bishop of Kumbo, Mgr. George Nkuo, paid an august visit to this fabulously decked city of wisdom. This visit, after seven years since his last visit to the school, was an occasion for 46 of the students to receive the sacrament of confirmation in the presence of their fellow students, parents and teachers. The Bishop was over-joyed by the ambiance created by the members of the entire SAPCCCOL family, and in his Homily, encouraged the students, as well as each and every Christian to be a true witness to the faith, and a valiant soldier of Christ. He affirmed time and again, that SAPCCCOL is a school like no other, and a place to be. He equally exhorted the parents to do well to send their children to Saint Anthony, and for those whose children are still out of home, to bring them back home, where education is not only qualitative, but equally affordable and accompanied by moral upbringing. Let us all join hands to give a good name to Kumbo. No one present at this event, could succeed to hide the joy that enveloped the atmosphere. Parents, teachers, students and invitees were all thrilled by the beauty of the event. Students welcome the Chief Shepherd The Bishop with the entire christian community of Mbohtong present at his august visit Students enjoying their beautiful campus Br. William Kongnyuy From Mbohtong, Sunday 7th of May 2023. The Chapter Experience – MELONG II No Comments The Chapter Experience at Melong II The Custody’s 11th Chapter experience which took place from the 18th to the 22nd of April 2023 at the Retreat Center of the Frères Franciscains de l’Emmaunuel in Melong II, ended with a great success. This is due to the fact that almost every Cameroonian friar, leaving in or out of the Cameroonian territory, made it for this beautiful Family time. Within this period of the Chapter, a series of reports were presented such as: The Triennal report of the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, a report on the state of finances in the Custody from Br. Aloysius Ngonbi, a presentation on Economy and Custody life: a determinant of fraternal relations by Br. Author Nga and Br. Aloysius Ngongbi, a presentation on the Ratio Formationis of the Order by Br. Kilian Ngitir (General Councilor for Formation in the Order), and a report on the situation of the Custody’s websites (www.emmausoutreach.org / www.ofmcapcameroon.org) by Br. Cedric Verbe. These reports gave to all friars a general view of what the Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy and his Councilors (Br. Peter Ghani, Br. Author Nga, Br. Aloysius Ngonbi, Br. Martin Dikwa) had realized within their 3-year mandate of shepherding. Having gone through these reports, there was need to elect the new shepherds of the custody, which took place on Friday 21st April from 9 am to about 11:25 am. The following brothers accepted to serve their brothers in the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon for three years: Custos: Br. Kenneth Kinyuy 1st Councilor: Br. Peter Ghani 2nd Councilor: Br. Aloysius Ngongbi 3rd Councilor: Br. Cyril Kerla 4th Councilor: Br. Derick Ajende Ajende May they be led by the Holy Spirit in this holy mission to the brothers. Before the official close of the Chapter, there was a need to listen to experiences from brothers in Collaboration: Br. Mark Ndifor and Br. Siver Kibuh (from Kenya), Br. Tobias Wirmum and Br. Mbuh Bertrand (from Gabon), Br. Frederick Bohtila Njumferghai (from Zambia), Br. Calvin Nshalai and Br. André Litika (From Equatorial Guinea), Br. Br. Kilian Ngitir, Br. Joseph Dufe, Br. Peter Tar, Br. Valentine Fuhnui, and Br. Nji Noël (from Italy). Closing remarks were then given by Br. Angelo Borghino, the Father Provincial, who in persona, had presided over the Chapter. All ended with a mass of thanksgiving on Saturday 22nd April 2023, after which all friars departed to their various fraternities. The Finally in Melong II, living the Chapter Experience No Comments Finally in Melong II to live the Chapter experience Tuesday 18th April 2023, the Capuchin Friars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (those resident in the country and those coming in from other mission territories such as Italy, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia) started arriving Melong II (the Retreat Center of the Emmanuel Brothers) for a 3 days study and evaluation of the Custody’s affaires within which, new shepherds will be chosen to watch over the friars of the Custody for a period of 3 years. This is a joyful moment, a time of meeting to share with one another. The Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy welcoming all the brothers, did acknowledge the fatherly presence of the Provincial, Br. Angelo Borghino, the Custos for Tchad / Central Africa, Br. Martial, and the presence of the 13 friars, participating for the very first time at this Custody’s Chapter. In fact, how beautiful it is when brothers meet each other. Brothers in a fraternal moment The hall, well disposed for work How beautiful it is meeting each other. The joy of meeting a brother A gradual match to Melong II for the Elective Chapter No Comments As the day for the Chapter draws nearer, brothers in and out of the Country are warming up for their 11th Custody Elective Chapter. At this chapter, 13 brothers will be making their entry for the First Time (Brs. Anthony, Junior, Valerie, Gerald, François, Thaddeus, Philip, Ignatius, Rene, Elvis, Michel, Gotran, Fabrice). May the Holy Spirit accompany all the friars before, during and after this family gathering. Hymn for 40yearsexc The custody’s Elective Chapter fast approaches (18 April – 22 April 2023). Brothers are approaching already the Chapter’s residence: Emmanuel Brothers’ Retreat Center Melong II. May the Holy Spirit lead us safely into this holy ground, accompany us throughout our deliberations and empower us in the mission to be carried out after the Chapter. May St. Francis of Assisi and the college of Franciscans in heaven, intercede for us. Aspirants of the Ruby Jubilee No Comments Fra Christopher Shiyghan, coordinator for Aspirancy, encounters Capuchin Aspirants from different regions of the country. His first encounter took place in the Our Lady of Angel’s Novitiate House Sop (Kumbo Diocese) from the 27th to the 29th December 2022 with six (6) aspirants, all from Kumbo. This encounter was enriched with talks such as: Vocation in the Bible, presented to the young aspirants by Br. Peter Ghani. Then, the second talk was on Vocational Discernment, presented by Br. Christopher Shiyghan. This period of encounter permitted the young and vibrant aspirants to have a taste of the life of the Capuchin Friars Minor in Cameroon through their actuosa participatio in fraternal activities: Prayers, Work, Meals and fraternal recreation. Fra Christopher, according to the call to proximity, proceeded with his august visit to the aspirants from Bafoussam, Bayon, and Buea. This encounter took place from Friday 17th – Sunday 19th of March 2023, in the fraternity of Balengou, under the guardianship of Fra. Emil Nyuyki. These aspirants, seven in number, that is, 3 from Bafoussam, 1 from Bayon, and 3 from Buea, equally enjoyed some fraternal moments with the brothers: prayers, meals, work and individual sharing with Fra. Christopher. They were drilled on the topic: Vocational Discernment, a topic geared at helping them make informed choices for their future, choices that would enhance their lasting happiness. His last proximate encounter (still to be announced) will be in Bambui, with all aspirants of the Capuchins in and around Bamenda. Sunday Reflections with Fr. Dufe Joseph No Comments 2 Sam. 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matt. 1:16, 18-21, 24 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the BVM Fr. Dufe Joseph OFM Cap. This year the Church has shifted the celebration of the Solemnity of St. Joseph from 19 March to this Monday so as not to interrupt the Sunday liturgy and thus preserve the Lenten journey that we have been observing. The father figure of Joseph keeps coming to mind at an era where the same figure in our society is being put into question, especially by some modern medical technological measures whereby a lady can just walk into the hospital and ask to me made pregnant through seminal injection, with sperm gotten from someone whom they do not care to know, and whom the child will never know. Furthermore, Joseph stands as a figure of defence in the same society which offers death of woman and/or child as the solution to what has commonly become known as “unwanted pregnancies”. In the first case, no one cares to know the father of the child. In the second case, the father is known but his identity is hidden, so the elimination of the child becomes the immediate solution. A journey through the bible tells us that not so much is said about this man, Joseph. In fact the gospel of Mark has just no mention of his name at all. John mentions the name only 2 times, and in doubtful negative situations: “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth’” (John 1:45-46). This means that Joseph cannot have such a son. In the second instance they are actually admitting that Jesus is the son of Joseph but doubting the son’s divine nature. The Jews “were saying, ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know” John 6:41-42. On the other hand Matthew mentions Joseph’s name 7 times and Luke 5 times. Even as such, none of them gives any details. There is no mention of his place and date of birth, and worst of all, he is not said to have ever mentioned a word – one retreat mistress has said that “Jesus” is the only word of Joseph. The members of the great association known as the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA) great each other thus: “St. Joseph, man of honour, pray for us”. This greeting is drawn from the Gospel text of today, which is one of the references of Matthew. There are 6 qualities that make Joseph a man of honour, and which we are invited to imitate: 1) Sparing other people’s publicity. There is a strong tendency in us to rejoice at talking about the faults of others thus exposing their faults to the world; 2) Listening to God: many of us find it difficult to obey God in the face of social pressure such as the one that Joseph found himself in; 3) Obedience: after listening to the word of God, the big challenge is to put it to practice; 4) Putting the word of God in practice: Joseph dutifully gave the name that the angel instructed when finally the child was born; 5) Responsible Parenthood: Joseph remained close to his wife and child, especially during the flight to Egypt and when Jesus got missing in the temple. Many men feel that fatherhood ends at reproduction; 6) Silent Listening: so many of us talk so much that we find it hard to listen to our interlocutor, especially when we have taken a few cups of alcohol. Talking too much cheapens the value of words because in the end, supply is always more than demand. These qualities, and more, made Joseph to stand out as a shining example of an honourable man. Yes, honour is earned and not bought nor inherited; this happens when we live a virtuous life. As man of honour, Joseph was a man of virtue; he put together all the theological and cardinal virtues and lived them: he loved, lived in faith and hoped; he was prudent, just, temperate and courageous, and went just for what matters, the details. The name Joseph means “God adds”. Through his cooperation with the divine plan, God added another person into humanity, the person who was to change the history of the world. A man wrote a book and gave the title: “How to change your wife in 30 days”. By the end of one week he had sold 2 million copies. He later on discovered that he had made an error. He decided to correct the title: “How to change your life in 30 days”. For the next one month he sold only 3 copies. When it comes to changing other people’s life we are experts. But when it comes to changing ours it becomes a problem. Joseph would have loved to change the life of his wife, were he in our shoes, but he rather changed his own life and his plans to suit that of God, and took Mary into his home. This is a great act, it is his own “Yes” which perfectly married the great “Yes” of his wife, and which changed the course of history. Each and everyone of us can change others, we can change the whole world, but only if we each change our lives. Let us pray, on this solemnity of St Joseph, that God may give us a little of the spirit of Joseph, this great man of honour. 4th Sunday of Lent Year A 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Eph. 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Fr. Dufe Joseph OFM Cap. God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart. What a challenge to us! This is the message from the first reading, which leads to the anointing of David as the king of the people of Israel. This message makes us appreciate the reason why Jesus did not allow himself to be defeated by the tricky question of the disciples concerning the blind man – as to who sinned in order to have provoked blindness in him. Even after being cured, the controversy did not stop. There were doubts right from his own neighbours as to whether this was the same man who was blind or this was another person. People had believed that since he was born blind he was destined to live and die blind – a kind of compartmentalisation that most of us are guilty of. This is how man thinks, yes, and not how God thinks. In fact, the controversy even included Jesus, as to whether he could be from God or was he some kind of sinner, infringing on the Sabbath – this was the confusion among the Pharisees to whom the cured man was taken. In a way, the Liturgy of the Church, on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as the Laetare Sunday (Joyful Sunday) invites us to retrace one of the fundamental dynamics of our baptismal rebirth, which is the passage from the darkness of sin and error into the light of God, which is the Risen Christ. This is the experience of man who suddenly finds himself cured of his blindness. Already in the Old Testament Revelation, as seen in the anointing of David, the Lord God had shown the People of Israel how much the Creator’s judgment was deeper and truer than the thoughts of the creature. The Lord had thus indicated what the only true criterion for judging a man was, and where man could meet God’s gaze and enter into relationship with him. This place is the heart. By “heart,” of course, the Bible does not mean the center of the innermost drives or the organ that regulates blood flow in the organism-man, but man’s “sacrarium,” his conscience, where he is given the possibility to listen to the very voice of God and recognize it, and so produce the effects of the light which are complete goodness and right living and truth – no matter what others think. However, unable to remain faithful to what is truest in him, man reverts back to his own petty criteria, producing every wickedness, injustice and falsehood, in order to govern himself, obtaining what, from time to time, he decides to be his good, and hoping to become thus “like God”. God, however, does not give up. He comes to each of us in the twofold way narrated by the Gospel. First, he does so through sacramental signs just as in the ritual performed by Jesus on the blind man. He cleanses us and then places us on the second pedestal, which is that of mission. Siloam is a pool which name means “sent”. We are not sent until we have been made clean. The cleansing process is a very difficult process, but we must go through it if we are to be who we are called to be, not blind people but people of light. Christ, sent by the Father, takes upon himself all our sins, even to the ultimate consequences of our blindness, right to the point of allowing himself to be stripped naked, crowned with thorns and nailed to a cross, rejected by his own people and abandoned by his closest friends. This unheard-of love of Christ can only definitively, in time, overcome all fear of our limitations, for there is nothing about us that can prevent him from loving us. May it not surprise us that suffering humanity and suffering individual human beings could sometimes become objects of human experimentation. Did the disciples not use the blind man as their specimen for the determination of sinfulness! “Who sinned”, they asked. And did the neighbours of the man not use him as a specimen of identity and finally take him to the experts of human degradation, the blind Pharisees! “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” they wondered. And did the Pharisees themselves not use Jesus as the specimen for their religious hypocrisy! “This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath… How could a sinner produce signs like this”! And only the man who had benefitted from the healing could tell his personal story, even if he was to know the complete version only a short while later. We are always on the way, but sure that one day we will reach. This is the virtue of hope. Even until now, like the man whose eyes were opened, we may not claim to have known Jesus fully; at least we do have some knowledge of him, based on what he has done for us, and this makes us bond to him. It is precisely this indestructible bond, based on his love and faithfulness to us that encourages us to seek to know him the more. Let us ask, through Mary Most Holy, the grace to be faithful to the truth, to the facts of our lives, grasping the hand that, in every circumstance, Christ extends to us; let us, thus, be shaken out of the torpor or inertia that always undermines us, in order to live totally by Christ, the crucified and risen Love, in this life and in eternity. Explore the talents of Capuchin Friars in Cameroon No Comments Fra Joseph N. Dufe, in one of his most recent compositions, honours our Mother Mary with a beautiful Magnificat in the “NSO” dialect called “Lamnso”. Fra Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila, a writer, in one of his opuses, gives the world ways to work towards perfection. Where can one find true and lasting happiness? Where can one get true peace? Fra Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila invites you to read on and find it out for yourself The rise in suicide cases and mental challenges stem from a lack of self-acceptance and the nature of human beings to search for happiness in the wrong places, a Cameroonian Catholic Priest has said. Fr. Fredrick Njumferghai Bohtila says that the more the world develops technologically with people amassing more material wealth, the more they continue to search for happiness which they hardly ever find. When this happens, individuals find life meaningless, the Priest says. “Suicide cases are on the rise all over the world because people are not happy. Many feel deceived even in relationships. This is because they are questing for joy in wrong places and never find it,” Fr. Bohtila told ACI Africa in an interview Monday, June 14. The Franciscan Friar of the Capuchin Priest who is based in Zambia has authored a book, “The Spiritual Perfection of the Human Being” which he says is an invitation to find happiness from within. The book draws teachings from St. Augustine of Hippo’s book, Confessions, which bears one of the Saint’s most popular invocations, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” According to Fr. Bohtila, St. Augustine of Hippo is the model for people looking for internal peace, those who wish to know about themselves and to realize that they were created in the image of God who makes their joy complete. “A human being today is always out of himself, is always distracted,” the 45-year-old Cameroonian Priest tells ACI Africa ahead of his book launch slated for June 22. He adds, “Most of the time we are absent minded. We are far, we are pulled by the fascinating world around us and we don’t have that self-acceptance.” The 100-page book published by the Pauline Publications Africa is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, the Priest talks about the human being created in the image of God as a call to perfection. “The perfection we are talking about is coming back to ourselves and discovering who we are,” Fr. Bohtila says, and adds, “Human beings have ventured far and even travelled to the moon. But we believe that the most important journey for a man is when he goes back to himself and realizes who he really is. Only then do we discover the greatness of our mind and the greatness of God in us.” “Through travelling back to ourselves, we come to discover that the God or the greatness we are searching for is still within us,” the Priest says. The second chapter addresses the consequences of sin and goes back to the fall of Adam and Even. The Capuchin Priest says that the two who wanted to be like God provide lessons for the society today where not many people are satisfied with who they are. “Adam and Eve wanted to rejoice in a power that was greater than their own. They wanted to become like God. A creature cannot take the place of God,” the Priest says, adding that the conduct of Adam and Eve is “a fundamental problem today.” “Most of the time, the human being doesn’t accept himself the way he is. We want to become someone else. And that’s where our sadness begins,” he says. He further says that his book is aimed at helping people to arrive at self-acceptance, and to know their rightful place in creation so as to live fulfilled lives. The book also addresses the issue of the divided will and the challenges that people encounter as they make life choices. This, according to the Cameroonian Priest, is the struggle that St. Augustine experienced when he talks about being “divided in himself.” Fr. Bohtila says that many times, people are divided and that in making choices, many are “prompted by egoistic motives and distorted emotions.” “We have distorted desires. And so that one blurs our reasoning faculty and our intellectual faculty,” he says, and adds, “We need to be clear in our rationality, in what we are choosing. But now because we are moved by emotions, passions, sometimes our choices are wrong. And those wrong choices don’t help us to grow.” In the third chapter, the Priest author talks about the healing power of the grace of God. It is this power that St. Augustine of Hippo discovers when he realizes that “he has been moving out of himself and leaving all the good inside.” Fr. Bohtila says that the world, especially today, needs the message of St. Augustine of Hippo who is honored as a great doctor of the Church. The Saint is described as one of the Latin Fathers of the Church “and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul.” The contribution of St. Augustine of Hippo to Christian teaching has been said to have created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions and The City of God are said to have helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. Fr. Bohtila says that he has always looked up to St. Augustine of Hippo and started writing the book that is pegged on the Saint while he undertook his research in Rome. “I think that the human heart today, despite all the things that we possess even in the advancement of material things in technology, that human being keeps searching for happiness somewhere,” the Priest says. He adds, “The more we possess things, the more we want more things, which means that the human heart is not satisfied by the things we possess. This is what St. Augustine implies when he says that our hearts will remain restless, until they come to rest in God.” Fr. Bohtila says that the fundamental relationship stressed upon in the book is to come back to oneself and to realize that the true meaning of life is found within. Shisong Fraternity joyfully welcomes Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar No Comments Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar, visits the Sacred Heart Fraternity Shisong. He arrived Shisong on Friday, March 3, 2023 and left for Bambui, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. The joy flowing from his visit to the fraternity inspired the House Guardian of the Sacred Heart fraternity Shisong, Br. Felix Afoni to say: “To have a provincial bursar amongst us is something very important”. His visit, as a consequence, has permitted him to see the reality of our suffering people, to encounter brothers in their reality and to evaluate some projects undertaken by the Custody to mark their 40 years of presence in the Cameroonian soil. May God in his goodness, grace his presence amongst us. Pax et Bonum Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, we love you No Comments Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, we love you Lerone-Alex Bole Nfonba, Feb. 26, 2023 made you 6 years of age in the heavens above (Feb. 26, 2017 – Feb. 26, 2023). In March 3, 2017, the earth from which you were created, opened its mouth to swallow you. We continue to thank God for your life; we miss you; we love you. In the context of the Ruby Jubilee celebration of the Franciscan Capuchin Way of Life in the Cameroonian soil, know, you have left us a mark, your immemorable mark as the first Cameroonian Capuchin friar to inaugurate that journey of no return. May you continue to rest in peace brother, for you have become “an elder yourself”. Pray for us your younger brothers who daily battle to win ourselves from the rage of Satan, so that when our own time of departure from this pilgrim world reaches, we joyfully match to meet the Lord for whom we had earnestly served. Lerone-Alex, you were a very talented friar: a composer, a poet, a pianist; in sports, you excelled beautifully. We miss those beautiful moments with you Bro. But know, you remain special. We love you Br. Lerone-Alex, we miss you. A gradual move towards the 11th Custody’s Elective Chapter: The Phase of Guardians and Bursars of the Custody No Comments A gradual move towards the 11th Custody’s Elective Chapter: The Phase of Guardians and Bursars of the Custody On Monday, the 27th day of February, 2023, at 9:00AM, all the Guardians and Bursars of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Cameroon (in number, 12), gathered in the Capuchin Fraternity of Bambui in Assisi Hall, for a meeting, directed by Fra. GiamPaolo Beghi, the Provincial Bursar, on how collaboration between the Guardians and Bursars be enhanced for a smooth running of the Custody especially with regards to the administration of custody goods. It should be noted that the first economic visit to Cameroon of the Provincial Bursar was done in 2015, and the second in 2023. The Provincial Bursar exposed to the brother Guardians and Bursars that being guardians and bursars is a service rendered to the brothers, to the fraternity, to the Custody, to the Order and to the Church, a service by which a brother proves his own witness to the Gospel life. As a matter of fact, the Provincial Bursar did highlight the fact of collaboration between the Guardians and Bursars, where he stipulated that when tension arises between these two services, the fraternity enters into a crisis. Moreover, he indicated that the Guardians and Bursars help their fraternities renew the spirit of poverty, evaluate their variant means of transportation which at times weigh on the fraternity, encourage brothers to work in order to sustain life in the fraternity, to be joyful in living their life of austerity, return to the community the fruits of their apostolates, trust in divine providence, and to avoid financial and material waste. And for a fraternity to run well, it was stressed that fraternal budgets be drawn and evaluated by its members. Above all, that brothers in spending what they have, should always think too of the future. From here, he encouraged that brothers be genuine, truthful and faithful in the accounts they render, for this contribute in making a healthy fraternity. It was equally noted that some brothers may use fraternal goods like cars to render fraternal services and the fruits from those services never reach the fraternity; things to watch against for they murder the fraternity. Furthermore, it was spelt out that it is the role of Guardians to ensure the administration of fraternal goods (i.e., our structures…). And to the Bursars, their need to keep a day book, have a balance sheet which help to project their honesty and transparency. The Provincial Bursar, rounding up his presentation, proposed that the Bursars in the custody from time to time, take up formative courses to help them improve in their running of financial matters in the custody. This encounter with Guardians and Bursars ended up with these last words from the Provincial Bursar at about 4:45PM: that as the Custody helps or supports the different fraternities of the custody, so too, different fraternities of the custody should take as task to help, defend and support the custody. We thank the Provincial Bursar for all the sharing and the Province of Lombardy in general for all they have been and remain for our beloved custody of St. Francis of Assisi. May our Good and Loving God continue to watch over us as we prepare our hearts for the upcoming elective chapter. Pax et Bonum Nécrologie: A nous revoir frère François Tabe Akono No Comments Frère François Tabe Akono, Ministre Régional OFS francophones, conduit vers sa demeure. La famille (OFS) Ordre Franciscains Séculier du Cameroun, conduit leur frère François Tabe Akono, Ministre Régional OFS francophones, à sa demeure. Il rendit l’âme le 14 janvier 2023. 16 février, une grande veillée sans corps eût place dans son domicile. Et le lendemain, la levée du corps et hommages à Soa le 17 et inhumation à Akonolinga le 18 février. Avant son dernier soupir, il demande que son corps soit habillé et transporté jusqu’à sa tombe par la Grande Famille Franciscaine. Que saint François, sainte Claire et les autres franciscains en haut t’accueillent et te présente au Père Céleste papa François. Requiescat in Pace frate Formation of Brothers in the fourth year of Post-Novitiate No Comments The 4th Year of Post-Novitiate The brothers in the fourth year of Post-Novitiate, gathered in St. Francis of Assisi’s Friary Bambui, under the umbrella of Br. Martin Dikwa, the brother in charge of this stage of formation, for their second session of Post-Novitiate, i.e., from Sunday, 12th February to Saturday, 18th February 2023. It saw the participation of all the six brothers in the fourth year of experience in the life after the Novitiate. The brothers in this stage of formation are: Br. Romaric Koumetio, Br. Jude Thaddeus Fonsi, Br. Boris Berinyuy, Br. Andrew Ndzewiyi, Br. Bill Collins Formonyuy and Br. William Kongnyuy. These brothers make their experience of the life in the fraternities of Sop, Mbohtong and Bayong. Primordially, their second encounter of formation had as objective: To lead the brothers into a living relationship with Christ, to be more conformed to Him and to find their identity in Him (Const. No 32, 3). This explains why the formative session was animated by different presentations and discussions on topics inspired from the reality of religious life in today’s society. It was equally an opportunity of a “one-to-one” encounter with the Br. Martin Dikwa, the coordinator of the fourth year Post-Novices. What was on the menu for these six young men? On Monday 13th February, discussions were on human formation; friendship with persons of the opposite sex and the use of the mass media, a formative subjet matter of our time, presented to them by Br. Divine Etimbi. On Tuesday 14th February discussions were centered on the VIII Plenary Council of the Order: On the grace of working, handled by Br. Martin Dikwa. It was noted summarily that work is grace because it puts us in contact with ourselves, with brothers, with people, with creation, and most importantly with the creator (God). On the third day of the session, that is on Wednesday 15th February, the session was on the Capuchin apostolate with Br. Amos Bamenjoh as the resource person. The presentation of the document: The gift of fidelity, the joy of perseverance of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life was the object of Thursday, 16th February. Issues treated from this document included: Gazing and listening, Enkindling awareness and separation from the Institute and Juridical norms. On Friday, 17th February, the last day of the second session, we were graced with the presence and intervention of Br. Aloysius Ngongbi, who drilled us on: Christ in the Franciscan experience. Having been nourished throughout the week with such enriching teachings, brothers, on Saturday, 18th February, returned to their fraternities to make visible in their lives what they had digested within the formative week in Bambui. May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten you all brothers in this process of discernment. In memory of Father Magic No Comments Today, February 15, 2023, marks the 5th anniversary of departure of Fra. Roberto Pirovano, popularly known as Father Magic. We pray he enjoys the Beatific Vision and from there intercede for our Order and particularly, for the custody of St. Francis in Cameroon, where he served for a good number of years. We thank you Fra Roberto, for having participated in sowing the the jewel of Franciscan Capuchin Brotherhood in our land. Father Magic, continue to rest in peace. The New Provincial and his council No Comments Today, Wednesday 15 February 2023, the New Provincial and his council were elected. The Provincial Minister: Fra. Angelo BORGHINO The Provincial Vicar: Fra. Daniele REBUZZINI Second Councillor: Fra. Paolo BOTTINELLI Third Councillor: Fra. Agostino VALSECCHI Fourth Councillor: Fra. Giorgio PERACCHI ² May the Holy Spirit enlighten you and lead you brothers in your mission. PROCLAMAZIONE DELLA ELEZIONE MP e Consiglio (1) Pax et Bonum The Custos, Br. kenneth, and Br. Terence at the Provincial Chapter No Comments The Provincial Chapter The Custos, Br. Kenneth Kinyuy, accompanied by Br. Terence Sahven, as delegates of the Custody, made their move from Cameroon, Friday February 10, 2023, to the Provincialate as participants at the Provincial Chapter. This chapter of the Province of Lombardia kicked-off On Saturday 11, 2023. Tuesday, February 14, 2023, various custodies or delegations of the Province of Lombardia, echoed through their reports on the life of their custodies or delegations, a presentation at which the Cameroonian Custody wasn’t an exception. Capuchin Organic Farm No Comments Visit Br. Cyril Kerla in the Capuchin Organic Farm-CIG to get quality products Saint Anthony of Padua’s College Mbohtong No Comments St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Comprehensive College Mbohtong – Shisong is a co-educational boarding and day school in the Diocese of Kumbo, under the proprietorship of the Capuchin Friars Minor (Custody of St. Francis of Assisi). It is located 3km from Shisong Catholic Hospital up the plateau above the Hospital and opposite the Kumbo Council forest. The school enjoy variant facilities: firstly, a very calm environment that favours studies and meditation, secondly, beautiful and spacious classes, a spacious chapel and hall; thirdly, quality teachers with brothers intervening in practically all domains. SAPCCCOL 2023 2024 Contact the Principal for more information Br. Joseph Mengven Tel: +237 67
2279	dbpedia	3	75	https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/51621348/ireland-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries	en	(Ireland) - Autumn 2012 - The Mill Hill Missionaries	https://www.yumpu.com/en…ook/51621348.jpg	https://www.yumpu.com/en…ook/51621348.jpg	[ "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/logo/Yumpu_Logo_RGB.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/account/document_privacy_modal/step1.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/account/document_privacy_modal/step2.png", "https://img.yumpu.com/51621348/1/500x640/ireland-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg", "https://assets.yumpu.com/v4/img/avatar/female-200x200.jpg", "https://img.yumpu.com/51633809/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51633318/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51562326/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51054530/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49437361/1/184x260/summer-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49357668/1/167x260/een-zegening-van-de-ouderen-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49071426/1/184x260/life-in-the-submarine-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48869766/1/184x260/st-josephs-advocate-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48851179/1/190x135/advocate-spring-2013-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48639690/1/190x135/advocate-summer-2013-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48211928/1/190x260/st-josefs-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/46436022/1/184x260/constitutions-and-statutes-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/45683667/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/43011464/1/184x260/summer-2012-pdf-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/logo/yumpu-footer2x.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/v5/img/footer/worldmap-retina.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "millhillmissionaries.com", "clare", "ofthe", "parish", "missionaries", "pakistan", "deceased", "patron", "pope", "benedict", "francis", "autumn" ]	null	[ "Yumpu.com" ]	null	(Ireland) - Autumn 2012 - The Mill Hill Missionaries	en	https://assets.yumpu.com…icon-favicon.png	yumpu.com	https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/51621348/ireland-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries	Attention! Your ePaper is waiting for publication! By publishing your document, the content will be optimally indexed by Google via AI and sorted into the right category for over 500 million ePaper readers on YUMPU. This will ensure high visibility and many readers! Inappropriate You have already flagged this document. Thank you, for helping us keep this platform clean. The editors will have a look at it as soon as possible.
2279	dbpedia	1	83	https://beadsofmemory.com/i-marched-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-the-story-of-my-re-conversion-to-the-catholic-faith/	en	I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi	https://beadsofmemory.co…ardinal-Tumi.jpg	https://beadsofmemory.co…ardinal-Tumi.jpg	[ "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Cardinal-Tumi-300x300.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=80&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Mission-to-the-British-Cameroons-1-60x60.jpg", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Cardinal-Christian-Tumi-313x213.jpeg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Cardina-Tumi.webp", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cardinal_tumi.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/001ce22ca71554debbdb075de1f1b75b?s=25&d=mm&r=g", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_today.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_yesterday.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/7days_user.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/30days_user.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_month.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_total.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_today.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_yesterday.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/7days_views.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/30days_views.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_month.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/views_total.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/whos_online.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png", "https://beadsofmemory.com/wp-content/plugins/wps-visitor-counter/counter/user_year.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Martin Jumbam", "www.facebook.com", "martin.jumbam" ]	2021-05-31T21:33:17+00:00	On January 1, 1993, Christian Cardinal Tumi, the then emeritus archbishop of Douala in Cameroon, organised what he dubbed a "March for Peace" around the city. I joined that march hoping to get a story for a magazine but, at the end of the nearly 5-hour march, I went back home a re-converted Catholic. Amazing!	en		Beads of Memory	https://beadsofmemory.com/i-marched-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-the-story-of-my-re-conversion-to-the-catholic-faith/	(Revised and reproduced from Cameroon Panorama Nos. 376 of April 1993; pp. 17-19) and 377 of May 1993; pp. 18-21). The news of the “March for Peace”, which His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi was organising was in the air all week long, but the details were rather sketchy. That is why I was not sure of what to expect as I approached the large crowd in front of the small Saint John’s Parish Church in Deido, Douala, at 7 o’clock on the morning of January 1, 1993. No placards? What struck me as I scanned the crowd for a face to pin a name on, was the absence of placards and banners. I had thought that I would find an excited, noisy crowd waving a forest of banners and placards, bearing high-sounding slogans, calling on the powers-that-be to restore to our land and people the peace that once was theirs. But, what I saw surprised me: just simple, ordinary people, mainly women of a certain age, many of them dressed in white or in deep blue uniforms, lining up behind a crucifix, singing songs of praise to the Lord and telling the beads of their rosaries. I was still wondering what to make of it all, when I saw Doctor Arnold Yongbang a few feet away. With Doctor Yongbang there, I began to breathe a little easier as I knew I would have answers to some of the questions I had on my mind. A few days earlier, I had stopped by his house, as I so often do whenever I need reliable information on just about anything happening in the land, to get details on the impending march, but he hadn’t been more enlightened on it than I was, not having seen nor talked with the Cardinal that past week. The Cardinal’s ring ‘You’ve answered present then, eh?’, Doctor Yongbang asked as we shook hands with each other. ‘Couldn’t miss this for anything in the world’, I remember answering him. We were still wondering about the itinerary of the march when we saw the tall figure of the Cardinal towering above a small crowd a few feet away. That was the first time I had ever come that close to His Eminence, and I wouldn’t have known how to greet him had Doctor Yongbang not immediately gone up to him, taken his hand in his and kissed the ring on it, genuflecting in the process. That was new to me; so I, too, took His Eminence’s hand in mine, brought his ringed-finger to my lips, genuflecting as I had seen Dr. Yongbang do. The action was so fast that I didn’t have the time to take a closer look at that ring as I would have loved to. Bishop Awa’s ring Just then, my mind raced back in time to the day I met Monsignor Pius Awa of Buea in his cousin, Mr. Peter Akumchi’s house in Yaounde some seven years or so earlier. That was the first time I came face-to-face with such a high-ranking official of the Catholic Church. I remember approaching him with a mixture of awe and uncertainty but, to my greatest surprise, delight and relief, Monsignor Awa suddenly said something unbelievably funny, and before I knew it, I was already at ease with him, asking him questions that have always intrigued me about the Catholic Church, and getting frank and direct answers wrapped in a seemingly inexhaustible fount of down-to-earth humour I hadn’t imagined a prince of the church could be endowed with. When I had to leave, I noticed that Bishop Awa, who had taken off the ring from his finger for a while, quickly put it back on before offering me his hand. I remember hesitating for a second, not knowing what to do, and then deciding just to shake it. Now I know I should have kissed his ring and perhaps knelt down for his blessing. That was what his Lordship probably expected me to do as well. Don’t we learn everyday! Call off the march As we greeted the Cardinal that morning, that usual, broad, warm, reassuringly contagious smile opened up on his face as he jokingly said: ‘Weti wuna di do here, you pagan people dem?’ Then, casting his eyes from that commanding height of his over the crowd that was growing by the minute, he said: ‘I hope no one shows up here in a party uniform or with a party banner’. We also echoed the same hope. Then he added: ‘The government has been very scared of this march and has sent delegation after delegation to me to call if off’. That was news to me and I asked why. ‘Well, that is because they don’t believe that a gathering of this nature at this time can be devoid of politics.’ Then he added with that disarming smile of his: ‘But, I told them this march had nothing to do with their politics. This is a purely religious event and I won’t call it off.’ I recall someone near me wondering aloud if that was the reason the place was, in his word “swarming” with CENER (secret police) agents. To prove his point, he pointed to one fellow loitering around the corner and to another one pretending to be repairing a motorbike a few feet away, but who kept shooting furtive glances at us. He also showed us another suspicious group of three or four individuals lurking at another corner who he also identified as plain-clothes men, claiming he knew their type well and that they were up to no good. I don’t know how the Cardinal would have reacted to that claim, but he didn’t hear it, busy as he was greeting those who came up to him. Many would die for Maria Just then a beautifully decorated pick-up truck drove into the mission yard, bearing the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His Eminence looked at the crowd milling about the yard and remarked, with a smile on his face: ‘There are many people in this country who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for Maria.’ Then the pick-up truck swung round and began slowly to move out of the yard. The Cardinal with one or two of his priests and some altar boys, took their places behind it, and we fell in line a few yards behind them. As we came out onto the street, I was surprised to see that the head of the procession was nowhere in sight. I also looked behind me and the crowd in the churchyard seemed to have grown tenfold. I had no rosary! A woman next to me intoned a song in a language I guessed was Ewondo. This was followed by much hand clapping and dancing. After that song, another woman began to recite the rosary. I saw just about everyone with a rosary in hand and it suddenly dawned on me that I might be the only one there without one. For a few minutes, I felt at a loss, wondering whether I really belonged with that crowd of believers at all. What intensified that feeling of loss and guilt was the sudden realisation that I couldn’t even recite a single prayer in French correctly; neither the ‘Hail Mary’, nor the Lord’s Prayer. I then decided that I would say the prayers in English instead. There, too, I stumbled on one or two words and gave up the exercise. What of Lamnso, my native tongue? There, I had better luck, but my mind kept straying to the French prayers around me. I was still wondering how best to immerse myself in the prayers when Gregory Alem, a CRTV journalist on FM 105, walked up to me. I asked him in a whisper if he was on duty, and he said he was there to join the march, having decided that he could no longer stay on the sidelines while others were doing so much to shape the history of our land. That was why he was determined, he said, to join the Cardinal’s march for peace. The Cardinal was already nearly a kilometre ahead of me although when we started off, I was only a few yards behind him. As we went along, more and more people were joining the procession and preferring to be as close to the Cardinal and the statue of the Virgin Mary as possible. It was not long before Gregory and I were far apart from each other. Fallen by the wayside All around me, prayers and songs rose and fell as groups sent their praise and admiration to the Lord. I realised to my horror that I could neither recognise nor join in any of those songs or prayers. It then began to dawn on me that I had indeed fallen by the wayside in my religious life. Not that I hadn’t been aware of it, though; but it was how far away I had fallen from the right path that hit me with such frightening suddenness. Unable to join the chorus around me, I decided I would withdraw into myself and try to come to grips with my relationship with God since such an opportunity to stare into the rear-view mirror of my life uninterrupted for hours on end, had never presented itself to me before. As we wound our way at a snail’s pace through tiny, pothole-laden streets, from Deido through Bepanda Voirie to Ndokoti and well beyond, I suddenly felt how the dregs of all those years of neglect of my Christian life had hardened and were weighing down so heavily on the shoulders of my conscience. Here I am, Lord! The only other time I felt an outsider in church was on April 22, 1992 in the Cathedral in Bamenda during the ordination of five young men into the sacred priesthood. Maika, my wife, Mrs. Rita Bomki Akumchi, her cousin, and I had travelled from Douala the Saturday before to be present at that ceremony to witness one of ours, George Tomrila Ngalim, take his place among the clergy of this nation. George has always been like a younger brother to me, just as I had been like one to his father, the late Joseph Ngalim, a simple man who had lived a simple, honest life of a great Catholic Christian. As I stood there watching George, I felt really sad that his father couldn’t be there with us to see his first son take the vow of the priesthood. In fact, I fought back a tear when George answered the Lord’s call, and his mother, accompanied by his junior brother, Stephen, standing in for his father, led him by the hand to the altar to surrender him to His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, as their own gift to the Almighty Father. I remember His Grace Archbishop Verdzekov’s commanding voice exhorting his fellow priests to abide by the dictates of their vocation. If you cannot stand the smoke, he told them, get out of the kitchen. That was one of the most profound sermons I have ever listened to. The power of that message seemed to be amplified by the magnificence of the music, which the conducting priest, Reverend Father William Neba, standing on a raised platform, seemed to be literally pulling out of the belly of the cathedral with his arms. Music of rare beauty and intensity. Heart-lifting sounds, which I still sometimes hear, in my mind’s ear, whenever I take a momentary respite from the rat race. It brought tears to my eyes. The river of age On that day, my mind was not so much on George – even though it was his day – as it was on his father, whom the Lord had called ‘home’ some years ago. I recalled that in August of 1984 when I returned home after several years abroad, one of the first things my old mother asked of me, was to go down to Gharu, Joseph Ngalim’s compound, to greet him for, she said, he had been very ill and would be pleased to see me. My family has always considered me Joseph Ngalim’s ‘son’ because of the liking he had taken for me from the time I was only a child. I must have been only five or six years old when he, still a young primary school pupil, asked my parents to allow me to stay with him in a hut he had, like all young men of his age, built for himself in his parent’s compound of Gharu, a kilometre or so away from our compound at Mboon. I still have fond memories of those childhood days when I would play in the yard with other children of his compound while watching out for him. When he came back home, I would run up to him and he would always give me something to eat, usually a piece of meat from the day’s hunt, or a fruit. My friends and I would sometimes play by the banks of River Mensai that takes its rise from the Ngongba hills that brood so menacingly above. River Mensai, today a mere shadow of its former self, used to rush down the hills into the valley, seeming to us who had never seen any other bigger river, frighteningly massive, as it wound and unwound itself down the valley like a huge wounded snake. We were always warned against playing too close to it as it was said to be unforgiving to anyone who was foolish enough to fall into it. Thinking of those days, over thirty years later, on that bright, sunny day in August of 1984, was like taking a ride up the river of age to those days of unblemished innocence. Out of touch As I walked down the hill leading to his house, I wondered what I would say to him. Whenever I was home on vacation, my mother would always ask me to go to Tobin and visit him and his family. He was always very happy to see me and took a keen interest in my academic progress. Unfortunately, as my quest for the ‘Golden Fleece’ took me further and further into the beckoning, wide world, I lost touch with him. So, it was with a very heavy heart and guilt feelings that I walked into his house that sunny August afternoon. As I took his hand in mine, a smile walked its way across his agony-wrinkled face. He could hardly turn his head as his neck hurt him so badly. I recall fighting hard to halt a lump that was already crawling unrelentingly up to my throat, always a prelude to a flood of tears, which I could already feel warm on my cheeks. I remember apologising profusely for my protracted silence over the years. In his usual manner, he merely smiled and said he had been wondering if he had done me wrong, but that all that was now history as he was happy I had thought of him immediately I returned home. It was then that the tears came tumbling from my eyes, a bucket-full. I was to let another generous flood of tears wash my face some months later when I learnt of his death. He had apparently recovered and gone back to work when the illness struck again, and he succumbed to it. I was in Yaounde, trying to find a job and feed a family, and couldn’t unfortunately attend his funeral. I did, however, pray that the Lord receive him with trumpet blasts. August 29, the day to remember Meanwhile, the Cardinal-led procession continued its slow, dignified and graceful journey through the streets of the nation’s economic capital. I came out of my reverie only long enough to notice how far we had gone, and then I was back in my shell again. I remember that a few years ago, on a dreary, rainy and foggy morning of August 29, I stood over Joseph Ngalim’s grave in the small cemetery below the Church in my village of Nkar. August 29 is a memorable day to my family, being the day my father-in-law, Pa Anthony Tala, a long-time teacher of the Catholic School in Nkar, died. On that dreary morning, my wife and I joined the other members of the family to call on the Lord to accept Pa Anthony Tala, our father and His humble servant, among His chosen flock. Afterward, I walked over to Joseph Ngalim’s grave and communed for a while with one of the greatest souls that ever lived on earth. George, then a deacon, was also present. My beloved ones Beside my father-in-law and Joseph Ngalim, many a loved one of mine also reposes in that small church cemetery. Monica Bongberi, my only sister, lies a few feet away. She had given up the struggle against a merciless ailment and had passed away right in front of my eyes some ten years earlier. I remember that even though she died in my presence, I only felt the impact of her absence one year later when I went back home on vacation. I remember standing above her compound, waiting in vain for those shouts of welcome and warm hugs and smiles of joy, which I was so used to. I stood there staring into space, tears abundantly washing my face, to the surprise of many. May the Lord Almighty place His soothing hand on Monica’s forehead! Not far from Monica, lies Gertrude, my sister-in-law. Our phone rang one summer Sunday morning in Edmonton, Canada. I picked it up and an emotion-drenched voice told me that Gertrude was no longer with us. When the impact of that reality finally hit home, I jumped up, screaming and refusing to believe what I had just been told. Her husband, Kenjo, my brother, had left Laval in Quebec, where he had been studying, only a few days before, and hadn’t even had the time to call to inform us of his safe arrival in Cameroon, when we learnt of his wife’s death. Maika, a regular church-goer, nearly pulled me by the hand to church that Sunday morning to pray for the repose of Gertrude’s soul. ‘Even if the devil has truly made his home in your heart’, I remember her telling me as I grudgingly trudged behind her, ‘at least, on a day like this, you should ask the Lord to forgive your sister-in-law her sins and welcome her into His kingdom’. I knew she was right, although I didn’t want to seem too eager to agree with her. I did, however, follow her to church to ask God to welcome Gertrude among His chosen few. John, my boyhood friend. A few feet away, under a fresh mound of earth, lies one of my childhood friends, John Fondzeyuf. John and I had served our first Mass as altar boys together way back then. I remember shocking my mother by waking up too early to go to church that day. John and I had been selected the previous day to serve our first Mass that morning, and had been warned not to be late. Despite my mother’s threats to tan my skin if I didn’t go back to bed immediately, I left for church, arriving when it was still very dark and, to my surprise, John was already there, dressed and waiting. You could have heard our heart-beats a mile away as we later accompanied the priest to the altar under the close and critical scrutiny of the elder altar boys, our trembling backs to the congregation. I still find it difficult to believe that John is no longer with us. I hadn’t been able to attend his funeral, but the impact of his death had hit me a few months later when I went to greet his family in Yaounde. I walked in and was greeted by John’s picture staring at me from the wall. I sat down on one of the all-too-familiar chairs, talking to Aloysia, his wife, and it was just as it had always been. It even looked as if John would walk out of the room any time to join us. I could still hear his voice, in my mind’s ear, as usual noisily contesting my claim to a traditional title, calling me, albeit jokingly, an impostor. We would then engage in friendly gibes at each other for hours on end. As those memories made their way back to mind, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and it was with some difficulty that I held them back from his children. May the Lord give John a huge pat of welcome on the back! In that small cemetery, lie people who have been precious to me. Hopefully, when my own time runs out, my mortal remains, too, will join those of my loved ones at one corner of that cemetery. My soul, God willing, will link hands with all my family members who have slept in the Lord to give praise and thanks to God Almighty for eternity. Peace with myself Those were the thoughts that were winding their way through my mind at the same snail’s pace as we went through the streets of Douala. Never before that day did I realise how much I needed to incise my past as a way of coming to full grips with my present life of a fallen Christian. Thereafter, I suddenly felt at peace with myself. I still, however, felt inadequate before the Lord. I couldn’t remember the last time I ever spent more than a few minutes in church. I would, more often than not, drive my family to the church door, drop them there, only coming back for them when I knew the Mass was over. I had always found spending an hour in church unbearably boring, and I was wondering if I would stand the Cardinal’s Mass that was to follow the march. Peace on earth However, no sooner had the Cardinal arrived than he was at the altar saying Mass. I remember Gregory Alem and I earlier expressing the fear that, at his age, the Cardinal might not stand the tempo of such a long march; but there he was, still looking strong and preaching peace on earth to men and women of good will. As I listened to him, he seemed to be talking to me personally. The peace he talked of seemed to be making a home in my mind and in my heart. Since then, I cannot say that I have suddenly become an ideal Christian, but at least I do now feel the urge to lead my family, not only to the church door, but right into the church itself. There, I listen without the urge to glance at my watch. The message of the Gospel has been tickling my heart these days more than at any other time of my life. Even though I will never open my mouth in church to sing for fear of offending whoever may be standing near me, I have always had a weakness for church music which, over the past few months, has been sounding even more splendid than ever before. God bless the clergy The Cardinal’s march for peace seems to have done me much good. Only the other day, not only did I listen with unusual attention to, but was also profoundly moved by Archbishop Verdzekov’s pastoral letter denouncing torture in our land. I remember bowing my head and asking God to bless the Archbishop and the victims of torture in our land. However, I still haven’t found the courage to pray for those who order or execute torture, as the Archbishop recommends. How can one ever do that? I wonder. Not long ago, though, I would never have thought that God could listen to someone like me, and the idea of praying for no less an eminence than an archbishop could never have occurred to me. Maybe the indescribable satisfaction I felt after that prayer is a good indication that the Lord did, after all, listen to His humble servant! It seems by marching with Christian Cardinal Tumi for peace in our land, I had found that much desired but elusive peace with myself. A prayer for the Cardinal. May he too remember my family and me in his prayers.
2279	dbpedia	3	22	https://dokumen.pub/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.html	en	My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi [1 ed.] 9789956792429, 9789956792894	https://dokumen.pub/img/…789956792894.jpg	https://dokumen.pub/img/…789956792894.jpg	[ "https://dokumen.pub/dokumenpub/assets/img/dokumenpub_logo.png", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-to-web-design-with-passion-not-with-code.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-african-journey-9788027242184.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-with-maya-first-edition-9780316341738-0316341738-9780316341745-0316341746.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-9781761102394-1761102397.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/i-am-me-my-personal-journey-with-my-forty-plus-autistic-son-9781683508007-9781683507994.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-remarkable-journey-9781602861022-1602861021.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/a-history-of-christian-conversion-9780199910922-2019057695-9780195320923-9780190062620.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/becoming-christian-the-conversion-of-roman-cappadocia-9780812207378.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/a-journey-round-my-skull-9781590172582.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-journey-in-this-life-9789672408116.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/img/200x200/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.jpg", "https://dokumen.pub/dokumenpub/assets/img/dokumenpub_logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Faith conversion experiences are first of all personal before being universal. While biblical history records relatively...	en	https://dokumen.pub/doku…e-icon-57x57.png	dokumen.pub	https://dokumen.pub/my-conversion-journey-with-christian-cardinal-tumi-1nbsped-9789956792429-9789956792894.html	Citation preview Martin Jumbam Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon Martin Jumbam MARTIN JUMBAM was born and raised in Nkar in the Diocese of Kumbo in the northern grassland region of English-speaking Cameroon. He is a translator and a conference interpreter by training, and a freelance journalist. He served for several years on the editorial board of L’Effort camerounais, the weekly newspaper of the Bishop’s Conference of Cameroon. He also runs programmes on Radio Veritas, the radio of the Catholic Archdiocese of Douala, Cameroon. He is married with three children and lives with his family in the port city of Douala in Cameroon. MY CONVERSION JOURNEY WITH CHRISTIAN CARDINAL TUMI Faith conversion experiences are first of all personal before being universal. While biblical history records relatively few conversion encounters as dramatic and as explosive as Saint Paul’s on the road to Damascus, it is not rare for individuals in the throes of a religious conversion to fall prey to intensely agonizing confusion. That is what happened to Martin Jumbam when he marched for peace in his country alongside the charismatic and irrepressible Emeritus Archbishop of Douala in Cameroon, Christian Cardinal Tumi. He joined the prelate as a secular journalist but went back home more than ever conscious of his state as a fallen Christian, the first step in his journey of faith. Since then, all his writing, be it secular or religious, now bears the fruits of that encounter, characterized by intense empathy for the human person. This book recounts the myriad ways Jumbam’s encounters with Christian Cardinal Tumi have activated, nourished and inspired his faith. MY CONVERSION JOURNEY WITH CHRISTIAN CARDINAL TUMI Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam Langaa Research & Publishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Publisher: Langaa RPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [email protected] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [email protected] www.africanbookscollective.com ISBN: 9956-792-89-6 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. © Martin Jumbam 2015 DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG. Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Table of௖Contents Preface………………………………………………………… v Part One: The Journey Begins……………………………….. 1 1. I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi……………………… 3 2. I spent a week with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi………... 15 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Part Two: My Prayer Life Firms Up…………………………. 35 1. Come, follow me!............................................................................... 37 2. Foyer de Charité, an oasis of silence in Bonjongo…………….. 49 3. A prayer at the University of Buea……………………………. 53 4. Jesus heals in silence………………………………………….. 57 5. I walked beside a Saint……………………………………….. 61 Part Three: My Interest In Church Governance Grows…….. 73 1. The Catholic Church and the radio…………………………… 75 2. Train seminarians to be good managers of human and finance resources……………………………………………….. 87 3. Keep processions and the homily short………………………. 91 4. Father, watch your health…………………………………….. 97 5. Giving to the Church is a Christian duty………………………101 6. The Catholic Church and the Reunification of Cameroon……. 105 7. I remember Father Paul Verdzekov………………………….. 109 Part Four: The Social Dimension Of My Faith……………… 119 1. The devastating consequences of abortion…………………….121 2. The Justice and Peace Commission of the Bamenda Archdiocese…………………………………………………….. 125 3. I salute you, Professor Daniel Noni Lantum…………………. 133 4. Why I donate blood…………………………………………... 151 iii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. iv Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Preface Saint Augustine once wrote: “Reaching Milan, I found your devoted servant Ambrose, who was known throughout the world as a man whom there were few to equal in goodness. Unknown to me, it was you who led me to him, so that I might knowingly be led by him to you”1. I could very well express similar feelings about my first encounter with Christian Cardinal Tumi, the Emeritus Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala, Cameroon. Unknown to me, the Lord led me to him and he knowingly led me back to the Lord. It all began on January 1, 1993 when I joined the first of what has become a tradition in the Catholic Church that is in Douala, what Cardinal Tumi himself called “The March for Peace” around the city of Douala. Our country, Cameroon, then stood in dire need of peace as the notoriously intolerant political establishment of the day was desperately trying to stifle the audible, painful and violent birth pangs of multi-party democracy in our land. Christian Cardinal Tumi is one of the few sons and daughters of our land who have had an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the proponents of political intolerance in our land and lived to tell the tale. Many others, who dared to ask why, including the Cardinal’s fellow religious leaders, are today history. In January 1993, I was a young journalist yearning for news and who else to track than the fiery Archbishop of Douala, who created news by his mere imposing presence anywhere, anytime? As I accompanied him in what ended up to be a well-over-five-hour procession around the city of Douala, hoping to beat every other journalist with news of whatever dramatic encounter we might have along the way with the forces of law and order, little did I know that the Lord was leading me to him that he may in turn lead me back to the Lord. It was only later that I realised that I was a mere penitent whose restless soul, to paraphrase Saint Augustine again, could only find rest when, and if, it rested in the Lord. v Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook What has this journey of faith alongside Christian Cardinal Tumi done to, and for, me as a Christian, a journalist and a writer? Quite a lot! First of all, it has given my prayer life considerable strength, although, every so often, I still have to run to the Master with the cry: ‘I do have faith, Lord, but help me to have more!’ (Mk 9: 24). Secondly, I have come to see the way the Church functions from an angle I would otherwise never have seen. This is reflected in a number of articles included in this book on the Church and its governance. Thirdly, each time I pore over a blank sheet of paper, wondering how to stain it with my thoughts, I always hear Saint James whispering in the ear of my mind that faith devoid of action is a dead faith (Jas 2 : 14). That is why I have included articles in this book that reflect my views on issues of justice, peace, and reconciliation, themes that are so dear to our Church in Africa. I have also expressed open gratitude and admiration to, and for, people, near and far, whose actions have influenced my life in one way or another. In this journey of faith with Christian Cardinal Tumi, I have decided that all I do and all I write must be coated with the garment of my faith. My encounters with Christian Cardinal Tumi have activated, nourished and inspired my faith in myriad ways, directly and indirectly, as the articles included in this collection suggest. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam vi Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Martin Jumbam at his office in Douala vii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Christian Cardinal Tumi Emeritus Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala Delivering a Sermon viii Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Christian Cardinal Tumi in Douala ix Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. x Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Part I Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The Journey Begins 1 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 2 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 1 I marched with Christian Cardinal Tumi (Revised and reproduced from Cameroon Panorama Nos. 376 of April 1993; pp. 17-19) and 377 of May 1993; pp. 18-21). Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The news of the “March for Peace”, which His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi was organising was in the air all week long, but the details were rather sketchy. That is why I was not sure of what to expect as I approached the large crowd in front of the small Saint John’s Parish Church in Deido, Douala, at 7 o’clock on the morning of January 1, 1993. No placards? What struck me as I scanned the crowd for a face to pin a name on, was the absence of placards and banners. I had thought that I would find an excited, noisy crowd waving a forest of banners and placards, bearing high-sounding slogans, calling on the powers-thatbe to restore to our land and people the peace that once was theirs. But, what I saw surprised me: just simple, ordinary people, mainly women of a certain age, many of them dressed in white or in deep blue uniforms, lining up behind a crucifix, singing songs of praise to the Lord and telling the beads of their rosaries. I was still wondering what to make of it all, when I saw Doctor Arnold Yongbang a few feet away. With Doctor Yongbang there, I began to breathe a little easier as I knew I would have answers to some of the questions I had on my mind. A few days earlier, I had stopped by his house, as I so often do whenever I need reliable information on just about anything happening in the land, to get details on the impending march, but he hadn’t been more enlightened on it than I was, not having seen nor talked with the Cardinal that past week. 3 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The Cardinal’s ring ‘You’ve answered present then, eh?’, Doctor Yongbang asked as we shook hands with each other. ‘Couldn’t miss this for anything in the world’, I remember answering him. We were still wondering about the itinerary of the march when we saw the tall figure of the Cardinal towering above a small crowd a few feet away. That was the first time I had ever come that close to His Eminence, and I wouldn’t have known how to greet him had Doctor Yongbang not immediately gone up to him, taken his hand in his and kissed the ring on it, genuflecting in the process. That was new to me; so I, too, took His Eminence’s hand in mine, brought his ringed-finger to my lips, genuflecting as I had seen Dr. Yongbang do. The action was so fast that I didn’t have the time to take a closer look at that ring as I would have loved to. Bishop Awa’s ring Just then, my mind raced back in time to the day I met Monsignor Pius Awa of Buea in his cousin, Mr. Peter Akumchi’s house in Yaounde some seven years or so earlier. That was the first time I came face-to-face with such a high-ranking official of the Catholic Church. I remember approaching him with a mixture of awe and uncertainty but, to my greatest surprise, delight and relief, Monsignor Awa suddenly said something unbelievably funny, and before I knew it, I was already at ease with him, asking him questions that have always intrigued me about the Catholic Church, and getting frank and direct answers wrapped in a seemingly inexhaustible fount of down-to-earth humour I hadn’t imagined a prince of the church could be endowed with. When I had to leave, I noticed that Bishop Awa, who had taken off the ring from his finger for a while, quickly put it back on before offering me his hand. I remember hesitating for a second, not knowing what to do, and then deciding just to shake it. Now I know I should have kissed his ring and perhaps knelt down for his blessing. That was what his Lordship probably expected me to do as well. Don’t we learn everyday! 4 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Call off the march As we greeted the Cardinal that morning, that usual, broad, warm, reassuringly contagious smile opened up on his face as he jokingly said: ‘Weti wuna di do here, you pagan people dem?’ Then, casting his eyes from that commanding height of his over the crowd that was growing by the minute, he said: ‘I hope no one shows up here in a party uniform or with a party banner’. We also echoed the same hope. Then he added: ‘The government has been very scared of this march and has sent delegation after delegation to me to call if off’. That was news to me and I asked why. ‘Well, that is because they don’t believe that a gathering of this nature at this time can be devoid of politics.’ Then he added with that disarming smile of his: ‘But, I told them this march had nothing to do with their politics. This is a purely religious event and I won’t call it off.’ I recall someone near me wondering aloud if that was the reason the place was, in his word “swarming” with CENER (secret police) agents. To prove his point, he pointed to one fellow loitering around the corner and to another one pretending to be repairing a motorbike a few feet away, but who kept shooting furtive glances at us. He also showed us another suspicious group of three or four individuals lurking at another corner who he also identified as plain-clothes men, claiming he knew their type well and that they were up to no good. I don’t know how the Cardinal would have reacted to that claim, but he didn’t hear it, busy as he was greeting those who came up to him. Many would die for Maria Just then a beautifully decorated pick-up truck drove into the mission yard, bearing the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His Eminence looked at the crowd milling about the yard and remarked, with a smile on his face: ‘There are many people in this country who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for Maria.’ Then the pick-up truck swung round and began slowly to move out of the yard. The Cardinal with one or two of his priests and some altar boys, took their places behind it, and we fell in line a few yards 5 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. behind them. As we came out onto the street, I was surprised to see that the head of the procession was nowhere in sight. I also looked behind me and the crowd in the churchyard seemed to have grown tenfold. I had no rosary! A woman next to me intoned a song in a language I guessed was Ewondo. This was followed by much hand clapping and dancing. After that song, another woman began to recite the rosary. I saw just about everyone with a rosary in hand and it suddenly dawned on me that I might be the only one there without one. For a few minutes, I felt at a loss, wondering whether I really belonged with that crowd of believers at all. What intensified that feeling of loss and guilt was the sudden realisation that I couldn’t even recite a single prayer in French correctly; neither the ‘Hail Mary’, nor the Lord’s Prayer. I then decided that I would say the prayers in English instead. There, too, I stumbled on one or two words and gave up the exercise. What of Lamnso, my native tongue? There, I had better luck, but my mind kept straying to the French prayers around me. I was still wondering how best to immerse myself in the prayers when Gregory Alem, a CRTV journalist on FM 105, walked up to me. I asked him in a whisper if he was on duty, and he said he was there to join the march, having decided that he could no longer stay on the sidelines while others were doing so much to shape the history of our land. That was why he was determined, he said, to join the Cardinal’s march for peace. The Cardinal was already nearly a kilometre ahead of me although when we started off, I was only a few yards behind him. As we went along, more and more people were joining the procession and preferring to be as close to the Cardinal and the statue of the Virgin Mary as possible. It was not long before Gregory and I were far apart from each other. 6 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Fallen by the wayside All around me, prayers and songs rose and fell as groups sent their praise and admiration to the Lord. I realised to my horror that I could neither recognise nor join in any of those songs or prayers. It then began to dawn on me that I had indeed fallen by the wayside in my religious life. Not that I hadn’t been aware of it, though; but it was how far away I had fallen from the right path that hit me with such frightening suddenness. Unable to join the chorus around me, I decided I would withdraw into myself and try to come to grips with my relationship with God since such an opportunity to stare into the rear-view mirror of my life uninterrupted for hours on end, had never presented itself to me before. As we wound our way at a snail’s pace through tiny, potholeladen streets, from Deido through Bepanda Voirie to Ndokoti and well beyond, I suddenly felt how the dregs of all those years of neglect of my Christian life had hardened and were weighing down so heavily on the shoulders of my conscience. Here I am, Lord! The only other time I felt an outsider in church was on April 22, 1992 in the Cathedral in Bamenda during the ordination of five young men into the sacred priesthood. Maika, my wife, Mrs. Rita Bomki Akumchi, her cousin, and I had travelled from Douala the Saturday before to be present at that ceremony to witness one of ours, George Tomrila Ngalim, take his place among the clergy of this nation. George has always been like a younger brother to me, just as I had been like one to his father, the late Joseph Ngalim, a simple man who had lived a simple, honest life of a great Catholic Christian. As I stood there watching George, I felt really sad that his father couldn’t be there with us to see his first son take the vow of the priesthood. In fact, I fought back a tear when George answered the Lord’s call, and his mother, accompanied by his junior brother, Stephen, standing in for his father, led him by the hand to the altar to 7 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. surrender him to His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, as their own gift to the Almighty Father. I remember His Grace Archbishop Verdzekov’s commanding voice exhorting his fellow priests to abide by the dictates of their vocation. If you cannot stand the smoke, he told them, get out of the kitchen. That was one of the most profound sermons I have ever listened to. The power of that message seemed to be amplified by the magnificence of the music, which the conducting priest, Reverend Father William Neba, standing on a raised platform, seemed to be literally pulling out of the belly of the cathedral with his arms. Music of rare beauty and intensity. Heart-lifting sounds, which I still sometimes hear, in my mind’s ear, whenever I take a momentary respite from the rat race. It brought tears to my eyes. The river of age On that day, my mind was not so much on George – even though it was his day – as it was on his father, whom the Lord had called ‘home’ some years ago. I recalled that in August of 1984 when I returned home after several years abroad, one of the first things my old mother asked of me, was to go down to Gharu, Joseph Ngalim’s compound, to greet him for, she said, he had been very ill and would be pleased to see me. My family has always considered me Joseph Ngalim’s ‘son’ because of the liking he had taken for me from the time I was only a child. I must have been only five or six years old when he, still a young primary school pupil, asked my parents to allow me to stay with him in a hut he had, like all young men of his age, built for himself in his parent’s compound of Gharu, a kilometre or so away from our compound at Mboon. I still have fond memories of those childhood days when I would play in the yard with other children of his compound while watching out for him. When he came back home, I would run up to him and he would always give me something to eat, usually a piece of meat from the day’s hunt, or a fruit. 8 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. My friends and I would sometimes play by the banks of River Mensai that takes its rise from the Ngongba hills that brood so menacingly above. River Mensai, today a mere shadow of its former self, used to rush down the hills into the valley, seeming to us who had never seen any other bigger river, frighteningly massive, as it wound and unwound itself down the valley like a huge wounded snake. We were always warned against playing too close to it as it was said to be unforgiving to anyone who was foolish enough to fall into it. Thinking of those days, over thirty years later, on that bright, sunny day in August of 1984, was like taking a ride up the river of age to those days of unblemished innocence. Out of touch As I walked down the hill leading to his house, I wondered what I would say to him. Whenever I was home on vacation, my mother would always ask me to go to Tobin and visit him and his family. He was always very happy to see me and took a keen interest in my academic progress. Unfortunately, as my quest for the ‘Golden Fleece’ took me further and further into the beckoning, wide world, I lost touch with him. So, it was with a very heavy heart and guilt feelings that I walked into his house that sunny August afternoon. As I took his hand in mine, a smile walked its way across his agony-wrinkled face. He could hardly turn his head as his neck hurt him so badly. I recall fighting hard to halt a lump that was already crawling unrelentingly up to my throat, always a prelude to a flood of tears, which I could already feel warm on my cheeks. I remember apologising profusely for my protracted silence over the years. In his usual manner, he merely smiled and said he had been wondering if he had done me wrong, but that all that was now history as he was happy I had thought of him immediately I returned home. It was then that the tears came tumbling from my eyes, a bucket-full. I was to let another generous flood of tears wash my face some months later when I learnt of his death. He had apparently 9 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook recovered and gone back to work when the illness struck again, and he succumbed to it. I was in Yaounde, trying to find a job and feed a family, and couldn’t unfortunately attend his funeral. I did, however, pray that the Lord receive him with trumpet blasts. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. August 29 Meanwhile, the Cardinal-led procession continued its slow, dignified and graceful journey through the streets of the nation’s economic capital. I came out of my reverie only long enough to notice how far we had gone, and then I was back in my shell again. I remember that a few years ago, on a dreary, rainy and foggy morning of August 29, I stood over Joseph Ngalim’s grave in the small cemetery below the Church in my village of Nkar. August 29 is a memorable day to my family, being the day my father-in-law, Pa Anthony Tala, a long-time teacher of the Catholic School in Nkar, died. On that dreary morning, my wife and I joined the other members of the family to call on the Lord to accept Pa Anthony Tala, our father and His humble servant, among His chosen flock. Afterward, I walked over to Joseph Ngalim’s grave and communed for a while with one of the greatest souls that ever lived on earth. George, then a deacon, was also present. My beloved ones Beside my father-in-law and Joseph Ngalim, many a loved one of mine also reposes in that small church cemetery. Monica Bongberi, my only sister, lies a few feet away. She had given up the struggle against a merciless ailment and had passed away right in front of my eyes some ten years earlier. I remember that even though she died in my presence, I only felt the impact of her absence one year later when I went back home on vacation. I remember standing above her compound, waiting in vain for those shouts of welcome and warm hugs and smiles of joy, which I was so used to. I stood there staring into space, tears abundantly washing my face, to the surprise of many. May the Lord Almighty place His soothing hand on Monica’s forehead! 10 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Not far from Monica, lies Gertrude, my sister-in-law. Our phone rang one summer Sunday morning in Edmonton, Canada. I picked it up and an emotion-drenched voice told me that Gertrude was no longer with us. When the impact of that reality finally hit home, I jumped up, screaming and refusing to believe what I had just been told. Her husband, Kenjo, my brother, had left Laval in Quebec, where he had been studying, only a few days before, and hadn’t even had the time to call to inform us of his safe arrival in Cameroon, when we learnt of his wife’s death. Maika, a regular church-goer, nearly pulled me by the hand to church that Sunday morning to pray for the repose of Gertrude’s soul. ‘Even if the devil has truly made his home in your heart’, I remember her telling me as I grudgingly trudged behind her, ‘at least, on a day like this, you should ask the Lord to forgive your sister-inlaw her sins and welcome her into His kingdom’. I knew she was right, although I didn’t want to seem too eager to agree with her. I did, however, follow her to church to ask God to welcome Gertrude among His chosen few. John, my boyhood friend. A few feet away, under a fresh mound of earth, lies one of my childhood friends, John Fondzeyuf. John and I had served our first Mass as altar boys together way back then. I remember shocking my mother by waking up too early to go to church that day. John and I had been selected the previous day to serve our first Mass that morning, and had been warned not to be late. Despite my mother’s threats to tan my skin if I didn’t go back to bed immediately, I left for church, arriving when it was still very dark and, to my surprise, John was already there, dressed and waiting. You could have heard our heart-beats a mile away as we later accompanied the priest to the altar under the close and critical scrutiny of the elder altar boys, our trembling backs to the congregation. I still find it difficult to believe that John is no longer with us. I hadn’t been able to attend his funeral, but the impact of his death had hit me a few months later when I went to greet his family in Yaounde. 11 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. I walked in and was greeted by John’s picture staring at me from the wall. I sat down on one of the all-too-familiar chairs, talking to Aloysia, his wife, and it was just as it had always been. It even looked as if John would walk out of the room any time to join us. I could still hear his voice, in my mind’s ear, as usual noisily contesting my claim to a traditional title, calling me, albeit jokingly, an impostor. We would then engage in friendly gibes at each other for hours on end. As those memories made their way back to mind, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and it was with some difficulty that I held them back from his children. May the Lord give John a huge pat of welcome on the back! In that small cemetery, lie people who have been precious to me. Hopefully, when my own time runs out, my mortal remains, too, will join those of my loved ones at one corner of that cemetery. My soul, God willing, will link hands with all my family members who have slept in the Lord to give praise and thanks to God Almighty for eternity. Peace with myself Those were the thoughts that were winding their way through my mind at the same snail’s pace as we went through the streets of Douala. Never before that day did I realise how much I needed to incise my past as a way of coming to full grips with my present life of a fallen Christian. Thereafter, I suddenly felt at peace with myself. I still, however, felt inadequate before the Lord. I couldn’t remember the last time I ever spent more than a few minutes in church. I would, more often than not, drive my family to the church door, drop them there, only coming back for them when I knew the Mass was over. I had always found spending an hour in church unbearably boring, and I was wondering if I would stand the Cardinal’s Mass that was to follow the march. Peace on earth However, no sooner had the Cardinal arrived than he was at the altar saying Mass. I remember Gregory Alem and I earlier expressing 12 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. the fear that, at his age, the Cardinal might not stand the tempo of such a long march; but there he was, still looking strong and preaching peace on earth to men and women of good will. As I listened to him, he seemed to be talking to me personally. The peace he talked of seemed to be making a home in my mind and in my heart. Since then, I cannot say that I have suddenly become an ideal Christian, but at least I do now feel the urge to lead my family, not only to the church door, but right into the church itself. There, I listen without the urge to glance at my watch. The message of the Gospel has been tickling my heart these days more than at any other time of my life. Even though I will never open my mouth in church to sing for fear of offending whoever may be standing near me, I have always had a weakness for church music which, over the past few months, has been sounding even more splendid than ever before. God bless the clergy The Cardinal’s march for peace seems to have done me much good. Only the other day, not only did I listen with unusual attention to, but was also profoundly moved by Archbishop Verdzekov’s pastoral letter denouncing torture in our land. I remember bowing my head and asking God to bless the Archbishop and the victims of torture in our land. However, I still haven’t found the courage to pray for those who order or execute torture, as the Archbishop recommends. How can one ever do that? I wonder. Not long ago, though, I would never have thought that God could listen to someone like me, and the idea of praying for no less an eminence than an archbishop could never have occurred to me. Maybe the indescribable satisfaction I felt after that prayer is a good indication that the Lord did, after all, listen to His humble servant! It seems by marching with Christian Cardinal Tumi for peace in our land, I had found that much desired but elusive peace with myself. A prayer for the Cardinal. May he too remember my family and me in his prayers. 13 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 2 I spent a week with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi (Reproduced from Cameroon Panorama Nos. 385, 386, 387, 388 and 389 of January through May 1994). The desire to spend a week of rest and meditation with the Cistercian Monks in Mbengwi took root in my mind, in my heart and in my soul in early 1993 after I heeded a call from his Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi to join him on a “March for Peace” in our country2. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Should we join the march? In fact, the decision to join the Cardinal’s march was not an easy one to take. I remember Maika and I sitting up late at night, after our three kids had gone to bed, wondering whether to participate in it or not. If yes, who should go? The two of us, or just one person? Our indecision was understandable given the brutality with which the “law-keepers” of this land have so far handled any popular display of discontent with the status quo. Not that long ago, tear-gas canisters and grenades could be heard popping from street corners in Douala like champagne corks, leaving in their wake pavements caked by blood that had oozed from shattered limbs and split skulls. Strange hearse I was once a witness to the strangest ‘hearse’ that has perhaps ever been paraded anywhere: a wheel-barrow, bearing a young chap, way below his teens, struck down by a murderous bullet from a trigger-happy policeman’s pistol. That ‘hearse’ was being riotously escorted around town by a crowd of bloodshot-eyed, bare-chested, sweat-soaked kids, many of them foaming at the mouth, and loudly daring nervous, gun-totting soldiers to stop them. That was indeed a frightening scene in a land that has always prided itself as an oasis of peace in a mercurial sub-region prone to instability. 14 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. That is why the Cardinal’s call for a march for peace caused us such anxiety. We both would have liked to join, but, we wondered, what if it turned out ugly and bloody? Wouldn’t it be foolish, at this time when responsible parenthood is an expression that is so warm on everyone’s lips, for a mother and a father to abandon their kids in the house to walk together into what had virtually become a battleground? Sacrificial lamb Those were some of the searching questions we had to wrestle with before finally deciding that I should go alone. If any mishap were to happen to me -- God forbid! -- Maika would then have to join the increasing class of widows that some people’s greed for power was daily creating in this land. It turned out -- thank God! -- that there was no violence at all. There was not even an armed, riot-shielded police force anywhere in sight; just one mammoth crowd, the largest I have seen anywhere in this land, and I have seen some crowd-pulling events here in Douala lately. A crowd, armed not with politically-marinated, slogan-studded placards, but with the simple armour of prayers and hymns of praise to the Lord Almighty. Five hours and nearly 30 kilometres later, with the gruelling Douala sun and heat enveloping us like foam, the impossible had happened to me; I had stared so long and so deep into my Christian life, or rather what was left of it, that I took a firm decision to run back for shelter under the protective canopy of Mother Church, that is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and universal in its immensity! Shun falsehood I remember that a few months after immortalising my impressions of that march in Cameroon Panorama, I was part of a huge crowd of Nso people who had gathered at the Saint Louis’ Church grounds in Bonaberi, to meet with His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi. In fact, it was a kind of a long-overdue event as the 15 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Nso community in Douala had not yet had the opportunity to meet His Eminence since he arrived in Douala nearly two years earlier. The occasion had begun with a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by the Cardinal himself, assisted by a number of priests. His Eminence’s homily was dedicated to truth. Seek the truth and shun falsehood, he urged the attentive congregation. He regretted that falsehood had already made such deep inroads into the very fabric of the Cameroonian society that many have come to accept it as a normal part of life. He cited the simple example of age in Cameroon today. Ask any one his/her age, the Cardinal said, and the likely answer would be: “My official or school age is …, my true age is …”. The situation has already become so ridiculous, his Eminence continued, that some children are now even officially older than their parents! The congregation greeted this with much mirth. Joy in heaven It was after that light-hearted but profound homily that the Cardinal called me to his side. He had, he said, read my impressions of the march I had with him in Cameroon Panorama and had enjoyed it immensely. I said I felt flattered by his observation. He then wondered if I had ever read the Confessions of Saint Augustine as my writing sounded much like his. When the answer was negative, he promised he would get me a copy, which he did some months later. I remember Maika and I paying him a courtesy visit later, and I wondered how someone like me, who had had nothing to do with the church and her sacred sacraments for so many years, could do to regain favours in the eyes of the Lord. The Cardinal’s response was that there was no specific time for anyone to come back to the bosom of the Lord, and that whenever that happens, there is always much rejoicing in heaven because one soul has repented. Write to the monks I took the Cardinal’s answer in my hand and decided to look for a calm, isolated place to reflect on it. I was wondering where to go 16 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. when a colleague of mine, Ms Lucia Nnam Chuo, suggested I try the Monastery in Mbengwi. She said she went there frequently, and that for meditation, prayers and spiritual counselling, I was not likely to find a better place than that. She then gave me the address of her “Spiritual Father”, Reverend Father Pius Okoye, himself a monk. Care-free days I had, of course, heard of people spending time in Mbengwi, but had never thought that I would one day be a candidate myself. I remember going to that monastery once back in the seventies, to buy a wedding cake for my brother. The monks then had a reputation for making particularly good but inexpensive pastry. In those days, I considered those monks a bunch of crazy people who had fled the reality of daily life to hide in the hills of Mbengwi. Bamenda town then was really a place to be in. What with those countless night clubs and bars where live brass bands held you spell bound on the slippery floor for hours on end, with multi-coloured bulbs gyrating on the ceiling and bathing the turbulent, sweat-soaked crowd on the floor in a rainbow of colours! One of those bars in particular – I believe it was called “Happy Day Bar” – was a favourite spot for many of us, from the University of Yaoundé on holiday in town. University students of those days were “swimming” in cash which they spent with astonishing lavishness. I remember a certain musician, who played in the band in that bar had, as one of his credentials, which he loudly brandished to anyone who cared to listen, the mere fact that he had once played in a band in Bangui, and claimed to speak fluent Lingala, or some such language. For that fact alone, he felt superior to every other musician in town, and drank considerable beer; at our expense, of course. Crime-free town Life in Bamenda town was throbbing with much excitement, the town being virtually crime-free, and you could go and come as you wished, well into the early hours of the morning. 17 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. That was why I could not understand why anyone would give up that life for what looked to me like the drab, cold and depressingly quiet life of the monastery. I was in my early twenties then, and always had many unprintable things to say whenever the bells of the Big Mankon church disturbed my morning sleep, our house being located in Metta Quarters, less than half-a-mile away. Irony or ironies, nearly twenty years later, I was back to the same monastery, no longer the free-spirited, I-don’t-give-a-damn young man of those days, but a humble father of a family, already subdued by the slings and buffets of age, more confused now than ever before, and seeking solace in what someone has called “the deep pool of spiritual quietness”; a mere prodigal in quest of spiritual nourishment. The same people I had dismissed as sheer fugitives from reality, were the ones I was now turning to for quietude and reflection. Monastery, cold and silent My brother, Kenjo, and my sister-in-law, Joan, accompanied me to Mbengwi on a rainy, cold and windy Sunday afternoon of August 1, 1993. As we approached the monastery, that massive structure stared at us, cold, silent, and sealed from the outside. A note on the door warned us that since that Sunday was the first of that month, stricter silence was required. The silence was not only strict, it was truly profound. Kenjo gave a buzz on the door. A few minutes later, keys rattled in the keyhole, and the door flung open, revealing a strongly-built, tall, white monk with neatly cropped hair, a clean chin and eyes that darted here and there behind a pair of thick, horn-rimmed glasses. Invitation to benediction After the habitual hellos! I showed him a letter from Father Pius. “Hello, Martin, I’m Brother William, the Guest Master”, he said with a smile. “I’ve been expecting you. Come right in”. He held the door open for us and we walked in. He asked if we would like to join them in church since it was already benediction time. The answer being affirmative, he said he would show me to my room later, and then led 18 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. the way up a flight of stairs and out at the back to the church some one hundred metres or so away. The beauty of your hymns What immediately struck me as I took a seat in the small chapel was the deep silence reigning therein. The altar section was very spacious, the altar itself occupying the central position. A line of chairs ran along the walls, with three others, bigger and more comfortable, occupying the mid section, which I rightly guessed would be for the officiating priests. The church walls were surprisingly bare; instead of the colourful, saint-studded windowpanes one usually associates with churches, what I was gazing at were just plain window-panes that let in a bright, but austere light. I was still exploring the bare walls of the church with my eyes when the deep bellows of an organ suddenly fell from the other side of the church that was shielded off from the lay section by a wall. I felt like pushing away that wall to unveil the organ, which had by now intensified in strength, rising up in pleasantly soothing waves. For the one week I was to spend in the monastery, I came to look forward to that music with intense eagerness. Listening to those monks sing, I could understand what Saint Augustine meant when he wrote: “I wept at the beauty of your hymns, and I was profoundly moved at the sweet sound of your Church’s singing. Those sounds flowed into my ears, and the truth streamed into my heart. My feeling of devotion overflowed, and the tears ran from my eyes, and I was happy in them”3. Benediction and terror There was a flurry of movements from the other side of the wall and the music suddenly fell silent. Then the monks began to walk out onto the open altar section, one after the other, taking their seats along the wall. They were all dressed in white cassocks with cowls attached to the back of the neck. Then five or six priests arrived and the Chief Celebrant began the service. 19 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Benediction and terror have always held hands in my mind. The reason dates back to the early 60s when, as a young altar boy, I served benediction under a Dutch priest of the Mill Hill Congregation, nicknamed “Fara Nji”. May eternal rest be his! I have never known how he got his nickname, but the mere mention of it sent tremors down the spines of many people in my village. “Fara Nji” was indeed the incarnation of brutality. I was a witness on several occasions to some truly disturbing and humiliating kicks he took delight in giving to the behinds of even elderly men and women whom we venerated for the wisdom which their ages conferred on them. I once saw him slap an old woman just because she happened to have smiled near him, and he didn’t seem to have liked her kolanut-stained teeth! I know of more than one person who received such humiliating treatment, walked out of church and never ever looked back again. “Fara Nji” probably never heard this wise advice the saintly Redemptorist priest, Father Francis Xavier Seelos, once gave to a young priest, an advice that is perhaps more relevant today than it was then: “The priest who is rough with the people does injury both to himself and to others. Thousands reject the Church and perish in eternity simply because they have been badly treated by a priest”4. Fara Nji stubbed his foot One day, a friend and I were serving benediction under “Fara Nji”. It was my role to pick up the cushion on which he was kneeling whenever he stood up to go up to the altar. In those days, the priest and the altar boys kneeled backing the congregation during services. I was apparently distracted because I didn’t realise the priest was already up. My friend, realising my inattention, bent down to pick up the cushion himself. It was precisely at that moment that I recovered from my reverie and also reached for it. As we tugged on both ends of that doughy cushion, “Fara Nji” stubbed his foot on it and almost landed nose first on the floor. Shocked surprise rippled through the congregation as he swung round in fury to face me. 20 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. I remember my teeth chattering in my mouth as I clenched them hard in anticipation of the blow I knew would not fail to come. Had “Fara Nji” not been known to administer violent kicks to people’s behinds for much less “offences”? However, to everyone’s surprise, he merely grunted, stared at me in suppressed anger for what seemed to me an eternity, before walking up to the altar. When I managed to stand up from where I was kneeling, my knees nearly wobbled under me. On my forehead, stood visible beads of sweat, and I could feel some of it coursing down my neck. Even later in the sacristy, I still expected to be beaten, but when nothing happened, “Fara Nji” deciding to ignore me with a royal disdain, news went round the village that the man might, after all, be growing old. Who had ever heard of such a thing? “Fara Nji” missing a golden opportunity to land a well-aimed kick to anyone’s behind? No! No!, people said, shaking their heads in utter disbelief. Age, everyone seemed to agree, was beginning to play tricks with him. Nostalgic yearnings From every indication, however, it would seem not everyone in my village hated or feared “Fara Nji”. Just only a few months ago, my brother Bongfen and I met one of his classmates of those days, who expressed regret that the type of discipline “Fara Nji” had imposed on the Church had been eroded by sloppy neglect. Loudly pronouncing “Fara Nji” a saint, this fellow, who is himself notorious in our village for senseless acts of violence, asked me if I had been to church lately. When I said I had, he asked if I wasn’t appalled by what he called the ‘market atmosphere’ that has taken hold of the church these days. Swaying from side to side under the weight of alcohol, he declared the church these days a mess, loudly regretting that there was no longer any priest around with “Fara Nji’s” stamina “to beat sense” into the heads of church-goers. So, while some of us quiver at the mere thought of the ‘blood and iron’ Bismarckian discipline of those days, someone yearns for it! 21 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. A ceremony steeped in gentleness I believe my misadventure with “Fara Nji” was the last time I attended benediction until the other day at the monastery. That must have been why just prior to that benediction service, I still felt the jitters of that Sunday evening, well over thirty years before. I could still see the stern contours of “Fara Nji’s” face in the fading horizon of my mind, staring at me with repressed rage. However, the monastic benediction was a complete contrast to “Fara Nji’s”. The chief celebrant, Father Clement, officiated over a ceremony steeped in unbelievable gentleness, humility and grace. Every gesture bore the weight of meticulous tenderness. This feeling was intensified by the music that almost brought tears to my eyes. My room After the ceremony, Kenjo and Joan left and I stood alone looking round the small guest room I occupied. What struck me immediately was the spartan austerity around me: the furniture, the curtains on the window, the small camp-like bed, the bedding, the reading table, the chair, the small sink at the corner, the towel, etc., were all impeccably clean, but that was a cleanliness that bore the weight of age. You couldn’t help feeling that you were indeed in very humble surroundings. The house rules, which Brother William had given me earlier, stressed silence as the golden rule. They identified the congregation hosting me as a Cloistered, Contemplative Order that seeks encounter with God through silence. No radio or tape-recorder was allowed without headphones. Meeting Monsignor Hishon I was still surveying my room when a gong went for the evening meal. I had been told to expect that gong three times a day: at 8 a.m. for breakfast, 12:30 p.m. for lunch, and 7 p.m. for dinner. I went to the Guest House refectory a few feet away and saw a long table around which stood several chairs. Already seated and waiting for me were Monsignor Ron Hishon of Small Mankon, and a young boy he 22 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. introduced as his altar boy. Had they come together? I wondered. No, I was told the young lad had been there a few days before, but Monsignor Hishon had just come in as well I was, of course, meeting him for the first time. He said he had been ill and had been unable to accompany the other priests of the Bamenda Archdiocese who had earlier gone to Bambui for a retreat. He had therefore decided to come to Mbengwi both to rest and, at the same time, have his own retreat. I expressed surprise that there were still English priests working in Cameroon and, I believe, he said there were two of them here. Asked how long he has been here, he said he had come to Cameroon in the seventies on a special arrangement between his Bishop and the Archbishop of Bamenda. He had gone back home and had been sent to head a seminary in the northern Spanish city of Valladolid. Murdered for their faith I was surprised to hear that the English have a seminary in Spain. Monsignor Hishon said that as Catholics were being persecuted in the England of those days, the idea came up to establish seminaries abroad. Those who wished to pursue seminary studies either went to Rome or to Spain. Unfortunately, many of them went back home as priests only to be put to death shortly thereafter. There is, if I recall what he said correctly, a list of martyrs, former students of that seminary, on the seminary wall. We had much to talk about Spain, a country I had also lived in for a year back in the seventies, when I was a student of Spanish studies at the “Universidad Complutense” in Madrid. I had visited the city of Valladolid on my way to the historic cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where for centuries, pilgrims trooped to visit the grave of Saint James. Needless to say that my interest in those days was purely academic, since, as a student of Spanish art, I was required to make a pilgrimage to that cathedral, as to many others throughout Spain, including numerous fabulous mosques studding Spain, legacies of centuries of Moorish domination of the Iberian Peninsular. 23 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Restless in silence My first night at the monastery was not an easy one. Instructions required that all guests be back in their rooms by 8:30 p.m. I had no radio, no television, and no telephone. I didn’t mind the absence of television since I hardly ever watch Cameroon television anyway, but I always listen to the radio, mainly foreign radio stations: the BBC, VOA, etc. I missed the telephone as I would have liked to call home to find out how Maika and the kids were doing. I was restless in that silence, which was so thick you could reach out and grab it with your hand. I glanced at my watch every five minutes, wondering if I would ever be able to sleep. To make matters worse, the unforgiving weather planted a violent cough in my chest and blocked my nostrils with a stubborn cold that stayed with me for the week I was there. Finding the Lord in silence I paced up and down my small room that was enveloped in a thick foam of silence. I looked at my watch again. Only 9:30! I almost swore obscenely, but remembered just in time where I was. I picked up the Confessions of Saint Augustine and began to read. Barely half an hour later, my mind began to wander again. If only there was a phone, I thought, I would call home. From the din of Douala, a city that never sleeps, to the deep silence of Mbengwi; boy, what a world of a difference! My eyes strayed up the wall to the crucifix. I stared at it intensely for a while and suddenly had the uneasy feeling that the Lord could just unhook Himself, climb down from there, and sit opposite me. I took fright and quickly left the table to sit on the small camp bed. When I later reflected on my action, I thought it was truly ironic that I could be searching for the Lord, for that is what I was doing, and yet shy away from the mere thought of Him coming to sit by me! I have read of people who spend hours on their knees yearning for the Lord to come to them. That my first reaction was to run away from Him was perhaps an indication that I still had a long way to go in my spiritual quest. 24 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Vigil It looked as if I was in bed for barely thirty minutes when the church bell rang. I turned on the lights and looked at my watch. What! 2:15 in the morning! What in the world would these people be ringing the bell at that ungodly hour for? I nearly shouted, to no one in particular. But then, the gentle breeze began to float into my room, bringing with it the soothing music from the melodious voices of the monks. It was as limpid and pure as the cold air around me. It felt like a soothing balm on my anger. I sat up listening to it, but despite its magnetic appeal, I still felt too weak to stand up and join the monks in church as I would have loved to do. Satan seemed to be standing resolutely tall and insurmountable on my way, fanning my eyes back to sleep. Later that day, I could not help asking Father Pius why anyone would dare wake up that early in the morning. He responded that the monks always kept a vigil in the early hours of the morning. Didn’t I know, he asked, that monumental events always happen at night? The Lord’s birth, his sufferings prior to his crucifixion, darkness enveloping the world when the Lord died, etc. So, each night, the monks keep a vigil in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Morning Mass That morning, the church bell again rang out at 6:15. I sat in the pew with three other people listening to the refreshingly soothing sound of the music from the choir hidden from view by the wall. The lingering anger from the previous night was slowly receding, being peeled away by the enthralling sound of the music that was inviting my soul to prepare itself for Holy Mass, with its symbolic reenactment of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, for the salvation of mankind. The music suddenly fell silent and the monks began to walk up to the altar, one after the other, slowly, wearily and silently. I was immediately struck by the long, voluminous arms of their gowns that 25 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook seemed to stretch right to the ground. I could guess that those arms helped to keep their hands and arms warm in the cold weather. Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Shortly thereafter, five or six priests, including Monsignor Hishon, walked up to the altar, kissed it in turn and took their seats by the wall. They were followed by the chief celebrant, Father Clement, a man of medium height with a slight stoop in his gait. He sported an impeccably white beard and behind his dark, horn-rimmed glasses, a pair of limpidly clear eyes stared searchingly at you. I marvelled at the clarity of his voice as he invited all of us to prepare ourselves for Holy Mass by calling to mind our sins. Throughout the Mass, I was struck by his simple, unhurrying gestures that were at the same time so majestically moving. He lifted up every word with care and respect, leaving you in no doubt that those words came from the bottom of his heart. Distractions I had never seen Mass anywhere said with such solemnity. The impression I usually have in most churches is that the priests want to get it over with as quickly as possible so as to rush off to “more urgent matters” elsewhere. On several instances during that Mass, I was a victim of distractions. I couldn’t help regretting that there was no phone for me to call home. I even caught myself wondering how best to describe the scene I was witnessing. The writer in me seemed to be wondering with the Psalmist how best to make “my tongue the pen of a ready writer” (Ps:45:1). Distractions in church have always posed a particular problem to me. I remember walking past a beauty parlour one day and, to my astonishment, there was a man I knew very well sitting among women, a hair-dryer sitting like a pot upside-down his head. Frankly, I had never known men too could be admitted into such places! The next day, I went to church and saw the gentleman walk in. From that moment until the Mass ended, I couldn’t think of anything else, but 26 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. of him sitting under a dryer, among women; a particularly shocking sight that seemed, I couldn’t say why, to hurt my pride as a man. I was worried of the increasing distractions I was facing, but then I recalled that no less an eminence than Saint Augustine himself had also been a victim of such distractions in prayers: “When my heart becomes the receptacle of distractions … and the container for a mass of empty thoughts, then too my prayers are often interrupted and distracted; and in your sight, while I am directing the voice of my heart to your ears, frivolous thoughts somehow rush in and cut short an inspiration of the deepest importance”5. The value of silence One of the things that struck me with the Mass at the monastery was the place of silence. After the reading of the Gospel, and shortly after Holy Communion, everyone sits down, head bowed for what looks like an eternity. No one moves. Time itself seems to suspend its flight for that length of time. In those moments, I thought of what Doctor Norman Vincent Peale, the great American exponent of positive thinking, once wrote about silence: “[It] conditions the mind to those sharper illuminations which surely come from God working in your thoughts. Divine guidance is always spoken in a still, small voice. You can scarcely hear it in confusion – certainly not in excited panic, nor when your mind is filled with anxiety. You cannot perceive God’s will in the midst of noise, (…) especially noise within”6. As I watched that row of bowed heads, I wondered what could be going through their minds. Were they like me whose mind kept rushing back to my family in Douala, or had they disciplined their own minds so well that they could zoom them exclusively on the Lord? That “deep pool of spiritual quietness” brought to mind the words of Saint Augustine: “Let us leave a little room for reflection, room too for silence. Enter into yourself, and leave behind all noise and confusion. Look within yourself. See whether there is some 27 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. delightful hidden place in your consciousness where you can be free from noise and argument, where you need not be carrying on your disputes and planning to have your own stubborn way. Hear the word in quietness, that you may understand it” (Sermon 52, 22). Confession After Mass that first day, Father Pius came to see me. He had met me briefly the previous evening and had inquired about my faith. I had told him that what was left of it was probably not worth talking about. He had smiled and told me not to worry, that many had been there before, like me, and that prayers and reflection had healed their souls. He didn’t see why that would not happen to me as well. All I had to do was trust the Lord and He would work wonders for me, as He always does for anyone who runs to him. He then recommended that I read Luke Chapter 5, the story of the lost sheep, the lost drachma and the prodigal son. Going through it, I recalled what Cardinal Tumi had told me several weeks before of rejoicing in heaven at the repentance of a lost soul. Father Pius also brought other reading material, especially on confession and the rosary. He talked to me lengthily about the origin of such prayers as “Hail Mary” and Our Lord’s Prayer, situating each of them within the tradition of the church. We discussed confession and its significance in depth, and he recommended I prepare myself for confession by reviewing the literature he had given me on it. That was going to be my first confession in perhaps well over one quarter of a century, and I was somewhat nervous about it. As I went down on my knees before that simple monk that Monday evening, I felt so unworthy of the care he was taking to cure my soul from so many years of neglect of the Lord. On my knees before him, I saw the contrast between us, standing out stark and bare. While I am a man of the world, who would rather listen to music, or read poetry than pray, he is a man who has dedicated his entire life to God. I could see the details of his hands roughened by hard work in the fields or in one of the workshops. I had been told that the monks consider ordinary labour too as part of their prayers. 28 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Holy Communion The next morning, I looked forward to Holy Mass with some excitement. It reminded me of the first time, well over three decades ago, when I had, for the first time, stuck out my tongue and “Fara Nji” had placed Holy Communion on it. My friends and I held Holy Communion in an awe that bordered on terror. We had all heard of what was said to have happened to a certain woman who had received the host and had surreptitiously taken it out of her mouth and taken it home to her “pagan” neighbours. One of them, we were told, had playfully thrown it on the fire and the whole house is said to have suddenly been engulfed in blood, threatening to drown the occupants. The panicky neighbours are said to have rushed to the parish priest, who came and blessed the blood-filled house, and when the blood receded, retrieved the host from the fire, where it was said to have lain, sparkling like a star. That morning at the monastery, well over three decades later, I still felt the weight of that legend on me as I waited for Father Clement to place the host on my tongue. In fact, I was so eager to receive it that my tongue was already dangling out of my mouth long before the priest arrived. I did not even remember to acknowledge with an “Amen” when the good priest reminded me that I was about to receive the body of Christ Himself. I rushed back to my seat, cherishing the flavour of the host that had, for one strange reason or another, decided to stick like gum onto my palate. I remember having to wiggle my tongue with some tact before dislodging it from there. I couldn’t help wondering if that was not what might have happened to the lady in the aforementioned story. Shedding tears What happened to me thereafter could best be described as a “miracle”. I am not someone who is unnecessarily sentimental and if someone else had told me an experience like this, I would have dismissed it as sheer sentimentalism. However, after I had succeeded to devour the sacred host, I suddenly felt as if a heavy load had been 29 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. lifted off my shoulders. An unbelievable feeling of relief started to descend on me and tears began to flow uncontrollably from my eyes. It was a good thing the few people in church were so immersed in their own prayers that no one saw me shedding tears. I suddenly felt like a “new” member of a family from which I had unwisely excluded myself, and I wept unashamedly. From that day on, whenever Father Pius came for our daily rosary, those prayers no longer sounded boring and repetitive. Despite the inclement weather and the nasty cold and cough that were exacting much more than their own share of punishment on me, I began to feel as if I belonged to the monastery too. The afternoons I had to myself for prayers and reading passed smoothly, and I remember once being surprised that time could have passed so quickly without my noticing it. Mass for my family On Thursday afternoon, the eve of my departure, Father Pius dedicated his usual weekly Thursday afternoon Holy Mass exclusively to my family. I had never before had the privilege of being the centre of so much holy attention, and I felt truly unworthy of it. When I had to leave the next day, I felt I was leaving friends behind, people who had cared for my soul, people who had provided me a quiet corner, far from the noisy din of Douala, to meditate on my salvation. I left Mbengwi with my mind clear on a number of things. I discovered to my astonishment that the rosary is a prayer that could be said with delight and relative ease. I remember one afternoon after Father Pius had talked to my about the significance of the rosary, I suddenly felt the urge to pray. I picked up the rosary, opened my prayer book, so as not to miss the mysteries and some of the stillunfamiliar prayers, fixed my eyes on the crucifix on the wall, signed myself, and was surprised at how easy and delightful it truly could be to say the rosary. 30 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Prayer for my family From then on, I remember saying it a few more times, alone. I also realised that to my horror that I had never really included my family in my prayers before – at least, the few times in the past when I had ever bowed my heat to pray. To me, providing the material needs and giving them the love a father and a husband should give his family, was enough. In Mbengwi, Father Pius kept asking me to think of my wife and children in my prayers. It was then that I realised how Lucky I am to have such a wonderful family : a good wife and three strong, healthy children, and I thanked God Almighty for it. I remember also thanking the Lord for giving me a wife who has stuck faithfully by my side, especially when, as someone once said with a poetic flourish, dark clouds of despair had loomed thick and menacing over our heads in foreign lands. It was frightening to come to the sudden realisation that I had never thought of Maika in my prayers before. It took Mbengwi for me to render her that long over-due service. The Church as a place of reflection One thing I came to realise in Mbengwi was just how important a place a church is for reflection. I remember walking to the chapel every so often throughout the day, just to be alone with my thoughts, sometimes thoughts that were not always religious in nature. I would sit there just rummaging through my life and I would leave feeling astonishingly relaxed. Positive thinker, Doctor Normal Vincent Peale, says that the church is « … a wonderful source of security because this is where people, for générations, have congregated in an effort to bring the health-producing, life-changing laws of God together in a single concentrated expérience. Church worship is much more than a formal duty to perform. (…) It is your exposure to the greatest of all power. In fact, a vital church is the greatest power relay station in existence. Through it flows the vibrant life-changing energy of Almighty God himself »7. No truer words have ever been spoken ! 31 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. The presence of others Another significant event that happened to me at the monastery was the presence of Monsignor Hishon. I learnt a great deal from him about the Catholic Church in both Europe and Cameroon. We always had time at meals to talk about one aspect of the Church or another, and I came to cherish those discussions immensely. I also recall the arrival a day before my departure of two members of the Focolare Movement : Demi, a Filipino, from Fontem, and Jean, a Malgache, from Bamenda. From them, I learnt much about their movement, which had organised a recent world-wide télévision programme dubbed « Family Fest ». Monsignor Hishon and I left Mbengwi the same day. Prior to our departure, I went to his room, went down on my knees and asked him for his blessing, which he readily gave, after a short prayer. So I left Mbengwi steeped in prayers. I felt like a newly minted coin. Morning prayers. I remember Father Pius telling me I could now go back to my daughter and tell her that I was now a fullfledged Christian. I had told him that one Saturday I had asked Simolen, my daughter, who seemed unusually reluctant to leave the house, to quickly go to the parish so as not to be late for doctrine classes. She surprised me by asking why I did not go with her to doctrine classes as well. I told her I received Holy Communion several years before. She had then wondered why she had never seen my receiving Holy Communion before. That had come as an unexpected surprise to me and had made me really uncomfortable for many months thereafter. In fact, when I received Holy Communion that morning, I wished she were there to see me. I remember bowing my head down in prayer and asking God to bless her and her two brothers and guide them along the path of righteousness. One thing I have been doing ever since I left Mbengwi is to wake up each morning with a prayer, thanking God for having kept Watch over my family during the night and asking him to take us into his 32 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook hands during the day. That is an advice I took from an anonymous poet who wrote the following enlightening verses : Every morning, lean thine arms awhile Upon the window-sill of Heaven, And gaze upon the Lord … Then, with that vision in thy heart, Turn strong to meet the day.8 Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. As I reflect on my one week stay with the Cistercian monks in Mbengwi, I recall the words of Saint Gregory, talking about some poor peasants : « By their example, they keep me fastened to the peaceful shore of prayer whenever I am tossed about by the endless waves of worldly affairs». When the rat race threatens to overwhelm me, I do pose for a moment to think of the Cistercian monks in the hills of Mbengwi. Then a simple prayer pops to mind, and I feel at peace with myself and with the world around me. 33 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Part II Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. My Prayer Life Firms Up 34 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 35 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 1 Come, follow me! Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. On Sunday, July 24, 2007, the Catholic men of the Douala Archdiocese held the general assembly of the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA) at the Our Lady of Annunciation Parish in Bonamoussadi. I was asked to lead the assembly in a bible reading but I preferred to reflect with the group on three words from Sacred Scripture: “Come, follow me!”, some of the most frequent words on the lips of our Blessed Lord as he began his public ministry. Introductory remarks Generally, during CMA-organised Masses, the priest would often give time for members to go out into the congregation to ‘fish out’ and bring to the fore, against the background of the beautiful CMA anthem, potential candidates for CMA membership. The Catholic Women’s Association (CWA) has come up with a much more colourful version; the women go out in search of potential members with candles alight; the candles symbolizing Christ, the light of the universe. “I am the light of the world,” says the Lord, “anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). When we take our brothers by the hand and ask them to follow us, we are merely re-enacting what Christ himself did on several occasions at the beginning of his public ministry. He went out in search of faithful followers who would take his message of salvation to the four corners of the earth. Thus, the words: “Come, follow me,” became some of the most frequent words our Redeemer pronounced as he screened potential candidates for discipleship; those who would suffer persecution and even martyrdom in his name because he would be sending them out to hostile territory, like sheep among wolves (Mt 10:16). 36 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. They must therefore be men of steel will because Christ’s enemies would only be too happy and ready to hand them over to the courts to be condemned for their faith; to synagogues for scourging, and to governors and kings to be bound hands and feet and thrown into dungeons for daring to preach his word (Mt. 10: 17-23). These three words of divine invitation, “Come, follow me!”, which still ring in our ears as fresh as when they were pronounced well over two thousand years ago, constitute the subject of our meditation. They have been echoing down the corridors of human ears from one generation to another for centuries, and they still carry the urgency of those early days because then, as now, the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few (Lk 10:2). Let us therefore reflect on the Lord’s invitation in two phases: first of all, how Christ calls his disciples in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke); and secondly, how he calls them in the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel according to John. In my conclusion, I point out the obligation we all have to extend Christ’s invitation “Come, follow me!” to our own brothers and sisters, especially those whose faith has weakened, for one reason or another, or those who have not yet heard our Lord’s call to sanctity. Evangelisation territory Our Lord’s evangelisation territory starts off rather small as he sends his disciples only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10: 6), which he himself has come to redeem. It would later take the unrelenting persistence and strong faith of a stubborn Canaanite woman, whose daughter is possessed by a demon (Mt 15: 21-28), for our Blessed Lord to start changing his policy of “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He would later abandon this policy altogether when the said “lost sheep of the house of Israel” reject his message of salvation, thus forcing him, as it were, to turn his full attention to the whole world. It is then that he tells his disciples, and us this day, to “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Gospel of creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16: 15-17); 37 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28: 18-20). With such a vast territory to conquer, Christ necessarily needs faithful followers under a strong leadership because the harvest is plentiful, but the harvesters are few (Lk 10:2). The three words, “Come, follow me!”, become the hallmark of our Lord’s command to a select few, a band of timid followers, who are still wondering if they are doing the right thing by following him. Let us begin with the synoptic gospels. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called “synoptic” (from the Greek word which means “seen together” or “seen at a glance”) because of their remarkable similarity to each other. They narrate the events of Christ’s life, including his call of his apostles, in very similar ways. According to Matthew, Jesus called his first disciples by the Lake of Galilee. “As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him” (Mt. 4: 18-22). The pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, receive an instant call and respond instantly. The same instant call and prompt reaction characterize Mark’s description of Christ’s call to his first disciples: “As he was walking along by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon’s brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. At once he 38 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. called them and, leaving their father in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him" (Mk 1: 16-20). If Matthew and Mark give such a similar account of the call of Christ’s first disciples, what does Luke say about it? Saint Luke gives his account a lot more flesh than does Matthew or Mark. Whereas Matthew and Mark show us that Jesus is meeting those he is calling to his service for the first time, Saint Luke tells us that Jesus has already met Simon Peter for some time before extending a formal invitation to him to become his fisher of men: “Leaving the synagogue he went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in the grip of a high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. Standing over her he rebuked the fever and it left her, and she immediately got up and began to serve them” (Lk 4: 38-39). Christ’s reputation as a miracle-worker is fast gaining ground and people are already asking him for favours. Simon would see so many of such wonders that when some begin to reject Christ and abandon him, finding his teaching too strong for their liking, and Christ asks the Twelve if they too want to go away, it is Simon who makes this wonderful profession of faith: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6: 68-70). After the miracle in Simon’s house, days go by before our Lord again meets Simon, this time by the Lake of Gennesaret. Saint Luke tells us that the crowd is pressing around him, listening to the word of God, when he catches sight of two boats at the water’s edge. “The fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat” (Lk 5: 2-3). Is our Lord’s choice of Simon’s boat a mere coincidence? I doubt that it is. By performing one of his first recorded miracles at Simon’s house, and later choosing Simon’s boat to preach from, our Blessed Lord is definitely sending out signals to whoever cares to listen that he has already found the leader of his team. Simon is being ‘anointed’, as it were, for greater things ahead. The Lord is gradually hewing the 39 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. rock on which he will build his Church. It won’t be long before he publicly tells Simon: “And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16: 18-19). But, that is still to come; for now, we are still at the early stages of Christ’s ministry and Peter’s personality is still a little fuzzy in our minds. We can only imagine him also staring dumfounded at our Lord alongside the crowd that is listening to him. He too must be asking himself where this young man has had this type of knowledge from. “They were all amazed and said to one another, ‘what is it in his words? He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.” (Lk: 4: 36-37). Word is already reaching beyond the confines of the province about the wonders wrought by our Lord and Simon, who has seen one of our Lord’s first miracles performed under his very roof, is also invaded by feelings of wonderment. As Simon is still staring in disbelief, our Lord suddenly turns to him and asks him to cast his net. “Put out into the deep water and pay out your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4). Simon Peter, with the rough features of a seasoned fisherman, his face having been beaten by the storms at sea for years on end, knows that sea like the palm of his hand. He and his kid brother, Andrew, and the other companions, James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, have struggled all night long but have had to admit defeat and come back home, empty-handed. They were now cleaning their nets to wait patiently for another day, for there would always be another day. So, being asked to pay out his nets must have sounded to Peter like sheer folly; and he would have not hesitated to say so, had the command not come from our Blessed Lord himself. Simon is beginning to understand that with this young man, anything is possible. Has he not been a witness to some amazing things from his hands not that long ago? Was it not under his very roof that the young teacher rebuked the fever that had grounded his mother-in-law for days? Now that he is asking him to cast his net one more time, who is he not to obey? “Master, we worked hard all night 40 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets” (Lk 5: 5-6). The “if you say so, I will pay out the nets” is already a mark of submission to a more powerful authority. It is the attitude of a humble man before his Lord. In gratitude, our Blessed Lord rewards him, as he always rewards all who obey him, with another miracle: “And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when they came, they filled both boats to sinking point” (Lk 5: 6-7). It should be noted that it is Simon and his kid brother, Andrew, who invite their friends, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to come and help them with this amazing catch. By so doing, they win for Jesus those who are to be some of his most devoted followers. That is what we too are called upon to do, my brothers. We should invite others to come to Christ so that together, we can bear witness to his endless miracles. But, let’s see how Simon reacts to our Lord’s miracle in his boat. The miraculous curing of his mother-in-law a few days previously is still fresh in his mind. Then comes the miracle of the fish and he can take it no more. He and Andrew, his kid brother, and his other companions, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are “completely awestruck” (Lk 5:9). The evangelist tells us that “When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Lk 5: 8-9). This is already a great sign of what kind of leader Peter is going to be to his flock; a leader steeped in humility; a man with what Archbishop Fulton Sheen calls “a deep sense of his unworthiness,” a true mark of greatness in a leader, who will serve his flock, rather than wait for his flock to serve him. Seeing how confused Peter is, our Lord quickly stretches out his hand to rescue him, as he will on several other occasions in the three years they will spend together. “Do not be afraid,” he tells him, “from now on it is people you will be catching. Then, bringing their boats back to land they left everything and followed him.” (Lk 5: 10). That’s the same message Christ is still giving us today. “Pay out your 41 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. net among your brothers and sisters. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I will protect you.” We have, my brothers in Christ, seen the remarkable similarity in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, on how Christ called his first disciples, the pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew, and the Zebedee brothers, James and John. We have also seen how Luke gives his own version a little more flesh than the other two evangelists. Let us now see how John treats the same call in what has come to be known as the Fourth Gospel. Christ’s call as seen and heard by John Let’s begin with a brief review of how John differs from the synoptics. A number of features differentiate John’s Gospel from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John is much more concerned than the synoptics to bring out the significance of the events of Christ’s life and of all that he did and said. He is also far more interested than the synoptics in worship and sacraments. His is a much more complex work and gives more details of Christ’s life. Now, how does John see Christ’s call of his first followers? The answer is seen in John Chapter 1: 35-51. First, we are told that Jesus’ first followers were first of all John the Baptist’s disciples. As Jesus is walking by, John the Baptist, who baptised him a day before, very much against his will since he felt that he is not fit to untie the thongs of Christ’s sandals (Lk 3: 16), points him out to his followers, in these words: “Look there is the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:36). That pricks the young men’s curiosity and they decide to follow Jesus. He turns round, sees them following him and asks: ‘What do you want?’ They answer, ‘Rabbi – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live? (Jn 1: 38-39); and then comes the divine invitation: ‘Come and see!’ They go with him, see where he lives, and stay with him all day (Jn 1: 3940). One of these young men is Andrew, who can hardly wait to find his elder brother, Simon, to bring him to the Lord: Anyone who truly finds the Lord cannot keep the joy to himself. He has to share it; and that is what Andrew does. He hurries to his elder brother and tells 42 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. him: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:40), and then takes him to Jesus. I can almost hear Andrew urging his reluctant and perhaps sceptical elder brother to “come and see.” And Simon perhaps thinking to himself: “Oh, these young people are always excited over nothing. Okay, I’ll go and see but knowing Andrew, I won’t be surprised if I don’t find anything exciting about this guy at all. But, it doesn’t hurt to go and see.” That is what we are being called to do this day, my brothers. “Tell our own sister and brother -- even the most reluctant ones -- that ‘we have found the Messiah’" and lead them too to Jesus, as Andrew does his brother. A remarkable thing then happens. Christ takes one look at Peter and immediately calls him by name. He does not ask Peter his name, he simply says: “You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas – which means Rock” (Jn 1:42). Christ, the Saviour, the Co-Creator of the world with his Father, knows us all by name. As the prophet Jeremiah reminds us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer 1: 5). We see Peter already being singled out as the Rock on which our Blessed Lord will build his Church. (You’ve probably heard the Latin expression “Ubi Petrus, ibi eclessia” – where there is Peter, there is the Church of Christ.) So the Rock on which Christ builds his Church comes to our Lord through his kid brother, Andrew. What a lesson for us all! The next day, Jesus meets Philip as he is leaving Galilee and invites him to follow him. With no hesitation at all, Philip follows him. The excitement of having been touched by divine grace is so intense that Philip decides to share his joy, and he goes out in search of others. There is a beautiful exchange between Philip and his friend, Nathanael (Bartholomew). Philip tells him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus Son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” (Jn 1:45-46). But, like many of us, Nathanael is a victim of the stereotype syndrome. He judges people from outward appearances or from their origin. Stereotyping, of which we are all guilty, distorts the picture we have of people. It reduces us to narrow-minded tribal loyalists, regionalists, racists or trumpeters of ethnic intolerance. The question 43 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. Nathanael asks shows that he is merely putting everyone from Nazareth into one basket and dismissing them as worthless. That is why he is astonished that anyone can admire what comes from Nazareth. “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 46-47, he asks, his voice steeped in disbelief. What I find remarkable about Philip, my brothers, is his refusal to indulge in fruitless polemics. He probably knows his friend well enough not to argue with him. Nathanael is probably the type who finds it difficult to change his mind, especially about people from remote and backward villages, like Nazareth. That must be why he finds it difficult to understand why his friend, Philip, is so fussy about a man from Nazareth. For his part, Philip thinks it better to simply invite his friend to “Come and see” and then make up his own mind by himself. All this while, our Blessed Lord is beckoning Nathanael to come to him. He has obviously heard the discussion between the two friends and is calling them to come to Him, the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent. What happens when they do come to him? Instead of getting angry at Nathanael for his negative view of him and his village, as many of us would be in a similar situation, our Blessed Lord has only words of praise for him. As soon as he sees Nathanael, he says: “There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.” (Jn 1: 47). Nathanael is astonished, as we all would be, I guess, and asks “How do you know me?” (Jn 1: 48). Oh, what a question to ask our Blessed Lord! From that question, it is clear that we are still in the presence of a soul that has not yet encountered the marvels of the Lord. Peter and the others, who have seen our Lord at work, who have witnessed the miracles our Lord has performed so far, would not ask such a question. Our Blessed Lord simply tells him “Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48-49). And what follows is the true encounter of a receptive soul to the saving grace of the Master. Nathanael, now completely dumbfounded, as had been Peter and his companions earlier, gives one of the first, if not the first, public recognitions of Christ as the Son of God in Sacred Scripture: 44 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. “Rabbi,” he says, his voice dripping with astonishment, “you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (Jn 1: 49-50). And our Lord tells him, “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that. (…). In truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of Man,” (Jn 1: 50-51). Conclusion In this short reflection, my brothers in Christ, we have met some of those who are to travel with Christ throughout the three years of his public ministry. Our Blessed Lord calls each of them by name and in the state in which he meets them. The same holds true for us, he calls us in the state in which he finds us. He does not ask us to become someone else. No, he merely asks us to shed our old ways and embrace the new, that is, the doctrine of love, which we should spread around us. Christ is asking us to invite others, as Andrew invites his elder brother Simon, and Philip, his friend Nathanael, to “come and see” and hear him. Christ’s followers are not necessarily people who think or act alike. We can still think differently, vote for different candidates in elections, militate in different political parties and still carry Christ’s message of love to the whole world. After all, Christ’s early followers came from different backgrounds. In fact, you couldn’t find a much more heterogeneous bunch of people than Christ’s apostles. They include sceptics (like Thomas, the Twin), barely literate fishermen (Peter), scholarly tax collectors (Matthew), seasoned writers (John), impatient and violently antiRoman nationalists (Simon the Zealot), among others. There is even a traitor among them, Judas Iscariot, whose feet our Lord washes, but who turns round and sells his Master for thirty pieces of silver. The case of Matthew, the publican, and Simon, the Zealot, is worth mentioning. Whereas Matthew, by his trade as a tax collector, is widely shunned as a traitor to his people, since he collects taxes for a despised foreign power, Simon, the Zealot, is a virulent anti-Roman combatant, who is ready to use violence to overthrow the foreign 45 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. yoke. He must, like Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus, be dreaming that Christ would be the one to liberate Israel from the Roman yoke (Lk 24: 21). This leaves one wondering why our Blessed Lord would choose such two diametrically opposed individuals as his companions! In his beautiful book, Life of Christ (p. 113), Archbishop Fulton Sheen says that Christ might have chosen Simon the Zealot “because of his wholehearted enthusiasm for a cause.” If he carries that enthusiasm into the defence of the new faith, Christianity would certainly thrive in hostile environments. Whether we are political activists, soldiers, tax collectors, “bayam sellams”, or even highway robbers, our Lord is asking us to “come, follow him” into his vineyard. After receiving the grace of salvation, we should then go out in search of others. The divine invitation “Come, follow me” still resounds in our ears everyday. We are still being urged to come and follow the Lord, not alone, but with our brothers and sisters in the light of what the Apostles Andrew and Philip did. This is far from being an easy task, but with Christ’s Advocate, the Holy Spirit, guiding us, everything is possible, “for nothing is impossible for God" (Lk 1:37). May our Blessed Lord continue to inspire us in our evangelisation mission. Amen. 46 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. 47 Jumbam, Martin. My Conversion Journey with Christian Cardinal Tumi, Langaa RPCIG, 2014. ProQuest Ebook 2 Foyer de la Charité, an oasis of silence in Bonjongo Copyright © 2014. Langaa RPCIG. All rights reserved. On one of the hills protruding like a finger from the side of the m
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"https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image_3e66a5.png?strip=all&w=542", "https://i0.wp.com/www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/tdp-z-minersalleyMG54370-Enhanced-NR.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1", "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/112787560.cms" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	//www.rssing.com/favicon.ico		null	Vocations flourishing in St. Therese as Congregation clocks 50 By Singfred Sinior M’sene Sr. Mary Kombe adressing Little Ways Association members in Mutengene The Superior General of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Therese, Buea, Rev. Sr. Mary Kombe has disclosed that her congregation is currently witnessing an outstanding growth in vocations since the last three years. She was speaking in an exclusive interview with our reporter at All Saints Parish Mutengene on Sunday, August 29, as the Sisters launched their Golden Jubilee Uniform which will hold on December 5, 2013 in Kumba. She explained that the old postulancy house can no longer accommodate the many candidates the congregation is now having. She said there are currently 23 Novices, 10 Postulants and 10 candidates waiting to begin formation next year, more than half the 68 professed Sisters in the congregation after 50 years. “The proceeds from the launching shall be used to complete our new Postulancy house in Bwitiva, Buea which has not been completed due to lack of funds,” explained the erstwhile principal of Christ the King College Tiko. Sr. Kombe said the Sisters will launch the jubilee uniform in all the parishes where they are working and wherever they can reach as she thanked the Christians of Kumba Town Parish for their generosity during the first launching in Kumba recently. Members of “the Little Way Association of St. Therese of the Child Jesus from Muea, Tiko and Mutengene, who converged to celebrate the Feast of St. Therese and promote the association, graced the occasion. A Little Way Association coordinator, Sr. Hotense Verye, said the Association began in Buea Diocese about three years ago. It promotes spirituality and the virtues of St. Therese which include simplicity, humility, prayer and, above all, doing little things in great ways. Presently the Association is found in SandPit-Buea, Bokwango, Mutengene and Tiko and has also witnessed a rise in membership recently. Sr. Kombe said the Little Way Association was created after the visit of the Relics of St. Therese to the congregation’s Mother House in Kumba in 2009. The Little Way Association is an old group in the church based on the spirituality of St. Therese with headquarters in England. ↧ ↧ Six Franciscan Sisters make perpetual vows By Jude Abanseka Finally Professed Sisters and concelebrating Bishops Sisters Flora Neng Ntoban, Lilian Limunga Che, Paschaline Fuen, Perpetua Ntein, Honorine Kinyuy Lantang and Priscilla Asamba Ngebikem are the newest permanent members of the Congregation of Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, TSSF. They said a definitive yes to the Lord during a solemn Holy Mass in Bamenda on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at All Saints’ Parish, Bayelle. In his homily, the main celebrant Mgr. George Nkuo of Kumbo said consecrated men and women are called to leave worldly things behind to serve God. He noted that the day’s event is radically different from the way the world sees it because every tribe in Cameroon today draws its strength from the number of their sons and daughters in government, abroad or in influential positions who carry out development projects back home. “The number of consecrated people a tribe has does not mean anything,” Bishop Nkuo said. He added that the Sisters may never ride a car or offer money to any relative or friend because they live for the Gospel. Mgr. Nkuo said that nowadays it is very difficult for people to be committed as there are many options in life causing people to easily lose patience especially when faced with a challenge. “Making definitive choices these days is lacking because of a provisionary culture,” he indicated. He therefore urged the candidates to seal the doors from the inside once they make their Final Vows. “These vows of chastity, poverty and obedience,” he went on, “must be lived faithfully even though they look foolish from the human point of view. Mgr. Nkuo assured the Sisters that they were not the only ones making a commitment because Christ, to whom they were committing themselves, is also committing Himself to them and they should not be afraid to face the difficulty that lay ahead. The Profession rite followed the sermon as the TSSF Provincial Vicar, Sr. Eva Maria, called up the candidates and their parents and God-parents handed them over to the main celebrant. After the Litany of the Franciscan Sisters, and holding lighted candles, the candidates, read out their pledges of commitment to the congregation and concluded by appending their signatures to the pledge next to that of the Provincial Vicar. The Final Profession rite then ended with a statement of admission from the Provincial Vicar. The other concelebrating bishops were the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda, Mgr. Agapitus Nfon, Mgr. Immanuel Bushu of Buea, and Mgrs. Francis Teke and Andrew Nkea of Mamfe. Brief biographies: Sr. Flora Neng Ntoban is from Fuli Parish in Ashing-Kom. She was a nurse in St. Patrick’s Health Centre Babanki Tungo from 2000 to September 2002 after which she joined the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis TSSF on September 27, 2002. After her First Profession on October 25, 2005, she was assigned to serve the people of God in Mbetta, Mamfe Diocese. In 2008, she was moved to Ekite in Edea Diocese. In December 2011, she was sent to serve in Shisong convent. Since December 2012 she has been helping in the Bishop’s House Kumbo and after her Final Profession she will be going to her new station in Bafut. Sr. Lilian Limunga Che is a native of Bojongo in Fako Division who was born and bred in Limbe. She joined the Congregation of the TSSF in September 2003 and made her First Profession in September 2006. She has served as a teacher in the Catholic School of Health Sciences Shisong. She continues to teach in the Shisong Catholic School of Health Sciences. Sr. Paschaline Fuen is a native of Mekaf in Zoa Sub Division but was born and bred in Wum in Menchum Division. She joined the Congregation of the TSSF in September 1999 and made her First Profession in March 2003. She has served as a teacher and bursar in Nkar, Bafut, Njinikom, Mbangang, Tatum and Shisong. Presently she has been posted to Lafia Diocese in Nigeria. Sr. Perpetua Ntein is from Anjin- Kom. After her primary education in Holy Trinity Primary School she went to Government Technical High School, GTHS, Wum and later to GTHS Bamenda. She joined the TSSF in September 2001 and made her First Profession on October 25, 2004. She served in St. Francis College Shisong from 2004 to 2007; St. Francis College Bangang, Bafoussam Diocese from 2007 to 2009. She then went for further studies in the University of Douala from 2009 to 2012 and since then has been serving in St. Francis College Bangang. Sr. Honorine Kinyuy Lantang hails from Mbiame in Bui Division. She joined the Congregation in 2003 and made her First Profession in 2006. Before her Final Profession she has served in Berberati (Central African Republic), Shisong, Bangang, Douala and Yaounde as Teacher, Bursar and student. Sr. Priscilla Asamba Ngebikem hails from Bamenda-Nkwe and is the sixth child in a family of eight boys and two girls. She did her primary and secondary education in Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School and Government High School Wum respectively. She entered religious life in September 2003 and made her Simple Profession on September 28, 2006. She has served as Secretary in the Bishop’s House Buea and Kumbo between 2006 to November 2012. She has since then been a member of the administration in St. Elizabeth Catholic General Hospital, Shisong. ↧ St. Thomas Aquinas' Major Seminary Bambui Announces Ruby Jubilee Celebrations I have been commissioned by the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda to make a public announcement of the peak celebration of the Ruby Jubilee of the Foundation of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary [STAMS], Bambui. This celebration shall take place on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency Piero Pioppo, Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. A number of activities shall mark the days immediately leading up to this peak celebration. The theme which we shall centre on is “Priests Called to be Saints and Scholars in the Circumstances of the Contemporary World”. On Thursday, November 28, 2013, there shall be a thanksgiving celebration with the members of Christ’s Lay Faithful. We shall reflect with them on the theme and thank God for all the wonderful things which He has done for our Major Seminary through the Laity. On Friday, November 29, 2013, there shall be a thanksgiving celebration with the Religious of our Ecclesiastical Province. We shall reflect with them on the theme and thank God for what He has done for our Major Seminary through the instrumentality of the Religious. On Saturday, November 30, 2013, there shall be a thanksgiving celebration with the priests. The Major Seminary is the formation ground for priests after the mind of Christ and His Church. We shall, therefore, reflect with the priests and thank God for all the fruits of our Major Seminary over the past 40 years. On Monday, December 2, 2013, we shall have a recollection day with all the ex-students and present Seminarians in view of the peak celebration of the Ruby Jubilee, which shall take place on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. To facilitate the planning and organisation of the Ruby Jubilee of STAMS, the Bishops of our Ecclesiastical Province have appointed some priests from all the Dioceses to help constitute the Steering Committee. These priests shall act as the liaison people between the Major Seminary and the Dioceses from which they come, to ensure a hitch free celebration. From the Diocese of Mamfe, the Bishops appointed Father Paul Ayuk Obi and Father Marcel Kofon; from the Diocese of Buea, they appointed Father Evaristus Nkede and Father Moses Tazoh; from the Diocese of Kumbo they appointed Father Cyprian Tatah and Father Anthony Mailiy, and from the Archdiocese of Bamenda they appointed Father Isaiah Benedict Fru and Father Michael Kintang. These priests shall bring the required information to the Dioceses regarding the execution of all plans leading up to the peak celebration of the Ruby Jubilee. Given that time is already short, they need to be given maximum support and collaboration to carry out their duties. The Bishops and the Seminary Community humbly request and invite the Faithful at all levels to pray for the success of the Celebration of the Ruby Jubilee of the Foundation of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, Bambui. Every jubilee is an occasion to thank God for his goodness to us. Through the Major Seminary in Bambui, God has truly been very generous with the Church in our Ecclesiastical Province and beyond. May He continue to do so for many more years to come. Done at Bambui, on September 25, 2013 Rev. Ignatius WAINDIM Rector ↧ Respect The People’s Voice By Ireneaus Chongwain Chia The September 30 twin election is now history and candidates are either already savouring their victory, gnashing their teeth and licking their wounds, or, as the more intelligent always do, drawing life-transforming lessons from the long drawn and exhaustive exercise. Cameroon’s Minister For Territorial Administration and Decentralisation and the director general of Elections Cameroon have described the overall conduct as globally satisfactory, but many are still wondering whether the election results truly reflect the people’s will, and if conversely so, whether those who believe they were cheated or defrauded would be given a chance to right the wrongs that have or are threatening them from becoming major actors in Cameroon’s changing democratic landscape. Such concerns are legitimate, though some people argue that election rigging is a certainty everywhere, but it does not exclude the fact that those who have been cheated should seek legal redress. As the Archbishops and Bishops of Cameroon said in their pastoral letter just before the twin elections, “Choosing our representatives and those who govern us is a fundamental civic and democratic right. If our points of view and personal opinions are not taken into consideration, election results will not be a reflection of the will and feelings of all.” Elections are good because there are a means of participating in God’s governance plan for all human societies. To attempt to distort such a plan through rigging, or even attempted rigging, is a very grave act as it seeks or attempts to interfere or disrupt God’s governance plans. Charles Onyango-Obbo of the Kenyan Daily posits that “Election theft is terrible, and has resulted in bloodletting in several African countries.” Though the conduct of the recent elections has been described as globally satisfactory, a mileage of setbacks like attempting to increase the vote share of some favoured candidates, depressing the vote share of rival candidates and preventing people believed to be against certain favoured candidates or parties from voting were also widely reported. This is actually stifling dissenting voices and seriously compromises the outcome of an election and therefore cannot be or only narrowly reflects the people’s will. As in previous elections, illegal and morally unacceptable acts to influence election results were widely reported this time. While elsewhere these acts are reprehensible or punished, in Cameroon those who mastermind or carry out these acts are hardly ever punished, giving the impression that it is acceptable to steal votes. It has become the norm for warped so-called “elite” to recruit young people, more concerned with satisfying their immediate physiological needs for derisory sums, to vote or pursue others to vote for these corrupt politicians. And so instead of shining the light on and pulling their communities out of the dungeon of poverty and darkness, these “intellectuals” are only further plunging them into pitch darkness and transforming them into ideal settings to accomplish their self-centred goals. The Supreme Court, sitting for the Constitutional Council, will certainly be swamped in the coming days, as candidates seek legal redress after the September 30 twin elections, but only few Cameroonians will have the courage to publicly denounce these election thieves and corrupters in their midst, who they know so well. An expert in electoral matters has said in national elections, successful electoral fraud can have the effect of a coup d'état or corruption of democracy. He continues that in a narrow election, like the just-ended September 30 elections, a small amount of fraud may be enough to change the result, and even if the outcome is not affected, fraud can still have a damaging effect if not punished, as it can reduce voters' confidence in democracy. Even the perception of fraud can be damaging as it makes people less inclined to accept election results. Does this not account for the rising voter apathy in Cameroon today as it has dawned on many that their vote does not count? He concludes that fraudulent elections can lead to the breakdown of democracy and the establishment or ratification of a dictatorship. It is altering the people’s and therefore God’s voice. Election results are sacrosanct and should therefore be scrupulously respected for it is God speaking through His people! ↧ LAMP FOR MY STEPS: The happiest people do not have the best of everything By Rev. Fr. Giles N. Forteh The spirit philosophy is an exact reversal of the worldly philosophy. The human person is substantial in the spirit philosophy and has an intrinsic value beyond all accidental attributes. This translates into a vision of life according to which one discerns the silver lining in every cloud and seeks to make the best of every situation. The worldly philosophy, on the contrary, and, unfortunately, is rooted in practical utility only and considers what a person has and does as being of greater importance than what he is. According to this line of thought, a person may “cease” to exist if his material possessions decline or disappear. Life is thus summarised as the art of acquisition. This is the yoke of materialism and consumerism under which modern man labours, as he hungers though he eats, thirsts though he drinks, feels naked though clothed. All these refer to the agony of radical instability and insecurity even when our fortunes rise to the skies. The story is told of a very learned and old professor who was visited by a group of alumni, composed of people highly established in their careers. Their conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, others expensive and exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand the professor said: “if you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you cautiously went for the best cups… and then you began eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this –Life is the coffee: the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups…Enjoy your coffee!” In a chat by some materially wealthy people, one of them wondered aloud, after a sumptuous meal, why some very poor people are evidently happy even though they live in constant need. In reply, a friend of his said that the answer lies in one of those mysteries of life. True happiness which we may call joy, as Fulton Sheen puts it, “is not the bliss of condition, like, being rich or eating well, but of character. It is in the soul itself and literally implies a leap or a spring. The soul has such springs of life awakened within it that it exults joy from within. ..The joy born of God enables us to see the world from an entirely different point of view. Before, when shackled to the ego, we were cooped up within the narrow walls of space and time. But once the chains are broken, one falls heir to immensities beyond all telling. Then we find our greatest joys not in the things we cling to, but in what we surrender; not in the asking for anything, but the giving of something; not in what others can do for us, but in what we can do for others.” (Fulton Sheen, Guide to Contentment, 1988, p. 181-182) True happiness depends less on external circumstances. It comes from a good conscience and love of God. God-fearing and God-loving people find true happiness even when buffeted by the waves and storms of this imperfect life. Paul and Silas sang the praises of God, while being deprived of their freedom and submitted to the harsh conditions of the prison. Similarly, in the Old Testament, the three youths glorified God in the fiery furnace. The love of God fills us with happiness and enables us to see the world from an entirely different angle. The happiest people do not have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. ↧ ↧ “The idea of advanced democracy is trash. Let us first achieve the basic task of counting one vote plus one vote and getting two,” Mgr. Patrick Lafon Interviewed by Lambert Mbom The former Secretary General of the Bishop’s Conference of Cameroon, Mgr. Patrick Lafon, and present Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Catholic University of Cameroon, CATUC, Bamenda, and Professor of Philosophy at the same university and the Bambui Major Seminary, has just returned to Cameroon from the United States with a PhD in Political Philosophy. Shortly before he retuned to Cameroon, our reporter in the U.S caught up with Mgr. Lafon who readily talked about his stay in the U.S and Cameroon’s contemporary political reality. Excerpts: Why did you choose to study in the United States instead of Rome like many other priests of our Church Province? After 15 years at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, NECC, I asked from my bishop to do a sabbatical so that I could take some time off and rest after what had been a hugely challenging but fruitful ministry. So my bishop suggested that I go abroad to complete my PhD. He further proposed that I could either go to Rome where I had studied in the 1980s, pursue my studies in Germany or in the United States. Having already been to Rome where I had done my Licentiate at Urbaniana University, and not wanting to start studying the German Language if I chose Germany, I settled on the United States and specifically the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. The late Emeritus Archbishop of Bamenda, Fr. Paul Verdzekov, encouraged this choice when he informed me that the Philosophy School at the Catholic University of America is widely held to be the very best in the world. Our Emeritus Archbishop was right. I have been through graduate studies at the Catholic University of America and specifically in the School of Philosophy of that university, though the course rigours are well known. Part of the irony is that having refused to go to Germany for studies because I wanted to avoid learning the German language; I still ended up doing it in Washington as part of the requirements for a PhD in philosophy. What has the experience been for you? After I was admitted I did not pay the required attention to the post licentiate conditions to be fulfilled for a doctorate at the Catholic University. I just presumed it would be a two-year programme since that would be the time needed for a doctorate in other universities for someone with a licentiate. My first surprise was when I realised I would need the better part of two and half years just for course work and the writing of term papers. I needed to do 15 courses and could only do three per semester. You also have to add language requirements including French and German, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation on an original topic. By the time one goes through all these, one’s grounding in the subject cannot be but thorough. In a nutshell, even if getting into the swing of studies was tough in the beginning, given an absence of more than 20 years from the academia; it was, all the same, a wonderful experience. Any fond memories of your time in the US and what will you be missing the most? Before coming to study in Washington DC, my previous line of work took me to the US several times a year and sometimes for extended periods. So I had some good experience of the US before coming. But staying in the US for six years was different since I had to interact for long with the university community and the Cameroon Catholic Community. I will always remember the university community with prayerful gratitude, the Dean of the School of Philosophy, Fr. Kurt Pritzl, who was called to the Lord two years ago. When I arrived at the university he welcomed me warmly and supported me constantly. The Lord will surely reward him as I continue to raise my feeble prayers for the peaceful repose of his Soul. I finished writing my dissertation in time thanks to the diligence of my director, Msgr. Robert Sokolowski. The author of more than twenty books, his philosophical mind is as deep as his virtue. Mine was a twenty-first PhD dissertation he directed and it was hard work, but he made it a pleasure. I will always hold him in high esteem. Then there is the Cameroon Catholic Community of Washington DC which meets at the Church of the Resurrection at Burtonsville every last Sunday of the month. It would take long to name all the dynamic people, male and female, of that community. They should keep the faith and continue to fight the good fight. I also pay glowing tribute to Msgr. Raymond East for his hospitality in taking me in and providing me with more than just shelter for six years. He has a heart of gold. He also brought me into the parish community of St. Teresa of Avila in Anacostia of which he is the Parish Priest. I also enjoyed the vibrant African America liturgy for which this parish is so famous. I cannot forget mentioning my two sisters in Washington DC and Boston, as well as other family and friends who provided a home away from home for me. You are well abreast of the political reality of Cameroon: a crushed opposition and de facto return to one party rule, and a monolithic Senate composed of old vanguards, for example. What, in your estimation, accounts for the political stalemate in Cameroon? Having been out of Cameroon for six years, I would not claim that I have followed political events as closely as I would have if I were in Cameroon. But, generally, I have stayed abreast of some of the major events. My view is that the inkling to push aside any democratic norms that go against the itch to cling to power has become worse. And Cameroon has become worse for it. One comes back to Cameroon with a heavy heart since all of its problems are self-inflicted. One comes back to it because home is home. I grew up in Buea in the 60s where there was a functioning democracy and to see the charade that we have ended up with is heart-breaking. You are right; we have ended up with a de facto one party state just because some people cannot leave power no matter how badly they have run the public space. For instance, when I was General Secretary of the Bishop’s Conference we asked the government to stop empting the Civil Service of all its workers to go out and campaign for one political party and to stop using administrative vehicles and public resources for the benefit of one party. This was during the bishop’s seminar in Edea in January 1989. Things have only gotten worse. A civil servant who does not come out to campaign for the ruling party during elections risks the sack or being demoted or transferred to some backwater. What kind of democracy is this which does not accept freedom of thought and choice to civil servants and does not make any difference between the resources of a given political party and those of the state? The main problem has been a dearth or shortage of democratically-minded people at the top of the nation In the end, and this is true of all other domains of life, politics is about morals. It is not about the level of education and the degrees we have. We have lacked people of moral depth at the very top. We have lacked people who are willing to put personal and tribal interest aside and work for the nation’s common good. There are no nationalists in government. What has happened to merit? The US is where it is today because it rewards merit. Rather than reward merit for the progress of the nation, I am reliably told by those who have made the count that 90 percent of the top echelons of our civil service come from three regions: the South, the Centre and the East. What needs to happen for Cameroon to attain the much trumpeted "advanced democracy?" The idea of advanced democracy is trash. Let us first achieve the basic task of counting one vote plus one vote and getting two. Democracy has certain basic tenets such as free and fair elections, the ability to hold peaceful protests, the presentation of election programmes to get votes rather than money and food, a free judiciary, a free press, the freely elected working for those who have elected them, and the citizenry holding the elected to account. Would you accept that the referee in a football match be a player from one of the teams? This is what we have right now. Otherwise, why is he sworn to secrecy? When I was General Secretary of the Bishop’s Conference we prepared a consensual electoral law which was proposed to the government. Needless to say that it got nowhere, since those to run elections were not to be appointed by one of the parties to the competition and since it proposed a single electoral law for the presidential, senatorial, and parliamentary and council elections with a clear electoral calendar. Have we a free judiciary? If that were the case why are judges appointed from above? Why is there no systematic audit of all ministries and government offices with the audit reports sent directly to the judiciary for action? Why are audits sent first to the presidency which decides which files will be sent to the judiciary for the courts? In addition to the above, why are Cameroonians not electing their governors who should then have the right to name their team of provincial chiefs of services? Why is the national budget not shared out equitably to the provinces so that people at the base use the money for priorities established at the base? Among the many challenges you faced, one that is most glaring is the treatment of priests within the local diocese. What is the plight of expatriate priests studying in the US and what needs to be done to address these? I would begin by paying tribute to Msgr. Raymond East of the St. Teresa of Avila Parish Anacostia who gave me a place to stay for the six years I spent in the US. If he had not done that I would probably have ended up at the house of my junior sister, Gladys, or in the home of some good Samaritan. But that cannot be a solution to the plight of Cameroonian priests from our province who come to study in the US. I hope that the local Church be of greater help in terms of placing us in parishes since there is clearly a need. It would be a win-win for all concerned: We would help with the problem of a shortage of priests and, in turn, we would be helped with lodging and other basic needs regarding our studies. ↧ “Inculturation has helped to attract more people to the Catholic Church,” Pa Nicholas Ade Interviewed by Jude Abanseka Bamenda Archdiocese is lucky to still have some Christians who witnessed the transition from the pre to the post Vatican Council II. One of such early Christians is Pa Nicholas Ade, who shares his views on the differences between the two periods with L’Effort Camerounais. Excerpts: Can you briefly tell us what you can remember how Holy Mass was celebrated before Vatican II? Well, a lot was said in Latin and a few in English, but each time a priest said “Dominus vobis cum” we knew we had to answer “et cum Spiritu tuo.” Maybe Christians understood, maybe they did not. In preparing for First Holy Communion or Baptism one was bound to learn all the responses. Since everything was said or sung in Latin, did the priest take the first and second readings or did he only read the Gospel as is the case today? The readings were not in Latin. They were in English if it was an educated community and in Pidgin English for those who did not understand English. How do you explain the fact that Christians did not understand Latin, yet they trekked long distances to attend Mass? I do not think they went to Mass because they understood it. It was necessary to get to those places for prayers. In Mankon, for instance, there were no priests, so Christians had to go all the way to Njinikom for First Holy Communion, Baptism, Confirmation and other sacraments. So whether they understood it or not they knew that was how it ought to be done and they followed it. They were taught that if a priest says, “Dominus vobis cum” they had to answer, “et cum Spiritu tuo.” Catechumens were taught all these things in their doctrine classes. It was only when you had mastered all those things that you were considered fit for First Holy Communion, whether you understood them or not. What do you think were some of the challenges to the growth of faith that the Church faced before Vatican II? In Bamenda, for instance, more native or local people followed their traditions and the number of people who became Christians through the early priests was fewer. In those early days you had certain periods during which you had to go for doctrine classes and after that you were tested. If you passed, you were baptised. If you were young, you had to trek to Shisong for Baptism. When you came back, you had to study and pass the doctrine before you could receive either Confirmation or First Holy Communion. Personally how did you appreciate the transition from the pre to the post Vatican II? For those of us who had gone to school, for instance, it was an advantage to us because some of us did not know Latin because it was not taught in schools. After the transition, since we had studied in English, we now knew what we were talking about. It was an advantage to the younger generation at that time as they were taught either in Pidgin English or in the English Language. Logically, I welcomed the transition and I think there has been a continuous transition. For example, when we had our first bishop, Mgr. Peter Rogan, I was a pupil in Njinikom then, and I remember when he made his maiden trip to Njinikom. I was a Mass boy then and six of us held the veil behind the Bishop, but today a bishop does not have anything besides his vestments and other attributes. Many young Christians today do not even know the veil existed because it disappeared long before they were born. Inculturation came long after Vatican II. How was the liturgy like before? There were specific ways of carrying on the worship. With the coming of Inculturation some traditional aspects are now used in prayers. People therefore got more interested and became more knowledgeable in what they were doing. That is probably what attracted more people into the Catholic Church because they saw some aspects of faith that agreed with their traditions. The liturgy in English was changed recently to resemble the original version in Latin. What is your take on this current liturgy? I do not think many Christians understand why the change has come. However, the advantage is that it facilitates understanding, but in the old days Christians merely repeated what they were asked to say. What impact has the observation and the celebration of the Year of Faith had in your life? It has helped me a lot. I try as much as possible to attend Mass everyday. At Mass I try to understand the Gospel on my own even before a priest explains it to me. In my home we say our prayers at the end of each day. This helps me to stay close to my faith. ↧ “Thanks to Vatican II, the Laity understands better now” Mami Anna Nanga Atang Foncha Interviewed by Jude Abanseka One of the early Christians who witnessed the transition from the pre to the post Vatican II years was the Catholic Women Association founder, Mami Anna Foncha, who throws more light on how that transition changed and contributed to the contemporary Church. She also evaluates what the CWA has become 5O years after she founded it. Briefly tell us how Holy Mass was celebrated before Vatican II? Before Vatican II, Mass was celebrated in Latin. Formerly, the priest used to celebrate Mass as if he was the only person who offered everything. Christians were just onlookers because the priest did everything facing the altar, while backing the congregation. Christians only saw his face when he turned to greet them saying, “Dominus vobis cum” and they responded “et cum Spiritu tuo”. After every greeting and response, he will turn again to face the altar and to back the congregation. It was as if he was doing something secret. But with the advent of Vatican II, which allowed a priest to face the congregation, it was then we started understanding the Mass properly and taking an active part in it. Formerly, Christians said it was God’s wish that they be spectators at Mass and so they accepted thing as they were without questioning. It does not mean that when they went to church they only saw the drama the priest was acting. They believed in it sincerely. For example, my mother could sing in Latin then more than I can now. The Church then did what it could, and now thanks to the Vatican II, which modified many things, the laity better understand issues now. Did priests take the first and second readings or did they read only the Gospel as is the case today? The priest did everything and all Christians did was to answer “Amen” or “et cum Spiritu tuo.” He was there with two Mass servers facing the altar, bowing and shaking his heads and the congregation was just looking on. The good thing, however, was that after taking all the readings in Latin, during his sermon the priest explained in English what he had just read. Christians did not understand Latin, yet they trekked long distances to attend Mass. They believed in and loved God. That is why the few Christians in Bamenda, which was a pagan area, were going to Banso’ for First Friday devotions and for Holy Communion, Baptism, and Marriages, to cite these few. They did this religiously whether they understood what was said in Latin or not. They had a faith strong to make them undertake such tedious journeys. What were some of the challenges to the growth of faith that the Church faced before Vatican II? There were communication difficulties especially as the early Christians were predominantly illiterate. Movement and transportation was also very difficult. But the missionaries did their best to bring the faith to the people. But I think evangelisation was easier in those days than today because only five churches- Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Moslem and our pagan or traditional churches existed, since we had our village gods before the white man came. With these few churches, there was little or no distractions as everyone joined the church that first came to them. Today there are thousands of churches, and science and technology have also developed, thus helping to distract today’s Christians. Everyone can form his/her church in his/her house and have followers. People are more confused now than they were before. How did you appreciate the transition from pre Vatican II to post Vatican II? With the use of Latin the Catholic Church was one everywhere because everything was done exactly in the same everywhere. So, when that transition took place not only Cameroon was affected. You could see the same changes everywhere because it is the same church. So, whether the Eucharist is celebrated in English or in Latin, it is the same Eucharist and the same celebration. I liked the changes since the priest was now facing the congregation and it fostered oneness as the congregation could see what was being done at the altar especially during consecration. At first Christians only waited to see the priest raise the bread or the wine for them to say, “My Lord and my God”, not knowing what he had done before , but now they are more involved in Mass and it is good. Inculturation came long after Vatican II. How was the liturgy like before? As I mentioned earlier, a priest did everything in Latin; even the choir had to sing in Latin. Christians were just there to kneel, and listen and answer the prayers. If you have noticed, older Christians, like me, can sing in Latin better than the younger generation. However, we loved and enjoyed it. At first I sang without understanding what I was singing, but when I later went to school and was able to read, I made sense out of all I used to say or sing in Latin by reading the English version. The liturgy in English was changed recently to resemble the original Latin version. What is your take on this current liturgy? I like it because what the priest says is exactly what we are saying. They first translation was made simple but people took the simplicity for granted and started mixing things up. But now if you are reading Catholic English you will know and if something else is added you will also know, isn’t it? What impact has the observation and the celebration of the Year of Faith had in your life? The study of the Vatican II documents and the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the Pope decreed has helped me. I feel more inspired and I have now developed the habit of reading more religious books, whereas formerly I read only newspapers. Since I now know I have to strengthen my faith, I read more religious newspapers now. I also read the life of saints and try to practise it. This is helping me a lot. The Catholic Women Association, CWA, which you founded, will soon be 50 years. Is it fairing the way you wanted it and has its mission being attained? I thank God through our Blessed Mother Mary because the CWA has been growing steadily and well too. The group is like a house or a home. In a home you must have ups and downs and I think the CWA also has its own ups and downs. I pray that our Blessed Mother, who was a calm and peaceful lady, should continue to be the role model for the CWA. Members should look at her life and see how she behaved and try to behave like her instead of talking too much and criticising. It saddens me when some members say or think because they have studied up to a very high level they now know more than others. There is too much “over know” in the CWA; everyone thinks she knows more than everybody. Nobody knows everything; only God is all- knowing, so CWA members should properly put the little they know for people to understand. CWA members should take it in good faith and not try to show off. Showing off will scatter our CWA. Members should just humble themselves, listen and obey and ask for advice and if they have a suggestion, they should bring it out. If it is not considered immediately, it does not matter because if it is a good suggestion, one day it will be considered. ↧ “The Year of Faith and not our Faith is ended” says Christian Cardinal Tumi By Grace Ongey Douala Emeritus Archbishop His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi has asked the Catholic faithful to continue working to deepen their faith. He was speaking during a bilingual Pontifical Mass at the Regina Pacis Cathedral Parish Soppo Buea that marked the national closing ceremony of the Year of Faith. Cardinal Tumi said the Year of Faith was meant to strengthen Christians’ faith and make them live their faith everyday. He said it is not enough to profess one’s faith as the devil can also profess its faith. He said a Christian must therefore respect all God’s commandments which Jesus summarised in one commandment, “Love God and your neighbour”. He noted that this is the best way for Christians to live their faith. “Faith,” he stressed, “is a personal act and an act of the Church in that it is a free response of the human person to God and also an ecclesial act which expresses itself in the profession of faith when we say ‘We believe’”. He explained that when Catholics profess their belief in God, it means they adhere to God, entrust themselves to Him because He is the Truth. He noted that faith is God’s free gift which makes Christians to accept without doubting all that God has revealed through His Church and humanity as necessary for our faith. Cardinal Tumi stressed that faith facilitates salvation. Drawing from the day’s Gospel, he explained that Jesus sent out the Apostles to proclaim the Good News that saves and that those who believe will be saved. “Faith, he continued, “should be continually nourished through prayer and listening to the Word of God as it is a foretaste of heaven.” Cardinal Tumi said Christians need to profess, live, celebrate through the Sacraments and pray as it is not possible to believe in God and not dialogue with Him. He therefore enjoined Christians to ensure that their prayers are characterised by faith and the generous offering of their whole being to God. In his welcome speech the host Bishop, Immanuel Bushu, thanked Pope Benedict XVI who he described as a man of great faith for instituting the Year of Faith when the ways of the world have taken Christians hostage. He said the event is meant to permit Christians to come back to God “--- as we are everything in Him and nothing without Him.” Bishop Bushu said the gift of faith means Christians should have a new life, language and culture, dress in God’s ways, sing a new song and serve their brothers and sisters in love. He implored all present to ask God to increase their faith like the Apostles did “--- more for him, more in him and more for our brothers and sisters.” He called on everyone to start living the faith which has been discarded by having a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Addressing the Faithful, NECC President Samuel Kleda explained that a series of activities had taken place in all dioceses in Cameroon to express and fortify Christians’ faith. “Each diocese,” he went on “organised a ceremony to open the Year of Faith and will be called upon to do same to close the year at diocesan level.” He said faith is a gift to cultivate, discover and rediscover. He particularly thanked the Faithful of Buea and their Bishop, and civil and administrative authorities for their hospitality. He called on Catholics to look up to Mary, Mother and Matron of Cameroon, as their model and ask for her help to convert and have real faith that keeps them away from the darkness of our society. Delegates from each diocese were handed a candle, the Year of Faith logo and a Holy Bible. Like Jesus did to his Apostles, the delegates were also sent out on an evangelisation mission and told to consider the candle as the light of faith and the Bible as the Word of God which continually nourishes faith. The secretary general of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, Rev. Fr. Sebastien Mongo, read the final communiqué which brought the event to an end. Present at the ceremony were President Paul Biya’s personal representative, Peter Mafany Musonge, South West governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and his wife, the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, the Vice Chancellor of Buea University, Prof. Nalova Lyonga, a cream of priests, Reverend Brothers and Sisters, Church movements and associations, students of Catholic colleges, and representatives of the Moslem community and other Christian denominations. Buea was chosen for the closing of the Year of Faith in Cameroon as she is the mother and oldest diocese in Cameroon. Pope Benedict XVI decreed the Year of Faith from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King. Ecclesial authorities in Cameroon, however, decided to end the Year of Faith at the national level on October 5, though they have called on the Faithful to ensure that their Faith lives on. ↧ ↧ Final Communique On The National Closing Of The Year Of Faith To Christians And People Of Goodwill I. Thanksgiving to God for the gift of Faith 1. In closing the Year of Faith, the Catholic Church in Cameroon gives thanks to God for the gift of Faith and commemorates the first missionaries, the initiators of the meeting of grace and love among the peoples of Cameroon and the Word made flesh in Christ the Saviour of mankind. The Church in Cameroon acknowledges this legacy of faith by revisiting and rewriting her history from the sacrifice of these forebears to our day missionaries, religious men and women, priests, bishops, laity, catechists, and an indigenous Cardinal. In union with Saint Paul, “Let us give thanks to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him” (Eph 1: 3-4). II. Challenges of the Faith 2. From a purely personal point of view, the Year of Faith has enabled and continues to enable every Christian to keep and develop an intimate relationship with Christ. This opens the way to a renewed conversion and allows for an experience of faith that involves those who are far from the “door of faith” (Acts 14, 27) and have not yet known the love of Christ. In Cameroon today, despite its indisputable dynamism, the faith has not yet fully permeated the social fabric. This celebration of the Year of Faith must lead to a renewed appreciation of the dimension of the challenges of today. 3. The crisis of faith is more visible when the Christian is faced with illness, suffering, failure and death. The temptation is to go back to ancestral pagan traditions, to easily adhere to new religious movements and the occult sects: Freemasonry and Rosicrucian lobbies, a heightened enthusiasm for the use of sacramentals to the detriment of the sacraments. “Yet it is in weakness and suffering that we discover God’s power which triumphs over our weakness and suffering.” (Lumen Fidei, No. 56) 4. New cultures and ideologies like gender theory, homosexuality, pedophilia, and incest that appear in the mass media, from doctrines contrary to sound religious and ethical values, seek to impose themselves in the social and family environment. This permissive culture, avatars of relativism, secularism and materialism, reaches all social strata but very often the youth and unemployed, ignorant and the poor. III. Live your Faith 5. Deeply mindful of the challenges presented above, the Church in Cameroon resolutely commits itself to writing a new page of witnessing to the faith, and invites us to assume in a more committed way our confession of baptismal faith and to bear witness through works of faith, and love of God who saves and gives life to all flesh. We, the Bishops of Cameroon engage the Church in: – a renewed emphasis on catechesis; - formation of lively ecclesial communities; - the integration of the charisms of new ecclesial movements; - a keen attention and concrete action in social outreach and the practice of charity in favour of those in distress and misery; - care of the family and the youth, leading them to responsibility; - a profound catechesis on the Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell and Heaven; - an intensification of theological formation of the laity and the formation of priests; - a deeper catechesis on the sacraments of Christian initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist), and on the sacraments of divine mercy. - a coherent and authentic Christian life. 6. The Year of Faith initiated by the Roman Pontiff Benedict XVI and carried on by Pope Francis has been a time to review the destiny of the faith that was sown in the Cameroonian soil. We in Cameroon have every reason to give thanks to God for the “sun that came from above to visit us” (Benedictus). It is the duty of all people of goodwill, then, that have begun the process of the New Evangelisation, to face courageously the many challenges posed by the crisis of faith and to move forward. 7. Catholic Christians, - Welcome the Gospel and commit yourself to it! - Believe in Christ, love defend and build your Church! - Commit yourself to the faith, now! - Rise up, be authentic witnesses of peace, justice, reconciliation, love pardon and consolation! - As a Christian, you cannot belong to any sect! - Are you a Christian, Spread the faith you have received and defend it! 8. On the occasion of the National Closing of the Year of Faith, the Bishops of Cameroon entrust once more, Cameroon to Mary, the Mother of Christ. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, Patroness of Cameroon, intercede for us and accompany the Christian faithful in their communal encounter with Christ in the faith. Given in Buea, this 5th day of October 2013. ↧ The Year Of Faith And Not Our Faith Is Ended, Bishops Tell Catholics The Year of Faith which Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI decreed from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013 has ended at the national level in Cameroon. During the national closing ceremony in Buea, which brought together a cream of Cameroon’s Episcopate, the chief celebrant and Douala Emeritus Archbishop, His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, told thousands of Catholics who had converged on the oldest diocese in Cameroon that only the Year of Faith and not their faith has ended. But what is the state of faith in contemporary Cameroon, what are the challenges to its growth, what significant changes have taken place since the Second Vatican Council and how did the Year of Faith contribute to the strengthening of faith at an individual level? Take a walk down the faith path with L’Effort Camerounais. ↧ Editorial: The Church In Cameroon Cannot Afford To Look The Other Way By Ireneaus Chongwain Chia The humanitarian situation in neighbouring Central African Republic is gradually getting out of control as the foreign-dominated Seleka rebel forces are increasingly targeting many Christians; including Catholics and sometimes even Moslems. As a result of the deteriorating situation in that country, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has strongly condemned increasing attacks on religious groups. Describing the situation in the Central African Republic as volatile, unpredictable and lawless, the UN scribe has warned that these attacks have the potential to further escalate the crisis. Thousands of internally displaced people have swamped some Catholic parishes, vulnerable to attacks, and some that have sometimes even been attacked, in search not only for what they consider a safe haven, but also for food and medical assistance. Many outside the Central African Republic may be indifferent to the plight of thousands caught in the conflict, but the increasing focus on religious differences to justify war and the volatile socio-political situation on the African continent, especially in Sub Saharan Africa, is an irrefutable proof that people in many so-called “stable” and “peaceful” African countries, are only potential refugees. Attacks against religious groups have become prominent after the Seleka rebels overthrew President Francois Bozzize on March 24, 2013. The rebel radical Moslem militia wing, which has recruited from neighbouring Moslem countries like Sudan and Chad, has been carrying out attacks against churches, looting property, desecrating places of worship and burning missions. As a political measure towards resolving the conflict, Cameroon has contributed a contingent of soldiers as regional forces and the international community desperately struggle to ensure a return to peace in that conflict-ravished country. But while such efforts usually take months and sometimes years, before significant and perceptible positive changes are noticed on the ground, those caught in the conflict; through no fault of theirs, are finding it more and more difficult to meet their basic needs. A Catholic organisation, Caritas Internationalis, says that the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic remains critical because of rampant lawlessness. Caritas has called for a process of reconciliation, rebuilding social cohesion and re-establishing respect for human rights. It also welcomes the establishment of a group of Christian and Moslem religious leaders to help promote peace. It has launched an international appeal for over 700,000 Euros to support its work for peace and reconciliation, help people meet their immediate needs and re-establish their livelihoods and offer basic health services in nine dioceses. The Catholic Church in Cameroon could be part of the response to that global appeal, not only as individuals; but more significantly as a Church. A Special Sunday Collection for the People of the Central African Republic could help garner much-needed funds to help the destitute in the neighbouring and brotherly country. Apart from being a mutually beneficial venture, our Christian faith and obligation challenge Christians to help their brothers and sisters in need, the pay-back factor aside. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC, No. 1932, teaches Christians of the duty of making oneself a neighbour to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." CCC No. 1933 extends the same duty to those who think or act differently from Catholics as Christ’s Commandment of Love, is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a person, and any such venture should be geared towards meeting the needs of all those caught in the conflict irrespective of their religion. After all, speaking to Fides on October 1, the Spanish-born Bishop Juan Aguirre Munoz of Bangassou Diocese, explained that the real problem was not "a clash of religion," adding that he had asked a local Imam to help restore peace. Those using religion to justify the war, may be doing so only to sustain their selfish goals, prolong the suffering of the people of Central African Republic and to continue plundering that country for as long as possible. May God help the people of the Central African Republic. ↧ “Holy Ghost fire!”: uncatholic, unbiblical and unchristian By Fr. Valentine Achuo, cmf,Tel: 75 55 04 20 Christ himself founded the Church we are in today. He remains and will continue to remain the model of all Christians. Jesus gave instructions and made promises to his Apostles on the days leading up to the Ascension. One of the promises was that He will send the Holy Spirit otherwise called the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost was to be the advocate, the consoler, and teacher and was to lead the Apostle to the complete Truth. We are just from the wake of celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. The days leading up to Pentecost were filled with Revivals by some groups in our Churches. During these revivals, we must have heard a lot of people not only chanting the “Holy Ghost fire” to their utmost strength, but some even go as far as dancing it. As we read from Act 2:3, the Holy Ghost was symbolically represented as fire when Scriptures says: “Divided tongues AS OF FIRE, appeared among them,(the Apostles) and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the spirit gave them ability. (Act 2:3-4) Today this symbolism of the Holy Ghost as fire has been misused and many Christians now consider the Holy Ghost to be “fire” .This improper application of “fire” to the name of the Holy Ghost has led to Christians employing the Holy Ghost to seek revenge and this is tantamount to abuse and misconception of God the Holy Spirit’s work in human History. I have noticed that the majority of the modern Pentecostals and some Catholics seem to have presented the Holy Ghost according to his symbol of fire and aberration .I have gone through Church documents and down through memory lane to see when this expression was declared a doctrine of the church, or any time in the Church when this expression was permitted in Catholic gatherings, but not seen any. I have also tried to read through the New Testament to find out whether Jesus, who is our role model, ever thought us that the Holy Spirit that the Father promised us will be burning or destroying our enemies, but not found any. This is therefore a cause for concern especially as this usage is growing in our times. I have therefore concluded that the use of “Holy Ghost Fire” in our Catholic gatherings today is an importation from modern Pentecostal churches. And if this conclusion is true, then it is rather unfortunate since our model is Christ who gave us the essentials in which the Church (Catholic church) which he founded himself should exist in the world .The Pentecostals should; as most are already doing, copy from the Catholic Church formed by Christ not the Catholics copying from Pentecostals especially those things that are not biblically and theologically founded like the expression “Holy Ghost Fire”. The use of “Holy Ghost fire!” Of recent, it has become a custom for some people to call Holy Ghost fire as an aberration. People shout Holy Ghost fire on people and places that seem to give them some problems. People call on “Holy Ghost Fire” over what they eat and drink ,over animals and birds that cross their way .People call on “ Holy Ghost Fire” as they travel, gather; even in market places. People invoke the “Holy Ghost Fire” over their building and homes as sign of protection. In their prayers some send others “Holy Ghost fire” to people they think have committed any sin or people they think are planning anything against them, to burn them to ashes. The fire of the Holy Ghost is usually sent to burn demon to ashes by those who imagine the physical fire, burning devil to ashes in hell fire. People today even send Holy Ghost fire across towns and countries to burn to ashes all who are not wishing them well in their business or who are on their way to getting what their life dreams are. In his book Holy Ghost fire! What is it? Rev. Fr. Simeon Nwobi explains “The name of the devil and its activities seem to take the centre stage in most gatherings of the Children of God in recent time so much so that it is binding and loosing that is needed in every prayer session. Prayers are summarised with shout of Holy Ghost Fire!” It appears as though,” through Christ our Lord” at the end of our prayers is not adequate enough. In recent times, praises are concluded most often with the shout of “Holy Ghost fire!” What is disturbing is the strength with which some people shout the “Holy Ghost fire!” as though the devil is physically present. People muster every strength and energy to shout “Holy Ghost fire” and always with every amount of hostility one can think of, as though the war against the devil is in the flesh and blood. The question one must ask is: “Is the fire of the Holy Ghost actually “fire against”? “(Fr. Simeon Nwobic, cmf, P.10). Today people call down “Holy Ghost fire” on rats, birds and other animals because they suspect that their enemies may have transformed to such animals or birds. So they call down on Holy Ghost fire, to destroy such enemies. From the above use of “Holy Ghost fire” we can see that some people perceive the Holy Ghost as an instrument of destruction. The Holy Ghost is now seen as “a thing” not a person. Calling down the Holy Ghost to fire even animals and birds is an insult to God because the Holy Ghost is a person, Third Person of the Trinity, not a thing or instrument. That is why some Bishops have not only frowned at this insult given to God, but have gone as far as banning the use of “Holy Ghost fire” in their dioceses. Reading from Fr. Simeon Nwobi’s book, on November 25, 2001 there was an article in The Leader Newspaper by Fr. Onwundi with the title “Nothing live Holy Ghost fire”! in which it said that: “It is the wish of the chief shepherd of this Catholic diocese of Aba, Rt. Rev. Dr. V. V. Ezeonyia, C.S.S.P and as agreed during the diocesan Synod to let our Catholic faithful know that any invitation of Holy Ghost fire during prayers in Catholic gatherings in the diocese is uncatholic, unbiblical and unchristian ,and so not allowed.” Any Catholic group that persistently insists on the wrong doctrines even after corrections are made, then threads on a precipice of heresy, the result of which may attract sanctions”. In the same Newsletter, The Leader, on Sunday, November 9, 2003, p.9, Fr. Simeon continued, “henceforth, the shouting of “Holy Ghost fire” among church sodalities in any public or private prayer occasion has come to an end in the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara (Nigeria). This development is sequel to the directives given by the Bishop, Most Rev. Dr. Victor Adibe Chikwe (of late), Catholic Bishop of the Diocese to the Clergy in their meeting held recently at the diocesan Chancery office, Ahiara. The Bishop’s argument was that: “even though the Holy Spirit is always symbolised with fire , the improper application of “fire” to his name in seeking vengeance, tantamount to abuse and misconception of God the Holy Sprit’s work in human history.” The Bishop maintains that: “The fire of holy ghost” is an illuminating fire of sanctification, understanding, steadfastness, purification and the fire that brings out the noble and sacred revival in the human person. His Lordship elucidated that the fire of the Holy Ghost is remarkable in his power to change darkness of unbelief and fear to the resplendent light of faith that assures his children of their liberty from the evil one’s stronghold. The Bishop therefore cautioned the Presbyterium on the dangerous scriptural and doctrinal fall out in referring to that fire as the “fire against” that can occasion the death of human beings. Finally the Bishop cautioned the Clergy, religious and the faithful never to chant the aberrations of “Holy Ghost Fire” in any of their future payers in either Public or private”. The above directives from two Catholic Bishops is a cause for concern for me and all other Catholic Christians to reflect on the role and the place of the Third Person of the Trinity as it concerns its symbol of fire. Who are those who shout “Holy ghost Fire?” Personal experience has shown that those who shout “Holy Ghost Fire” are those who claim self righteousness and see others as sinners. This kind of people believe that they are righteous and regard others with contempt. These people behave like the Pharisee in the Gospel of Lk.18:9-14 who felt he was righteous, and the tax collector was a sinner. Since for these people, others are sinners, there is therefore the need for them to be destroyed; a reason why they rain down “Holy Ghost Fire” on others. But such people forget that “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Psalmist puts it this way: “If you O Lord should mark our guilt, who will survive.” (Ps. 129:3). It therefore means that if the Holy Ghost was out to fire people who we regard as sinners, none of us could have been alive today. Another group of people who rain down “Holy Ghost Fire” on others are those who feel highly insecure. This kind of people always think that something or some people are pursuing them. They see any misfortunate or unfortunate situation in their lives as coming from someone or something. Even when they fall sick, they attribute it to their enemy. These kinds of people see more of evil in their lives than goodness. They spend most of their time casting and binding Satan instead of praising and thanking God. Such people seem to see the devil everywhere hence there is need to burn them to ashes at every given time. That may be the reason why wherever people who think as such gather, they are quick in raining “Holy ghost fire” on others from the top of their voices. They shout it, they dance it and they sing it with every strength they can muster. Jesus our model Jesus Christ is our model. We are called Christians today because we are trying to follow Christ. Before ascending into Heaven Jesus laid down the kind of life we must live if we want to inherit the kingdom of God. It will be good to examine Jesus’ life and see if He, in any situation called down the Holy Ghost to fire anybody. Jesus did not at any time in his ministry state that he came to kill, burn or destroy demons or anyone with fire. Through His authority, he casts out demons and they obey him. Those who rain down “Holy Ghost fire” on others are those who are following the “Old Law” which Jesus had changed. An example of the laws that Jesus changed is found in Deuteronomy 19:21 which says: “show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth to tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. This law means that if someone does something wrong to you, you should pay it back exactly as he has done to you. When Jesus came he overturned this law and gave a new commandment. “You have learned how it was said: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer, but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also …” (Mt.5:38-42). Jesus even went further to tell us how we should behave with our enemies when he said: “You have head that it was said; you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:27-31). For those who call down "Holy Ghost fire" on those they think are sinners, Jesus never condemned any sinner throughout his public ministry. Jesus never destroyed even demons. He simply casts them out from those who were possessed and sent them to their proper places (Mk 5:1-13). Even in Matthew 16:22-23, when Jesus discovered the"Satan" in Peter trying to disrupt God's plan, Jesus simply told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan." He never called down Holy Ghost fire to destroy Peter or even the Satan in Peter. In the Old Testament, just as revenge and retaliation were allowed in many cases, sinners were also punished. An example can be seen in the book of Leviticus 20:10 where anyone caught committing adultery was killed. That is why the woman caught in the very act of adultery in John 8:1-11 was to be stoned to death following this old law. Jesus intervened and told the people that we no longer follow the Old, but the New Law. The New Law is that the woman be forgiven and given another chance. Jesus did just that and when all those who were about to stone the woman realised that they too have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, they left one by one. This shows that if people who like to call down the Holy Ghost Fire on those they think are sinners, come to realise that they too have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, they will stop committing this heresy. I have talked with some people who rain down Holy Ghost Fire on others to find out where they get this from and all of them go back to some few Old Testament chapters where fire is symbolically and figuratively used to justify. Sometimes in these chapters, fire could be burning but it does not consume. Whatever the case, it is not stated in the scriptures that Jesus, our model, ever employed the Holy Ghost to destroy or consume His enemies. He even forgave those who nailed him to the cross. One important text in the scriptures that shows that those calling down Holy Ghost fire on others are committing a great sin is Luke 9:54-55. The People of Samaria refused to welcome Jesus and his followers into their town when they were on their way to Jerusalem. The apostles, James and John, thought they must think and act for Jesus when they implored Jesus to give them permission to call for a divine assistance by calling down fire on the town that had refused to welcome them. They wanted to declare war by destroying the town with fire from above. "Seeing this, James and John, his disciples said, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?" Jesus did not only stop them, but rebuked them, and they went on to another village. (Luke 9:54-55). After reading this passage it is important to ask whether calling down Holy Ghost fire to consume and destroy at every opportunity is in line with Jesus' teaching. Christ was full of mercy and compassion. In the above incident he simply changed direction from those who blocked their route to Jerusalem through Samaria avoiding the insinuations of his disciples about taking revenge by calling down fire from above to consume them. Where therefore is this heresy of Holy Ghost fire? It is an insult to God to use His name in this negative sense. Calling Holy Ghost fire on others is committing sin against the First Commandment. Users of "Holy Ghost fire" must know that the Holy Ghost is the fire of God's love. It is a fire that purifies His people. It is a fire that sanctifies His people from the corruption of sin. It is a fire that testifies that we have become co-heirs with Christ. It is a sign of ownership that God has placed on his people. It is a fire that renews the Church, the people of God. It is that love of God that has been poured into our hearts. (Roms. 5:5). The Spirit is the New Law, the force that leads mankind to do good from within the heart. The Spirit is the source of unity; He pulls down all barriers and wherever He blows it destroys sin. It is important to understand that the fire of the Holy Ghost is not a fire against. The Holy Ghost fire is a fire that brings out the best in everyone who invites Him. That is why in her wisdom the Church always invites the Holy Ghost in everyone of her gathering in this way:"Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God who by the light of the Holy Spirit didst instruct the hearts of the faithful. Grant us that by the same spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Amen. Conclusion The prophet Hosea cried out foul and aloud that:"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).Truly some of our Christians are "dying today" because of lack of knowledge. Some Catholic Christians have left the Church for some mushroom churches because they do not know the Catholic doctrine. We need some emotions to worship God, but we should never allow our emotions to control us. In our churches today, some Christians have allowed their emotion to take over their reason. This has led to fanaticism. Pastors should never relent in teaching our Christians what the Catholic Church teaches and to correct them when they go astray. It is important to understand what God's plan is. It is also important to ask God to do what is within His plan in our own day. Calling on the Holy Ghost to devour and burn to ashes our enemies is contrary to God's will and plan. It is a pagan practice. God is a loving father who wants all to be saved. Our role model is Jesus and the incident when Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem through Samaria and the Samaritans refused them entry into their land should inspire us. Learning to handle issues in the light of Christian love will save us from acting like pagans in our prayers. We seek to take revenge on our perceived enemies and that is one of the reasons why people are quick invoking "Holy Ghost fire" against their enemies and those who have offended them. The Lord teaches us not to be in a haste in condemning people to death even when we see the human reason to do so. God's way of judgment is not ours. Yes, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Paul reminded the Roman Church in these words, "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord," (Rom. 12:19). Finally, some of our Christians have become fanatical and continue shouting Holy Ghost fire even when they have been corrected; even by constituted authorities like priests. They still hold on to this practice and sometimes they even think that priests do not like them. Some even go as far as saying that the priest in question does not know. Higher Church authorities should reflect more on this and put an end to it otherwise we shall be threading the ground of heresy in our Church today. The end Fr. Valentine Achuo is a Claretian Missionary working as Parish Priest in St. Dominic's Parish, Munyenge, Diocese of Buea ↧ ↧ LAMP FOR MY STEPS: The Pharisee’s Testimonial By Rev. Fr. Giles N. Forteh The readings of the 27th, 29th and 30th Sundays of the Liturgical Year C converge on the theme of prayer – the power of prayer and the attitudes which God’s children ought to adopt when they come before their Almighty, provident and compassionate Father. On the 27th Sunday, we meditated on the cure of the Ten Lepers. Only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank God (cf Lk 17:11-19). The readings of the 29th Sunday highlighted persistence in prayer. During the war with the Amalekites, whenever Moses held up his hands in prayerful supplication, Israel prevailed (cf. Ex 17:1-8). In the Gospel of that Sunday, Jesus told his disciples the parable of the importunate widow and the corrupt judge to emphasise the need to pray continually and never lose heart (cf. Lk 18:1-8). The liturgy of the Word of the 30th Sunday takes up the theme of humility in prayer. “The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds and keeps on going until it reaches the Lord, Most High.” (Sir. 35:17). In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector who went up to the temple to pray (cf Lk 18:9-14). The devout Israelite observed three prayer times daily – 9.00 a.m., 12 midday and 3.00 p.m. It was believed that prayer was especially efficacious if it was offered in the Temple, and so at these hours many went up to the Temple Courts to pray. This is the context in which the Pharisee and the Tax-collector appeared to God in the Temple. Standing before the Almighty, a creature before his Creator, the Pharisee presents an impressive record of his spiritual achievements: “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” (Lk ). Standing proudly and conspicuously in Temple, the Pharisee is addressing God, but not in supplication. In the Pharisee’s mind, it is absolutely necessary to remind God that he has done more than the minimum the Law required. The Jewish Law prescribed only one absolutely obligatory fast – that on the Day of Atonement. Those requesting special favours could undertake another fast. The Pharisee fasted twice a week. A man was to pay to the Levites a tithe of all his produce (Numbers 18:21; Deut. 14:22); but the Pharisee tithed everything, even things for which there were no obligation to tithe. The conclusion is obvious. “God, as you can see, you owe me a whole lot.” The Pharisee did not really pray. He went to the Temple to inform God how good he was. He was brandishing his testimonial. Jesus disqualifies this litany of self-glorification. This parable shows where pride can lead. The proud will be excluded from the kingdom of God because they will not admit or repent of their pride and their lack of charity. Instead of thanking God, his Divine Benefactor, for the many gifts he has given him, he almost demanded thanks from God for being such a pious man. In fact he is telling God how thankful he should be that there are men like him on earth. The Pharisee had virtues. He avoided serious injustices and did not commit adultery. He fasted often and paid all Temple dues. But, unfortunately, all these things were done, not for the honour and glory of God, but for his honour and glory. He has an exalted opinion of his own sanctity. A creature boasts before his Creator, the source and origin of all that is good! Another consequence of the tragic flaw of the pride of the Pharisee is the fact that he measures his attributes not on the scale of God’s holiness towards which man must strive, but on that of human frailty. Created in God’s image and likeness (cf Gen 1:26), we are called to be like God our Father. Jesus tells his disciples: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We can become the modern Pharisees. In our daily experience, we come across people who are always judging and condemning others. They see the plank in other’s eyes. Very often, we hear people say, after a damaging description of the foibles of others, “I am really better. I am not like them. God knows that I do my best.” Jesus’s life as presented to us in the Bible, is the standard against which we should evaluate the state of our spiritual lives. The saints have been presented to us for veneration and emulation. It is not by a destructive criticism of others that we grow in holiness. It is rather by striving each day to be like Jesus whose virtues shine through the multitude of saints that we can realise our need of repentance and grow in holiness. The tax-collector, we are told, stood some distance away, not daring to raise his eyes to heaven. He realised that he was not like God. He did not resemble God. There were certainly more sinful people than himself and he could easily have compared himself with them and thanked God that he is not like them. His introspection led him to see that he was not yet perfect and so needed to repent of his sins. While God approves of no sin, his mercy and forgiveness is available for all sinners, except the proud. It is not that God cannot or will not forgive the sin of pride, but that the proud man will not ask for God’s forgiveness. We must all be on our guard against self-deception and the insidious and destructive vice of pride. When they take root in our lives, they spoil every other virtue we practice and every good we do. Our motives become vitiated and self-glory takes over. It is by God’s grace that we do good; so, we are only instruments, “useless servants”. Do you resemble Jesus Christ? If the answer is No, seek the path of conversion. To God be the glory! ↧ St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary Bambui Forty Years After: spotlighting Paul Verdzekov’s example By Fr. Gerald Jumbam Nyuykongmo STAMS' Main block The existence of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, STAMS, Bambui has not been an ordinary one. In fact, the extraordinary happenings that have characterised its years and mission began when it was born forty years ago. It was the product of dedicated, courageous and admirable prelates – Bishops Paul Verdzekov and Pius Awa, aided by the selfless and encouraging direction of Bernard Fonlon of blessed memory. A seminary institution, the birth child of such men of integrity and enthusiasm, can only be the work of a good God in an uncertain, but purposeful age. It is but appropriate that as beneficiaries, we pay tribute to this jewel of our Church Province. I write these words to acknowledge the life and mission of an institution that we hold so dear and to express gratitude to God for giving such a wonderful gift to His Church. In fact, many French speaking dioceses in Cameroon testify that they really came into the blessings of the Lord by sending candidates for the Catholic Priesthood in this great Church learning edifice. Consequently, the Church of Cameroon and the people of Cameroon owe a debt of gratitude to God for the life of this legendary establishment. It has produced men of mettle in Cameroon - from priests, through bishops to dedicated lay faithful in Cameroon and beyond. The competence that STAMS Bambui has witnessed these four decades challenges us to pray that the indomitable spirit of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, alias Pavel Verkovsky, should never fail or wane in the tendering of the spiritual guardians of our Church Province. As the institution’s founder, he did the job with an unearthly dedication so widely admired that the fruits speak for themselves. The time has arrived for all of us to search our consciences when looking at this great sacred scholarship edifice. No pointing of fingers at people; no room for triumphalism or double standards; but only cool discerning stocktaking will enable the Holy Spirit to breathe where He wills. Human society, Pope Paul VI tells us, is sorely ill. We are of an age that our education owes a great deal, regrettably, to the profane culture around us. We have heard lies and half-truths so often in Cameroon, that, perhaps, we even have difficulty to listen to the still, small Divine voice. STAMS Bambui has always epitomised a spiritual edifice of truth doing battle against the dark forces of evil under the guidance of Christ the Truth. Pope John Paul II once told Henry Kissinger that “The Church is in the business of truth”, and adapting its message to every audience would turn the Church into just another social-service agency. Mr. Kissinger, impressed, thought that “no politician would ever say such a thing”. Our generation, which has the challenge of keeping this entrusted seminary treasure in its care intact, might well ponder and keep practicing that message. The seminary has made inroads into and quality contributions to our local Church. Yet, we cannot keep God’s voice confined safely behind church walls. The trumpet must be sounded and the echo carried to the ends of the world. In my humble opinion, it must move from being a record to a reference seminary. Furthermore, it is a bounden duty on our part to instil in every seminarian in this seminary, every passing day, the weighty words of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith in Inter Insigniores, that “the greatest in the Kingdom of God are not ministers but the saints.” That is STAMS’ mission today and therein lies our opportunity and obligation. The past is a prologue, and we still live in a revolutionary age. Those who do not study the lessons of history are condemned to reject past blessings and to repeat past errors. You wish to have a good and dedicated Church? Insist upon good and dedicated priests. You wish to have a good and dedicated spiritual leader? Insist upon good and dedicated Christian institutions. When the ship of state turns into a ship of sages we all swim; but if that ship turns into the ship of fools, we all sink. That is why the formation of spiritual leaders for a Church province like ours must be the number one priority to all sons and daughters of that particular enclave. May the brilliant example of the Servant of God, Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov, of unquestionable dedication to priestly formation, remain ever in our gaze. May he intercede to the Most High to grant the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda courage and a combined will to forge ahead in this noble mission, united in sustaining this inestimable jewel of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary Bambui for the spiritual wellbeing of God’s people in this Church Province. ↧ Friends of Jesus Youth Prayer Group Bamenda Celebrates Maiden Feast Day By Arthur Nwatum Members of the Friends of Jesus Youth Prayer group in Bamenda Archdiocese have been called upon to lead exemplary lives in their quest to be true Friends of Jesus. The parish priest of St. Michael’s Parish Futru Nkwen made the call in his homily during the Eucharistic celebration that opened the group’s feast day. The feast, which coincides with that of the Exhortation of the Cross, drew hundreds of young people from six parishes and two institutions of learning. During the Eucharistic celebration, which four priests attended, the Parish Priest of St Michael’s parish Futru, Fr. Jerald Obasi, reminded the youths that being a friend of Jesus entails maximum sacrifice, dedication and is quite challenging. He reminded them of the vital role they play in the Church’s growth. Dressed in their characteristic red T-shirts, the Friends of Jesus from Futru Parish led the singing during the Holy Mass. The priests who attended the Mass all mounted the rostrum and expressed their joy. The acting Archdiocesesan Education Secretary, Fr. Augustine Nkwain, hailed the initiators; Fr. Antoninus Tantan Somi and Bridget Nnam Che for their efforts. He promised to give maximum support to the Friends of Jesus Youth Prayer groups in different institutions. The Archdiocesan Youth Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Isaiah Fru Benedict’s visible enthusiasm to work with the Friends of Jesus Youth prayer group could only be understood as a welcome address to the Federation of Catholic Youths. He acknowledged that every youth group under the umbrella of the Youth Federation has a distinctive contribution to make towards the moral and spiritual growth of the youths. Fr. Isaiah Fru said the Friends of Jesus Youth prayer group will enable the Youth Federation to attain its objective of bringing young people closer to God faster. The Youth chaplain thanked Rev. Fr. Antoninus Tantan Somi and Bridget Nnam Che a lay consecrated, who nurtured the initial idea and worked tirelessly to see it blossom. The celebration’s second part was exciting and had lots of messages. The Friends of Jesus members showcased their talents to their guests in choral music presentation, sketches and recitations on the New Evangelisation theme. The Friends of Jesus Youth Prayer group is parish based. The Feast of the Exhortation, which the Friends of Jesus have chosen as their patron feast day, and according to Fr. Antoninus Tantan and Bridget Nnam, seeks to buttress the fact that one cannot be a friend of Jesus without accepting his or her cross and identifying with Jesus who saved mankind by dying on the cross. Fr. Tantan, who doubles as vocations director in Bamenda Archdiocese, explained to L’Effort Camerounais that the group’s humble beginning can be attributed to the zeal to bring young people closer to God and to keep them in a prayer environment. He said placing the Friends of Jesus under the Youth Federation is a plus and noted that in 2008, when the group was created, the Archbishop of Bamenda, His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua, gave them the green light and advised that the group be parish based and work in line with the Provincial Pastoral Plan. ↧ St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Sop joins Bishop Bushu in celebrating twin anniversary By Fr. Author Nga Abanfegha, Ofm.Cap, Novitiate House Sop The Christian community of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Sop Parish in Kumbo Diocese gathered in thanksgiving to God on Sunday, October 13, 2013, for the fortieth (40th) anniversary of Bishop Bushu's priestly ordination and the twentieth (20th) anniversary of his Episcopal ordination. The entrance procession started at 9am, with the august guest blessing the parish cemetery as a remembrance and sign of communion with the deceased, especially those who supported him in his vocational journey. The procession then flowed into the Church, with the St. Padre Pio prayer group heading the procession. Catholics and non-Catholics joined to rejoice with their own son 40 years after his priestly ordination. Some Christians, who were not yet born at the time of his priestly ordination, were glad to see Bishop Bushu for the first time, while the elderly exclaimed, wondering how time flies. As the scripture puts it, “The Almighty has done great things for me, Holy is His name” In a thrilling and inspiring homily, the Bishop of Buea encouraged the people to always thank the Almighty. He exhorted them to avoid listening or singing profane music, since such music does not thank God. “In pain, sickness, or difficulties, we should render thanks unceasingly to God,” Bishop Bushu said. He first preached in English and then in impeccable Lamnso. This kept many agape because they thought he might have forgotten his own language. With tact and prudence, he satisfied the congregation’s spiritual thirst. During this celebration two couples, Mr. and Mrs. Yimbu; 46 years in marriage, and Mr. and Mrs. Shuyum Feli; 35 years in marriage, exploited the opportunity to renew their marital vows. Bishop Bushu praised their perseverance and fidelity over the years, and admonished and reminded them that marriage is the Mother of all vocations. During the offertory procession, a Mission Church group for Nso women, the Chong, electrified the congregation with traditional rhythms, dances and singing. The Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, ended about 1pm and the taking of pictures followed. A reception followed after speeches had been made. Some groups and schools in the parish like St. Sylvester’s College Sop and St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Primary and Nursery School, where the Bishop is an ex-pupil, animated during the occasion. The CWA Wvem Eucharistic centre staged a drama entitled, Pope Francis, in which the Pope recognises the twin celebration and comes to rejoice with Bishop Bushu and commend Christians of Sop for their generosity to the Church. Two bishops, 10 priests, a deacon and a good number of religious men and women, attended the occasion. Also present were sons and daughters of Sop Parish all over the National territory and even beyond. Rev. Sisters Bertila and Odette both Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis and Fathers Ngalame George Njikang and Joseph Suh Ganong, accompanied Bishop Bushu to Sop. On behalf of the Buea delegation, Fr. Ngalame thanked God for the gift of Bishop Bushu, the Church and particularly the Church in Buea. The four-man delegation ended their visit in songs of thanksgiving to the people of Sop for their generosity and hospitality. We render thanks to the Parish Priest, Fr. Dufe Joseph Ndzelen, and the parochial Vicar, Fr. Peter Bernsa Ghani, who despite their tight schedule, worked hard to make the occasion a success. How can we not mention our Lady of the Angels Choir that spiced the Eucharistic celebration with their angelic voices. Courage to the young, you are the hope of the Church as John Paul II repeatedly said during his Pontificate. ↧ ↧ SisterShare Donates to Schools in Jakiri By Emmanuel Verdzeka Yaounde Sistershare has donated books to schools in Jakiri within the framework of phase two of its 'Reading for empowerment' project, launched last year in Kumbo.The donation was made on Saturday, October 19, in an elaborate ceremony at the Jakiri Council hall. In all, 1,200 books, which included English readers, work books, story books and dictionaries, were donated in partnership with the Cameroon Education Foundation that alone donated 100 dictionaries. Other donations included ten cupboards in which to store the books, tooth brushes to enhance basic hygiene among pupils, and two scholarships worth FCFA 75,000 each to Regina Berinyuy and Amabel Mainimo to cover their tuition and school needs for two years. Speaking at the event, SisterShare President Evelyn Jifon, said the initiative is a response to falling English Language standards among pupils especially in remote communities. She regretted most pupils hardly read or write a sentence correctly in English. This, she said, is due to a shortage of textbooks in schools. She acknowledged the project is making an impact on the community. She therefore implored the pupils and teachers of the beneficiary institutions to make judicious use of the books. She lauded those who contributed to realise the project estimated at over FCFA 4 million. Like the beneficiaries, the representative of the inspector for Basic Education in Jakiri lauded the association for the sacrifices it is making to provide the schools with didactic materials. Bui Divisional delegate for Women's Empowerment and the family, Henry Fonbad, who also lauded the initiative, paid special tribute to the association for fighting poverty through education without seeking for fame. Elias Dipanda, who represented the DO for Jakiri at the occasion, described the support as a rare event in Bui Division. He asked beneficiaries to pray for the growth of SisterShare for them to benefit more. While encouraging parents to invest in educating their children, Mr. Dipanda warned teachers against using the support as personal property. Sistershare used the event to educate the public through messages like Read to be mentally alive, educate a child: you ensure the future, and reading is fun. Schools in Nkum Sub Division will benefit from the initiative in 2014. The representative of the Divisional Officer for Jakiri, parents, teachers, and education stakeholders, among others, attended the event. SisterShare Yaounde is an association of 13 Nso women from diverse professional backgrounds. It was officially recognised in 2004, though it was created since the 90s. The association’s mission, Evelyn Jifon told reporters, is to put smiles on people's faces through little actions. ↧ Nso Fon Celebrates 20th anniversary, takes part in ecumenical service By Emmanuel Verdzeka Nso Fon signing partnership agreement His Royal Highness Sehm Mbinglo I has celebrated 20 years as the paramount ruler of Nso in Bui Division, North West Region.The 20th anniversary celebration took place on Saturday, October 19, in Jakiri. The first part at the Jakiri ceremonial ground took place in the presence of the Senior Divisional Officer for Bui Theophile Nzeki and his entourage. A cream of religious leaders from the Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist and Moslem Community officiated at an ecumenical service during which they blessed the Fon and his subjects. The celebration’s high point was the signing of a partnership agreement between the Fon of Nso and Orange Cameroon. The partnership, the Orange Cameroon delegate for West and North West regions, Alice Nkainfon, explained, will enable Nso people within Cameroon to call one another and make similar calls to the United State of America, Europe and Asia, at preferential rates. The Orange Cameroon delegate said the partnership also includes sponsoring community projects in Nso. She described Nso people as dynamic and development-oriented, stating it is because of these values, which Nso shares with Orange Cameroon, that the partnership agreement was signed. Nso, she noted, is the first community in the North West Region to benefit from the initiative. Reacting to the press, Sehm Mbinglo I described the partnership as a great achievement, stating that his reign has been full of good but also challenging moments. Despite the challenges, he hailed the level of development in his fondom under his stewardship. In his speech, the Fon of Ndzerem Nyam exhorted Nso people to embrace peace, unity and development. He also lashed out at the elite and title holders who mislead the Fon. He expressed the need for teachers to give quality education to children under their care because of the challenges that Cameroon is facing. The celebrations continued in Mantung, still in Jakiri, with masquerade displays from the different palaces. The presence of some Fons of Bui was also remarkable and made the event colourful. ↧ “Our first focus is not to satisfy those the evil one has held captive, but to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ which liberates,” Mgr. Richard Mbouta Interviewed by Grace Ongey The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has just organised a one-week crusade in Douala with theme, “Breaking Evil Gates”. The crusade, which ran from October 14-18, attracted a mammoth crowd to the Bepanda Omnisport stadium. At the end of the evangelisation campaign, L’Effort Camerounais caught up with the Charismatic Renewal Diocesan Chaplain, Mgr. Richard Mbouta, who said the crusade was a resounding success. Excerpts: Mgr., what motivated the Catholic Charismatic Renewal to organise an evangelisation campaign in Douala? The Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Douala Archdiocese decided to embark on two projects this year. The first was a week of adoration by the youth and it held in Yassa. We had over 700 people who spent one week adoring and praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The second was an out-of-church evangelisation campaign as we often do. It took us three months to set up the different commissions. We are happy as God has brought together his people to hear His Word in this great evangelisation campaign. We decided to place the event under the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she will assist us in the mission which is also hers, that is, to crush the serpent’s head. We also came to pray for people who the evil one has held captive and thus preventing them from enjoying the joy of being God’s children. Many people have concluded that the Catholic Church is trying to imitate Pentecostal Churches as most of her Christians are drifting to these new churches. What is your take on this? The Church has an
2279	dbpedia	0	98	https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Political_Regimes_of_Ahmadou_Ahidjo.html%3Fid%3DfeRyAAAAMAAJ	en	Google Books			[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					https://books.google.com/	Search the world's most comprehensive index of full-text books. My library
2279	dbpedia	1	17	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2020/12/1416-2/	en	BEATIFICATION COURSE FOR LATE PAUL VERDZEKOV BEGINS	https://i0.wp.com/camero…it=32%2C18&ssl=1	https://i0.wp.com/camero…it=32%2C18&ssl=1	[ "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung-148x81.png", "https://camerooninfotrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIT-Logo_Transparent_Blog-mildred-wung.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Mildred Wung" ]	2020-12-15T00:46:00+00:00	A pontifical Holy Mass would be celebrated on Thursday 30th January at the St Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral Mankon to officially open the process of beatification for late Archbishop Emeritus Paul Verdzekov. The Mass would be presided by the Apostolic Administrator … BEATIFICATION COURSE FOR LATE PAUL VERDZEKOV BEGINS Read More »	en	https://i0.wp.com/camero…it=32%2C18&ssl=1	Cameroon Infotrend	https://camerooninfotrend.com/2020/12/1416-2/	A pontifical Holy Mass would be celebrated on Thursday 30th January at the St Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral Mankon to officially open the process of beatification for late Archbishop Emeritus Paul Verdzekov. The Mass would be presided by the Apostolic Administrator of Bamenda Cornelius Fontem Esua. In line with the upcoming event, our reporter Mildred Ndum Wung Kum in the following paper analyses the relevance. The entire Archdiocese of Bamenda and beyond is with all eyes fixed on the official opening of the process of beatification of the late Paul Verdzekov, pioneer Bishop and Archbishop of Bamenda. It shall be a landmark event in the spiritual calendar of the Archdiocese given that many shall behold what it means by the process of beatification for the very first time. As Archbishop emeritus Cornelius Fontem Esua mounts the podium to officially announce that Paul Verdzekov is en route to sainthood , the contemporary Christian must be conscious of the significance. The ceremony comes within a jubilee year in Bamenda noted as a year of abundant grace and extra ordinary favour. The launching of the beatification process thus comes to strengthen a faith which continues to be celebrated, lived and prayed. The ceremony offers a valued moment for the young and the old, the Catholic and the none Catholic to ponder on the life of the late emeritus Archbishop Verdzekov who is venerated as an encyclopaedic mind, a Man of Faith & Integrity, a sacred orator, a secular wordsmith and what have you To announce the process of beatification for anyone means much commitment would follow; establishing accurate historic facts of the candidate’s life to demonstrate the way the candidate practiced the Christian virtues, show that members of the Church consider him or her to be holy and therefore worthy of veneration, gathering information – collecting documents and interviewing witnesses on the life, virtues, and reputation of sanctity of the candidate and attributing a miracle to the candidate’s intercession to name but these. Thus the proclamation of Paul Verdzekov as one on the road to sainthood on Thursday 30th January means much would ensue. The pontifical Holy Mass to launch the course of beatification thus becomes an all inclusive phase for Christians to participate in the process, journey alongside the reality and obtain the graces accorded by God through the church to guarantors of the faith. It is also a moment to hail Archbishop emeritus Paul Verdzekov of blessed memory. The man who was born on January 22, 1931, ordained to the priesthood on December 20, 1961. Was appointed bishop of the newly created diocese of Bamenda in August 13, 1970, received his episcopal consecration on november 8, 1971, became archbishop of Bamenda on March 18, 1982 when his diocese, retired on January 23, 2006 and died in 2010 at the age of 79, as Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda. God willing, the opening of Paul Verdzekov’s beatification prefigures a saint who like other saints would be a light worth emulating, a beacon of hope, an intercessor and a force of Union with God.
2279	dbpedia	2	42	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/category/religion/page/22/	en	Religion – Page 22 – Cameroon Intelligence Report	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIRlogo.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Bishop-Jerome-Feudjio.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/The-Bishops.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nkea-and-the-Cardinal.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Vatican-Pietro-Parolin.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Iraqi-cleric.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Boko-Haram-killings.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Francis-and-Benedict.jpeg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MuslimFast.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/editorialDesk.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dr-Joachim-Arrey.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Manyu-Women.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biya-aging-disgracefully-.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15443061_1288047547922035_8881697775161873782_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/88274b.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15723506_1297938123599644_5496544536068955670_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Buhari-and-Paul-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6a00d83451ce8669e2019aff3bc5c1970d.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/dist/images/gdpr-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2021-03-04T11:10:24+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/favicon.ico		null	Pope Francis appointed Mgsr. Jerome Feudjio on Tuesday to lead the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Originally from Cameroon, Feudjio has served as a priest of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ diocese for more than 30 years. Commenting on Feudjio’s March 2 appointment, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the apostolic administrator of St. Thomas diocese, said: “Bishop-Elect Jerome is no stranger to the people of the diocese. His long history of service and pastoral dedication to the people of this community of faith are well known and widely respected,” Feudjio, 65, currently serves as the vicar general of the Diocese of St. Thomas and rector of its Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands was established in 1977 and is the sole suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Washington. The diocese is made up of 30,000 Catholics across the islands of St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, and Water Island. Feudjio first arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1988 after Cardinal Seán O’Malley, who at the time was a coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas, invited him to work as a campus minister in the Saints Peter and Paul School. Two years later, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of St. Thomas and appointed as parochial vicar of the cathedral. He taught French and religion at the Catholic school and went on to serve in multiple positions within the diocese, including as director of vocations, finance officer, administrator, and chancellor. Born in Cameroon in 1955, Feudjio entered religious life at the age of 17 as a postulant for the Congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart (SCJ). He attended their Saint Apostles Seminary in Otele, Cameroon, from 1972 to 1975, as well as the major seminary in the capital city of Yaoundé from 1975 to 1979. While still in formation in 1980, Feudjio traveled to the United States, where he met the then Fr. Seán O’Malley, who invited him to stay and study in Washington, D.C. Feudjio completed his studies in philosophy and theology in the Archdiocese of Washington at Oblate College, and in 1987 joined the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, making a temporary religious profession. During his time in the U.S., Feudjio completed a graduate program at Southern Illinois University in the Administration of Justice Program, through which he interned at a local transitional house that helped former inmates readjust to society. In 2004, Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., who served as bishop of St. Thomas from 1999 to 2007, asked Feudjio to return to Southern Illinois University to pursue further graduate studies in Rehabilitation Administration. Feudjio has served as rector of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2008. As bishop of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Feudjio will succeed Bishop Herbert Bevard, who retired in September after he was hospitalized and airlifted to the U.S. mainland for medical treatment. “Regrettably, I have experienced some new and unanticipated medical conditions that unfortunately preclude my ability to continue to maintain my position in the Diocese of St. Thomas,” Bevard wrote in a letter to the diocese on Sept. 18. “I have loved serving the People of God; the clergy, religious, laity, and the entire Virgin Islands community in the Diocese of St. Thomas and will treasure the fond memories that we share together. It is this same love and concern for them, recognizing my own limitations, that now compel me to make this request,” he said. Bevard, 75, has remained in North Carolina for ongoing medical treatment. He led the Diocese of St. Thomas for 12 years. Pope Francis appointed the then Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington to serve as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of St. Thomas until the new bishop is installed. “I readily join the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands today in warmly welcoming Pope Francis’ appointment of Msgr. Jerome Feudjio as the sixth Bishop of this local Church,” Cardinal Gregory said. “He now begins a new chapter in his own life and in all of your lives as well. Please keep him in your prayers as he transitions into his new office as I am certain he will hold all of you securely in his daily prayers from this day forward.” Source: Angelusnews Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin expresses Pope Francis’ closeness and concern for Cameroon and the African continent, in his homily during the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda. “The Pope is well aware of the difficulties that you have experienced in recent years and which you are still experiencing. He implores the Lord’s consolation for you, especially for those who have been victims of violence or who, in this crisis, have lost friends and loved ones.” Those were the words delivered by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in his homily at Mass in Bamenda for the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. He expressed Pope Francis’ closeness to the people of Cameroon, as well as to the entire African continent. The Pope, added the Cardinal, “joins in the desire for peace and reconciliation that rises from this beloved and wonderful land toward God.” Reconciliation, compassion, hospitality Cardinal Parolin arrived in Cameroon last Thursday accompanied by Monsignor Ivan Santus, an official with the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State. His visit is meant to be a concrete sign of the Pope’s commitment and solidarity, and a call to promote compassion, reconciliation, and healing, especially in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 humanitarian emergency. In communion with the Pope “The Pallium,” explained Cardinal Parolin in Bamenda Cathedral, “is a symbol of a special bond of communion with the Pope. It is woven from the wool of lambs blessed by him on the feast of St. Agnes, and evokes the figure of the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of the lost sheep and places it on His shoulders. It represents the power that the Archbishop exercises in his Diocese, in communion with the Supreme Pontiff. It is a sign rich in meaning, which powerfully inaugurates the mandate of every new Archbishop: his new ministry is placed from the beginning under the sign of communion, in obedience and union with the Holy Father and in communion with his brother Bishops.” With the Gospel in his pocket “While many voices resound around us; while so many want to act as teachers in our lives,” the Cardinal stressed, we need to give “unique weight to the Word of Christ.” “For this reason,” he added, “the Pope, on several occasions, has invited us to carry a small book of the Gospels with us. ‘The Gospel in your pocket’ is not a slogan but a spiritual program.” The effectiveness of the Word “Jesus desires good for humanity, and therefore frees us from Evil,” said Cardinal Parolin. “Jesus is able to completely free us precisely through His simple and powerful Word: Come out of him! There are no magic formulas; not even strange gestures: it is His Word that is exceedingly effective.” The Secretary of State underlined that “Evil exists and Christ is able to defeat it. It is up to us to carry on this battle every day.” Serenity and vigilance Cardinal Parolin then evoked the teaching of the Apostle Paul, indicating two important themes that must mark each person’s spiritual journey: serenity and vigilance. “Serenity: because with Christ we are victorious, in our adherence to Him through prayer and the Sacramental life. Vigilance: so that we can discern Evil where it lurks, beginning with our own hearts.” Seed of hope Cardinal Parolin then urged the faithful of Cameroon to combat the violence, divisions and fratricidal struggles that afflict the nation. “He who fights against the evil that dwells in his heart becomes a bearer of good and peace in his family, among his friends, in his community. He thus becomes a seed of hope for all.” Avoiding the risk of spiritual pride The Vatican Secretary of State concluded his homily by recalling that after two thousand years, amazement before the Lord Jesus is a precious attitude to be guarded with care. “We should never stop reflecting on this Mystery, so that we avoid the risk of spiritual pride, of those who are convinced that they already know everything about Jesus, without realizing that He is always greater than we can humanly comprehend. We should never cease to marvel before the fundamental Mystery of our Christian faith: that of the Son of God who became man to set us free.” The Mass in the Cathedral of Bamenda was attended by a large number of the faithful, offering a sign of affection for Archbishop Fuanya and of joyful communion with the Pope who was represented by his Secretary of State. Source: Vatican News The Vatican’s Secretary of State kicked off a week-long trip to Cameroon on Thursday in which he will visit a region blighted by clashes between government forces and separatists. During his visit from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is scheduled to meet with the local authorities and Cameroon’s Catholic bishops in the country’s capital, Yaoundé, and visit the English-speaking Northwest Region. Local media in Cameroon have reported that the cardinal will likely use his visit to work towards the resolution of the dispute known as the Anglophone crisis. Both the Holy See and the local Church have appealed for dialogue to end the strife. One of the Catholic leaders who has played an active role in seeking a resolution is Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Cameroon’s Northwest Region on Nov. 5. A video published on social media showed the 90-year-old cardinal calmly responding as one of his captors confronted him about his calls for separatist fighters in Cameroon to lay down their arms. To this, the cardinal responded: “I will preach what is the truth with pastoral conviction and biblical conviction.” “Nobody has the right to tell me to preach the contrary because I was called by God,” Cardinal Tumi said. He was released by his kidnappers on Nov. 6. The crisis in Cameroon is rooted in country’s colonial history. The area was a German colony in the late 19th century, but the territory was divided into British and French mandates after the German Empire’s defeat in World War I. The mandates were united in an independent Cameroon in 1961, but English-speakers have complained ever since of marginalization by the French-speaking majority. There is now a separatist movement in the Southwest and Northwest Regions, which were formerly the British Cameroons. Violence escalated in October when gunmen attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy, a school in Kumba in Cameroon’s Southwest region, on Oct. 24 and opened fire on students in a classroom. Seven students aged 12 to 14 were killed. Pope Francis prayed on Oct. 28 that “the tormented regions of the northwest and southwest of [Cameroon] may finally find peace.” In Cameroon’s Northwest Region, Parolin will offer Mass on Jan. 31 at the Catholic cathedral in Bamenda, where he will give the pallium to Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. Nkea, 55, was appointed archbishop of Bamenda in December 2019. He is known for his emphasis on family, community, and traditional values. At the 2018 meeting of the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith, and vocational discernment, Nkea, who was the bishop of Mamfe at the time, said that the Church in Cameroon and many parts of Africa was growing — including among young people. “My churches are all bursting, and I don’t have space to keep the young people,” Nkea said during a Vatican press conference in Oct. 2018. “And my shortest Mass would be about two and a half hours.” A 2018 study by the Pew Research Center found that church attendance and prayer frequency was highest in sub-Saharan Africa and lowest in Western Europe. Four out of five Christians in Cameroon said that they prayed every day. During the synod on young people, Nkea credited the Church’s growth in Cameroon to the alignment between Church teaching and the values of Cameroonian society, and the strength of the family as a cultural institution. “People ask me, ‘Why are your churches full?’” Nkea said in 2018. “Coming from Africa, the family is a very, very strong institution.” “We come from a culture in which tradition normally is handed from one generation to the other.” “Our traditional values still equate to the values of the Church, and so we hand over the tradition to our young people undiluted and uncontaminated,” he continued, noting that a strong sense of community in the Church is something “very important that Europe can learn from Africa.” Source: The Catholic News Agency Pope Francis is to meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during the first-ever papal visit to Iraq in March, a senior Catholic cleric told AFP on Thursday. Louis Sako, patriarch of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church, said it would be a “private visit” between the two religious figures at Sistani’s residence in the shrine city of Najaf, “without formalities.” Sistani, 90, is never seen in public and rarely accepts visitors. The confirmation of the bilateral meeting comes weeks after other parts of the Pope’s visit were set. Sako said he hoped the two figures would sign the document on “human fraternity for world peace,” an inter-religious text condemning extremism. Pope Francis signed the document with the leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019. Sako said the pope was hoping for endorsement from an influential Shiite cleric like Sistani. “He would represent the second major part of Islam signing on to this historic document,” the cardinal told AFP. Pope Francis is set to be in Iraq from March 5 to 8 with an ambitious programme that will take round the country. In Baghdad, he will hold a mass at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation, where a deadly attack in 2010 left dozens of celebrants dead. He will also travel north to Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh plains, overrun by the Islamic State group in 2014, and the nearby Kurdish regional capital Arbil. Following his visit to Sistani, he will travel to the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is said to have been born. The Pope will hold an inter-religious prayer service there, to be attended by representatives of Iraq’s various faiths — Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Yazidi and Sabean, Sako said. – ‘A source of hope’ – Iraq once counted more than 1.5 million Christians, but the community has been ravaged by successive conflicts. Following the US-led invasion of 2003, sectarian warfare prompted followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian denominations to flee and attacks by IS in 2014 further hit all minority communities. Now, an estimated 400,000 Christians remain in Iraq, out of a total population of 40 million. Many have expressed hope that the Pope’s visit will highlight the challenges facing the community, including prolonged displacement and little representation in government. “It will be a comfort and a source of hope,” Sako said. He said Christians were suffering from the weakness of the Iraqi state, compared to other armed actors and even tribes that were threatening the presence of minorities. “It’s like the Middle Ages,” said the cardinal. Much of Iraq is no longer experiencing active conflict but a twin suicide blast a week ago killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more. The Pope condemned that attack as a “senseless act of brutality.” But overall, Iraqis have been more concerned by a severe economic downturn prompted by the collapse in world oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused thousands of deaths in the country over the past year. The spread of the virus appears to have slowed according to official numbers, and Pope Francis was recently vaccinated. Source: AFP Both Pope Francis and his predecessor, former pope Benedict XVI, have received the coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican said on Thursday. The Argentine pontiff, 84, has previously spoken of the importance of the jab in the fight against Covid-19, which has severely curtailed his own love of being among his flock. Under the Vatican’s vaccination programme launched Wednesday, “the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered to Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said. It had already been reported that Francis, 84, had received the jab on Wednesday, but officials declined to confirm the news. The Vatican News portal said Benedict, 93, was given a dose on Thursday morning. The former pontiff, who stepped down in 2013, lives in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens. In an interview broadcast at the weekend, Francis urged people to get the vaccine. “There is a suicidal denial which I cannot explain, but today we have to get vaccinated,” he told Canale 5. The Vatican in December said it was “morally acceptable” for Catholics even where the vaccines had been developed using cell lines from aborted foetuses. In his Christmas message last year, Francis also added his voice to calls for vaccines to be available across the globe, not just in rich countries. He urged “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet”. – Iraq trip in doubt – The Argentine has been forced to limit his interaction with the public since the virus first swept Italy early last year, notably switching his weekly Wednesday audiences online. Francis conceded at the weekend that his historic trip to Iraq planned for March, the first visit by a pope to the Middle Eastern country, could be in doubt. Recalling how he was forced to cancel his foreign trips last year due to the pandemic, he said: “I don’t know if the upcoming trip to Iraq will happen.” He added: “I cannot in all conscience encourage gatherings.” There are serious concerns about how Francis would cope if he himself became infected, given both his age and his history of lung problems. The pope almost died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy, according to biographer Austen Ivereigh, and had part of one of his lungs removed. He recalled the incident in a recent book, “Let Us Dream”, saying: “I have some sense of how people with coronavirus feel as they struggle to breathe on ventilators.” Media reports suggested Pope Francis received the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which was authorised for use in the European Union on December 21. Source: AFP With a ball made from rags and surging adrenaline, the young Jorge Bergoglio and his friends pulled off “miracles” playing football in the street, Pope Francis recalled on Saturday. Now 84, the Argentine pope remembered “the joy, the happiness on everyone’s faces,” after the 1946 victory of his Buenos Aires team, San Lorenzo, in a 31-page interview about sport published Saturday in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. The first pope from Latin America called Diego Maradona a “poet” on the field, as he weighed in on the joys of sport. Expounding on themes of hard work, sacrifice and camaraderie, Francis shared memories of the makeshift footballs that sufficed to exhilarate him and his boyhood friends. “Leather cost too much and we were poor, rubber wasn’t used so much yet, but for us all we needed was a ball of rags to amuse ourselves and to create miracles, almost, playing in the little square near home,” Francis said. Acknowledging he was “not among the best” of the footballers, Bergoglio played goalkeeper, which he characterised as a good school for learning how to respond to “dangers that could arrive from anywhere”. The pontiff — described by the paper as “a pope of the people in the most noble sense of the term” — touched on the need for teamwork and working towards a shared goal. “Either you play together, or you risk crashing. That’s how small groups, capable of staying united, succeed in taking down bigger teams incapable of working together,” he said. The interview, which took place in early December at the Vatican, also saw the pope condemn doping in sport and stress the need to nurture talent through hard work. “It’s not only a cheat, a shortcut that revokes dignity, but it’s also wanting to steal from God that spark which, through his mysterious ways, he gave to some in a special and greater form,” he said. Francis called the Olympics “one of the highest forms of human ecumenism”, involving “sharing effort for a better world”. – Fragile poet – He recalled meeting Argentine footballer Maradona, who died in November, during a “match for peace” in Rome in 2014. “On the field he was a poet, a great champion who brought joy to millions of people, in Argentina as well as Naples. He was also a very fragile man,” Francis said. The pontiff said that after learning of Maradona’s death, he prayed for him and sent a rosary to his family with some words of comfort. The pope, who has made inclusion of marginalised people one of the central themes of his papacy, shared his amazement and emotion at the accomplishments of the athletes who compete in the Paralympic Games, while expressing disappointment at “rich champions” turned “sluggish, almost bureaucrats of their sport.” Sport, he said, was marked by the efforts of so many of those who, “with sweat on their brows” beat those born with “talent in their pockets” “The poor thirst for redemption: give them a book, a pair of shoes, a ball and they show themselves capable of unimaginable achievements.” Source: AFP In Cameroon, thousands of Muslims are joining Christians in churches all over the country in Christmas prayers for peace in 2021. For the annual tradition this year, the Inter-Denominational Prayer for Peace group focused on Cameroon’s troubled western regions and COVID-19. Muslims in Cameroon joined together with Christians Friday to celebrate Christmas and offer an annual prayer for peace. Cheikh Oumarou Mallam is president of the Islamic Superior Council of Cameroon and a member of the Inter-Denominational Prayer for Peace group. This year, he says, they prayed for an end to COVID-19 and peace on the border with Nigeria, where security forces have been battling the Islamist militant group Boko Haram for close to 10 years. Mallam says they prayed especially for an end to the separatist conflict in Cameroon’s western regions, which has left more than 3,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. “Be loyal to your country,” Mallam said. “Compete for goodness through social work and community service to enhance people’s lives and improve the progress of the society. Let us be united building our nation. Let us be united for peace, safety, security, unity, reconciliation and prosperity.” Anglophone rebels have been fighting in the western regions since 2016 to carve out an independent state from Cameroon’s French-speaking majority. The separatists have destroyed symbols of the state, such as schools and bridges, as well as mosques and churches. Reverend Father Humphrey Tatah Mbui is director of communications at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops. He spoke by telephone from the northwestern town of Bamenda, the capital of the troubled region. “If there is any Cameroonian who has not learnt from the 4-year war{separatist crisis} that might, force, violence does not, will not, cannot and should not be able to solve the problem, then I wonder if that person will ever learn,” Mbui said. “What is going on is horrendous and therefore justice and peace should be the message that all of us should talk about. We have everything to gain in peace than in war.” Christmas songs play on the speakers at the Our Lady of Victories Metropolitan Cathedral in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. Far from the separatist conflict, the focus is on another battle – to defeat COVID-19. Cameroon instructed churches to guard against the spread of COVID-19 during Christmas day activities. To fight the spread of the virus, Cameroon’s churches are holding multiple Christmas day services. Church usher Christian Olinga says they are also limiting access to the cathedral. He says the catholic church asked him to make sure the government’s instructions are respected – no one will be granted access to the cathedral without a face mask. Olinga says worshipers and guests must sit two meters from each other and there are enough hand washing basins and sanitizers in the church. Cameroon has confirmed nearly 26,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 400 deaths since the first case in March. A surge of more than 2,000 new infections this month raised concern that holiday gatherings could see numbers increase further. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Muslims and Christians are praying for a healthy and peaceful new year. Source: VOA Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. The Italian government’s 10 pm curfew prompted pastors to move up services, with “Midnight” Mass starting Thursday evening in some churches as early as a couple hours after dark. Pope Francis, who has said people “must obey” civil authorities’ measures to fight the spread of Covid-19, fell in line. This year, the Christmas vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was moved up from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Normally, seats at the vigil Mass are quickly snapped up, by Romans and by tourists, but the pandemic has reduced tourists in Italy to a trickle. In keeping with social distancing measures, barely 200 faithful — instead of several thousand — spaced out in the basilica’s pews and wearing masks, attended Francis’ celebration of the Mass. A row of fiery red poinsettia plants warmly contrasted with the sumptuous cold marble of the basilica. Francis in his homily offered reflections on Christmas’ significance. “We often hear it said that the greatest joy in life is the birth of a child. It is something extraordinary and it changes everything,” he said. A child “makes us feel loved but can also teach us how to love.” “God was born a child in order to encourage us to care for others,” said Francis, who has made attention to the poor and unjustly treated a key theme of his papacy. Celebrations elsewhere in Europe were canceled or greatly scaled back as Covid-19 infections surge across the continent and a new variant that may be more contagious has been detected. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. In normal times, voices of children singing carols while tinkling metal triangles can be heard all day. The decades-old custom, in which children go house to house and receive small gifts, was banned this year. Groups of children managed to honor the tradition by singing to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by video link. Throughout the pandemic, one of the hardest-hit churches in New York City has been Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Church leaders say more than 60 members of the congregation — which numbered about 800 before the pandemic — have died of COVID-19, almost all of them part of the community of some 400 who attended services in Spanish. Despite their own heartbreaks, congregation members — many of them immigrants — donated coats, scarves and other winter clothes for more than 100 migrant minors at a detention center in Manhattan. While many other New York City churches have resumed in-person services, Saint Peter’s continues to offer its Masses only online. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service. In Bethlehem, officials tried to make the most out of a bad situation. “Christmas is a holiday that renews hope in the souls,” said Mayor Anton Salman. “Despite all the obstacles and challenges due to corona and due to the lack of tourism, the city of Bethlehem is still looking forward to the future with optimism.” Raw, rainy weather added to the gloomy atmosphere, as several dozen people gathered in the central Manger Square to greet Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Youth marching bands playing Christmas carols on bagpipes, accompanied by pounding drummers, led a joyous procession ahead of the patriarch’s arrival early in the afternoon. “Despite the restrictions and limitations we want to celebrate as much as possible, with family, community and joy,” said Pizzaballa, who was to lead a small Midnight Mass gathering later in the evening. “We want to offer hope.” Thousands of foreign pilgrims usually flock to Bethlehem for the celebrations. But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away. The restrictions limited attendance to residents and a small entourage of religious officials. Evening celebrations, when pilgrims normally congregate around the Christmas tree, were canceled, and Midnight Mass was limited to clergy. The coronavirus has dealt a heavy blow to Bethlehem’s tourism sector, the lifeblood of the local economy. Restaurants, hotels and gift shops have been shuttered. It was not the usual raucous Christmas eve in Mexico City. The big celebration was a ceremony where the country’s first coronavirus vaccine shots were administered. On Christmas Eve, parents usually take their kids to a downtown plaza where actors dress up as the Three Wise Men or Santa Claus and pose in front of elaborate backdrops resembling the sets of popular children’s movies. But this year, the Wise Men and Santas were banned. Mexico’s other grand tradition, Midnight Mass, was canceled in many parishes. Still, Zoé Robledo, director of Mexico’s social security system, said the start of the country’s COVID-19 vaccine program made it “an unforgettable Christmas.” Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beaches remained open, but a City Hall decree aimed at limiting gatherings prevented drivers from parking along the shore. Rain also kept beachgoers at home. Thomas Azevedo and his 9-year-old son braved the bad weather to set up a small stand, selling beer and caipirinhas made from fresh fruit. By early afternoon, he hadn’t sold a thing. “It’s not so much the rain; in previous years it was full of tourists at Christmas. This year there’s no one,” said Azevedo, 28. Australians had until recently been looking forward to a relatively Covid-19-free Christmas after travel restrictions across state borders relaxed in recent weeks in the absence of any evidence of community transmission. But after new cases were detected over the past week, states again closed their borders. While many places around the globe were keeping or increasing restrictions for Christmas, Lebanon was an exception. With its economy in tatters and parts of its capital destroyed by a massive Aug. 4 port explosion, Lebanon has lifted most virus measures ahead of the holidays, hoping to encourage spending. Tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates have arrived home for the holidays, leading to fears of an inevitable surge in cases during the festive season. Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East — about a third of its 5 million people — and traditionally celebrates Christmas with much fanfare. “People around us were tired, depressed and depleted, so we said let’s just plant a drop of joy and love,” said Sevine Ariss, one of the organizers of a Christmas fair along the seaside road where the explosion caused the most damage. Source: AP
2279	dbpedia	3	18	https://unpo.org/article/2172	en	UNPO: Southern Cameroons: Torture and Human Righs in Our Society			[ "https://unpo.org/article/img/header-logo.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/border-color.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/header-logo.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/border-color.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/donate-button.png", "https://unpo.org/article/img/footer-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en			null	Archbishop Paul Verdzekov speech on the fiftienth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Torture and Human Rights in Our Society” by Archbishop Paul Verdzekov Introduction : I am grateful to the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), Bamenda, for organizing this celebration of Human Rights Day which comes up next Thursday, 10th December. As we all know, next Thursday will be the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948. ACAT has kindly asked me to say something on this occasion about Torture and Human Rights. What I wish to say this afternoon falls under 7 main headings, viz: i. The meaning of Torture and its Incidence in our world; ii. Why some States practice or tolerate Torture iii. The Techniques of Torture iv. Prohibition of Torture v. Torture in Cameroon vi. Religion and Torture vii. Our Rejection of Torture. I shall then conclude with a few considerations about the need for education about this horrendous phenomenon and the need for action by all men and women of good will. I. TORTURE AND ITS INCIDENCE IN OUR WORLD 1. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights briefly says that “ No one shall be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Torture that is practiced by isolated individuals, for example, in the context of the home, is not considered in this paper, even though it is indisputably torture. We shall limit ourselves here to the definition that the United Nations Organization gives to torture in its Convention on this subject. “Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions”. 2. Although it can be said that the practice of torture is prohibited under international law, the fact remains that the General Assembly of the United Nations receives countless Reports every year from United Nations reporters about the widespread use of torture by States around the world. Well documented reports of the practice of torture by States and their agents have been established by such reputable and unimpeachable organizations as Amnesty International and ACAT. By 1979, Amnesty International had established that torture was currently “used against detainees by over fourteen African nations, eleven Asian nations, and four countries in the Americas, eight countries in the Middle East, three countries in Eastern Europe and the (former) Soviet Union”. 3. The African countries in which torture was discovered to be current practice in1979 included Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Namibia, Tanzania, Togo,Tunisia, and Zambia. In spite of the incontrovertible evidence about the existence of the practice of torture, none of the States that practise it ever admit what they are doing. II. WHY SOME STATES PRACTISE OR TOLERATE TORTURE 4. “Torture is often an integral part of a government’s security strategy, a component of the State’s machinery for suppressing dissent. Torture of common criminal suspects may also be a routine aspect of a government’s justice system. Torture is used to gain information, to obtain a confession, to punish, to intimidate, and to terrorize.” (Amnesty International, Handbook, Seventh Edition, 1992.p.32). Those who have thoroughly examined this issue inform us that contemporary regimes use torture for one or more of four main purposes, namely: i. extraction of information from a determined person; ii. preparation of a prisoner for a show trial; iii. putting an end to, or even reversing, the political effectiveness of the prisoner; iv. inculcation of a climate of generalized fear among certain sections of the population. 5. Some regimes, for example, the French in Algeria during the Algerian war of independence, justified the use of torture as a means of self-defence and as a means of maintaining police morale. The Wuillaume Report on the torture used by the French police in the interrogation of Algerian prisoners concluded that “to cast aspersions upon the body of public servants who have so much devotion and indeed so much heroism to his credit, would be unwise and might lead to serious consequences…… (and that) to forbid any methods of interrogation other than those which are strictly legal……. (would be to) plunge the police into a state of disorder and paralysis. ” The Report referred to the threat posed by Algerian terrorists and cautioned that the benefits of police effectiveness were sufficient justification for applying torture on prisoners. “The major function of torture today is its use by many regimes lacking popular support who desire to inculcate a climate of fear and political apathy in the general population. In the analyses of Amnesty International, to set torture as the price of dissent is to be assured that only a small minority will act. With the majority neutralized by fear, the well-equipped forces of repression can concentrate on an isolated minority.” 6. The Actors responsible for torture can be classified under three groups or categories: i. those who give orders for torture to be carried out; ii. those who directly carry out, or execute, the order to torture, and iii. those who lend their co-operation to the tortuers. With regard to those who give orders for totture to be carried out, it must be said that “the political power in place carries the primary responsibility for the torture inflicted by its police or its armed forces on the citizens. It is significant that torture is the only form of violence which the State always seeks to deny. The highest rulers in the State in seek anonymity, hide themselves behind feigned ignorance concerning the real activities of the agents of national security.” Whenever the Government or the Head of State tolerates the use of torture or of degrading and inhuman treatment, top civil servants proceed to set an autonomous machine of repression which soon acquires its own self-identity and dynamism to such an extent that a reversal of the situation becomes very difficult. Those who execute the orders to torture are generally members of the police or of the armed forces, those in charge of criminal investigation centres, political prisons and other prisons, detention centres, etc. A former French torturer in the OAS (Organization Armee Secrete) in Algeria says: “Once I put my hand to the plough of torture, I got caught in the mesh. No turning back. Why? Simply because it seemed to me that it was my duty… Once you begin to torture, you just continue, without asking yourself any more questions. You become completely blind. The only answer you give to anyone who asks you any question about what you are doing is this: it is not for me to discuss this matter. Others will answer on my behalf”. The torturer, soon considers himself an ordinary technician, carrying out orders. Those who co-operate with tortures are generally medical doctors. They are present at the interrogation under torture, of a prisoner or detainee. The doctor is there to monitor the victim’s physical stamina, to what extent the victim can sustain torture. He orders a temporary halt to the torture when there is a risk that the prisoner may succumb and die. Thus, when the victim has recovered enough energy, the interrogation under torture can continue. The doctor is there to protect the torturer/interrogator against any possible inquiries, seeing to it that the victim does not die in the torturer’s hands. In some cases, the doctor is there to make sure that, in case of death under torture, a death certificate, which camoflages and disguises the real cause of death which is immediately established. Any traumatic lessons, fractures, contusions, etc. will only be partially mentioned or described in the death certificate, and will be attributed to either a fall or to injuries which the prisoner will be said to have inflicted upon himself. The death will then be declared as either accidental, or as suicide. Only a counter-expertise carriedout by a different, independent doctor can then establish the truth. But this rarely happens. III. TECHNIQUES OF TORTURE i. Physical Abuse 7. “Submarine: The prisoner’s head is submerged continuously in a tub of filthy water, urine,excrement, and petroleum while the victim’s sexual organs are squeezed. Electric shock: Electric shocks are delivered to the sensitive portions of the victim’s body. Body extension: The victim is fastened at the knees or ankles to a bar suspended from the ceiling and beaten or subjected to shock treatment or sexually abused. Often another prisoner or the victim’s spouse is forced to witness the torture. Eventually, the victim is ‘cut down’ and experiences severe pain on imoact with the floor resulting from the fact that all the blood has drained into the victim’s arms. Water pipe: The victim is bound and secured. Then the eyes are bandaged, the nose is plugged up, a tube is thrust into the mouth, and a strong stream of water is injected into the mouth until the victim is ‘inflated’ and loses consciousness. The victim is then ‘pumped out’ and the process is again initiated. Falange: The prisoner is secured to a bench and the soles of the prisoner’s feet are beaten with sticks or pipes by five or six men. Such prolonged beating leads to a painful swelling of the feet, but, other than broken or fractured bones, no lasting overt physical impairment is likely to result. During the torture process the victim is forced to run around the bench periodically and is continuously beaten. These beatings are accompanied by the pouring of water down the victims mouth and nose, rubbing a detergent, soap, or pepper into the victim’s eyes, banging the victim’s head on the bench or floor, and beating other portions of the victim’s body. Extraction: Teeth, nails and pubic hair are torn out”. Women often face sexual dgradation of the most horrendous and unspeakable kind at the hand of their male torturers. ii. Psychological Techniques “Threats: Prisoners are threatened with maiming, death, and rape of themselves or their families. Mock executions often are conducted, and prisoners are forced to witness the torture of their fellow prisoners. Declarations: Individuals are forced to sign denunciations of their family, spouse, or Political beliefs. This induces a sense of moral compromise. Drugs: Victims are injected with harmless substances which they told are toxic. Nudity: Prisoners are forced to remain in a state of nudity in the cold, damp, often insect-infested cells; or the prisoner is forced to share the cell with a psychiatrically deranged mental patients”. “The purpose of torture”, says Jean-Paul Sartre, “is not only the erxtraction of confessions, of betrayal: the victim must disgrace himself, by his screams and his submission, like a human animal. In the eyes of everybody and in his own eyes, he who yields under torture is not only to be made to talk, but is also to be marked as sub- human”. IV. PROHIBITION OF TORTURE 8. Torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is prohibited under International Law. Reference has already been made to Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which prohibits Torture. Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adapted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 16 December 1966 says: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation”. This Covenant was entered into force on 23 March 1976. On 10 December 1984, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This Convention entered into force on 26 June 1987. The United Nations Organisation has adopted these Instruments and invited its Members States to ratify them out of a desire to make more effective the struggle against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “The term ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’ refers generally to any harsh treatment that could damage a prisoner’s physical or mental health, or any punishment meant to cause suffering…. Torture is distinguished from ‘cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment’ only by the severity inflicted by torture, and by the fact that suffering caused by torture is always deliberate.” 9. When a Member State of the United Nations ratifies, or accedes to, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, what does that mean? What does such ratification or accession imply? By ratification, or accession, such a Member State is saying that the Convention, which is a treaty document, has been formally accepted by the legislative and executive branches of its own Government. Such ratification, or accession, signifies the assurance given by the Member State concerned that its own National Laws are in full conformity with – or even exceed – the minimum standards called for in the Convention itself. 10. It is necessary to mention that the prohibition of “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” is absolute, unconditional, meaning that the prohibition admits of no exceptions. Article 2.2 of the Convention says: “ No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war or internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture”. And paragraph 3 of the same Article 2 says: “An order from a superior officer or public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture”. V. TORTURE IN CAMEROON 11. Cameroon declares in the Preamble to its Constitution of 18 January 1996 that it adheres to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 of which prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Cameroon has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 7 of which prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Cameroon has also ratified the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 12. In spite of this, Torture, including severe beatings, of both political detainees and of criminal suspects by the police and gendarmerie are routine practices in Cameroon.” The frequency of beatings of detainees, including on the soles of their feet, was acknowledged publicly at a training seminar for law enforcement officials, including police, gendarmes and prison officers, organised in July (1994) by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms, which had been inaugurated by President Biya in 1992.” 13. The Endeley Commission of Inquiry created by Order No. 262/CAB/PR of 15 May 1991, issued by the President of the Republic, and “charged with throwing of light on the events that have recently taken place in the University of Yaounde” , established beyond all reasonable doubt the use, by the armed forces , of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against University students. In this Report, the Endeley Commission noted that brutalities were indeed inflicted on the students by the armed forces. “ Some students were molested by gendarmes. Some had to suffer all sorts of humiliations such as rolling in mud or reciting stupid remarks at gun point. We recorded cases of people who were arrested out of the campus,just anywhere in town or even out of town just for having the word student marked on their cards. It was enough to have the word student on your card for you to be thrown roughly into a truck and driven away either into a police or gendarme cell . In this way many young men and women were molested and deprived of their liberty for hours, even for days. Young ladies had their decency insulted gravely by unscrupulous men in arms”. Members of the Commission had “enough evidence to show that students were beaten with truncheons and hit with gun buts resulting in wounds or swellings”. The Commission also “found that the chances of rape were very high.” 14. “In March 1994, the United Nations Human Rights Committee deplored the many cases of illegal detentions, torture, death sentences, and extra-judicial executions in Cameroon”. 15. It would be too long to narrate the countless instances which prove beyond any doubt that torture is endemic in the public life of this country. The Human Rights Reports for Cameroon which are established on a yearly basis by the State Department of the United States of America also prove that torture is not a marginal or incidental phenomenon in our country but rather an on-going plague that is very widespread. The following summary from Amnesty International’s Report entitled: “ Cameroon - Blatant Disregard for Human Rights”, and dated 16 September 1997, will close this section on Torture in Cameroon. “Fundamental human rights are persistently violated in Cameroon. In many cases, these violations occur when the law is deliberately ignored or contravened by the authorities. There is little accountability for Human Rights violations and the perpetrators generally act with impunity. Hundreds of critics and opponents of the government, in particular, members and supporters of opposition political parties, journalists, human rights activists and students, have been harassed and assaulted, arrested and imprisoned. Torture and ill-treatment by the security forces of both political detainees and common-law prisoners is routine. Some victims have died as a result of injuries inflicted while in custody. Others have been killed when the security forces used what appeared to be excessive lethal force. Conditions in Cameroon’s prisons amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and result in a high mortality rate. More than one hundred prisoners are reported to be under sentence of death; the first execution since 1988 was reported to have taken place in January 1997. Detainees are often held beyond the legal limit allowed by law before being brought before a judicial authority to be either charged or released. In other cases legislation allowing administrative detention has been used to detain critics and opponents of the government without charge or trial and without the right to challenge their detention before a court. Where the courts have ordered the release of political detainees, the administrative authorities have in some cases refused to comply with the court’s ruling. Often there are serious irregularities in judicial procedures in cases brought against government opponents. A revised Constitution which was signed into Law in January 1996 did little to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. In addition to violations of the law by government authorities, there is also widespread abuse by traditional rulers, who act with the tacit approval of the government. Traditional Rulers, in particular in the North of Cameroon, continue to detain illegally and ill-treat political opponents”. VI. RELIGIONS AND TORTURE 16. The world’s great Religions generally accept the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others what you would have others do to you’. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, Article 7 addresses the evils of torture in the following words: (a) “It is not permitted to torture the criminal, still less the suspect: ‘God will inflict punishment on those who have inflicted torture in this world. Likewise, it is not permissible to compel anyone to confess to a crime which he has not committed; and all that is elicited by compulsion is null and void: ‘ God has taken from my community sin, forgetfulness and all that they have done under compulsion”. (b) Whatever be the crime of an individual, and whatever be the punishment decreed for it in the saria, his human nature and his dignity as a son of Adam remain inviolate”. 17. For Christians, the abolition of torture is demanded by biblical faith. The Bible says that all people, men and women, are made in the image and likeness of God. This point is made clear in the Book of Genesis: “God created man in the image of Himself, in the image of God He Created them” (Genesis 1:27). In St. Mathew’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples: “ So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets” (Mt.7:12). A Christian immediately understands the implications of these words as far as the practice of torture is concerned. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the following words: “Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the one body” (Hebrews 13:3). Christians believe that “To the sons of Adam (Jesus) restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled, by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too. For by His Incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man”. This means that when I torture any person, it is Jesus Himself that I torture. 18. According to the Second Vatican Council, “Whatever is opposed to life itself such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction; whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as sub-human living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonour to the Creator”. 19. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say about torture: “In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who themselves adapted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights for the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors”. 20. What about the death penalty? Is it legitimate? Is it not a cruel, inhuman and degrading form of punishment? Should it not be entirely abolished everywhere? In fact, a good number of countries have abolished the death penalty. On this extremely difficult and delicate question, here is what the Catholic Church has to say: “There is a growing tendency, both in the Church and in civil society, to demand that it be applied in a very limited way or even that it be abolished completely. The problem must be viewed in the context of a system of penal justice ever more in line with human dignity and thus, in the end, with God’s plan for man and society. The primary purpose of the punishment which society inflicts is ‘to redress the disorder caused by the offence’. Public authority must redress the violation of personal and social rights by imposing on the offender an adequate punishment of the crime, as a condition for the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way authority also fulfills the purpose of defending public order and ensuring peoples safety, while at the same time offering the offender an incentive and help to change his or her behaviour and be rehabilitated. It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organisation of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent”. This teaching of Pope John Paul II has been inserted into the definitive version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. VII . OUR REJECTION OF TORTURE 21. In conformity with Article 2 of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to which we already referred, our rejection of torture must be total, absolute and unconditional. Unfortunately, there are Christians who, probably out of ignorance, are prepared to justify torture “in certain cases” of emergency or of grave peril. For any Christian who lives in coherence with his Faith, there are no circumstances whatsoever in which torture would be justified. It is always and everywhere totally inadmissible. “Reason attests that there are objects of the human act which are by their nature ‘incapable of being ordered’ to God, because they radically contradict the good of the person made in his image. These are the acts which, in the Church’s moral tradition, have been termed ‘intrinsically evil’: they are such always and per se, in other words, on account of their very object, and quite apart from the ulterior intentions of the one acting and the circumstances. Consequently, without in the least denying the influence on morality exercised by circumstances and especially by intentions, the Church teaches that ‘there exist acts which per se and in themselves, independently of circumstances, are always seriously wrong by reason of the object”. Concluding remarks: The International Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment holds its rightful place among the Instruments by which the United Nations seeks to achieve an effective protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms. Certain rights are natural rights. If, as Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights solemnly proclaims “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”, it follows that human rights existed long before the formation of the state. In other words, the State is not required to grant any "recognition" of these rights because they must necessarily derive from the dignity that is inherent in every human being who is independent of State structures. 23. It is absolutely essential that we hold firmly and uncompromisingly to the following two assertions: First, Human Rights are indivisible. This means that it is not possible to invoke one right as an excuse for the violation of another right. The human person consists of body and soul. These rights concern people who necessarily belong to a community, since man is social by nature. Secondly, Human Rights are universal, which stems from the fact that all human beings share the same human nature, and that is why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights exists. “It is a matter for serious concern that some people today deny the universality of human rights, just as they deny that there is a human nature shared by everyone”. Need for Education 24. In order that human rights may be effectively protected and promoted, and in order that every citizen may be able to enjoy these rights without let or hindrance, all of us need to be educated about them. Everyone of us needs to become personally aware about the gravity and seriousness of this whole issue, about what is at stake, so as to keep alive our firm convictions concerning the values that we need to defend without compromise, to uphold, to promote, and to foster. We have a duty to get ourselves informed about what is happening around us, in our own country, and in the world. By thus getting ourselves informed, we will be in a position to lend our support to human rights activists in our country, to make our own contribution towards the triumph of justice, to express our solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses and with their families, and to support those national and international humanitarian organisations which are struggling in order that the rule of law may be upheld everywhere. We need to be educated, too, about how to seek redress when human rights are violated, either in our country or abroad. 25. This education also concerns the law enforcement agents of the State. It is indispensable. Article 10 of the International Convention against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment says: 1. “Each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment”. 2. “Each State Party shall include this prohibition in the rules or instructions issued in regard to the duties and functions of any such person”. 26. Lack of education on human rights on the part of some members of law enforcement personnel can result in some rather bizzare situations. On 7 May 1992, Dr. Solomon Nfor Gwei, President of the National Human Rights Commission created by Decree No. 90/1459 of 8 November 1990, paid an official visit to a commissariat at the Gendamerie Legion, in Yaounde, duly accompanied by the State Officer of Prosecutions as provided by the Decree, with the intention of visiting the detention cells at the Commissariat. The gendarmes on duty categorically refused to allow Dr. Nfor Gwei, and the State Prosecutions Officer accompanying him, access to the cells to exercise their duties and prerogatives as laid down in the Presidential Decree. The gendarmes did not stop there. As Dr. Nfor Gwei and the State Prosecutions Officer were about to leave the Commissariat, they were instead sequestrated by the gendarmes, i.e., held under detention. They were only later released on the intervention of a higher officer, who, before releasing the hapless detainees, confiscated the material equipment which they had brought along for work. This incident was duly reported to the Fourth Plenary Assembly of the National Human Rights Commission held at Yaounde on 2*3 June 1992. A similar incident again took place at Yaounde in the course of 1994 : “when a lawyer From the Public Prosecutions Office visited a Police Station in Yaounde in October 1994 to inspect detainees; he was himself held for five hours, stripped and beaten. Six police officers were subsequently arrested”. Incidents such as these, and the fact that law enforcement personnel can, for most of the time, commit such illegal acts with impunity, illustrates how much all of us, including the law enforcement personnel, stand in need of education. The fact also that sentences passed by the Courts against law enforcement officers who violate the human rights of citizens are brazenly and blatantly ignored, with impunity, shows how much we all need to be educated about human rights and freedoms. Need for Action 27. It is very important for all of us to join the struggle for the abolition of torture. For that we need to employ the strategy: SEE, JUDGE, and ACT. ACAT has taken the lead. It deserves to be supported and encouraged with enthusiasm by everyone of us. We should not allow torture to become even more endemic than it is already. It should be totally eliminated. Torture dehumanizes both the victim as well as the torturer. It dehumanizes the torturer even more than his victim. It is our duty to assist all the law enforcement personnel in every way in order that they may, all of them, without exception, reject torture. As Article 2, paragraph 3, of the Convention against torture says: “An order from a Superior Officer or a Public Authority may not be invoked as justification for torture”. 28. The consciences of Christians and of Christian Communities need to be awakened and sensitized so that we may all face the reality of torture and join in the struggle for its total elimination. Victims and torturers alike need liberation. For this struggle, one of the principal and efficacious arms which Christians must use is prayer, followed by: - acts of solidarity with the victims of torture and their families - legal action - denunciation - pressure on the State Institution. 29. On 26 April 1994, Amnesty International addressed a letter to all the Bishops who were in Rome for the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, appealing to them to engage the Church resolutely in the struggle for Human Rights in Africa. The issue of Justice and Peace as well as of Human Rights received by far the greatest number of interventions in the Synod hall. And that is reflected in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa. Amnesty International deserves our firm and committed support. May the courageous and exemplary action of Amnesty International, of ACAT – Bamenda, ACAT – Cameroon, and of other humanitarian organisations be abundantly blessed by Almighty God. May it succeed in eliminating torture from this country. May these Organisations go from strength to strength in their noble mission of protecting and promoting Human Rights and Freedoms in Cameroon, in Africa, and in the world.
2279	dbpedia	1	2	https://www.facebook.com/radioevangeliumkumbo/posts/paul-verdzekov-on-the-road-to-sainthoodthe-cathedral-in-mankon-was-jammed-on-thu/1512284918934572/	en	Facebook			[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yT/r/aGT3gskzWBf.ico		null
2279	dbpedia	2	54	https://pubpdf.net/document/zwvw38eg-african-social-question-challenge-african-church-synods-africa.html	en	View of The African social question: A challenge to the African church in light of the two synods on Africa	https://thumb-ap.123doks….1581/cover.webp	https://thumb-ap.123doks….1581/cover.webp	[ "https://cdn-ap1.123doks.com/logos/pubpdf.svg?t=20240716151155" ]	[]	[]	[ "download documents" ]	null	[]	null	Long before the convocation of the two synods on Africa, Pope Paul VI, in his homily on 31 July 1969 at the closing Mass for the First Plenary Assembly of SECAM (Symposium..	en	https://pubpdf.net/favicons/0.svg		https://pubpdf.net/document/zwvw38eg-african-social-question-challenge-african-church-synods-africa.html	(1) Published by the UFS http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at © Creative Commons With Attribution (CC-BY) Fellow, Department Historical and Constructive Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of the Free State. E-mail: [email protected] ORCID: http://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-1996-8527 DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.18820/23099089/actat. v41i2.3 ISSN: 1015-8758 (Print) ISSN: 2309-9089 (Online) Acta Theologica 2021 41(2):23-42 Date received: 1 September 2020 Date accepted: 6 September 2021 Date published: 15 December 2021 question: A challenge to the African church 1 in light of the two synods on Africa ABSTRACT The First Synod of Catholic Bishops on Africa took place in April 1994 in the wake of the Rwandan genocide. That horrendous fratricide has left a dark spot in the history of Catholicism in Africa where “the blood of tribalism is thicker than the water of baptism”. The Second Synod on Africa, held in October 2009, had as its theme: “The Church in Africa in service to reconciliation, justice and peace”. Pope Benedict XVI issued a post-synodal exhortation, entitled Africae Munus. In one article, the pope writes: “Reconciliation is a way of life and mission of the Church” (Africae Munus no. 34). This article is set against that background to examine the mission and the role which the Catholic Church can play in Africa with regard to the African social question that encompasses all other perennial issues on the continent. Those other issues include ethnicity, religious and cultural hatred, as well as incessant conflicts that lead to the loss of lives and retardation in development. 1. INTRODUCTION Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), in convoking the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), had intended the Council, among other reasons, 1 In this instance, African Church means the Catholic Church in Africa. The same Church in Africa is referred to as the Local Church in relation to the Universal Catholic Church. (2) to take up in this new age the ancient problems of the relations of Church and State and provide appropriate guidance, so as to promote peace and prosperity in the national life everywhere (Hanson 1987:34). All the churches that now collectively constitute the Catholic Church in Africa, to say the least, were at the planting stage when Pius IX convoked that Council in the second half of the 19th century. Quite curiously, those “ancient problems” were considered anew at the first and second synods on Africa in 1994 and 2009, respectively. As times and contexts do change, the synod fathers examined these not through the purview of Europe of the 19th century, but in light of the realities and exigencies of the African continent of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. For instance, the lineamenta document, in preparation for the first synod, posed the following question: Describe the vital link between the Church’s mission of evangelisation and action on behalf of human promotion, justice and peace. What programmes of formation exist in this regard, particularly towards the lay Faithful’s active participation in civil life and politics (Synodus Episcoporum 1990:no. 63). Africa is a diverse and complex continent with geographical and cultural differences as well as different stages of political and economic development. Similarly, the Catholic Church on the continent reflects, in so many ways, the diversities and complexities of the continent both in its responsibility towards the social question and the apparent lack of commitment in some instances. The African Church is a small part of a bigger Catholic Church. By its long diplomatic tradition on the world stage, the Church does not engage in diplomatic negotiations on the basis of purely political interests. It rather does so primarily on the basis of its desire to secure a domain in the public space for its mission of evangelisation. Any research on the interventions of the Catholic Church in Africa must be done through that purview, although those interventions may be variegated and multiform, and certainly vary from country to country on account of different histories and stages of development. Despite the variegations of interventions based on local realities and the issues in question, certain similarities can still be deciphered through the collective identity of the local church and through the instrumentality of the social teachings of the Church. Some similarities can also be discerned through a number of common features, themes and experiences that are embedded in the African reality and equally define the same reality across the board within the sub-Saharan regions of the continent. Long before the convocation of the two synods on Africa, Pope Paul VI, in his homily on 31 July 1969 at the closing Mass for the First Plenary Assembly of SECAM (Symposium (3) of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) in Kampala, noted perceptively that the African Church was “confronted with an immense and original undertaking” with regard to the transformation and development of the continent. Hence, in view of that undertaking, the pontiff charged the African bishops, as leaders of their local churches, to provide credible leadership in order to “help Africa towards development, towards concord, towards peace” (cited in Sangu 1974:37). While not pretending to cover the length and breadth of Africa, this article will endeavour to examine the place of the Catholic Church in the project of nation-building in sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, it will seek to insert the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church on the continent through the prisms of the two synods on Africa. This will be done with a special focus on the areas of social activism in relation to the African social question. Finally, the article will attempt to anchor any possible role of the Church, in relation to the social question, on African Christian humanism and consider some possible challenges. 2. THE AFRICAN SOCIAL QUESTION The great African theologian, Jean-Marc Éla, once recalled in one of his writings the question posed to him by a woman in Yaoundé. The context of that encounter between Éla and the woman was the devaluation of the CFA francs that took place on 12 January 1994. The devaluation was imposed by France and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on francophone countries in Africa that use the CFA as their legal tender. In view of the economic hardships that ensued after the devaluation, the woman in question asked Éla: “You want to go to Rome? What did the Pope say when they devalued the CFA franc?” And in his response, Éla (1996:133) said to the woman, “Ask him”. The woman expected that the pope should have said something about the economic plights of his flock in Africa. Or, perhaps, the bishops of those countries ought to have sent a message to that effect, in order to acknowledge the pains caused by that monetary policy, subscribed to by their respective governments. Given the overall hardships that Africans endured between the late 1980s and the 1990s on account of the structural adjustment programmes imposed on many African economies by the IMF and the World Bank, the same Éla (1996:133) interpreted the acronyms of IMF to mean: IMPERIALISM, MISERY and FAMINE. The social question in Africa is vast and all-encompassing. It includes various realities that affect Africans in their daily lives from politics to economics, culture and religion, as well as issues that border on conflicts and ethnicity, justice and peace. In simple terms, the social question refers (4) to the totality of the well-being and development of the African person in his/ her natural habitat, which is the African ambience, especially in the sub- Saharan part of the continent. In that regard, there is no shortage of literature to depict how Africans and their history of civilisation have been enslaved by almost every foreign culture from outside the continent. As a result, it is argued that Africans have continuously borne the brunt of enslavement with devastating consequences such as the shunning of their material, artistic and spiritual resources, as well as their environment so that the source of their creativity, awareness and dignity have become wounded and, to some degree, even paralysed! Such was the view expressed at the Abidjan Colloquium on “Black Civilization and the Catholic Church” that took place from 12 to 17 September 1977. It was organised by the Society of African Culture (Présence Africaine 1977:6). In its complexity, the African reality encapsulated in the continental social question is much more nuanced than as it was depicted by participants at the Abidjan Colloquium. There was no better person than Kofi Annan, the late Ghanaian international statesman and former Secretary General of the United Nations, who was able to unpack the intricate and constitutive phenomenon called “the African social question”. The key to that unlocking is found in Annan’s 1998 special report to the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, entitled “The causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”. In the analysis of Annan, the social question in relation to the reality of African recent past, was one marked by the absence of favourable conditions for peace and sustainable development through the failure of African leaders to avert colossal human tragedies, which, in turn, impeded any meaningful promotion of human security on the continent (Annan 1998:3). Annan did not limit his analysis to the social question in Africa alone. He went beyond it and connected the well-being and security of Africans to those of the world at large. Annan argued that the prevention of conflicts in Africa and the promotion of the human development of Africans were indissolubly connected with the defence of humanity itself. In that context, he provided the statistics to indicate that over 30 wars were fought in Africa between 1970 and 1998. Equally distressing was the fact that, as at 1996, 14 out of the 54 countries in Africa were at war. The offshoots of those wars were casualties that accounted for over half of all war-related deaths worldwide. There is no gain in saying the obvious. Such tragedies seriously undermined any significant efforts for long-term stability, prosperity, and peace, all of which are important and constitutive elements of the African social question. Inherent in the social question are also concerns about the accountability of leaders, transparency, checks and balances, adherence to the rule of law, peaceful (5) means of leadership change or replacement and, most importantly, respect for the human rights of Africans (Annan 1998:3-4). The absence of all those, on a large scale across the continent, sadly constitutes the bane of Africa’s inability to adequately address the social question. Pope Benedict XVI (2008) wisely articulated this phenomenon in his address to the United Nations on 18 April 2008: The promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups and for increasing security. Indeed, the victims of hardship and despair, whose human dignity is violated with impunity, become easy prey to the call to violence, and they can become violators of peace. 3. THE CHURCH AND THE AFRICAN SOCIAL QUESTION It is very reassuring to read in the final message of the Fathers of the second synod on Africa who admitted, with unusual frankness, that, although the continent is richly endowed, regrettably, Africa remains buckled under the strains of “poverty, misery, wars and conflicts, crisis and chaos” (Catholic Bishops of Africa 2009: Final message no 5). The causes of such endemic poverty and misery were blamed on the leaders of Africa with the collusion of some external forces and interests. The sincerity of their admission extended to the realisation that African problems and hardships are very rarely caused by natural disasters. They are largely due to human decisions and activities by people who have no regard for the common good and this often through a tragic complicity and criminal conspiracy of local leaders and foreign interests (Catholic Bishops of Africa 2009: Final Message no. 5). The late eminent Nigerian political scientist, Claude Ake, would have been very pleased with the bishops, were he alive in 2009. It was his basic contention that development had always eluded Africa not so much for the lack or paucity of ideas, but simply because development was never really on the agenda in the first place [on the ground that] political conditions in Africa are the greatest impediment to development (Ake 1996:1). Difficult as it may be to acknowledge, the truth remains, “as long as politics is seen as the path to wealth, then Africa is on a downward path” (Whelan & Thomas 2005:3). This state of affairs is prolonged through the rat-race style of politics that is rife in many parts of Africa, where the constant struggle to hold (6) on to power at all costs absorbs everything. In the process, development is marginalised, and the problems of the social question are left unattended. On that basis, Ake concluded that development in Africa has remained vague or a hollow ideology. It is only used as a mantra by African politicians to maintain a grip on power for the domination of the populace and for the interest of a small political elite (Ake 1996:7-8). This helps explain why attempts at devolution of power from highly centralised and personalised forms of government are very often resisted. Such devolution of power might have helped address the persistent problem of imbalance and possibly instil institutional mechanisms to guarantee transparency and accountability (Mudida 2009:126). As has been the experience of many countries on the continent, the near-absence of effective institutional mechanisms has made it possible for the politics of “winner-takes-all” to flourish alongside corruption that “has critically hobbled and skewed Africa’s development” (Annan 1998:15). The painful collective experience since the dawn of independence on the continent has taught Africans one bitter lesson. And it is this: Where there are no genuine democratic institutions to restrain the excesses of the big man, fixed terms of office are not respected, or they are simply ignored at best, while other contending interests with no veritable avenues for seeking redress, in most cases, take up arms to settle their differences (Annan 1998:4). The Church in Africa is inescapably included in the African social question. This is underpinned by the obvious truth that the Church does exist in history and within the concrete realities of its faithful. It does mean that the local Church that is found in Africa is, by extension, a “Church of the poor”, because Africa remains a poor continent on many fronts. There are many projections and estimates that portray Africa as a young continent whose youthful populations, regrettably, are hampered by limited opportunities. To buttress this point, the 2012 report on African Economic Outlook, prepared for the African Development Bank (ADB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), puts the population of African young people, aged between 15 years and 24 years, to be roughly 200 million. Sadly and unfortunately, the same young people in that age bracket currently account for approximately 60 per cent of unemployment in Africa (cited in Ighobor 2013). There are already demographic pressures and issues of mass migration of young people particularly from western, eastern, and central parts of Africa. They dare the devil in making dangerous and tortuous journeys through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea en route to Europe for better opportunities. There is also another prediction to indicate that the overall African population may more than double by 2050 to roughly 2.4 billion people (Brooks 2017:188). Logically, this should put pressure on all African stakeholders to (7) accelerate development, in order to march the projected population increase. As Brooks candidly points out in his research on the over-orchestrated rise in African GDP, the continent’s prevalent annual average GDP growth of $1,570 is abysmally insufficient to keep pace with the growing African population. Although Africa may be classified as the tenth economy in the world, however, in the estimation of Brooks (2017:188), [i]f Africa’s GDP were to continue to grow at around a net 1.5 per cent per year it would take 125 years to reach the world’s 2015 average income. Practically, this means that Africans may wait till the year 2255 to reach parity with the current annual average income in the United States of America (Brooks 2017:188). Unsurprisingly, the present circumstantial realities in Africa impact negatively on the local Church in Africa and equally impede her own potentials, because the Church is not a disinterested spectator, but a concerned stakeholder in the African social question. It is in this sense that the words of Pope Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia, in reference to the second synod and its theme, has many implications for the local church and her leaders (Benedict XVI 2009: n.p.): The task of Bishops was to transform theology into pastoral care, namely into a very concrete pastoral ministry in which the great perspectives found in sacred Scripture and Tradition find application in the activity of Bishops and priests in specific times and places. … In fact, the very practical question that Pastors constantly have to face is precisely this: how can we be realistic and practical without claiming a political competence that does not belong to us? … The theme of the Synod designated three great words which are basic to theological and social responsibility: reconciliation, justice, peace. Every society needs acts of reconciliation in order to enjoy peace. These acts are a prerequisite of a good political order, but they cannot be achieved by politics alone. 4. TWO COMPLEMENTARY SYNODS It is generally believed that the Catholic Church in Africa came of age in the post-Vatican II period, that is from 1965 to the convocation of the First African Synod in 1994. In fact, as once explained by Cardinal Francis Arinze, with the exception of Angola and the then Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), the vast majority of African countries south of the Sahara had not yet celebrated their centenary of evangelisation when Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit Africa in 1969 (Arinze 2015:30). The second half of the 20th century belonged to Africa in terms of massive conversion to Christianity and (8) the preponderance in the number of African indigenous clergy and religious. Seventeen years after Paul VI’s visit to Uganda, it became possible to speak of an “Africanised hierarchy” of the Church in Africa because, as at 31 December 1986, of the 481 bishops in Africa at the time, 348 bishops were Africans. By 2001, the number of native bishops stood at 474 in comparison to 142 bishops of non-African origin (Ngulu 2015:26-27). In the same spectrum, it is pertinent to recall that the structures of the 1974 synod of bishops in Rome raised the status of the African Church in relation to other churches in the world. Cardinal Paul Zoungrana of Ouagadougou was one of the papal delegates who presided at that synod and Bishop James D. Sangu of Mbeya was one of the synod’s relatores (Onaiyekan2015:106). Of equal significance is the projection that a quarter of the world’s Catholics will come from Africa by the year 2030 (Ngulu 2015:29). In this regard is the importance of the recent data released on 25 March 2020 by the Pontifical Office of Ecclesial Statistics. The data, for the period of five years from 2013 to 2018 as covered by the report, indicated that the total number of Catholics worldwide hovered at approximately over 1.3 billion. Of this number, a substantial increase took place in the Oceania and Africa. In particular, the number of African Catholics was put at 19.4 per cent of the total population of Africa. And while the number of priests on a global average appeared stagnant, Africa offered hope in that direction with an increase of 14.3 per cent in the number of new priests on the continent. It also offered hope to the universal Church with 15.6 per cent in the number of its seminarians in preparation for the priesthood. The increase in the number of African priests was acknowledged thus in the 2020 Vatican Yearbook: Africa, with a positive variation of 15.6%, confirms that it is the geographical area with the greatest potential to cover the needs of pastoral services (cited in Esteves 2020). In light of the foregoing, it becomes possible to locate the rudder to navigate through the contours around the coming of age of the Church in Africa, and within which the two synods must also be inserted. As would be expected, the historical backgrounds of the two synods on Africa have received extensive research (Onwubiko 1994; Mveng 1996:20-31; Turkson 2010).2 All that is possible, in this instance, is a brief sketch. The idea of “an African synod” of some sort predated even the Second Vatican Council, going as far back as 1957. The African Synod held in Rome from 10 April to 8 May 1994 was rather the climax of a very long process. It was the fruit of various efforts and attempts to fashion out an “African Christianity”. For the purpose of emphasis, suffice 2 Hekima Review devoted an edition on the second synod. See Hekima Review 41 (December 2009). (9) it to note that the participants at the Abidjan Colloquium in 1977 categorically insisted that the “time of holding a genuine Council of the African Catholic Church in Africa has now become indispensable” (Présence Africaine 1977:6). The idea was cast against the background of the realisation that Africa was not adequately represented at Vatican II. This is not surprising, since many of the pioneer African bishops at the time were either young or served as auxiliary bishops, a position that did not add much to their profiles. Hence, the idea was floated that an “African synod” was of paramount importance, in order to deal with issues that were of interest and concern to Africa, the nascent local church and its people. Its theme of evangelisation was considered under five broad headings: proclamation; inculturation; dialogue; justice and peace, and social communication (Onaiyekan2015:107). If the idea and initiative for the first synod came from below, conversely, the initiative for the second synod came from above. Pope John Paul II, in an audience granted on 13 November 2004 to a group of bishops who represented SECAM and the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (abbreviated with its Latin initials CCEE), announced his intention to convoke a second synod on Africa. That announcement was historical, because it was made on the 1650th anniversary of the birth of St Augustine of Hippo (Turkson 2010). It was judged necessary and opportune to build on the experiences of the bishops that were garnered at the first synod. And, more importantly, those experiences were to be examined through the lens of the reality that many bishops on the continent had had to deal with the hazards of wars and conflicts that included the challenges of refugees, fratricide, painstaking negotiations for peace, and conflict resolutions. The experiences of the bishops and their individual testimonies were to be inserted in the overall optic of other continental challenges and issues relating to justice, reconciliation and good governance, since many were of the opinion that democracy and good governance had eluded Africa from 1994, when the bishops first met in Rome (Onaiyekan2015:108). The second synod was definitively convoked by Pope Benedict XVI on 22 June 2005 and took place in Rome from 4 to 25 October 2009. Both synods took place during the period that is now recognised as the fourth and fifth phases of the Church in Africa and the history of Catholic evangelisation on the continent. Apart from the challenges of rooting the local churches in their local environments, one uphill task for the Church in Africa is how to help the different component Christian communities be visible witnesses of communion, fraternity, solidarity, and peace (Oborji 2013:19-20). The Rwandan experience remains a stark reminder that, while churches may be full on Sundays and on other days of solemnity, the human heart needs a constant conversion. Pope John II was absolutely right to single out “human (10) hearts”, wounded as they are, to be “the ultimate hiding places” for everything that destabilises human harmony and equilibrium (Reconciliatio et Paenitentia no. 2). The UN’s 2020 Happiness Index seems to confirm the assertion of the saintly pope. It listed Rwanda alongside South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and the Central Africa Republic (CAR) to top the list of the unhappiest countries in the world. This is not surprising at all, because some of the measuring criteria were somewhat similar to those considered in this article as the constitutive elements of the African social question: less corruption, a sense of belonging, trust of fellow citizens, and faith in civil institutions (Helliwell et al. 2020). In the case of Rwanda, with Paul Kagame as the bully dictator, who has been president since the end of the Rwandan civil war, it is hard to imagine how Rwandans can possibly be happy where any dissenting voice is mercilessly crushed with impunity. It is also interesting to note that, with the exception of South Sudan, the other listed countries are places with significant percentages of Catholics among the population. As two synods in mutual complementarity that have marked the recent history of the Catholic Church in Africa, the first synod offered the local church an opportunity for auto-definition and auto-awareness of its mission of evangelisation on the continent. Similarly, the second synod provided avenues and means for auto-critical examination so as to fashion out concrete terms, scopes and strategies to effectively carry out the evangelising mission (Oborji 2013:19-21). This explains the Church’s preoccupations with and concerns about reconciliation and the promotion of peace in contemporary Africa. According to Oborji, if the first synod was more about inculturation, the second synod essentially concerned itself with social issues of justice and peace. Collectively, both synods give an insight into the prospects and challenges for the African Church in contemporary African societies. The challenges basically have to do with strengthening and deepening a harmonious and peaceful coexistence among the different tribes and ethnic groups that fecundate Africa. Those diverse tribes and ethnic groups equally form parts of the local churches and the whole of sub-Saharan Africa (Oborji 2013:19-21). 5. AFRICAN CHRISTIAN HUMANISM In conciliar history, a synod or council is understood as a process, because, like a seed, it is planted, it germinates and finally, it bears fruit(s). Technically, as explicated by Ankinwale (2008:32), the conciliar process and its reception involve three stages, namely “retrieval of the synodal teaching, its interpretation, and its application by way of implementation of its decisions”. In addition to the Propositions made by the synodal fathers, the final document of the first synod is Ecclesia in Africa, signed by John Paul II in Cameroon on 14 September 1995, whereas Africae Munus, the final document of the second (11) synod, was signed by Benedict XVI in Benin Republic on 19 November 2011. How each local church retrieves, interprets, and implements the two synods varies from country to country and even from diocese to diocese. And so does the role that the Church is expected to play in any given society. The basic point of departure should ideally be the understanding that the well-being of the individual ought to be the object and concern of any law, understood in classical scholastic tradition as the product of reason. In the African context, the centrality of the African person, as found in the synod documents, is the interpretative key to both synods and may be called “African Christian humanism” (Ankinwale2008). For that reason, it becomes imperative for the Church in Africa to go beyond the rhetoric of “inculturation”, in order to launch deep into the real phase of the mission of liberation in which the Gospel may enliven the concrete lives of both African men and women. As explained by Kaggwa (2005:193), this entails liberation from political, social, and economic oppressions to which Africans are everywhere subjected on the continent. However, as cautioned by Cardinal Peter Turkson, the two synods risk being misinterpreted if their overall themes are not understood as being primarily theological and pastoral in orientation. Although they have political implications, they must never be misconstrued as political manifestoes (Turkson 2010). Nonetheless, as described by Paul VI in his motu proprio, Apostolica Sollicitudo of 15 September 1965, every synod is a kind of “laboratory of communion” (emphasis by Onaiyekan 2015:105). It is never a communion in the abstract sense. On the contrary, it is a real and historical communion. That historicity helps explain the presences of some unseen or not very visible guests and events in Ecclesia in Africa and Africae Munus. Those unseen guests, in turn, shed light on those two documents and their relevance to the wider African reality and to the African social question as well as their challenges. The first of those unseen guests is that the synod of 1994 was held four years after the release from prison of Nelson Mandela, who became, as it were, the new face of Africa in the 1990s. Another invisible guest was the dreadful Rwandan genocide. It was there to shame everyone, because, as has been estimated, the greatest number of killings between 6 April and the end of July 1994 took place in Rwanda’s churches or on church premises, as people who sought refuge in those places were murdered in cold blood. Until 1994, Rwanda was considered a success story from the point of view of Christian evangelisation. Of the population, roughly 62 per cent were Catholics, 18 per cent were Protestants, and 8.6 per cent were Seventh Day Adventists. The entire population was judged Christian at 90 per cent (Safari 2010:874-5). What the psychoanalyst Nicolas Abraham wrote about trauma in family history (12) can be safely applied to the Rwandan case: “What haunts are not the dead, but the gaps left within us by the secrets of others” (cited in Sands 2016:xxv). Another invisible guest at the table of the first synod was the shadow of the Cold War that was just ending in the early 1990s and brought about a unipolar world. The immediate effect of its demise in Africa was that undemocratic and oppressive regimes, previously supported and financed by the Western powers, were suddenly left to fend for themselves when confronted by unrests and conflicts. Similarly, the 1992 epochal pastoral letter by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malawi acted as a catalyst for the spiral of unrests and events that ended the life-term presidency of Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1994. In its extreme simplicity, that pastoral letter was articulated and written with the plights of the common people in mind. It was delivered as a “hidden script” that represented a critique of Banda and the ruling elite. The “hidden script” was spoken behind the back of the oppressors of Malawians. To the chagrin of Banda’s oppressive government, as one of the bishops once said: “I did not write the letter, it was written a long time ago on the hearts of our people” (Mijoga 1996-1997:57). The bishops only articulated and gave voice to what everybody already knew but which no one dared to voice out (Mijoga 1996-1997:60). Instructively, the bishops’ springboard for their pastoral was a quotation from Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi (no. 34): Hence, when preaching liberation and associating herself with those who are working and suffering for it, the Church is certainly not willing to restrict her mission only to the religious field and dissociate herself from man’s temporal problems (Catholic Bishops of Malawi 1992:2). The second synod was held a year after the start (in 2008) of the last global economic recession which lasted almost a decade. However, prior to that economic meltdown, the early 2000s seemed to have heralded the arrival of the much-awaited dawn for Africa with a high sense of optimism about NEPAD with its African Peer Review Mechanism, “Roll Back Malaria” and “Silencing the Guns in Africa”. The continent was aglow with optimism that was almost reminiscent of the optimism of the 1960s and 1970s. All the right rhetoric was made and heard from every corner on the continent, as some African dictators ingenuously stirred their one-party states towards hybrid states characterised by a veneer of multiparty elections that never delivered any substantial change. Amid the euphoria of the supposedly new “dawn” of Africa, the ever realistic and well-measured Kofi Annan cautioned African leaders never to mistake wishes or hopes for reality. At the launching of the African Union in Durban, South Africa, on 9 July 2002, Annan (cited in Meredith 2006:681) warned “Let us not mistake hope for achievement.” Equally important to note, the synod of 2009 was held at the heels of the famous South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission that caught the (13) attention of the world. It also took place on the eve of the first World Cup tournament to take place on the soil of Africa. For a brief moment, all the nice things were said about the continent from where only bad news had emerged. Suddenly, “Africa rising” became the new song on every lip. It seems that, with a stroke of chance, the synodal fathers in Rome appeared to have led the way when they ended their synodal message to the people of Africa with these words: “Africa, rise up, take up your pallet, and walk! [John 5:8]” (Catholic Bishops of Africa 2009: Final Message no. 43). 6. SOME CHALLENGES Undeniably, like people elsewhere around the globe, Africans have the right to dream and to aspire. They are assuredly permitted to be ambitious. Nevertheless, one of the major challenges in Africa is to turn rhetoric into action. Martey (cited in Kaggwa 2005:193) rightly affirmed that “[s]ubstituting a tyranny and atrocity of the indigenous ruler for those of the foreigner is not attaining freedom”. For the Church as an agent of evangelisation, it remains an incontrovertible fact that any project of evangelisation that is worth its salt requires constant conversion and renewal. Its ultimate goal must be the transformation of humanity and the whole person from within (Evangelii Nuntiandi 18). What is at stake in Africa, from the perspective of an African Christian Humanism, is to work for the African person within his/ her sociocultural, political, economic and religious contexts. Put differently, the challenge is about respecting the African man and woman, to work for the promotion of their human dignity in line with the vision of Populorum Progressio (1967), where the human person is understood as not being fulfilled by material prosperity alone, even though material poverty disfigures the human person and infringes upon his/her dignity as IMAGO DEI. The Malawian bishops underscored that much by acknowledging that each person carries within him-/herself the breath of divine life and, therefore, enjoys the personal protection of God. On that basis, it is possible to work for the redemption and liberation of the human person from all that shackles his/her body and spirit: poverty, oppressive situations, hunger, ignorance, disease, blindness, despair, a climate of paralysing fear, and harassment (Catholic Bishops of Malawi 1992:1, 8). Another challenge for the African Church in the mission of social transformation of the continent is to overcome the enemy within her own circles, that is, internal ecclesial divisions. Many critics of the Church are quick to point out that the unresolved ethno-regional cleavages among the bishops weaken their credibility, and as such, prevent them from taking a united stand on socio-political and economic issues in their respective countries. In fact, they hold the view that ethno-regional differences among church leaders, and (14) their occasional open conflicts, are truly a “shadow theatre” that reflects the larger division in their countries (Konings 2007:47). Perhaps, it could also be that their division reflects what Krierk-Mich (2003:192) describes as “tension of perspective” in Catholic social thought, which borders on the notion of justice. There are two notions of justice in the social teaching of the Church, namely natural justice and biblical justice. This tension exists in two camps. While the biblical notion of justice is prophetic and tends to be more radical in its declaration, the natural notion of justice is more philosophical, nuanced, and diplomatic (Krierk-Mich 2003:193). In his article on Church-State relations in Cameroon, Konings uses the divisions among the Cameroonian Catholic bishops as an example. These divisions reflect the same fault lines in the Cameroonian society, where the vast majority of francophone regions tend to believe that it is their right to dominate the minority anglophone regions. He recalls the celebrated case of Bishop Albert Ndongmo who, alone among the bishops, opposed the authoritarian regime of Ahmadou Ahidjo. For his activism in defence of fundamental human liberties particularly of those from anglophone regions, he was arrested on orchestrated charges of plotting to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to death by firing squad, but was later released after diplomatic negotiations by the Vatican. The socio-political activism of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (former archbishop of Bemenda) and Cardinal Christian Tumi (former archbishop of Douala) was particularly vexing to Archbishop Jean Zoa of Yaoundé and other francophone bishops, especially those from the Beti region, which is the home region of President Paul Biya (Konings 2007:51-54). During the Mobutu Sese Seko years, similar divisions, which the dictator exploited to his own advantage, were also operational among the bishops in Zaire. About the negative impacts of those divisions within the Zairian Catholic Church, Boyle (1992) is emphatic that the ethnic, personal, and ecclesiastical divisions among the bishops undermined the Church’s capacity to take a united prophetic stance against the burly dictator Mobutu and ultimately played into his hands. Consequently, from the mid-1970s and through much of the 1980s, the Mobutu regime effectively fractured any possibility of the Catholic hierarchy in Zaire to serve as a credible, unified voice of opposition to that government’s corruption and excesses (Boyle 1992:61). There were also the unedifying cases of division and tension with ethnic undercurrents among Tutsi and Hutu ecclesiastics in Rwanda. Those internal divisions were never extinguished until they assumed lives of their own, especially from 1980 when the ability of the Church to hold the government accountable became too compromised because of the close ties of Bishops Joseph Ruzindana of Byumba and Vincent Nsengiyumva of Kigali with the Hutu ruling elite. Bishop Nsengiyumva doubled as a close friend of President (15) Juvenal Habyarimana and chairman of the ruling party’s Social Affairs Committee from 1975 to 1989. He only bowed to pressures from the Vatican and relinquished that position (Safari 2010:881). On the opposite side of the divide was Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami of Nyundo who once denounced the government purge of the Tutsi from public schools and institutions. He insisted that the Law of God and the Declaration of the Rights of Man absolutely forbade the discrimination and persecution of people on the basis of tribe or race (Safari 2010:879-880). A panacea to internal ecclesial divisions is to bear in mind that the Church as a pilgrim people needs to hear constantly the proclamation of the mighty works of God … so that she may hear his call anew and be confirmed in unity (Evangelii Nuntiandi 15). On the positive side, experience has shown that, where bishops were united in their pastorals and communiqués in condemning corruption, criminality, bad governance, tribalism, injustice, and other societal ills, they have been effective in those regards. Mention has also been made of the 1992 pastoral letter of the bishops of Malawi who were the first to publicly denounce the overbearing power of Kamuzu Banda. They boldly “spoke for countless others, shouted what has historically had to be whispered, controlled, choked back, stifled and suppressed” (Mijoga 1996-1997:63). The battle between the bishops of Eritrea and President Isaias Afwerki deserves to be acknowledged. In April 2019, in their pastoral letter, the bishops angered Afwerki (President of Eritrea since 1993), when they called for a national reconciliation process, respect for human rights, and religious freedom. Eritrea under Isaias Afwerki is notorious for its violation of human rights and obligatory military conscriptions. His draconian policies have forced many Eritreans into exile. In its retaliation against the bishops for their dexterity, the government of Afwerki either closed or seized some Church schools and hospitals (Njuguma 2019; Bekit 2019). The fight between the Congolese bishops and former President Joseph Kabila could be a subject of an epic story. On many occasions, the bishops clashed with Kabila over his reluctance to leave office after his mandatory two terms had ended. They did not only criticise him, but they also offered their good offices as a medium for dialogue and negotiations over the political impasse in the biggest but sadly, one of the poorest, and possibly also the most volatile country in sub-Saharan Africa (Gettleman 2017). 7. CONCLUSION Africa is a continent that is constantly in a flux. Its fluidity and difficulty put the African Church to test in a determinate historical context, in which she has no choice but to respond actively and positively to the concrete realities (16) of Africans. While the present Africa is not the Africa of 2001, whose state was described by Tony Blair as “a scar on the conscience of the world” (cited in Whelan & Thomas 2005:1), nonetheless, the African social question has largely remained unresolved. It is worthy of note that the guns and bombs of the 1990s have been silenced in many parts of the continent, so also are the effects of poverty and hunger somewhat cushioned in some regions. All in all, any person who loves the continent cannot honestly claim that it is now uhuru in Africa. The prevalent realities on the ground are still quite perplexing and continue to present the world with a conspicuous paradox of what to do with Africa. The two synods on Africa (1994 and 2009) were efforts by the Catholic Church to engage with the continent and to make her voice heard in the public space. It did so in the understanding that its mission embraces the social, political, and economic transformations of Africa. At the centre of any authentic transformation on the continent stand the human person and the promotion of human values, in order to safeguard their rights and dignity against material poverty, illiteracy, ethnicity and tribalism, corruption, and mismanagement of resources. Finding the right approach or mode of engagement can be a source of misunderstanding and, at times, even lead to internal division among church leaders who are also immersed in the quagmire that is the African social question. Perhaps, beyond the niceties of theological rhetoric and carefully written post-synodal exhortations, one pertinent question remains the same question posed by Cardinal Hyachinte Thiandoum (1994:25) of Senegal at the beginning of the first synod in 1994: “Church of Africa, what must you now become so that your message may be relevant and credible?” (see also Mpanga 2017:216). In many ways, the credibility of the African Church does not hang in a balance for lack of official pronouncements. It is rather about its inability to activate the hands of its faithful to work for the common good. There are many Catholics in politics and in national governments across Africa. How to make them become Christian yeasts to enliven their respective societies is an uphill task. The Church, in that sense, is handicapped by the lack of credible witnesses on the part of its faithful in public services. When all is said and done, it is through the faithful that the Catholic Church in Africa can make its presence felt. It is by means of their witness that the Church can contribute to the spiritual and material well-being of Africans if it must fulfil its missionary mandate as the leaven of progress and social transformation in Africa. (17) BIBLIOGRAPHY Ake, C. 1996. Democracy and development in Africa. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. Annan, K. 1998. The causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/ groups/public/documents/eb/wfp000065.pdf [27 March 2018]. Arinze, F. 2015. Paul VI and the African episcopate. In: Paul VI and the Church in Africa (Brescia: Istituto Paolo VI), pp. 30-37. Bekit, T. 2019. Eritrea’s seizure of Roman Catholic Church properties criticised. [Online.] Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-48660723 [2 April 2020]. Benedict XVI 2008. Address to the UN General Assembly. [Online.] Retrieved from: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2008/april/ documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080418_un-visit.html [7 September 2021]. 2009. Address to the Roman Curia and Papal diplomats. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2009/december/ documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091221_curia-auguri.html [1 April 2020]. Boyle, P.M. 1992. Beyond self-protection to prophecy: The Catholic Church and political change in Zaire. Africa Today 39(3):49-66. Brooks, A. 2017. The end of development: A global history of poverty and prosperity. London: Zed Books. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350225466 Catholic Bishops of Africa. 2009. Message to the people of God of the second special assembly for Africa of the synod of bishops. [Online.] Retrieved from: https://www.vatican.va/roman_ curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20091023_message-synod_en.html [5 November 2021]. Catholic Bishops of Malawi 1992. Living our faith: Pastoral letter of Catholic Bishops of Malawi. Lilongwe: Malawian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Éla, J-M. 1996. The Church – Sacrament of liberation. In: M. Browne (ed.), The African Synod: Documents, reflections, perspectives (New York, NY: Orbis Books), pp. 131-138. (18)(19) Mijoga, H.B.P. 1996-1997. The Lenten pastoral letter: A first public declaration of the hidden transcript. Journal of Humanities 10(11):55-67. Mpanga, D. 2017. Towards a Catholic theology in the African context: Insights and reservations from Karl Adam’s Theology. Zurich: Lit Verlag. Mudida, R. 2009. Enhancing the role of the church in conflict transformation in Africa. Hekima Review 41 (December 2009):120-131. Mveng, E. 1996. The historical background of the African Synod. In: Browne M. (ed.), The African Synod: Documents, reflections, perspectives (New York, NY: Orbis Books), pp. 20-31. Ngulu, J.M. 2015. The church in Africa during the twentieth century and the meaning of the Pontificate of Paul VI: General historical lines. In: Paul VI and the Church in Africa (Brescia: Istituto Paolo VI), pp. 12-29. Njuguna, F. 2019. Eritrean bishops protest government seizure of Catholic schools. [Online.] Retrieved from: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2019/09/eritrean- bishops-protest-government-seizure-of-catholic-schools/ [2 April 2020]. Oborji, F.A. 2013. Catholic mission in Africa 1910-2010. In: S.B. Bevans (ed.), A century of Catholic mission: Roman Catholic missiology 1910 to the present (Oxford: Regnum Books International), pp. 11-23. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1ddcmxp.4 Onaiyekan, J.O. 2015. Paul VI and the Church in Africa. In:Paul VI and the Church in Africa (Brescia: Istituto Paolo VI), pp. 97-115. Onwubiko, O.A. 1994. Echoes from the African Synod. Enugu: Snaap Press Ltd. Présence Africaine 1977. The Abidjan Colloquium: Black civilization and the Catholic Church. Nouvelle série 104(4):5-6. https://doi.org/10.3917/presa.104.0005 Safari, P.C. 2010. Church, state and the Rwandan genocide. Political theology 11(6): 873-883. https://doi.org/10.1558/poth.v11i6.873 (20) Sands, P. 2016. East West Street: On the origins of genocide and crimes against humanity. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Sangu, J.D. 1974. Report on the experiences of the church in the work of evangelisation in Africa. Presented in Rome on behalf of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa at the 1974 Synod on “The Evangelisation of the Modern World”. Synodus Episcoporum 1990. Lineamenta questions. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www.vatican.va/ news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_13_speciale-africa-1994/ documenti/13_speciale-africa-1994_lineamenta.html [7 September 2018]. Thiandoum, H. 1994. The church in Africa and her evangelising mission towards the year 2000. “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:80). Vatican City: Editrice Vaticana. Turkson, P. 2010. A Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa II: Le Profezie, Risorse, Ricadute. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www.iustitiaetpax.va/content/ dam/giustiziaepace/presidenteinterventi/2010/2010_FIRENZE_PKAT_ENG.pdf [1 April 2020]. Whelan, R. & Thomas, G. 2005. Healing the scar of Africa. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www.civitas. org.uk/pdf/G8.pdf [1 April 2020]. Keywords Trefwoorde African synod Afrika sinode Catholic Church Katolieke kerk African bishops Afrika biskoppe Human values Menslike waardes
2279	dbpedia	2	9	https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/second-special-assembly-for-africa-of-the-synod-of-bishops-report-by-the-general-secretary-3634	en	Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops: Report by the General Secretary	https://www.ewtn.com/img/ewtn-logo.jpg	https://www.ewtn.com/img/ewtn-logo.jpg	[ "https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=2174082009601939&ev=PageView&noscript=1", "https://www.ewtn.com/assets/ewtn-badge-4f156d7cd046dd20f7902ec63dd3e1e6892effb9130c634b1fcd868a3a43a05f.jpg", "https://www.ewtn.com/assets/share-b15c19847764d5bc5ef8c0ffc5ba0f5d7cc08a3a0764833486d9591471e1655a.png", "https://www.ewtn.com/assets/ewtn-logo-5eeef85e38fee19355c5f8bbe6f835d2defd60595550a659e8725cabcb29657e.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	EWTN is a global, Catholic Television, Catholic Radio, and Catholic News Network that provides catholic programming and news coverage from around the world.	en	https://www.ewtn.com/img…icon-196x196.png	EWTN Global Catholic Television Network	https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/second-special-assembly-for-africa-of-the-synod-of-bishops-report-by-the-general-secretary-3634	Archbishop Nikola Eterović Reconciliation at the heart of Synodal reflection On the morning of 5 October [2009], in the presence of the Holy Father, the First General Congregation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa took place in the Synod Hall. there were 226 Synod Fathers present. After president Delegate Cardinal Francis Arinze welcomed the Pope, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, gave a report in Italian. The following is a shortened version of his report. Holy Father, Your Eminences and Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters, “In the power of the Holy Spirit, I appeal to everyone: ‘Be reconciled to God!’ (2 Cor 5:20). No ethnic or cultural difference, no difference of race, sex or religion must become a cause for dispute among you. You are all children of the one God, our Father, who is in heaven. With this conviction, it will then be possible to build a more just and peaceful Africa, an Africa worthy of the legitimate expectations of all its children”.1 With these words, Your Holiness displayed your apostolic concern and exercised your solicitude for the entire Church. In a particular way, inspired by the Holy Spirit who guides believers in their reading of Sacred Scripture, you used these words to express your love for the Church on pilgrimage in 53 countries in Africa and also for the entire African continent, a continent of great dynamism yet faced with many challenges. You pronounced these words in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during your first Apostolic Visit to Africa from 17 to 23 March 2009. On this occasion you initiated, in ideal fashion, the work of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration in Amadou Ahidjo Stadium, on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you presented the Instrumentum laboris to the presidents of the 36 episcopal conferences in Africa, the heads of the two synods of bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Egypt. This document is the basis for the work of our synodal assembly. At that moment, the stadium of Yaoundé became the very heart of the continent, because closely joined to you as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Church were the bishops of the particular Churches, who represented “in some way the Church present among the peoples of Africa”.2 At the same time, Your Holiness invited all the faithful to support their Pastors in prayer in the preparation and unfolding of the great ecclesial event of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. Your Holiness then entrusted the celebration of the synodal assembly to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Africa, invoking her intercession so that “the Queen of Peace might sustain the efforts of all who work for reconciliation, justice and peace!”.3 Holy Father, during the meeting with the Special Council for Africa in the Apostolic Nunciature of Yaoundé, you were the first to recite the Marian prayer which you yourself composed to sustain the preparation of the synodal assembly and to implore the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit in obtaining a renewed dynamism for the Church in Africa, which always seeks better to serve all people of good will on the continent. At the beginning of our synodal work, we too recite this prayer so that the discussion during the synodal assembly might contribute to increasing hope in the peoples of Africa and the entire continent, and that it might contribute to imbue each local Church in Africa “with new evangelical and missionary zeal in service to reconciliation, justice and peace, according to the programme given us by the Lord himself: ‘You are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world’ (Mt 5:13-14). May the joy of the Church in Africa at the celebration of this Synod be shared by the universal Church!”.4 Your Holiness, your wish is now being realized as seen in the representatives of the episcopates from the various continents who have willingly accepted your call to participate in this synodal assembly to show their nearness to the Catholic Church in Africa, a part of the Universal Church full of promise. Greetings, then, to the representatives of the episcopal conferences of the other four continents and to the bishops from 17 countries. Together with their brother-bishops from Africa, they are prepared to pray, dialogue and reflect on the present and future of the Catholic Church on the African continent. In this way, they become a part of the synod process of giving and receiving, of participating in Africa’s joys, sufferings, hopes and concerns and of sharing spiritual gifts for the edification of not only the particular Churches in Africa but the entire Holy Church of God spread throughout the whole world. I extend heartfelt greetings to all 244 members of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, of whom 78 participate by reason of their office, 129 as elected members and 36 as papal appointments. Among these are 33 cardinals, 79 archbishops and 156 bishops. As for the office they hold, 37 are presidents of episcopal conference, 189 Ordinaries, 4 coadjutors, 2 auxiliaries and 8 (arch)bishops-emeritus. I cordially welcome the fraternal delegates who represent 6 Churches and ecclesial communities, and express my gratitude for their having accepted the invitation to participate in this ecclesial event. I also greet 29 experts and 49 auditors who are prepared to contribute their important testimony to the synodal proceedings by enriching the discussion. I also wish to acknowledge the valuable collaboration of the assistants, translators and technical personnel, as well as the staff of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Without their skilled and generous contribution, this synodal assembly would not be possible. The present report is composed of six parts: I. The Significance of the Apostolic Visit to Africa II. Some Statistical Data III. The Convocation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa IV. The Preparation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa V. Conclusion I. The Significance of the Apostolic Visit to Africa In a special manner, I wish to greet the 197 synod fathers from the countries of Africa. In their name, I thank Your Holiness for your Apostolic Visit to Africa which was organized in light of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. With this Special Assembly in mind, Your Holiness chose the same theme for your first pastoral visit to the African continent: “You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world” (Mt 5: 13, 14). Thank you, Holy Father, for the edifying teachings given during your apostolic visitation to Africa. Even though the visit was limited to two countries, Cameroon and Angola, all of Africa took an interest. Furthermore, your visit led to the strengthening of the bonds uniting, in faith, hope and charity, the Bishop of Rome and your brother-bishops in the episcopate, who are the heads of the particular Churches of Africa. At the same time, your visit strengthened the bond between them and the faithful entrusted to their pastoral care. This is particularly true among men and women of good will on the African continent. In fact, the Gospel, the Good News, is addressed to every inhabitant of Africa and the entire world. Making reference to the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, canonized on 1 October 2000 by the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, Your Holiness proposed her splendid example in your wish that every man and women on the continent might be transformed by an encounter with the living God. Today also, “the saving message of the Gospel needs to be proclaimed loud and clear, so that the light of Christ can shine into the darkness of people’s lives”.5 The light of the Gospel scatters the darkness of sin, even in Africa, where men and women, longing to hear a word of pardon and hope, are willing to be transformed by Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “In the face of suffering or violence, poverty or hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silent”.6 These evils affect everyone in Africa, who “cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace which the Church offers them, not new forms of economic or political oppression, but the glorious freedom of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:21)”.7 Every member of the Church is therefore called to become an apostle of the Gospel, to bring the Good News to every African. “Almost ten years into the new millennium, this moment of grace is a summons to all the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of the continent to rededicate themselves to the mission of the Church to bring hope to the hearts of the people of Africa, and indeed to people throughout the world”.8 Holy Father, in light of the importance of your Message to the entire African continent and our synodal discussion on the Instrumentum laboris, the discourses from your Apostolic Visit are being made available in the following languages: French, English, Italian, Portugese and Spanish. Undoubtedly, these documents will be of great assistance to the synod fathers and will allow them to develop basic subjects related to the topic of the Second Special Assembly for Africa. II. Some Statistical Data Together we thank the Good and Merciful God for the many gifts bestowed on the Church in Africa which are placed at the service of all, especially the poorest of the poor and the most in need. In particular, we give thanks for its great dynamism witnessed in the following statistics. In a world population of 6,617,097,000 inhabitants, the number of Catholics is 1,146,656,000, that is, 17.3%. However, the percentage in Africa is higher. In fact, out of 943,743,000 inhabitants, the number of Catholics is 164,925,00, namely 17.5%. This figure is very significant if one considers, for example, that, in 1978, at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, the number of African Catholics was about 55,000,000. In 1994, the year in which the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops was held, the number was 102,878,000 faithful, that is, 14.6% of the population in Africa. In that same period, we also have a significant increase in the number of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. In fact, thanks be to God, a consistent increase is witnessed in all sectors, particularly among Christ’s faithful: bishops, priests, deacons, men and women in the consecrated life and committed lay people, among whom catechists occupy an important place. This is proven in a comparison of statistical data from 1994 with that of 2007. 1994(9) 2007(10) +% Ecclesiastical territories 444 516 +16,21 Bishops 513 657 +28,07 Priests Diocesan Religious 23.263 12.937 10.326 34.658 23.154 11.504 +49,09 +78,97 +11,40 Permanent Deacons 326 403 +23,61 Non-Clerical Religious 6.448 7.921 +22,84 Consecrated Religious 46.664 61.886 +32,62 Members — Secular Institutes 390 578 +48,20 Lay Missionaries 1.847 3.590 +94,36 Catechists 299.994 399.932 +33,31 Seminarians 17.125 24.729 +44,40 We also give due honor to those in pastoral activity who have sealed their ecclesial service with the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. From 1994 to 2008, 521 pastoral workers have given their lives in Africa. Included in this number are the 248 victims of the tragedy in Rwanda in 1994 and, subsequently, 40 minor seminarians killed in Burundi, in1997. Not only Africans have given their lives, but also missionaries from many countries. For example, in 2006, 11 pastoral workers were killed: 5 diocesan priests, of whom 1 was Peruvian, and 4 religious, of whom 1 was Portuguese, 1 Brazilian, 1 an Italian religious and 1 a Portuguese lay missionary. In 2007, 4 pastoral workers lost their lives: 1 diocesan priest, 2 religious and 1 sister from Switzerland. In 2008, 5 missionaries died, of which 1 was a religious from England and 1 a brother from France. The eyes of faith allow us to go beyond these statistics and see the great dynamism in evangelization on the African continent, which animates the generous and undivided commitment of pastoral workers, even to the point of giving their lives in martyrdom. With thanksgiving to Almighty God for this gift of his infinite mercy, we pray that this dynamism continues, indeed, that it be strengthened for the good of the particular Churches in Africa and the whole world. Undoubtedly, in this group of servants of the Gospel, the Pastors of the particular Churches will recognize candidates for canonization, according to Church norms, not only to increase the number of African saints, among whom many are martyrs, but also to obtain more intercessors in heaven to sustain the particular Churches of the continent so that they may continue, with renewed zeal, their earthly pilgrimage in praise of God and in service to others. In addition to evangelization, which is the Church’s principal mission, the Catholic Church is also very much involved in charitable works, health, education and countless initiatives of human promotion in general. In this regard, we recall significant examples like the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, instituted on 22 February 1984,11 during the Holy Year of Redemption, by the Pope himself, following his apostolic visit to Burkina Faso, and the memorable Ouagadougou Appeal of 10 May 1980. Eight years ago, 12 February 2001, Pope John Paul II established the “Good Samaritan” Foundation to sustain the sick who are most in need, above all, those suffering from AIDS.12 On the African continent, then, there are: Caritas on the national and international levels. In Africa, 53 Caritas programmes exist on the national level of which 20 have the added purpose of promoting solidarity and the integral development of the person and society. In some countries, the work of Caritas often coincides with the mission exercised by Justice and Peace Commissions. Caritas also exists in the Middle East and North Africa. The national programmes of Caritas are coordinated by Caritas Africa, which has its headquarters in Kampala, Uganda. Justice and Peace Commissions. In addition to the Justice and Peace Secretariat of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar — SECAM, there are 8 regional and 34 national commissions associated with their proper episcopal conference. Moreover, numerous national and international Catholic organizations are doing their best to help the African population.13 There are also 12 institutes and centres to promote the social doctrine of the Church.14 Pastoral Health Care. The Catholic Church is extensively involved in the field of pastoral health care. According to available data from 2007,15 16,178 health institutions exist on the entire African continent, including 1,074 hospitals, 5,373 clinics, 186 leprosaria, 753 houses for the elderly and disabled persons, 979 orphanages, 1997 children’s daycare centres, 1590 marriage counseling centres, 2947 rehabilitation centres and 1279 various other health facilities. Obviously, this data stands as a laudable, important testimony to many Christians, above all, to persons in the consecrated life and lay Catholics who work tirelessly in the aforementioned health institutions. As regards the illnesses treated, statistics point to HIV/AIDS as the most alarming health emergency. In this regard, we gratefully note that, according to the data received by UNAIDS, 26% of the health institutions in the world, directly involved with the treatment of AIDS, are run by Catholic organizations.16 The Catholic Church is in the forefront in the fight against the spread of this disease and is involved extensively in the care of those sick with AIDS, as seen, for example, in the DREAM Programme, promoted with much success by the St. Egidio Community. Statistical data, however, highlights the unforgettable fact that malaria remains the major cause of death on the African continent. Qualified persons from the international community ought to increase efforts and means for its prevention and finding a remedy for this terrible, widespread sickness, which each year causes the death of about 1,000,000 persons in the world, of which 85% are children under the age of 5. Catholic schools. The Catholic Church, as Mater et Magister, in addition to proclaiming the Gospel, has always promoted the integral formation of persons in her educational institutions. Today, this important work continues. In fact, in Africa, there are 12,496 pre-schools with 1,266,444 students; 33,263 elementary schools with 14,061,806 students; and 9,838 middle and high schools with 3,738,238 students. Higher institutions of learning are frequented by 54,362 students, of which 11,011 students are enrolled in ecclesiastical studies, and 76,432 are studying various disciplines at Church-sponsored Universities. III. The Convocation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa It took many years for the idea of convoking the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops to mature. The possibility first emerged in the final years of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, while the late Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte was General Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. In fact, the idea was often discussed at many meetings of the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Even after my appointment as General Secretary in 2004, the subject continued to be raised. Pope John Paul II himself publicly referred to the idea on 15 June 2004 during an audience granted to the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat, by raising the following question: “Has not the time come to deepen this African synodal experience, for which many Pastors of Africa have been pressing? The exceptional growth of the Church in Africa, the rapid succession of Pastors, the new challenges that the continent must face demand responses that can stem only from a persevering and concerted effort to implement Ecclesia in Africa, thereby restoring renewed strength and more firmly-grounded hope to this continent in difficulty”.17 For their part, the members of the Special Council for Africa expressed their gratitude to the Holy Father for his apostolic concern for their particular Churches and took up the question of planning with renewed vigour. During a meeting of the Special Council of Africa on 15 and 16 June 2004, the members agreed to leave the decision to convoke a Second Special Assembly for Africa to Pope John Paul II. The Council requested that the General Secretary make the formal proposal to the Holy Father to announce his decision on the 10th Anniversary of the celebration of the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. It was specifically suggested that the announcement be made on 13 November 2004, the 1650th anniversary of the birth of St. Augustine, Africa’s great son and glory of the universal Church. The date proved auspicious, because on that very day the SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) — CCEE (Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae) Symposium was taking place in Rome to recall the 10th Anniversary of the Synod for Africa. According to the members of the Special Council for Africa, a sufficient time was needed to prepare for the celebration, possibly to take place in October 2009 to coincide with the 15th Anniversary of the celebration of the First Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The topic could focus on the Church in Africa as the Family of God, called to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation, reconciliation, justice and peace. The Servant of God, Pope John Paul II willingly welcomed this proposal. During a papal audience given to the participants gathered in Rome for the previously mentioned Symposium of Bishops of Africa and Europe, he said: “Welcoming the aspirations of the Post-Synodal Council, an expression of the hopes of African Pastors, I take the occasion to announce my intention to convoke a Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops”.18 At the same time, he entrusted this project to the prayers of the faithful, using the following words: “I entrust this project to your prayers, warmly inviting you all to implore the Lord for the precious gift of communion and peace for the beloved Land of Africa.”.19 On another occasion, the pontiff expressed his support for the idea of a Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. In a letter addressed to the General Secretary for the 13th Meeting of the Special Council for Africa, 24-25 February 2005, Pope John Paul II had expressed, among other things, his vision of the Second Synodal Assembly: “Noting the dynamism born from the experience of the First Synod for Africa, this Assembly will endeavour to examine it in greater depth and to extend it, relying on the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa and taking into account the new ecclesial and social data for the continent. Its task will be to support the local Churches and their Pastors and to help them in their pastoral initiatives, thus preparing for the future of the Church on the continent of Africa which, as far as peace is concerned, is experiencing political, economic and social unrest”.20 Subsequently, Pope John Paul II listed some of the difficulties: armed conflict, persistent poverty and diseases with their devastating consequences, starting with the social drama of AIDS, corruption and the widespread sense of insecurity in various regions. The faithful, along with people of good will, must come together in constructing a prosperous and stable society, thereby guaranteeing a bright future for new generations. The Catholic Church gives thanks to God for the remarkable expansion she has experienced in recent decades. At the same time, the pontiff stated: “For this growth to continue, I encourage the Bishops to further the spiritual deepening of all that has been achieved, as well as of the human and Christian development of the clergy and laity.21 Finally, entrusting the preparation of this Church event to the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Africa, Pope John Paul II said: “May the future Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops also encourage the strengthening of faith in Christ Our Saviour, and genuine reconciliation!”.22 On 2 April 2009, God, in his loving Providence, willed that Pope John Paul II pass to a better life. In the Conclave held that same month, on 19 April 2005, the cardinals elected as Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. Two months after his election, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the convocation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. After due study in the matter, the Holy Father reconfirmed the decision of his predecessor. Greeting the members of the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the Supreme Pontiff said: “Confirming what my Venerable and dear Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, decided last 13 November, I would like to announce my intention to convoke the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. I am very confident that this Session will effectively give an additional impetus to evangelization, to the consolidation and growth of the Church and to the promotion of reconciliation and peace on the continent of Africa”.23 The official convocation of the synod took place on 28 June 2007, the vigil of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. On this occasion the synod topic and the dates of the celebration were announced: “The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has convoked the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops on the topic, The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: 'You Are the Salt of the Earth... You Are the Light of the World' (Mt 5:13, 14), to be held in the Vatican from 4 to 25 October 2009”.24 After the Holy Father’s decision, the members of the Special Council immediately embarked on preparing for the synodal assembly. IV. Preparation for the Second Special Assembly for Africa With the maturation of the idea of a Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, the members of the Special Council undertook their task of preparing for the celebration of this ecclesial event in the best manner possible. In the first place, the Lineamenta needed to be drafted, the document of preparation for the synodal assembly. Several meetings of the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat were dedicated to this preparatory task. During the meeting of 25 and 26 February 2005, the members of the Special Council for Africa agreed on the outline of the Lineamenta with specific recommendations on the document’s content. In a subsequent meeting, held on 21 and 22 June 2005, a draft was the object of intense study. On 13 January 2006, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI formulated the topic of the synod assembly. The members of the Special Council were then able to reflect with more precision on the draft of the document, suggesting various changes which were subsequently made to the text. This final version was sent by electronic mail to the members of the Special Council for Africa for their final consideration with the request that any suggested changes be sent to the General Secretariat by 24 April 2006. On 27 and 28 April 2006, two members of the Council, representatives from the French and English groups respectively, together with the General Secretariat, examined and incorporated these observations in the document which was then translated into 4 languages: French, Italian, English and Portuguese, to which an Arabic version was added. The Lineamenta was published on 27 June 2006. The text was presented in the Holy See Press Office by His Eminence, Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and by His Excellency, Most Rev. Nikola Eterovic, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops. The document was widely distributed, in addition to its availability on the Vatican website at the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops’ webpages. The episcopal conferences, the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and other concerned parties were asked to respond to the series of Questions in the Lineamenta and submit them to the General Secretariat by 31 October, 2008. These responses were used in drafting the Instrumentum laboris, the working-document for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The Instrumentum laboris The percentages of the responses to the Lineamenta were drawn up according to the institutions customarily consulted by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in synod preparation. Institutions Responses % Episcopal Conferences 36(25) 30 83,33 International Meetings of Episcopal Conferences 6(26) 1 16,66 Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris 2(27) 1 50 Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy of Egypt 1 0 — Department of the Roman Curia 25(28) 14 56 Union of Superiors General 1 1 100 The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops also received contributions from some Catholic Universities and Institutes of Higher Learning, as well as individuals, including the laity, who had at heart the present and future of the Catholic Church in Africa. The submissions were thoroughly examined by the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops at the meeting of 27 and 28 October 2008. The Council members agreed on the outline of the document and made specific recommendations on its content, while, at the same time, remaining faithful to the contributions of the episcopates of each country. With the assistance of experts, the General Secretariat drafted the document which was discussed at the 18th Meeting of the Special Council for Africa on 23 and 24 January 2009. After various changes were made to improve the text, the document was unanimously accepted. The Instrumentum laboris was then translated into 4 languages: French, Italian, English and Portuguese. On 19 March 2009, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI graciously presented a copy of the document to the heads of the synods of bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the presidents of the episcopal conferences in Africa, for which we again express our heartfelt gratitude. Subsequently, the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops widely distributed the document, which will be thoroughly examined during our synodal assembly. The Appointment of Those with Special Roles at the Synodal Assembly On 14 February 2009, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI appointed three Presidents-Delegate for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops: Cardinals Francis Arinze, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; Théodore-Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal and Wilfred Fox Napier, O.F.M., Archbishop of Durban, South Africa. At the same time, His Holiness appointed as General Rapporteur, His Eminence, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana and two Special Secretaries: Their Excellencies, Most Rev. Antonio Damião Franklin, Archbishop of Luanda, Angola and Most Rev. Edmond Djitanger, Bishop of Sarh, Chad.29 Recognition of the Work of the Members of the Special Council for Africa Of the three Cardinals who were appointed as Presidents-Delegates by the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, two were members of the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. I am certain that the synod fathers gathered here wish to acknowledge with heartfelt gratitude the valuable ecclesial service rendered by the members of the Special Council for Africa. Of the 12 members elected on 7 May 1994, at the conclusion of the First Special Assembly for Africa, 9 have persevered to the end. In the interim, His Eminence, Cardinal Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop emeritus of Dakar, Senegal, passed to the Lord in 2003. We willingly recommend him to the infinite mercy of God. In 2006, one member resigned after reaching the age limit, His Eminence, Cardinal Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra, Archbishop emeritus of Antananarivo, Madagascar, and in 2007, one stepped down for reasons of health, His Excellency, Most Rev. Paul Verdzekov, Archbishop emeritus of Bamenda, Cameroon. These were replaced respectively by: His Excellency, Most Rev. Anselme Titianma Sanon, Archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; His Excellency, Most Rev. Odon Maria Arsène Razanakolona, Archbishop of Antananarivo; and His Excellency, Most Rev. Cornelius Fontem Esua, Archbishop of Bamenda, Cameroon. With the commencement of this synodal assembly, the 15-year mandate of the members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops comes to an end. Over this period of time, they participated in 19 meetings. The valuable service of the Special Council to the Church on pilgrimage in Africa can be divided into three phases. In the first, in the wake of the First Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, the Council’s demanding task was to prepare a contribution to the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation for the Holy Father to use in writing the document Ecclesia in Africa, which was signed by Pope John Paul II in Yaoundé, 14 September 1995, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Subsequently, the Special Council encouraged the implementation of this important document. The third phase coincided with the preparation of this present synodal assembly. VI. Conclusion “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor 5:20). The compelling invitation to the Christians of Africa by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI is the same addressed by St. Paul to the Christians in Corinth. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of the Risen Lord, the Apostle of the Gentiles personally experienced the importance of reconciliation in the Christian faith: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). Reconciliation requires pardon from the Father which, in turn, is extended to others, according to the teaching of the Lord Jesus: “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us” (Lk 11:4; cf. Mt 6:11). The Church proclaims this good news of reconciliation and proposes it in the sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Penance. It is a matter of “reconciliation at the source, from which comes every other gesture or act of reconciliation, also at the social level”.30 Justice needs to be respected in this reciprocal exchange, including a penalty for whatever crimes might be committed. However, the Master’s words are: “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mt 9:13). Christian mercy does not cancel human justice but goes beyond it. The teaching on reconciliation, which is the source of peace and justice, is at the heart of discussion at the Special Assembly for Africa. It presupposes the proclamation of the Good News and its assimilation. At the same time, considering the many examples of conflict, violence and even hate, a new evangelization seems urgently needed even in those places where the Word of God has already been proclaimed. Situations vary from country to country. In Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Christianity has been continually present from apostolic times; in sub-Saharan Africa, some particular Churches have celebrated 500 years of their foundation; while others have solemnly commemorated the first century of evangelization. If one travels in Africa, inwardly from the coast, some countries first saw missionaries some 50 years ago. However, in every case, all Christians are called to be reconciled with God and one’s neighbour. In such an urgent ongoing task, their guides are: bishops, priests, clerical-religious, deacons and also persons in the consecrated life. Openness to reconciliation is the barometer of the depth of evangelization in a person’s life, in a family, in a community, in a nation and also in the particular and universal Churches. Only a heart reconciled to God can bring forth initiatives of charity and justice towards one’s neighbour and in society as a whole. “You Are the Salt of the Earth... You Are the Light of the World” (Mt 5:13, 14). These compelling words are at one and the same time an assertion of our Christian dignity and an invitation always to live that dignity in a better way. In these days, these words are addressed to all Christians, but in a particular manner to those in Africa. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, they realize that an affirmative response to the call demands conversion and a determination to follow Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church in Africa is to increasingly shed light on the complex realities of the continent using the light of the Lord Jesus and to progressively become the salt of the earth in Africa, giving divine flavour to everyday life. Statistical data show that the Church in Africa is vibrantly alive. While we render thanks to God with a heart full of praise, we pray the Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit that this quantitative growth will increasingly become qualitative. In this way, Christians, guided by their Pastors, will be able to fulfill the ideal to which the Lord Jesus calls each of his disciples, namely, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13, 14 ). Only united to the one who gives meaning to all creation and, above all, to human existence, can Christians live out their vocation of being the salt of the earth and offering a divine, eternal flavour to earthly goods and material things, which they ought to utilize in a Christian manner in their lives. Only in putting on the Lord Jesus, the Light of the World, can Christians reflect his light in the darkness of the present world, thereby leading the many men and women of good will, who are in search of the true light, to its inexhaustible source: The Lord Jesus, who died and rose from the dead, the one who is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13). We entrust the realization of this proposal to the intercession of all the saints of Africa, in a particular way to the Blessed Virgin Mary, making our own the wish of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI — that the Church in Africa “will continue to grow in holiness, in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. I pray that the work of the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will fan into a flame the gifts that the Spirit has poured out upon the Church in Africa. I pray for each of you, for your families and loved ones, and I ask you to join me in praying for all the people of this vast continent. [...] God bless Africa!”.31 Thank you for your patience in listening. May the grace of the Holy Spirit guide our work at this synod! NOTES 1 Benedict XVI, Discourse to the Special Council for Africa (19 March 2009), Yaoundé, Cameroon, L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 25 March 2009, p.13. 2 Benedict XVI, Presentation of the Instrumentum laboris (19 March 2009), Yaoundé, Cameroon, L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 25 March 2009, p.10. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Benedict XVI, Address at Nsimalen International Airport (17 March 2009), Yaoundé, Cameroon, L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 25 March 2009, p.5. 6 Ibid. 7Ibid. 8Ibid. 9 Cf. Secretaria Status Rationarium Generale Ecclesiae, Annuarium statisticum Ecclesiae 1994, Vatican City. 10 Cf. Secretaria Status Rationarium Generale Ecclesiae, Annuarium statisticum Ecclesiae 2007, Vatican City. 11 In the course of 25 years, the Foundation has distributed about 40,000,000 US dollars in 9 countries: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, for financing water projects, the reclaiming of arable land as well as formation and instruction programmes. 12 The Foundation is under the jurisdiction of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers. 13 The following deserve mention, in alphabetical order: AVSI (The Association of Volunteers in International Service); Caritas Internationalis; CRS (Catholic Relief Services); Comunità S. Egidio; KAS (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung); ICCPPC (The International Commission for Catholic Prison Pastoral Care); Misereor; Pax Christi International; COSMAM (Confédération des Conférences des Supérieur[e]s Majeur[e]s d'Afrique et Madagascar); CCSA (Recontre et développement); Nolite Timere Foundation ONLUS, Adoption at a Distance Programme. 14 African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching, Harare ( Zimbabwe); IAJP (Institut des Artisans de Justice et de Paix), Cotonou (Benin); Centre Ubuntu, Bujumbura (Burundi); Médiation Sociale et Justice et Paix, Yaoundé (Cameroon); CEPAS (Centre d’Etudes pour l’Action Sociale), Kinshasa, (Democratic Republic of Congo); Centre Carrefour, Port-Mathurin (Mauritius); Centre for Social Justice and Ethics, Catholic University of Eastern Africa — CUEA, Nairobi (Kenya); Institute of Social Ministry in Mission, Tangaza College, Catholic University of Eastern Africa — CUEA; Justice and Peace Desk, Conference of Major Superiors (Lesotho); CIDJAP (The Catholic Institute for Development Justice and Peace), Enugu (Nigeria); CPT (Christian Professionals of Tanzania), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania). 15 Cf. Cf. Secretaria Status Rationarium Generale Ecclesiae, Annuarium statisticum Ecclesiae 2007, Vatican City 2009, p. 357. 16 Cf. R. Cascioli, Aids, Africa e bugie: Avvenire, 28 marzo 2009, p. 3. 17 John Paul II, Discourse by the Holy Father at the Meeting of the Post-Synodal Council of the Special Assembly for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops (15 June 2004): L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 23 June 2004, p. 2. 18 John Paul II, Discourse to the Participants of the Symposium of the Bishops of Africa and Europe promoted by the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (13 November 2004): AAS 96 (2004) 955. 19 Ibid. 20 John Paul II, Letter to the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops for the 13th Meeting of the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops (23 February 2005): http://www.vatican.va /holy_father /john_paul_ii /letters /2005/ documents /hf_ jp-ii_let_20050223_eterovic-synod_en.html. 21Ibid. 22Ibid. 23 Benedict XVI, Weekly General Audience Talk (22 June 2005): L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 24 The announcement was made public on 29 June 2007 in L’Osservatore Romano: Daily Edition in Italian, Friday, 29 June 2007, p. 1. 25 The following episcopal conferences failed to respond: The Gambia and Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi and C.E.D.O.I. (Conférence Episcopale de l’Océan Indien). 26 The only response came from AMECEA (The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa). 27 No response was received from the Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Ethiopia. 28 No response was received from: 2 Congregations: the Causes of Saints and Institutes of the Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; 2 Tribunals: The Apostolic Penitentiary and the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; 5 Pontifical Councils: for Promoting Christian Unity, for the Legislative Texts, for Interreligious Dialogue, for Culture, for Social Communications and the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Church. 29 Cf. L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English: 25 February 2009, p. 2. 30 John Paul II, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 4: AAS: 77 (1985) 194. 31 Benedict XVI, Address at Nsimalen International Airport (17 March 2009), Yaoundé, Cameroon: L’Osservatore Romano: Weekly Edition in English, 25 March 2009, p. 5. Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 14 October 2009, page 9 L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See. The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:
2279	dbpedia	1	57	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/category/religion/page/23/	en	Religion – Page 23 – Cameroon Intelligence Report	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	https://www.camerooninte…avicon-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIRlogo.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pope-christmas-message.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bishop-Nkuo.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PCC-8.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rev-Jervis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cardinal-Arinze-and-Leke.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Monsig.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Tumi.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Cameroon-Catholic-Community.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Francis-in-prayer.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Rev-Dr-Agbaw-Ebai-Maurice.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/editorialDesk.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dr-Joachim-Arrey.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Manyu-Women.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biya-aging-disgracefully-.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15443061_1288047547922035_8881697775161873782_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/88274b.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15723506_1297938123599644_5496544536068955670_o.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Buhari-and-Paul-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6a00d83451ce8669e2019aff3bc5c1970d.jpg", "https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/dist/images/gdpr-logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2020-12-25T14:18:13+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/favicon.ico		null	An Encomium is a Latin word deriving from the Ancient Greek enkomion, meaning “the praise of a person or thing.” Another Latin equivalent is “laudatio”, “a speech in praise of someone or something”. This encomium is dedicated to one of my most cherished and highly esteemed educationist, erudite formator, in the person of Dr Jervis Kebei Kewi on the occasion of his nomination as “Secretary General” of the Cameroon Conference of Bishops. Dr. Jervis Kebei was officially nominated as Secretary General at the end of the 45th Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Cameroon, which was held from November 3 to November 6, 2020, in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, the country of great ambition. Education of Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei From 1981 to 1983, Rev. Dr. Jervis Kebei earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, Italy. From 1984 – 1987, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, Italy. Father Jervis Kebei was ordained a priest by late Bishop Pius Awa in Buea on the 15 April 1987. He is a priest incardinated in the diocese of Buea. He celebrated his 33rd Priestly Anniversary last April 15, 2020. Four years after his priestly ordination, his Bishop, Bishop Pius Awa sent him for further studies from 1991-1994; Rev Dr Jervis Kebei did his Master’s degree in Theology/Theological Studies at the Salesian Pontifical University, Rome, Italy, where he did a Master’s Programme in YOUTH PASTORAL AND PSYCHOLOGY. When he returned from further studies in Rome, Italy in 1994, Dr. Jervis Kebei served as the Youth Chaplain of the Diocese of Buea before being appointed as the Rector of Bishop Rogan College in 1998. Rev. Jervis Kebei served as Rector of Bishop Rogan College from 1998 to 2006, a long period of 8 good years of fruitful service to the Diocese of Buea and to the Church. He also served as principal of Sasse College and Buea University Chaplain. With the creation of the Bamenda Catholic University, Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei was appointed at the Catholic University (CATUC) Bamenda, as Vice Registrar in charge of Students Affairs, CATUC BAMENDA from March 2010 – July 2016, a period of 6 years and 5 months. Dr. Jervis Kebei has an excellent and highly distinguished track record in Youth Affairs. He holds a Master’s degree in Theology with speciality in Catechetics and Youth Management. In addition, he served as Buea University chaplain before being appointed as Dean of Students’ Affairs in Bamenda Catholic University. In April 2016, he was appointed as the Assistant Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon. He served there for 4 years and 8 months before being appointed as General Secretary this month. From 2011 – 2019, He did a Doctorate Degree in Educational Psychology, at the University of Buea, Cameroon, and successfully defended in April, 2019. Rev. Dr. Jervis Kebei: Appointment as Secretary General of the Cameroon Episcopal Conference I got to know of the appointment of Dr. Jervis Kebei from one of my cherished classmates, in the person of Mr. Ngoumbah Leonard, who posted a two-page Final Communiqué of the 45th Plenary Assembly of Bishops of Cameroon in our “Bishop Rogan whats app group,” on November 9, 2020, last Monday. While reading through the Communiqué, at the end it noted inter alia: “At the end of their meeting, the Bishops made appointments, replacing those who have reached the end of their mandates: Secretary general: Dr. Jervis KEBEI KEWI; Assistant Secretary General: Fr. Jean ETOUNDI (cumulatively National Chaplain for Prisons)…”. This Communiqué was signed by Bishop Benoit KALA, General Secretary. It should be noted that Mr. Ngoumbah Leonard’s postings have been positively noted and appreciated in our “whats app group.” In addition, he has been an expert to the core in updating our “Bishop Rogan Class Whats app group” with daily updates from all works of life ranging from ecclesiastical News to world general news, including administrative documents and postings worldwide. I must openly appreciate him for this selfless duty to his classmates from this perspective. Continuing from where I ended before Mr. Ngoumbah Leonard positively distracted me, it would be of primordial and capital importance at this interval for me to kindly expound to you what an Episcopal Conference is, so that we may get to understand the magnitude of the appointment of Dr. Jervis Kebei as Secretary General. What is an Episcopal Conference? An Episcopal conference, sometimes called a Conference of Bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to meet regularly, with its own legal structure and ecclesial leadership function, was the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, which was founded in 1863. (See Histoire : Les origines de la CES : première expérience au monde d’une conférence épiscopale nationale (in French), Fribourg : Service de presse de la Conférence des évêques suisses). Eventually, more than forty Episcopal conferences existed before the Second Vatican Council (See McAleese, Mary (2012), Quo Vadis? Collegiality in the Code of Canon Law (Kindle ed.), Blackrock, Ireland: The Columba Press, locations 2463-2466). However, their status was confirmed by the Second Vatican Council and further defined by the illustrious Pope Paul VI’s 1966 motu proprio, Ecclesiae sanctae (See Christus Dominus: Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, 28 October 1965, §36–38; Ecclesiae sanctae, 6 August 1966; The Limits of the Papacy, p. 97, by Patrick Granfield, Crossroad, New York, 1987. Furthermore, Episcopal conferences are commonly defined by geographic borders, often national ones, with all the bishops in a given country belonging to the same conference, although they may also include neighboring countries. Certain authority and tasks are assigned to Episcopal conferences, particularly with regard to setting the liturgical norms for the Mass. In addition, Episcopal conferences receive their authority under universal law or particular mandates. In certain circumstances, as defined by the Code of Canon Law, the decisions of an Episcopal conference are subject to approval from the Holy See. Moreover, Individual bishops do not relinquish (renounce) their immediate authority for the governance of their respective dioceses to the conference. (See, John Paul II (May 21, 1998), Apostolos suos; On the Theological and Juridical Nature of Episcopal Conferences, Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, §19). Finally, the operation, authority, and responsibilities of Episcopal conferences are currently governed by the 1983 Code of Canon Law especially canons 447- 459 (See Code of Canon Law, 1983, §447-459; John Paul II (May 21,1998), Apostolos suos; On the Theological and Juridical Nature of Episcopal Conferences, Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, §5). From the above brief illumination of what an Episcopal Conference is, we can now say sin dubbio (without doubt) that our own Rev Dr. Jervis has been nominated to a Verantwortung as the German would say (that is: responsibility), not only of utmost national importance in Cameroon, but also of universal prominence. Whenever there will be the next visit of the Bishops of Cameroon to Rome for the “quinquennial visit ad limina,” more fully “ad limina apostolorum” or simply an “ad limina visit,” which is an obligation of residential diocesan bishops and certain prelates with territorial jurisdiction (such as territorial abbots), of visiting the thresholds of the [tombs of the] Apostles, in Rome. Msgr. Dr. Jervis will coordinate and join the Bishops in the plane to the Holy See to visit the Vatican and to meet the Holy Father, Pope Francis. At this indefatigable interval, I would like to focus my target on my personal relationship with Rev. Dr. Jervis Kebei. Encounter with Rev Dr. Jervis Kebei: How I was transferred from Sasse College I met Dr. Jervis for the first time in 1998 when I betook myself with my mum to Bishop Rogan College for interview into the College. Before then, that is between September 1997 to June 1999, I was a student in the celebrated St. Joseph College, Sasse, a College where I had been admitted in 1997 by Msgr. James Toba. I must say that my admission to Sasse College was providential. I will elucidate that in another article entitled: “My Experience in St. Josephs College, Sasse College from 1997 to 1999.” I still remember trekking from Bongo Square to St. Joseph’s College, Sasse College on foot because we found no car going down to St. Josephs College, Sasse. To cut the long story short, while in St. Josephs College, Sasse as a form two student in 1998, I saw Bishop Pius Awa and Msgr. James Toba, having a conversation. It was easy for me to distinguish between a Bishop and a Monsignor. Do you know the difference? A Monsignor does not have the following: 1). a pectoral cross; 2). The zucchetto, in Italian, meaning small gourd, from zucca, meannig pumpkin, which is a small, hemispherical, form-fitting ecclesiastical skullcap worn by Bishops. Well, Bishop Pius Awa had a Pectoral Cross, and a Skull Cap. I admired both of them from a distance. That was a Sunday. Later, Bishop Awa celebrated Mass with the students of Sasse College. I quite admired the demureness (decorum) and momentousness with which he celebrated Mass. That was in 1998, I was in form two in St. Josephs College, Sasse College. A day later, after evening Mass, as Msgr. Toba was strolling to his home, I ran up to him and disclosed: “Monsi, can I tell you something?” He answered: “Of course, George”. He had known me because I always sat just in front of his seat in the Sasse Chapel. So, I continued: “Monsi, I would like to be a Bishop like that Bishop who celebrated Mass last Sunday: Bishop Pius Awa”. I still remember vividly that Msgr. James Toba laughed aloud. I had never heard him laugh so loud. I was frightened. He then said: “come with me”. So, I went with him into the Sasse father’s house. That was the first time of entering that house. I was totally distracted by the wonderful smell from the kitchen. Msgr. Toba took me to the living room and said: “George, you really want to be a bishop?” I said: “Yes Monsi”. He said: “I will send you to Bishop Rogan College. That is a College for Bishops”. And he smiled. I also smiled with him. Later, at the end of that academic year, Msgr. James Toba transferred me to Bishop Rogan College in 1999 to begin form 3, and it was that year that I came in contact with Msgr. Jervis Kebei for the very first time in Bishop Rogan College. Well, I would say that I did not even know who a Bishop was. However, I did not end up becoming a Bishop, but I ended up mingling and living with most of them in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Italy. As young children, we sometimes have ambition when we do not even know what they are and their responsibilities. I came to realize that it was the worst ambition to have. I was still a young boy of 13. Being a Bishop is not a dream to ever have. It is a vocation to be surprised with by the Holy Father because it is indeed a heavy cross to carry. It was important for me to narrate this anecdote in order for you to understand how I was transferred from St. Josephs College Sasse to Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary, Soppo, Buea, South West Province of Cameroon. First Physical Encounter with Msgr. Jervis Kebei in 1999 I met Msgr. Jervis for the first and last time in the year 1999. When we arrived Bishop Rogan College, we were asked by the Secretary to have a seat in front of the Rectors office. I could see the picture s of former Rectors of Bishop Rogan College. Then, after some minutes, we were led to Msgr. Dr. Jervis’s office. I still vividly remember that I quite liked Msgr. Dr. Jervis the first time I set my eyes on him for two reasons: 1). He was putting on glasses; 2). He had a bald head. As a child, I had always knelt down every day in prayer to ask God to give me two things: “a bow head and glasses.” This might seem funny but seriously, the very first missionary priest I met in my life was Fr. Katua from France, and he had a bald head and glasses on his face. As a child, he had told me one day on our way to an outstation that those with a bald head and glasses were extremely genius and intelligent people, intellectual to the core. Since then, I have always as a child asked God to give me glasses and a bald head. He gave me only one: “glasses.” I am still waiting for a bald head. Eventually, my first impression when I set my eyes on Msgr. Dr. Jervis was totally optimistic and absolutely admiring. I also enjoyed the Gregorian chant which was playing in his office. The environment looked absolutely solemn, and totally serene, like heaven. He greeted me and my mum and asked us to seat down and the discussion continued. During the conversation, I just smiled and spent all my time admiring “his bore head and the glasses he was putting on.” In fact, I do not even remember what he asked me because my mind and all my attention was fixed on his bald head and the glasses he wore. After the long-awaited interview, I was accepted and admitted into Bishop Rogan College as a form 3 student in 1999. Msgr. Jervis Kebei appoints me as Assistant Spiritual Prefect in BIROCOL (2000) The following year that is in the year 2000, in form four Msgr. Dr. Jervis appointed me as the Assistance Spiritual Prefect of Bishop Rogan College. I assisted Rev. Fr. Dr. Benedict Ehinack, who was the Senior Spiritual Prefect, who is presently in the United States of America. With this post, I became a bit closer to Msgr. Dr. Jervis. This was due to the fact that I had to submit weekly reports to him about the spirituality of the Minor Seminarians. In my report to him, I did not fail to write in details and to mention the names of notorious seminarians who constantly came late to the Chapel or those who constantly made noise after the magnum silencium (great silence), or those who constantly made noise in the Chapel. As a Spiritual Prefect in form four, I knew all the noisy students and the quiet and disciplines ones. Magnum Silencium: great silence had to be respected. My duty as a Spiritual Prefect among other things [leading prayers in the Chapel] was to go around the dormitories after every Compline to find out those who did not respect this rule. That is why students in Bishop Rogan adjusted whenever they saw me especially after compline. Suffice it to say that I was awarded the price of the most frowned student in that institution by Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei, Rector in 2002. Why was I awarded that price? Why was I always frowning as compare to today when it cannot be understood why I am doing just the opposite, that is, constantly laughing? As a Spiritual Prefect in Birocol, I had to frown almost all the time so that some notorious students would adjust. I still have the price which was given to me: a lovely book. All those who went through Bishop Rogan College at that time knew me very well. I remember I was given a blow by one Upper Sixth students in 2003 for having written his name and submitted to the Rector as I normally did in my report because this Upper Sixth Student was noted of constantly making noise in the Chapel. This blow almost shattered my glasses. As far as Spirituality was concerned: relationship with God, there was no joke about it. I was stern – strict, and I handled all the culprits accordingly who did not respect the rule of silence in the Chapel and Magnum Silencium. Msgr. Jervis Kebei appoints me as Spiritual Prefect in BIROCOL in Lower Sixth (2000) Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei appointed me for the second time as Spiritual Prefect of the institution. I guess he was impressed by my duty as an Assistant Spiritual Prefect in form four. So, I continued with my way of administering to the students as far as spirituality was concerned and worked closely with Fr. Basil Sede and later with Fr. Emmanuel Epie. As a Spiritual Prefect in Form four and Lower Sixth, my sight and frown made students to adjust and follow the rules on spirituality accordingly. If students had constantly seen me smiling, they would not have taken me seriously. That is why I frowned most of the times as a student in Birocol, especially in the Chapel. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: An Empathetic Administrator After the G.C.E Ordinary Level results had been published, those who had passed had come to Bishop Rogan for interviews to be admitted to high school. As usual, I travelled to Bishop Rogan from Mbalmayo. When I arrived Bishop Rogan, I was totally elated to see my classmates. After the interview with Msgr. Jervis, I was admitted and accepted for formation in high school in Bishop Rogan on one condition, which I had to pay 120,000 francs as deposit to reserve my place. The money had to be paid in some days, and I knew that I would not be able to pay then. It was August. I took the letter of admission stating the condition and left for Mbalmayo. I was aware of the financial situation in my family. Normally, my parents gave us our complete school fees only after the Rentre (That is when Schools begin, because they needed that capital to buy books and resell them in our Bookshop, which was the only Bilingual Bookshop in Mbalmayo at the time). I did not want to explicate all these to Msgr. Dr. Jervis. So, I left for Mbalmayo and did not inform my parents about it. I was very sure that Bishop Rogan was my place and that nothing will make the Rector or the administration to give up my place to anyone. I was just confident about myself. One month later, Bishop Rogan resumed and I was there in the evening around 5 pm and behold, I did not find my name in the list of lower sixth students. I had no dormitory. I went straight to see Msgr. Dr. Jervis in his office to complain that I had not seen my name in the list. He asked me: “You did not pay the deposit which was a condition”. I then expounded to him the reason why I could not have paid the money before August. He looked right into my eyes and asked: “I am sorry George; your place has been taken”. He asked me to wait outside his office and I went outside in mental prayer, knowing fully well that Divine Providence will safe me, and it did save me. Some 15 minutes later, Msgr. Dr. Jerivs called me into his office and asked me if I had the deposit with me. I retorted: “I have brought the complete school fees: That was about 350, 000 Francs”. My parents always preferred to pay the complete fees for all their 8 children during the “Rentre season”, which was the only time we sold many books. I removed the 350, 000 francs and showed him. He asked me to take it to the bursar. The bursar gave me a receipt. Msgr. Dr. Jervis asked me to go to the dormitory which was just opposite the clinic. I remember that it was there that I got to know Prosbert Arrey very well. We spent a year in that dormitory. That was how I began lower sixth in Birocol, in God’s providential hands. From this experience, I came to know Msgr. Dr. Jervis as a human being in toto (totally). As a person who is empathetic, who feels for others. The fact that he made it possible for me to be admitted into lower sixth after I had not paid the deposit was a clear sign that Msgr. Dr Jervis was an empathetic educator and formator to the core. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: The Erudite Disciplinarian Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is an erudite Disciplinarian: a person who believes in or practises firm discipline. I have an anecdote to narrate an incident that happened in 2003, while I was in lower sixth in Bishop Rogan College. One Friday morning, as a lower Sixth student in 2003, and Spiritual Prefect of Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary, seventeen years ago, I decided to brush my teeth in front of St. Kitts Dormitory because the bath room was so full of other students. I did not know that Msgr. Dr. Jervis had seen me brush my teeth outside from a distance. Those his glasses could see quite well from a long distance. After Mass that day, in his usual short conferences after Mass, he came in front of the Altar and began his speech by saying: “Nchumbonga, were are you? Could you stand up where you are?” I immediately urinated in my “celebrated apaga trousers” and my legs were trembling like the legs of a cow in a slaughter house. Then he continued: “What were you doing today in front of St. Kitts Dormitory?” And the entire students turned and looked at me in awe. I was confused. I did not know what to say. What had I done this morning that was wrong or incorrect? I began brainstorming like google. Then he continued: “I saw you brushing your teeth today in front of St. Kitts Dormitory this morning like a village farmer, true or false?” I retorted like a baby in front of spilt milk: “True Father:” He continued: “That should be the very last time that I catch you brushing your teeth in front of the dormitory. Teeth are brushed in the bath room”. And I retorted: “Yes Father.” and the court interrogation ended. I never ever made that mistake again. This is to illustrate how Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei inflicted discipline on us his students. He never spared the rod to spoil the child. He took note of almost everything that we did and was always ready to correct us and put in in the right track for the future. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: The Illustrious Homilist and notable Orator Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is an eloquent and highly skilled public speaker, a celebrated orator. In addition, he is an illustrious homilist during Eucharistic celebrations. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is one of the priests of the Diocese of Buea who preaches well. He is gifted in oratory. He can hold an audience “spellbound” for hours because he knows how to convey his message to whatever audience. “Being spellbound is when your attention is caught by something, and you just can’t look away, almost as if you were bound by a spell”. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is a good speaker and excellent preacher. I hardly ever saw him preach by reading a piece of paper. His homilies are well prepared, pregnant with Scriptures and they flow from his well-prepared mind. He always has the exact words and story to tell to pass across his message. As a student in Bishop Rogan College, I always wrote down all his homilies in an exercise book because I each word that came out of his mouth was wisdom. In addition, my aunt in Yaounde made the following comment: “Father Jervis is a wonderful preacher. I just can’t miss his Masses. His homilies are very practical and extremely touching”. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: A Man with a Great Memory Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei has a great memory. I use to wonder how he remembered the name of almost all the students in Bishop Rogan College. No one could escape if caught out of bounds in Bishop Rogan. Msgr. Dr. Jervis will sought you out by name. In addition, during his homilies in Bishop Rogan College, it was very easy for him to call the students by name if he caught them sleeping while he was delivering the homily. He truly has a great memory, and till date, when he sees his former students, he can call them directly by their name. I had this experience with him last Sunday, October 4th in Yaounde. When I went to the Sacristy after Mass to greet him at the Benedictine Monastery in Mont Febe, when he saw me coming, he said almost immediately: “Nchumbonga, what are you doing in this part of the world?”This shows his great memory. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: An Erudite Youth Chaplain Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is well-known as an erudite Youth Chaplain nationally in Cameroon and internationally. He served in the Diocese of Buea for some years as a Youth Chaplain. In addition, he travelled to the ends of the Diocese of Buea to organize the world day of youth in the Diocese before he was appointed as Rector of Bishop Rogan College. Four years after his priestly ordination, his Bishop, late Bishop Pius Awa sent him for further studies from 1991-1994 in Rome, Italy. Msgr. Jervis Kebei did his Master’s degree in Theology/Theological Studies at the Salesian Pontifical University, Rome, Italy, where he did a Master’s Programme in YOUTH PASTORAL AND PSYCHOLOGY, specifically in Youth Development and Management. This study prepared and equipped him for youth chaplaincy. He serves for many years as Youth Chaplain of the Diocese of Buea and as Youth Chaplain in the University of Buea. No wonder he was later appointed at the Catholic University (CATUC) Bamenda, as Vice Registrar in charge of Students Affairs, before being nominated as Deputy Secretary of the Cameroon Episcopal Conference. From all indications, Msgr. Dr. Jervis supervised the construction of the University of Buea Church in Molyko to cater for the spiritual life of the Students of that University and he worked there tirelessly as a University Chaplain of the University of Buea. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: An Erudite Educationist to the Core Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei is a priest – scholar, educationalist. An educationalist is a person who has a special knowledge of the principles and methods of teaching. As a priest, after his ordination, Msgr. Jervis did not stop learning and updating his educational qualifications. He served as an educationalist: rector of Bishop Rogan College, principal of Sasse College and Buea University chaplain. Last year, in April 4, 2019, Msgr. Dr. Jervis defended his doctorate degree Doctorate Degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Buea, Faculty of Education, and Department of Educational psychology. His doctorate topic was titled: “Transition of Emerging Adutls (18-25 years) from Home to University: Implications for Moral Adjustment to University Life in Cameroon, By Jervis Kebei Kewi, (ED106734).” His main supervisor was the Emeritus Professor Therese M.S. Tchombe, and his Co-Supervisor was Dr. Joseph Lah Lo-oh. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei: Man, of Didactic Conferences A didactic conference is a conference intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive. Msgr. Dr. Jervis delivered his conferences every Sunday before lunch in Bishop Rogan College. Almost every good student in Bishop Rogan College was always eager to attend his conferences because he always had something fruitful to tell us. His conferences were like a film show in the sense that, whenever it ended, I always felt sad, because they were very totally thought-provoking, absolutely stimulating and incredibly remarkable. During his conferences, Msgr. Dr. Jervis impacted in us a holistic formation. As far back as 1999, in his conferences, Msgr. Dr. Jervis narrated to us his experiences in Europe, from one country to another, the importance of taking our studies seriously if we wanted to know the world. Little did I know that he was preparing us for the international world. During his conferences, he taught us how to brush our teeth, how to take our bath well, how to look clean. He taught us to take our studies seriously. He taught us to take our spiritual life very seriously. He formed us holistically to integrate well into the society. Most of the students who did not follow the directives of Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei did not fit in well into the society. This is a message of encouragement to all the students in Birocol to take their holistic formation in Bishop Rogan very seriously, so that they do not regret like those who did not take their formation seriously. I have decided not to give a summary of the conferences which Msgr. Dr. Jervis delivered to us while we were in Birocol here because I do not wish to make this encomium very long. I will dedicate a treatise entitled: “My Holistic Formation and Experience in Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary, Soppo, Buea”. There, I will give a summary of some of the conferences he delivered to us. I had an exercise book in which I always wrote a summary while was delivering his conferences. Msgr. Dr. Jervis Kebei gave as a balanced formation, in which he made us to become noble men in the society. I would like to conclude this encomium by first of all thanking God for the life of Msgr. Jervis Kebei Kewi. Without God’s Divine Providence, Msgr. Jervis Kebei would not have been able to form so many Youth and students in different parts of Cameroon. Secondly, I would like to sincerely pray for God’s guidance and protection to Msgr. Jervis Kebei as he undertakes this new position of primordial and capital importance in the Church of Cameroon, and the Universal Church in general. May God bless him with long life, good health, constant peace, joy, happiness as he carries out this function. Dear Msgr. Jervis Kebei, be rest assured of my prayers for you as you continue to serve as a selfless priest in the vineyard of God. May you be blessed both now and forever. Amen. Written by Nchumbonga George Lekelefac This treatise is dedicated to Professor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon, M.A., Ph.D., (Nui) Dip. Ed. (Oxon), who was born 96 years ago, on 19 November 1924 in Nso, North West Region of Cameroon, died 26 August 1986. He was a government minister and leading intellectual of Cameroon. A man of diverse abilities, Fonlon was characterized as the Cameroonian Socrates. He was a major promoter of bilingualism, as reflected in the Journal Abbia: Cameroon Cultural Review that he founded in the early 1960s. Dr. Prof. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon is the first English speaking Cameroonian to earn a Doctorate Degree in 1961 at the University of Ireland. The first French Cameroonian to earn a Doctorate Degree was Reverend Father Jean Zoa in 1953 in Biblical Studies at the Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana, in Rome, Italy. Prof. Dr. Fonlon did his secondary school education at Christ the King College, Onitsha Nigeria from 1942 to 1945. Later, he studied in Bigard Memorial Senior Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria from 1948 to 1953. He was among the pioneer seminarians at Bigard Memorial Senior Seminary in 1948, together with Monsignor Alphonsus Aghaizu, who happens to be the oldest living Monsignors in South-East Nigeria. He is presently 95 years old and is retired at St. Paul’s parish, Owerri. Fonlon’s one and only desire was to become a Catholic priest. Just before the sub-diaconate, Bernard experienced the greatest crisis of his life. He was informed that he would not be admitted to Major Orders, and that there was no likehood of that decision being changed in the future. This happened in November 1953 at Enugu, in Nigeria. In the midst of the darkness of that crisis, with his hopes for ordination completely shattered. Msgr. Aghaizu describes the scene on August 20, 2020 in his humble contribution to the cause for the beatification of his close friend Dr. Fonlon:“I was due for sub-diaconate ordination with Fonlon 1953 but he was dropped the morning of the ordination, but he maintained his cool, and went with me as previously arranged for a month’s holiday to Msgr. P. Meze’s parish at Maku. The authorities arranged for him to teach at C.K.C his alma mater (1942 to 1945). At my ordination at Uli 1954, Fonlon and three of his friends came from C.K.C to Uli despite the fact that there was ordination same day at Onitsha….After my month’s tour of the stations at Uli Parish, I was due to return to Bigard to obtain my faculties; and I decided to touch C.K.C enroute. I did not go to the Fathers House upstairs but to the teacher’s quarters to stay with Fonlon. Next morning, he followed me to the fathers Chapel and served my mass! The authorities were so impressed at this gesture that they gave him scholarship to study in Cork, Ireland”. Thus, thanks to his exceptional gesture, between 1954-1961, Fonlon got a Scholarship [from a disappointment to a blessing], and studied at the National University of Ireland, Cork: studied under Professor E. Byrne Costigan, Prof. Drs O’Flaherty, Prof. Servais, Prof. Forgatton at Sorbonne, Paris; Fonlon also studied under Professor Georges Balandier Oxford University and under professor Halls. Had he become a priest, he would not have had the opportunity to serve his country as a Christian and intellectual in politicians as he did for Cameroon. God had other plans for him. Academic Qualifications of Fonlon Fonlon earned the following Academic Qualifications: 1939: Primary School leaving Certificate; 1945: Senior Cambridge Grade One; 1946: The Nigerian Teacher’s Higher Elementary Certificate; 1957: B.A. Honurs, NUI Cork (2.1, Latin and French); 1958: M.A., NUI Cork (First, Thesis: Flaubert Ecrivain, a study of Flaubert’s style, written in French); 1960: Diploma in Education, Oxford University; Ph.D., NUI Cork (Thesis: Bernard Nsokika. La poesie et le reveil de l’homme noir / par Bernard Fonlon, published by Presses Universitaires du Zaire), an investigation into Negro African protest literature in English and in French (inclusing North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Madagascar. This was the the first Ph. D thesis in this field and was written in French under the auspices of professor W. McCausland Stewart (Bristol), Dr. Green (Oxford) and Professor E. Byrne Costigan (NUI Cork). This Ph. D was the first doctorate awarded to a Cameroonian in Ireland; 1986: D. Litt. (Honoris Causa), University of Guelph, Canada. With this extensive study, Fonlon earned three Academic Honours: 1). Nigeria – Patron of the Philosophical Fraternity of the University of Nigeria; 2). USA: Member of the National Geographic Society; 3). USSR: Awarded the Pushkin Medal in Moscow on the 170th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Russo-African Writer. A Genuine and True Christian cum Intellectual in Politics As far as his political life is concerned, Fonlon served as an interpreter to Amadou Ahidjo, the first Cameroonian President, and later was a Minister, in which he distinguished himself in politics with his moral, spiritual and intellectual life on returning to Cameroon. He held the following post in the Cameroon government: In 1961, he was assistant Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Southern Cameroons; 1961-1964: Charge de Mission (Presidential Aide) at the Presidency, Yaounde, Cameroon; 1964-1968: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; 1968-1970. Minister of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications; 1970-1971: Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare; 1962-: Founder and Director of Abbia, the bilingual Cameroon Cultural Review; 1971: Associate Professor in the University of Yaounde. Prof. Daniel Noni Lantum, “the right hand man” of Fonlon, who is said to have known Fonlon more than anybody else in Cameroon observes in his book titled: “Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon: An Intellectual in Politics” that Fonlon was an indefatigable, relentless father of Cameroon Bilingualism at work, that Africanist intellectual and learned philosopher of the Presence Africaine up-bringing, that tireless professor of Negro-African Literature of the University of Yaounde from 1978 to 1984, that revolutionary Cameroonian Educationist of the 1960s, that inspiring and unquenching source of Liberty and Democracy even in the Ahidjo Regime (1958 – 1982), that Christian intellectual and politician who was physically present but spiritually absent from the materialism of the political environment of his time. One of the circles in which Dr. Fonlon left an indelible mark was in politics. His involvement with Cameroon politics was natural as it was inevitable. He was motivated by a genuine desire to bring to the politics of his country the very best intellectual and moral qualities that he possessed, having passed through Bigard Memorial Senior Seminary, with a holistic formation: Intellectual, Spiritual, Pastoral and Human formation which equipped him for politics. It should be noted that Cameroon and indeed Africa was emerging from colonial enslavement to independence and such a critical period needed the best type of leadership that each country could provide. Dr. Fonlon who had foreseen this need and had prepared himself accordingly, believed that those who governed – and politics is to do ultimately with good government – should have the intellectual and moral preparation for such an important and sacred task. He believed with Socrates that “kings should be philosophers” or that those who govern should have the intellectual and moral qualities which true philosophy inculcates. With these principles which Fonlon learnt from Bigard, he distinguished himself in politics and earned eleven Political Honours: 1). Canada: The Canadian Medal; 2). Vatican: A Papal Medal, the Medal of the Concilium Oecumenicum Vaticanum 1 and 2; 3). France: The Medal Trois Siecles de Cartographie Francais; 4). USA: Medal of the African-American Dialogues; OAU: Medal Issued to the Participants of the First Congres of the OAU, 1963; 5). Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Valeur, Officier de l’Ordre de la Valeur; 6). Tunisia: The Order of the Tunisian Star; 7). Nigeria: The C.O.N. for Distinguished Public Service; 8). India: The Jawaharlal Nehru Medal; 9). Africa: Madale de Vermeil d’Union Africaine et Malgache des Postes et Telecommunications; 10). West Germany: Grosses Verdienstkreuz mit Stern und Schulterband; 11). Nso: Chieftaincy title, Shufai-wu-Ntu-Ndzev, conferred by the Fon of Nso, for having brought water to Kumbo, where he was born. Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze states inter alia: “I hold Dr. Bernard Nsokika FONLON in very high regard. I first got to know him in Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria, in the years 1953 and 1954. He was in his second year theology when I entered that Major Seminary in September 1953. When he and his classmates were due to be ordained subdeacons in December 1954, the Seminary authorities and his Bishop decided not to admit him to major orders. As a seminarian, I saw Bernard as a learned seminarian. I still remember how with lustre he sang “Audi Benigne Conditor” during Vespers in Lent. He took no breakfast. When other seminarians were at breakfast, he was studying, we believed he was at Latin and Greek! During holidays and in the years after he had to leave Bigard Memorial Seminary, he used to visit one of the Nigerian priests, Monsignor Peter Meze-Idigo who was very kind to him, as he also was to seminarians in general. Once during those visits by Fonlon to Monsignor Meze at Dunukofia, my parish, I took Bernard to visit my parents at Eziowelle and my father, a good wine tapper, gave him good palm wine which he took gladly. I still remember that my mother tried to converse with him in Igbo and was surprised that Fonlon did not speak Igbo. I had to inform my innocent mother that Igbo is not the only language spoken in Africa!I lost track of Fonlon in the years when he worked for a Doctorate in Ireland and another Doctorate in France. The next time I met him was during the Nigeria-Biafra war, probably in 1968 or 1969. It was a quick meeting because we were both passengers in Air France flying to Paris from Douala. At that time, Dr Fonlon was Minister of Communications in the Camerun and I was Archbishop of Onitsha. After that Nigerian civil war, I visited Dr Fonlon in Yaoundé. It may have been around the year 1972. I first visited Archbishop Paul Verdzekov in Bamenda. Then I flew from Buea to Yaoundé. Fonlon met me at the airport. I stayed about two days with hm. I then learned that he was no longer Minister in the Government because President Ahidjo called him and explained: Bernard, I regret that we can no longer retain you in the cabinet because you put the rest of us ministers to shame, because you are your own driver and you drive an old car. My unforgettable memory of my stay with Fonlon in his flat was that one day his sister prepared a fou-fou lunch for both of us. During lunch, Dr. Fonlon was so absorbed in our conversation (which was more me listening to his wisdom) that I finished my lunch; he then put together his fork and knife, put his plate aside and continued his learned discourse. He forgot that he had not eaten anything yet! I have never in my life of 87 years reached that level of detachment from creatures. On 16 Sept. 1973 he wrote a 28-page booklet: “An Open Letter to the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda” on the training of future priests. Excellent piece. Dr Bernard Nsokika Fonlon was a man of high ideals. He prayed. He said the Latin Breviary daily. He loved the Church. He was not bitter that he was not ordained priest. In my view, it was an administrative mistake of his superiors that he was not ordained. It seems to me that they did not understand him enough. He was the type of professorial intellectual who may seem not the routine parish priest. As a university priest, he could have answered many needs of the Church. However, as a lay person, he also did much good. The Camerounians are the best placed to make a judgment on this. He lived a celibate life. When I visited him in 1972, I saw that he loved the Breviary. In my view, the Cause of Beatification of Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon could be introduced. I am happy to be writing these lines on this anniversary of his death. May he rest in the peace of Christ”. + Francis Card. Arinze. Vatican City, 26 August, 2020. Prof. Fonlon: Socrates in Cameroon Fonlon is referred to as the Socrates in Cameroon. However, unlike Socrates, he wrote countless of articles. Although Professor Fonlon died in 1986 at the age of 62, he still lives on, and will do so for very many years to come in his writings, his goals, his noble deeds, and the shining example that he has left us. Dr. Fonlon was indeed a phenomenon so great that it will require many writers and many generations to fathom the depth of his profundity. His literary, intellectual and moral qualities made him a giant among Cameroonians, Nigerians and worldwide. He was a giant who was so much at ease and at home with the peasant villagers and the poor of slum “quartiers” of Yaoundé as he was among university dons of the greatest universities of Europe, North America and Canada. He was as comfortable among Archbishops, Cardinals and priests as he was among students. He knew personally and was friendly with several presidents and political figures of Post-independence Africa among whom one could cite Osagefor Kwame Nkruma of Ghana and Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt. Pierre E. Truddeau, Prime Minister of Canada, was a personal friend of Dr. Fonlon. In each of the many social circles or groups that Dr. Fonlon touched, he left an indelible mark and was admired, respected, and loved because he remained true to himself, sincere, generous, friendly, humble and simple. Message of Dr. Prof. Fonlon Philosopher Dr. Tanju Fidel Kottoh, PhD, who happened to have been born on the day Dr. Fonlon died: August 26, 1986, writes: “What was the message of Professor Fonlon? Professor Fonlon’s message – and he was the very incarnation of the message – was the supremacy of a genuine intellectual life. This is what informed his heroic detachment from material fixations. In step with the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, Professor Fonlon so believed in the primacy of the intellect that he saw genuine intellectual life as the surest panacea to the moral degradation that so potently lured the contemporary African youth. He described the ideal youth, whom he called the ‘genuine intellectual’ in the following words: ‘As Truth’s votary, ever faithful, ever sure, he is committed to wage lifelong warfare against falsehood. And as goodness and beauty are inherent in truth, it follows that he must be a constant seeker of the good and right and an inexorable and implacable of evil and wrong; and a devoted worshipper at the shrine of the beautiful and the sublime”. (Bernard Fonlon, The Genuine Intellectual, Buma Kor, Yaoundé 1978, 114). The Professor’s message was: virtue, knowledge and truth. He preached it vehemently in and out of season. But most importantly, he lived it. He himself was a paradigmatic expression of the heroic virtues he incessantly preached. His writing, teachings, encounters all attest to his desire to ‘walk the talk. ’ Above all, he was thoroughly humble. He said “it is my ambition to live the life of a simple man. The Professor’s humility was overwhelmingly evident”. Fonlon’s cool and total dependence on Divine Providence is an attitude that ex-seminarians can emulate when they are asked to withdraw from Seminary formation. Fonlon left the Seminary without bearing any grudges. His maturity and attitude when he was dismissed is distinguished and should be emulated by ex-seminarians. Cardinal Christian Tumi, a former student of Bigard also notes in a recent interview conducted on Sunday, October 25 that Fonlon is a Saint because he did good and avoided evil. He also added that the fact that seminarians are in the seminary does not necessarily mean they must become priests, because in the course of the discernment, God might be calling them to other vocations. He challenged the seminarians never to withdraw from the Seminary on their own, but to allow the formators to ask them to withdraw. In addition, Dr. Fonlon lived the Heroic Virtues: Cardinal and theological virtues which are perquisites for the introduction of a cause of beatification. He lived the virtues of Justice in government, Prudence, Temperance and distinguished himself with the virtue of fortitude, include faith, hope and charity. Fonlon is also an example of a lay person who took part completely in the Church. One reference to the Christian principle of life that was dear to him concerned the spirit of poverty, that is, detachment from whatever is not God. Writing to the Bishops of Buea and Bamenda in his Open Letter of 16th September 1973, on the occasion of the inauguration of the St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, Fonlon said, inter alia: “In a world that is rank and rotten with materialism, where hedonism is the principle philosophy, where luxury is the summum bonum; there is the crying need for dedicated souls who would go to the other extreme and espouse the spirit of genuine religion, the spirit of poverty, the spirit of austere abstemiousness, in order to wage war against the onslaught of materialist godlessness”. Dr. Fonlon was buried as a priest. He lived a celibate life and lived the life of a priest, despite the fact that he was a lay person. He was buried very close to his friend: Fr. Aloysius Wankuy. The bishop who celebrated his funeral: Bishop Cornelius Fontem Esua stated: “Dr. Fonlon was an illustrious Christian, a man of great devotion and a priest at heart. He was a saintly man, and on account of this, regardless of who he was, I have decided to lay his mortal remains next to those of his closest friend, late Father Aloysius Wankuy…as a sign of our gratitude for his affection and deep attachment to the Church”. Dr. Tanju Fidel Kottoh, PhD, Philosopher observes: “Professor Fonlon was a vir probatus – a man whose unflinching devotion to virtue, knowledge and truth was evident and proven by an iconic lifestyle. His death, an event that eclipsed the ‘African intelligentsia and the entire elite of the Negro World’ is a reality that we must face up to. In the words of Professor Bongasu Tanla Kishani “we need to accommodate ourselves to the fait accompli and open our minds more than ever before to their messages”; referring to two legends: Professor Fonlon and Cheikh Anta Diop of Senegal. In the same way, he adds that “the world is in desperate need and arguably enthusiastically yearning for the manifestation of the Fonlons of our time; for the citizens of the world marked by an unrepentant commitment to virtue, knowledge and truth. As you continue reading this masterpiece, remember ‘talk is cheap. ’ Only a firm decision to emulate the heroic virtues you are about to discover/rediscover make your time worth its while. Relish every moment even as it energizes you into active participation in The Bernard Fonlon Revolution.” May his soul continue to rest in peace on the occasion of his 96th birthday celebration. Written by Nchumbonga George Lekelefac Cameroon Concord News Group’s Nchumbonga George Lekelefac is more than thrilled to write an account of his extensive experience with Msgr. Professor Theophilus Okere before his death on October 20, 2020 in Owerri, Nigeria. As young people, we have heard our own elders, teachers and priests say-“Okere Bu Agbara’’–(Okere is a deity) in clear deference to his prodigious attributes and awesome intellect. Nchummbonga had the privilege to interview Msgr. Okere on Saturday, October 10 at his residence in Owerri. He travelled from Cameroon to Nigeria to carry out a scientific research on Prof. Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon and his first stop was in Owerri, where the classmate of Dr. Prof. Fonlon lived. He is Msgr. Alphonsus Aghiazu, and happens to be the oldest Monsignor in South-East Nigeria. After his conversation with Msgr. Alphonsus, he recommended we also get the opinion of Msgr. Okere who lived nearby from his parish of residence: St. Paul Parish, Owerri. Msgr. Alphonsus was so helpful and even sent his driver to take our Nchumbonga Lekelefac to Msgr. Okere’s house. When he arrived the house of Msgr. Okere that Saturday, October 10, 2020, Msgr. Okere was very strong and active. He was putting on a white shirt and white shorts, and he was sitting in his extremely large sitting room writing. He later said he was writing a book on Monsignor Martin Maduka. He remembered most of the Cameroon seminarians he had studied with like: Archbishop Paul Verdzekov, Bishop Pius Awa, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Fr. Clement Ndze. Later he changed and dressed in his Monsignor Cassock and we began the three hour interview. We began by asking him what his secret was because he looked quite young and active. He smiled and said: “The grace of God is the secret, and of course, discipline in whatever goes into his stomach. He was very excited and strong during the interview. We were able to video the entire conversation. After the interview, he gave us a handwritten tribute he had produced on Prof. Dr. Fonlon on Saturday, October 10, 2020, barely ten days to his death. Msgr. Okere informed us after our conversation that he was not in the best of health. He revealed that with his age, he was on drugs. Biography of Msgr. Okere Msgr. Okere was born on August 2, 1935 in the bucolic village of Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala, Imo State, he has left indelible marks on the sands of time. As was noted by one of his students, Professor Obi Oguejiofor, a Catholic priest, and lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Monsignor Okere “is indeed a great theologian, in any case, one of the greatest we ever had in Nigeria. He is also one of the few Nigerian philosophers repeatedly quoted in internationally published works both in discussions and in bibliographies. There is indeed hardly any comprehensive work on African philosophy, especially from the United States, which omits a mention of his name.” Msgr. Okere had his elementary education at St. James School, Nnorie (1942-46), St. Finbarr’s School, Okpala (1947-48) and St. Desmond, Mbutu Okohia (1949). In 1950, he enrolled at the Holy Ghost College, Owerri, for his secondary education but a year later, he proceeded to the St. Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala, as one of the pioneer students. In 1956, he proceeded to Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, and was ordained a priest on August 5, 1962 by the then Bishop of Port Harcourt, G.M.P. Okoye. Msgr. Okere: The Philosophy Teacher and Seminary Founder He returned to his alma mater, Bigard Enugu, in 1972 where he taught Philosophy for four years before crossing over to Bigard Memorial Seminary, IkotEkpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene), in 1976. He later became the Rector of the school in 1981, a position he held for two years when he founded the Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri, where he was between 1983 and 1992. A man adept at multi-tasking, as the Rector of Seat of Wisdom Seminary. It is his long stay in the seminary system that has made him pre-eminent as the spiritual and intellectual father of more than half of the priests serving today in Igbo land. Hundreds of these men of the cloth adoringly greet him with “OkerewuAgbara” as a tribute to what they perceive as his versatility and his encyclopedic wealth of knowledge. Msgr. Okere: The Editor Msgr. Okere was also the founding editor of Journal of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN) and its first president. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite International Professor of Philosophy On leaving the seminary system after 21 years of service, in 1992, Msgr. Okere taught Philosophy at the Jesuit University in Philadelphia, United States of America. Msgr. Okere: Man of Initiatives Later, he returned to Nigeria in 1999, and was the initiator as well the first president of Whelan Research Academy for Religion, Culture and Society founded in memory of the first diocesan Bishop of Owerri, Joseph Brendan Whelan (CSSP). In addition, he was the first President of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria and has between books and articles, lecture and homilies, over 200 titles to his credit. Msgr. Okere: Magister Magnus to Bishops and Archbishops A measure of his greatness as a teacher can be gleaned from the fact that out of the 16 Catholic dioceses in the old Eastern Region made up of nine states, only the Archbishop of Owerri and bishops of Nnewi and Abakaliki, did not pass through his tutelage. The other bishops, including Archbishop Valerian Okeke of Onitsha, Archbishop Joseph Ekuwem of Calabar, Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah of Nsukka and Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia were all his students. Msgr. Okere: Internationally Recognized Prof. Oguejiofor weighs in: “Okere’s voice has been heard in many forums and in different contexts. That voice sounds louder in philosophical studies. Internationally, he owes much of his reputation to his ground-breaking thesis, ‘Can there be an African Philosophy?’ part of which was published as ‘African philosophy: A Historico-Hermeneutical Investigation into the Condition of its Possibility’. These two works belong to the most influential writings in contemporary African philosophical discussion and became the foundation of the hermeneutical current in African philosophy, where it viewed that the philosophy of a people, and a fortiori, African philosophy should emerge from the hermeneutics of their culture, to became the rallying point for such thinkers as Tsaney Serequeberhan of Eritrea, Ntumba Tsahiamalenga and NkombeOleko of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).“In his recent book, Brief History of African Philosophy, Barry Hallen gives this current and Okere himself a special place among the important philosophy movements in the African continent in our time. Hence, Okere’s prowess in philosophy has earned him a special place on the pages of the history of African Philosophy.” Msgr. Okere: Intellectual Giant Recognised as an intellectual giant, Monsignor Theo Okere was an enigma to our generation; to the extent that his outstanding intellectual personality, uncommon achievements made people think that a god was sent to them in form of a human being. We have been awed by his intellectual records and breakthroughs in Nigeria and in different parts of the world particularly the noble record he left at Catholic University of Louvain. Fr Okere led the way as the first PhD holder in Philosophy from the oldest and the most celebrated Catholic University in the world; thereby blazing the way for Nigeria and Africa with his seminal thesis “Can there be an African Philosophy? A historical-hermeneutical investigation into the conditions of its possibility.” It was wondered how Father Okere, a mere mortal, had won scholarships with which three other Nigerian priests studied in Louvain. His philosophical and theological prowess in Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu, where he lectured and revolutionized philosophy from 1972 to 1976 and in Bigard Memorial Seminary Ikot-Ekpene (now St. Joseph Major Seminary) from 1976 to 1983 where he also lectured and later served as Rector before moving to establish a new Major Seminary in Ulakwo Owerri-The Seat of Wisdom Seminary as the Rector and builder from 1983 to 1992 was highly distinguished. Msgr. Okere: Man of Publications Ugo Jim-Nwoko wrote from Abuja noted that despite the burden of administrative and pastoral duties of running and managing senior seminaries, Msgr. Okere found time to do some notable book publications, such as, African Philosophy: A Historico Hermeneutical Investigation, Identity and Change – Nigerian Philosophical Series; Religion and Culture; Public Lectures in Washington D.C, Rome and in his alma mater Louvain Belgium. A collection of all his writings over the years was written, sponsored and published by some of his students entitled: “Theophilus Okere in his own words.” It is a fitting tribute to a man who has lived his 80 years on earth and still counting for others. After the conference, Msgr. Okere showed me these two volumes and I was very elated to see all the wonderful and exceptional work he had done over the years. Msgr. Okere: The Priest, The Scholar, The Teacher Martins UbaNwamadi notes in his Tribute to Monsignor Theophilus Okere, priest par excellence, literary icon that: “The anecdote of ‘the Blind men and the Elephant’ keeps popping up each time one thinks of the perception of very Reverend Monsignor TheophilusIbegbulam Okere by different people. Many see him as priest. A priest! Yes, that is what he is, first and foremost, and a very good one at that. Some see him as a teacher, a teacher indeed of the scholastic tradition with pedigree linking him to St. Thomas Aquinas. Yet, for others he is Rev. Fr Theophilus Okere, the accomplished literary man”. Msgr. Okere: A Polyglot Msgr. Okere was fluent in his native Umuonyike, Nnorie dialect of Igbo land, English, French, German, Latin. During my interview with him, I marveled at the way he quoted sentences in Latin. Msgr. Okere: Perfect Gentleman For those who have had close social contact with him, he was the fine, humble and perfect gentleman in whom all that is perfect in every culture blends. My personal experience with him testified this. Despite all he had achieved, he was very humble and outgoing with me in his house. Msgr. Okere: Man of Music Msgr. Okere was considered as a distinguished singer. He could sing well. His angelic voice at mass and digital dexterity with the songs and musical instruments were the first and the only way we could make meaning of the biblical and catholic assertions of the quality of voice and of songs the Angels use daily; singing praises to God in the heavenly places. Msgr. Okere: Intellectual and Man of Letters In order to capture the quintessential Theophilus, Martins UbaNwamadi notes that one sees him as encapsulating all of these in optimal proportions and blend. In the performance of any role, he brought in every attribute of every other role. At the pulpit, he made parishioners realize that he was also a literary icon, a philosopher, a teacher, a polyglot, and so on. In his conversation, it was clear that he was a priest, an Alter Christus (Another Christ). Msgr. Okere: Fluent in the English Language Msgr. Okere proceeded to Ireland in 1962 where he read English Language and Literature at the University College, Dublin, for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English at the University College, Dublin, graduating with honours in 1965. Msgr. Okere was considered as a great orator who knew how to transmit his messages across to his audience. Msgr. Okere: The Erudite Philosopher Msgr. Okere studied Philosophy at the prestigious Catholic University of Louvain, obtaining a PhD in Philosophy in 1972, the first Nigerian to do so. His Doctorate dissertation, “Can there be an African philosophy”: A Hermeneutical inquiry into the condition of its possibility” was groundbreaking, for it set the stage for later researches in African philosophy, having demonstrated definitely that philosophy, any philosophy and therefore African Philosophy, can be itself, only as a hermeneutics or interpretation of its culture. And since his own culture is Igbo, the logic of his thesis has placed him as one of the foremost Igbo thinkers. Msgr. Okere: Man of Culture Msgr. Okere’s commitment to and familiarity with Igbo culture were all manifested in his conversations, writings, lectures and sermons to the extent that he was once dubbed as “an unrepentant native”. Msgr. Okere: The Roman Priest Monsignor Okere served the church in various capacities including a tenure as consultor to the Vatican Dicastery at the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with non-believers. Msgr. Okere: Laureate of Prestigious Lectures He is a laureate of the two prestigious lecture series in Igbo land; Odenigbo (1997) and Ahiajoku (2007) both of which he delivered in Igbo Language, which was later adapted from the “Biography of Very Rev. Monsignor Theophilus I. Okere” written by Dr Augustine Okere and Fr. George Nwachukwu. Msgr. Okere: Man filled with Anecdotes It was at the Seat of Wisdom that some of Msgr. Okere’s anecdotes became accessible to many. Looking at his young and new students of philosophy at the Seminary in the late 80’s; Msgr was quoted to have told the seminarians “you have got the Seat, but yet to get the Wisdom”. And perhaps, contemplating on the challenges at the rudimentary stages of the development of the seminary and its students said: “The Wisdom is not yet seated”. As a man of quality and substance, he was inclined to promote innate grit in a human being than outward shadow, when he said: “Height was not one of the characteristics of a homo sapiens”. Msgr. Okere: His Faithfulness in Friendship Late Geoffrey Jim-Nwoko narrated the wizardry of his classmate, the young Theophilus Okere at the elementary education in St. James Catholic School Nnorie, Ngor-Okpala between 1942 and 1946. He mentioned that Fr Okere visited Umuchie Eziama to see his old Catholic teacher and in-law, Michael Jim-Nwoko whom he credited with bringing football to Nnorie his community, for the first time in the 1940s.This gesture of his demonstrated his humility and gratitude. Many also observed the high degree of Msgr Okere’s faithfulness to friendship and brotherhood, in good and in bad times, by the way he related with his friend, schoolmate and brother priest, Msgr Clement Chigbu. On Thursday November 12, 2020, Monsignor TheophilusOkere’s remains were laid to rest. He has just left to meet with his and our God. May Msgr. Okere rest in peace. Amen. James White Comb Riley said of death: “I cannot say, and I will not say that he is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, he has wandered into an unknown land. And let us dream how very fair, it needs must be since he lingers there… I say, he is not dead; he is just away”. Monsignor Theophilus Okere’s prints will forever remain in the sands of the history of Nigeria, Africa in particular, and the entire world in general. Please. Msgr. Okere, when you get to heaven, do not forget to extend our greetings to Professor Doctor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. He will be very happy to continue a fruitful philosophical discourse with you, and Dr. Fonlon will be happy to thank you for the wonderful tribute you wrote on him. For your life of selflessness, industry, simplicity, humility, total selfless service, honesty, and integrity, you – Msgr. Okere- will remain as an enduring compass and example to those who strive for moral rectitude. Adieu ‘OkerewuAgbara’. Written by Nchumbonga George Lekelefac
2279	dbpedia	1	3	https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bverdz.html	en	Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov [Catholic			[ "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/ich.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/idc.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy1.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/lfancy3.gif", "https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/images/qfeedback.gif" ]	[]	[]	[ "Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov", "CH", "Catholic-Hierarchy", "Directory", "Reference", "Biography", "Bishops", "Dioceses", "Roman", "Church" ]	null	[ "David M. Cheney" ]	1931-01-22T00:00:00	Archbishop Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov				null	a priest for 48.0 years a bishop for 39.2 years Principal Consecrator: Bishop Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, M.H.M. † Bishop of Buéa Principal Co-Consecrators: Bishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. † Bishop of Garoua Bishop Pierre-Célestin Nkou † Bishop of Sangmélima Episcopal Lineage / Apostolic Succession: Bishop Julius Joseph Willem Peeters, M.H.M. † (1962) Bishop of Buéa Bishop Peter Rogan, M.H.M. † (1939) Titular Bishop of Nicius Bishop Patrick Collier † (1928) Bishop of Ossory Archbishop Edward Joseph Byrne † (1920) Archbishop of Dublin Archbishop William Joseph Walsh † (1885) Archbishop of Dublin Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran † (1872) Archbishop of Sydney Paul Cardinal Cullen † (1850) Archbishop of Dublin Castruccio Cardinal Castracane degli Antelminelli † (1844) Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina Pope Gregory XVI (1831) (Bartolomeo Alberto (Mauro) Cappellari, O.S.B. †) Bartolomeo Cardinal Pacca † (1786) Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia (e Velletri) Giovanni Carlo Cardinal Boschi † (1760) Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina Pope Clement XIII (1743) (Carlo della Torre Rezzonico †) Pope Benedict XIV (1724) (Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini †) Pope Benedict XIII (1675) (Pietro Francesco (Vincenzo Maria) Orsini de Gravina, O.P. †) Paluzzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni † (1666) Chamberlain (Camerlengo) of the Apostolic Chamber Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna † (1630) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere Luigi Cardinal Caetani † (1622) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi † (1621) Archbishop of Bologna Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale † (1604) Archbishop Emeritus of Bari (-Canosa) Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P. † (1586) Cardinal-Bishop of Albano Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santorio † (1566) Cardinal-Priest of San Bartolomeo all’Isola Scipione Cardinal Rebiba † Titular Patriarch of Constantinople Principal Consecrator of: Archbishop André Wouking † (1979) Principal Co-Consecrator of: Bishop Pius Suh Awa † (1971) Bishop Jacques Joseph François de Bernon, O.M.I. † (1973) Bishop Louis Charpenet, O.M.I. † (1973) Bishop Vicente Bernikon † (1974) Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua (1982) Archbishop Roger Pirenne, C.I.C.M. † (1994) Bishop Dieudonné Watio (1995) Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge (1999)
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It welcomes constructive comments aimed at clarifying, correcting, adding, improving on the various updates in the society.
2279	dbpedia	1	16	https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/bishop-bibi-turns-50-let-them-say-by-lambert-mbom/	en	Bishop Bibi Turns 50! Let them say. By Lambert Mbom.	https://lambomsvuvuzela.…abesue-Bibi-.jpg	https://lambomsvuvuzela.…abesue-Bibi-.jpg	[ "https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/cropped-lambomsvuvuzela-1.png", "https://lambomsvuvuzela.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/bibi_cameroon-info-p-net_800xm9x.jpg?w=683", "https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bibi.jpg", "https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bishop-Bibi.jpg", "https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Mgr.-Michael-Miabesue-Bibi--300x163.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/07cf9ed31199becbc82771504134504a?s=80&d=mm&r=g" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "lambom's vuvuzela" ]	2021-08-19T14:46:31+00:00	Birthday anniversaries are milestones that set markers on one’s life trajectory. Fifty is such a golden age and a time for great celebrations. While such celebrations seem perfunctory, they carry immense significance.	en	https://lambomsvuvuzela.…zela-1-32x32.png	LAMBOMSVUVUZELA	https://lambomsvuvuzela.com/bishop-bibi-turns-50-let-them-say-by-lambert-mbom/	Birthday anniversaries are milestones that set markers on one’s life trajectory. Fifty is such a golden age and a time for great celebrations. While such celebrations seem perfunctory, they carry immense significance. It is a celebration of life, of a journey and of course, achievements. In private, it is or should be a time of stocktaking. One way of celebrating a birthday is by “recovering the origins” an idea beautifully expressed in this line: “To know ourselves – and become fully who we are – we have to look back to our origins. The word that seems most apt here is anamnesis, a remembering that connects our present to the past.” In Catholic liturgy it draws significantly from the Eucharist with the words “Do this in memory of me.” In a sense, then true celebrations of birthdays should be a memorial. The first gift we receive at birth and carry throughout life is our names. Our destinies are wrapped up in the names ascribed to us at birth. To recover the origins of Bishop Michael Bibi, the golden boy, it seems fitting to pay a little bit of attention to his names. The bishop himself recounted that at his birth, there was a little scramble on what name to ascribe him and his grandmother had the last word: “let them say” which turned out to be his middle name “Miabesue.” This presents a little insight to the modus operandi of the bearer of the name. True to his name, he knows how to cut through the noise. The providential coincidence of Bishop Bibi’s celebration of his golden jubilee in Buea, a few months after taking canonical possession of the diocese of Buea is worth pondering. At the time he celebrated his 49th birthday, he found himself embroiled in an unprecedented backlash as Apostolic Administrator. He had committed the cardinal sin against the Holy Spirit: he had dared touch the golden goose of the diocese: Catholic University Institute of the Diocese of Buea (CUIB) and recalled the popular president of the university, a priest of the diocese. Bishop Bibi’s arrival as the apostolic administrator also saw the rise of the ecclesiastical gossip paper, “Catholic Spectator”. Threats on his person, frivolous lawsuits and calumny did not deter Bishop Bibi. True to his name and unperturbed by the filth, he stayed the course as though to say: Let them say! The naysayers sought canonical marabouts, poisoned the wells with the tribal tag and held prayer vigils invoking doom and gloom so the Apostolic Administration would not accede to the prime real estate as chief shepherd of the diocese of Buea. They drowned in their own cesspool as Miabesue prevailed as though to say: Let them say! The fact that Buea diocese got an apostolic administrator immediately instead of a successor Bishop should give some pause. This diocese, the mother of all dioceses in the Bamenda ecclesiastical province had been in crisis since the advent of Bishop Bushu. This remains a basket case of poor adjustment to episcopal transition. With the retirement of now deceased Bishop Pius Awa fondly revered by his priests ascribing to him the title “Pantokrator” literally translated as the “Almighty” and the arrival of the more spiritually inclined Bishop Bushu, the presbyterate of Buea became dangerously divided. The one sticking point that defined and almost derailed the episcopacy of Bishop emeritus Bushu remains the elevation of a coterie of priests and prioritization of their agenda over all others. While Bishop emeritus Immanuel Balanjo Bushu saw his ministry blighted by the infamous memorandum written by his priests accusing him of neglect and playing favorites, Bishop Bibi’s as Apostolic Administrator launched off amidst skepticism, cynicism and outright rejection. Bishop could not rely just on “Miabesue” – Let them say but invariably turned to Michael. The name Michael is ascribed to one of the archangels and has Hebraic origins expressed rhetorically as “Who is like God?” True to his name, Michael, nobody is like God, he leveled the playing fields and thus won the ire of the old barons and their cronies. The failure of many to grasp the eternal wisdom of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s literary genius captured in his famous line “the old order changeth yielding place to new; And God fulfils himself in many ways, lest one good custom should corrupt the world,” explains the tensions that bedeviled the experience. The Bible portrays Michael as a soldier and as an archangel. He is named as the protector of Israel while in the book of Revelation, Michael is portrayed as the leader of heaven’s armies in the war against Satan. In Cameroon, the fire brigade is part of the military. Michael, the soldier was sent to extinguish the flames burning in Buea diocese seeking to consume it. He came as a firefighter and troubleshooter and in twelve months demonstrated pastoral leadership skills calming the storms rocking the boat. He might not have been the Bishop Buea Diocese wanted but he is the one the diocese got. One could opine that Buea got an archangel who is a soldier to burnish it and purify it. Turning 50 while a Bishop is a great feat and a great blessing. Msgr. Paul Verdzekov became a Bishop at the age of 39 having been a priest for only ten years. Msgr. Pius Awa became Bishop at the age of 40 and Msgr. Cornelius Esua became Bishop at the age of 39 having been a priest for averagely ten years. Bibi became a Bishop at the age of 45 having been a priest for 17 years. The wisdom of the experience of years as a priest should be handy and serve the episcopacy. It seems apropos to exhort Bishop Michael Bibi not to let himself be pushed around or be seen as being pushed around. Episcopal collegiality is very important but so is episcopal independence. It is the one lesson he can learn from Bishop emeritus Immanuel Bushu who stood his grounds to create CUIB while the provincial project CATUC was afoot. The symbiotic relationship between him and his predecessor seen in the fact that Bishop emeritus Bushu preached at Bishop Bibi’s 20th anniversary celebration as a priest and Bishop Bibi preached at their joint birthday celebrations is great mark worthy of mention. In recovering the origins, one thing that must never be lost to Bishop Bibi is his origins. His daily prayer should be the words of King David: “Who am I Lord and what is my lineage that you have brought me this far? (2 Samuel 7:18) And come to think about it, when next the question: Can anything good come from Metta quarter – a notorious neighborhood in Bamenda is posed the answer shall always be a resounding yes! A Bishop! Bishops have and wield power and a lot of authority. Power is one of the most abused element of the Bishopric. From the humble beginnings in Metta quarters, to Bishop’s house Bamenda and now Bishop of Buea, Bishop Bibi must never contaminate that unassuming personality with hubris. Like the Greek Philosopher Plutarch notes “there is no stronger test of a person’s character than power and authority exciting as they do every passion, and discovering every latent vice.” The exercise of the power and authority bestowed upon Bishop Bibi should bring out the humility of his origins which characterized his life. It seems fitting to draw a line from Pope Francis’ address to the Roman curia in December 2014 when he lists the spiritual diseases that may plague the curia and the first he references is power/authority. He said inter alia: The disease of thinking we are “immortal”, “immune” or downright “indispensable”, neglecting the need for regular check-ups….A simple visit to the cemetery might help us see the names of many people who thought they were immortal, immune and indispensable! It is the disease of the rich fool in the Gospel, who thought he would live forever (cf. Lk 12:13-21), but also of those who turn into lords and masters, and think of themselves as above others and not at their service. It is often an effect of the pathology of power, from a superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the image of God on the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need.[8] The antidote to this plague is the grace of realizing that we are sinners and able to say heartily: “We are unworthy servants. We have only done what was our duty” (Lk 17:10). The ecclesiological paradigm that animates Bishop Bibi should not just be the institutional namely the Church as an institution but should be the Church as a family. I have watched from a distance the great pastor that Bishop Bibi is. His pastoral exuberance and effervescence is laudable. Yet, one must hasten to add that there is the need to go slow. The current wave of enthusiasm is to be expected given the diocese’s need for new blood. Every new thing enjoys a certain period of popularity, it soon peters out. My birthday gift to Bishop Bibi on his fiftieth birthday is to remind him that he has 25 long years to serve in Buea or better still as Bishop. I know firsthand how much he wants that diocese to be transformed. With the current predicament of the people mired in an intractable crisis and an economy that is choking, I can only pray Bishop Bibi to go slow with the people of Buea and for someone who has turned 50, he needs to prioritize golden calculated steps. To this end, I invoke the guidance of St Michael the archangel that he may defend Bishop Michael Bibi in battle, be his protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke the devil, we humbly pray; and may the prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Ad multos annos.
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2279	dbpedia	0	76	https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/category/religion/cameroon-religion/page/18/	en	Cameroon – Page 18 – Cameroon Concord News	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png	[ "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Church-of-England.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/destroyed-church-cameroon.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Reverend-father-collapses-and-dies-while-preaching-during-Sunday-mass-.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Rev-Fonki-going-through-security-checks-at-Unity-Palace.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Cardinal-Arinze-and-Prof-Fonlon.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Clementon-Church.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Jean-Mbarga.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Lordship-Balla.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Bishop-Andrew-Nkea-and-Pope-Francis.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Bishop-Andrew-Nkea.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/editorialDesk.png", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dr-Joachim-Arrey.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Manyu-Women.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Biya-in-2020.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Général_René_Claude_Meka.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Chantal-Biya.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Ambazonia-refugees.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ekinneh-Agbaw-Ebai.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Bir-burning-Southern-Cameroons.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Iran-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-South-Africa-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWAS-leader-195x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Trump-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOHWA-CEO-210x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Eric-Njolai-195x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Spain-beats-France-213x120.jpg", "https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/unnamed-300x225.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "soter" ]	2020-09-26T09:03:26+01:00		en	https://www.cameroonconc…d-what-32x32.png		null	Christians have left Cameroonian churches that claim COVID-19 does not exist. The defecting Christians say they saw some who obeyed church instructions to ignore barrier measures infected or dying from the virus. Christians are being accepted into other congregations. This song “When God Speaks” blasts through loudspeakers at Winners Chapel, a popular church in the Fouda neighborhood in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. The song, by the Nigerian gospel singer Frank Ugochukwu Edwards, is played to welcome 23 new members. Among them is 37-year-old Annabella Tabot. Tabot says she left the Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries because her pastor deceived them, saying that COVID-19 did not exist. Tabot says the pastor asked her 60-year-old husband not to go to the hospital and was instead praying for healing from evil spirits. “His health condition kept on deteriorating and he finally died. Luckily the government came in and isolated him and the other family members were not contaminated,” she said. In August, Cameroon’s government closed Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries for preaching that COVID-19 is a hoax. Many of its 300 members defied government orders and kept worshiping in front of the closed church. Tabot said more than 100 members left the church when her sick husband died, shortly after he was suspected of having COVID-19 and forced to go to the hospital by the government. The Association of Pentecostal Churches in Yaoundé reported that at least 270 Christians left from six churches that preached against the existence of COVID-19. Protus Ngala, pastor of Redemption Ministries says 11 of his followers left. “I have gone to some of the people,” he said. “I made some questionnaires and passed them over to the church [remaining members] to try to know what needs to be adjusted. I try to do all of those things to make sure that I am a better leader. I understand that I also could be defective.” Ngala said he has always believed that COVID-19 exists but thought it could be treated through prayer and fasting. Governor Naserie Paul Bea of Cameroon’s Center region says the Christians are changing churches after a rigorous campaign he led to educate the public on the dangers of COVID-19. He says churches that do not respect barrier measures to protect against the virus will be punished. “We need to limit the activities of some of these groups,” he said. “We cannot be in a state that is saying one thing and another person is preaching another thing. The [churches] are there to be a relay, not only of the government but equally to teach the people what the Bible says.” Sociologist Paul Emmanuel Somb of the University of Yaoundé says the high wave of defections show people are not happy with most churches’ teachings. He says many new churches should face reality and acknowledge that their teachings truly do not respond to their member’s growing spiritual and health needs. He says pastors, priests and Imams should be true guarantors of the uprightness and morality of people who are counting on them. He says religious leaders who deceived their followers, saying that COVID-19 does not exist and collected money from them, claiming to instead deliver patients from evil spirits should be held responsible for their actions. Since March 5 Cameroon has reported more than 19,000 COVID-19 cases, with 415 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University data. A health worker wearing protective equipment, disinfects a member of medical staff amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at an hospital in Douala, Cameroon, April 27, 2020. The central African state blames negligence, lack of knowledge and the failure of some churches to educate their members on the dangers of COVID-19 as among the factors in the increasing number of cases. Culled from VOA Cameroon’s 27 million people have two official languages – English and French – but the people in the two linguistic groups are divided, adding to the nation’s woes and those for its church leaders, along with another affliction, Boko Haram extremists. Rev. Miki Hans Abia, synod clerk of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, lives in the southwestern part where most of the minority Anglophones live as the result of the country’s complex colonial history and explains his church’s role in the peace process. “I believe that the Church in Cameroon is part of the solution to bring about peace and reconciliation to these conflicts,” he said. The church has more than 500 pastors serving 1.5 million Christians in the country. Most Anglophones live in the southwest, and they are a significant minority in the country, where about 70 percent of the population are Christians, and some 24 percent are Muslims. “It is no secret that the once-admirable nation of peace in the African continent is today experiencing the worst crisis or conflict situation in her history,” he says. “I won’t dwell on the Boko Haram incursions in the northern part of our country. I would rather focus on the Anglophone crisis because it affects our community and the church directly.” One million displaced Increasing violence and insecurity in Cameroon has forced more than one million people from their homes. Since 2014, Cameroon has also struggled to support refugees fleeing violence and civil war in neighbouring countries, according to the International Rescue Committee. The scourge of 2020, COVID-19, and the related conflict in Africa’s Sahel region have dwarfed Cameroon’s Anglophone-Francophone conflict in people’s minds. “It is now at the level of violent armed conflict between the English-speaking militia (Amba Boys) and the nation’s military and security forces. The devastation is enormous. “There are hundreds of thousands of persons internally displaced. Thousands are refugees in neighbouring countries, many brutally murdered, many more living in sorrowful conditions in faraway bushes, kidnapping and requests for huge ransoms, wanton destruction of property and whole villages burnt down,” said Abia. News outlets report on the government cracking down on protests and political opponents. Njie Samuel Kale is the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon’s education secretary and said that the church has struggled to convince parents to send the children to school in some safe areas due to threats, acts of arson, kidnappings and killings. “Some scholarships and materials were offered to needy kids as well as continuous support to internally displaced persons. Over 60 percent of our operations are grounded in terms of schools, health facilities and even churches. “We continue to witness a growing number of displaced people,” said Kale. Peace proposals The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has submitted a list of proposals to the national president, Paul Biya. These call for the holding of an inclusive national dialogue, release of all those detained in connection with the unrest, a decentralized government system, and conservation of the Anglo-Saxon system of education that was “adulterated.” It also seeks a ceasefire, withdrawal of the military from the streets, and protection of the English judicial system of common law. “The clergy and top laity also took part in several top meetings called by the government to bring peace and held audiences with ministers, the prime minister and the head of state,” said Kale. From the latter part of the 19th century until World War I, Cameroon was a German colony. During that conflict, the British invaded from Nigeria, and the French took the bigger northern part under League of Nations mandates, the start of the current linguistic divide. Reunification started in 1961 Created in 1961 by the unification of a British and a French colony, the modern state of Cameroon has also struggled to find peace and unity. The mainly-Muslim far north has been drawn into the regional Islamist insurgency of the Boko Haram group. Abia said, “The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, in communion with other churches and religious bodies, has played a very active role in an attempt to bring peace and reconciliation to conflicting parties and situations.” He noted that the church is hard-hit in the country’s conflict because about 80 percent of its adherents, activities and economic ventures are found “in the war zone” and the church is predominantly English-speaking. The Cameroon Presbyterians’ leadership has intervened and mediated in what he refers to as “the Anglophone crisis rocking the restive north-west and southwest regions of Cameroon.” “The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has organized, amongst others, interfaith services for all religious bodies in Cameroon. In some of such gatherings, her international partners were invited and actively took part in the peace discussions. Resolutions from such discussions aimed at peace and reconciliation were forwarded to the government of Cameroon,” explained Abia. The church’s hierarchy championed by its head, the moderator, has regularly signed pastoral letters to its communion recommending “salient proposals” for the reinstitution of peace and tranquillity in war-torn areas in Cameroon. “The church has been actively involved in peacebuilding initiatives from time immemorial and has continued to remain a cardinal point in preaching peace and reconciliation.” Grand National Debate For example, the church took part in actively organizing with the government a Grand National Debate (2019) to reinstate peace in Cameroon. “Currently, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon is a major player in the government-led Reconstruction Plan; advising that peace and reconciliation are prerequisites for reconstruction, that the minds of all parties and stakeholders must be reconstructed first before material things,” said Abia. The church works with its foreign partners to help counsel the Cameroon government and other conflicting parties. For example, in March 2020, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon led an international delegation for a meeting with the prime minister of Cameron to brainstorm on concrete measures to resolve the crisis in Cameroon. “The prophetic voice of the church through her pastors and other preachers of peace have been of great importance to de-escalate the conflict in the two Anglophone regions,” said Abia. The church has a committed group called the Peace Office that engages in peace workshops with a variety of funding partners. “I believe that the church in Cameroon is part of the solution to bring about peace and reconciliation,” said Abia. Culled from World Council of Churches UNFORGOTTEN I hold Dr. Bernard Nsokika FONLON in very high regard. I first got to know him in Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria, in the years 1953 and 1954. He was in second year theology when I entered that Major Seminary in September 1953. When he and his classmates were due to be ordained subdeacons in December 1954, the Seminary authorities and his Bishop decided not to admit him to major orders. As a seminarian, I saw Bernard as a learned seminarian. I still remember how with lustre he sang “Audi Benigne Conditor” during Vespers in Lent. He took no breakfast. When other seminarians were at breakfast, he was studying, we believed he was at Latin and Greek! During holidays and in the years after he had to leave Bigard Memorial Seminary, he used to visit one of the Nigerian priests, Monsignor Peter Meze-Idigo who was very kind to him, as he also was to seminarians in general. Once during those visits by Fonlon to Monsignor Meze at Dunukofia, my parish, I took Bernard to visit my parents at Eziowelle and my father, a good wine tapper, gave him good palm wine which he took gladly. I still remember that my mother tried to converse with him in Igbo and was surprised that Fonlon did not know how to speak Igbo. I had to inform my innocent mother that Igbo is not the only language spoken in Africa! I lost track of Fonlon in the years when he worked for a Doctorate in Ireland and another Doctorate in France. The next time I met him was during the Nigeria-Biafra war, probably in 1968 or 1969. It was a quick meeting because we were both passengers in Air France flying to Paris from Douala. At that time, Dr Fonlon was Minister of Communications in the Camerun and I was Archbishop of Onitsha. After that Nigerian civil war, I visited Dr Fonlon in Yaounde. It may have been around the year 1972. I first visited Archbishop Paul Verdzekov in Bamenda. Then I flew from Buea to Yaounde. Fonlon met me at the airport. I stayed about two days with him. I then learned that he was no longer Minister in the Government because President Ahidjo called him and explained: Bernad, I regret that we can no longer retain you in the cabinet because you put the rest of us ministers to shame, because you are your own driver and you drive an old car. My unforgettable memory of my stay with Fonlon in his flat was that one day his sister prepared a fou-fou lunch for both of us. During lunch, Dr. Fonlon was so absorbed in our conversation (which was more me listening to his wisdom) that I finished my lunch; he then put together his fork and knife, put his plate aside and continued his learned discourse. He forgot that he had not eaten anything yet! I have never in my life of 87 years reached that level of detachment from creatures. Dr Bernard Nsokika Fonlon was a man of high ideals. He prayed. He said the Latin Breviary daily. He loved the Church. He was not bitter that he was not ordained a priest. In my view, it was an administrative mistake of his superiors that he was not ordained. It seems to me that they did not understand enough. He was the type of professional intellectual who may seem not the routine parish priest. As a university priest, he could have answered many needs of the Church. However, as a lay person, he also did much good. The Camerounians are the best placed to make a judgement on this. He lived a celibate life. When I visited him in 1972, I saw that he loved the Breviary. In my view, the Cause of Beatification of Dr. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon could be introduced. I am happy to be writing these lines on his anniversary of his death. May he rest in the peace of Christ. + Francis Card. Arinze Vatican City, 26 August, 2020. This music is played on loudspeakers by a group of seven members of the Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde. The four women and three men move from house to house and street to street calling themselves end time evangelists. Thirty-two-year-old Prudence Mayah, the group leader is referred to by church members as sister. She said last month God revealed to them through their pastor Ngoa Atangana that nations are wasting the time and resources being spent on fighting COVID-19. “We are asking everybody to go on their knees and pray and know that there is nothing as coronavirus,” Mayah said. “It is God’s punishment for wrongdoing, for the several wars people are fighting in the world. A man marries a man and a woman marries a woman, so God is very angry.” Among the 45 homes the group said it visited on Monday is that of 49-year old farmer Lionnie Fotso. Fotso said she believes in the teachings of the small church, and will follow its orders not to wear masks. Fotso said Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries has just confirmed her thoughts that COVID-19 is a hoax. She said no member of a group of 300 farmers where she belongs has ever attested that she saw a COVID-19 patient and none of them has been sick of the so-called coronavirus. COVID-19 is very real, killing more than one million people worldwide since December. There have been more than 17,000 cases in Cameroon alone, and about 400 deaths in the Central African state. But that doesn’t stop the Tabernacles church, which has about 300 followers and reaches more people with broadcasts on Yaounde radio stations. Last week, Governor Naserie Paul Bea of Cameroon’s Center Region said three students refused to take their secondary school certificate exams because they were asked to wear masks. When the student’s parents were asked to come to school and convince their children to wear the masks, the parents chose to take the children home. The parents said they were members of the church. The governor said he has ordered the church to follow instructions on COVID-19 prevention or be arrested. ‘We have already closed down this church for anti-government policies,” Bea said. “You can imagine, some of our youths have refused vaccinations. Some of them are now refusing barrier measures (against COVID-19). Some of them refuse even to go to the hospitals, (saying) that if you die, they can pray and you come back to life.” Even with the closure of the church, members have continued organizing their daily prayers and meetings in front of the sealed building. The church says it also sends out fifteen groups of seven on a daily basis, to preach its erroneous message about COVID-19. Source: VOA Where there is war, there must be criminality and impunity, and this is the case in Southern Cameroons where a separatist insurgency has been raging for almost four years. The Southern Cameroons crisis has transformed a once-upon-a-time oasis of peace into a playground for criminals who are really making hay while the sun shines. A criminal enterprise, some of which is government-sponsored, is booming as the country’s government and organised criminals are feeding fat on Southern Cameroons resources. A solidly established underworld of warlords and trade-offs is sprouting as ragweed, leaving many innocent civilians in a tough and hopeless situation that is characterized by fear. On April 22, 2020, the French Cameroon government published a dubious and exceedingly bogus report on the massacre of 24 civilians by its military in the village of Ngarbuh, Dunga Mantung, on February 14, 2020. The report was a clear indictment of the French Cameroon government which shamelessly admitted that it recruited and utilised vigilante groups in its operations in Ngarbuh. The government’s admission of guilt has left it with a bloodshot eye and its military actions in Southern Cameroons are a clear manifestation of desperation against an insurgency that is not going away anytime soon. It is no surprise that drafting armed vigilante groups is reckless and perilous in a region that is awash with sophisticated weapons. Guns, lawlessness, poverty and testosterone constitute a hazardous and explosive mix and the temptation for those under the influence of these to engage in criminal activity is exceedingly high. Earlier this week, there were audios circulating on social media, allegedly from Amba boys calling for the head of the Archbishop of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, Andrew Nkea. The contents of those audios were disturbing and Cameroon Concord News Group had to publish a detailed editorial outlining the political ramifications to the Southern Cameroons if the man of God is attacked by Amba boys or any group that is acting under the cover of darkness. The urgency of the matter prompted a statement from the Ambazonia Interim Government, calling on any persons involved in such an ungodly enterprise to think twice before acting. Later on Monday, May 25, 2020, Cameroon Concord News and Cameroon Intelligence Report launched a joint investigation into the source and rationale behind the audio. Our team of top-class investigators quickly established that Archbishop Andrew Nkea was ordained a Priest in Buea in April 1992. He served the Church, the Lord and the people of Buea until August 2013 when he was ordained Bishop of the Mamfe diocese. The investigation revealed that it was in Mamfe that the new Bishop flourished in his work for mankind and The Almighty. In Mamfe, his determination to rejuvenate farming delivered huge dividends. Our investigators can reveal that the Archbishop’s work and influence in his diocese was monumental. The palm nuts, maize, cassava, poultry, goat farms he established were not only profitable, but also revolutionary. Wherever there is hard-work and success, green-eyed monsters are never far away. Our team uncovered that his work in Buea and Mamfe dioceses brought plaudits from the congregants but built a steady army of resentful adversaries within Ecclesiastical ranks. Cameroon Concord News Group uncovered that some years back, the opposition within the church to the then Reverend Father was excessive and exhausting emotionally. The man of God’s appointment to the position of Archbishop of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province in February this year was a reward for his hard work in the Mamfe diocese. But this was not well received by many within the church. Many within the Church consider his rise as meteoric and undeserved. The position of Archbishop, splendid and powerful, was coveted by numerous established bishops. Cameroon Concord News Group uncovered that there were many who believed that they or their close associates should have been appointed to the position instead of Archbishop Andrew Nkea. Our undercover reporters cross-examined many people within the church in Buea, Mamfe and Bamenda who elected anonymity said they were convinced that the audio calling for the head of the Archbishop to be blown off was the work of dark forces within the Church. Blood-stained disputes are not uncommon in the ranks of the church. In 2017, Bishop Jean Marie Benoît Balla’s body was discovered in a river days after his disappearance. Cameroonian bishops issued a statement after claiming he was murdered saying “we have the impression that the clergy of Cameroon in particular is pursued by obscure diabolical forces”. The insecurity in Southern Cameroons is a textbook heaven for criminal elements within the Church to bring their plot against Archbishop Andrew Nkea to fruition. It will be the supreme offence if these dark forces within the church committed the ultimate crime only to pin it on innocent Ambazonian self-defence forces. But the huge net of Cameroon Concord News Group is closing in on them and they will be exposed. By Isong Asu in London with intelligence files The fighting in Southern Cameroons has earned the attention of the international community due to atrocities by the military. The indiscriminate killing of innocent people, the burning of the elderly and sick in their homes and the brutal massacre of some 30 women and children in Ngarbuh had made the world to see the Yaoundé regime as a monster that is consuming its own citizens. The world seems to be working for a peaceful resolution and the pressure on the government is mounting. A recent report on the massacres in Ngarbuh put the blame squarely on the country’s military and this has increased the pressure on the Yaoundé government that has not been able to find an acceptable solution to a conflict that started as a protest by teachers and lawyers in 2016. The country’s economy has taken a hit and government coffers are almost empty. The possibilities of donors extending more loans to Cameroon are slim, especially as the fight against the Coronavirus has taken center stage in global affairs. While the international community is doing its best, the Diaspora and the Clergy are using all the means available to them to reduce the suffering of the masses, especially those who have been driven away from their homes due to the violence. A key player in efforts at seeking a peaceful resolution is Archbishop Andrew Nkea who has just been transferred to the Bamenda archdiocese. While in Mamfe, Archbishop Andrew Nkea did all he could to save so many lives. He worked tirelessly to bring supplies to those who were internally displaced, going sometimes to areas that even government forces could not go. He knew how to negotiate with Amba fighters and in the process, he would appeal to their consciences for them to spare the lives of even their worst enemies. Archbishop Andrew Nkea has really been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts during this crisis that has resulted in the deaths of some 5,000 young Cameroonians. His desire to save lives has taken him to distant lands such as the United States where he engaged with various Southern Cameroonian communities to raise funds for internally displaced persons and those who are living in Nigeria as refugees. He was in Baltimore, USA, in July 2019 in a fundraiser for refugees organized by the Manyu Community in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area where thousands of dollars were raised to help those who had left their homes to seek refuge somewhere else. Archbishop Nkea called out the government of La Republique when the military killed a Kenyan Mill Hill Missionary priest working in Kembong in Manyu Division. Like a good shepherd, he flew to Kenya and buried the priest and did all he could to console the family members of the deceased priest. Today, unlike in French Cameroun where secret service officers kill Bishops and dump their bodies in rivers, as we saw in Bafia Diocese, the people of Southern Cameroons do not kill the clergy. The clergy is still playing a key role in efforts at finding a lasting solution to the conflict that is still consuming many innocent lives and Archishop Andrew Nkea is working day and night to ensure that peace returns to the two English-speaking regions of the country. Ambazonians, their jailed leaders and comrades all love God and respect the Clergy. Let it remain that way. We do not kill Clergymen like La Republique du Cameroun. Archbishop Nkea’s efforts seem to be misconstrued by Amba fighters on the ground. Some armed groups hold that he is supporting the regime and there are calls for his life and dignity to be attacked. If Amba fighters were to attack the man of God, then that will be their greatest undoing. The international community is aware of the role Archbishop Nkea is playing and anybody who attempts to hurt such a man of God will only bring long-lasting discredit to a cause that has earned international recognition. Amba fighters must understand that as a man of God, Archbishop Nkea must demonstrate the highest level of neutrality. He cannot be against the government which might one day see reason to use him in any future negotiations. Targeting Archbishop Andrew Nkea might turn the tides against the fighters on the ground. If the fighters think they deserve any international sympathy, they must let Archbishop Nkea to continue his humanitarian operations so that those who have been caught in the crossfire can have access to humanitarian assistance. Archbishop Andrew Nkea has no interest in supporting the regime. His cardinal objective is to ensure that both parties meet in a neutral place to discuss their differences so that peace can return to a country that was once touted for its peace. Archbishop Andrew Nkea is a man of peace. He has no interest in taking sides in a conflict that should not have started. He understands the risks and the need to bring both parties to the negotiating table. Amba fighters must always understand there must always be room for a possible negotiation and only people like Archbishop Nkea can bring about that window of opportunity and communication. No war has ever been wrapped up in the battlefield. Even when the belligents are too powerful, they must understand that real and sustainable peace can only be gotten at the negotiating table and that can be brought about by God’s servants such as Archbishop Andrew Nkea. Amba fighters will be crossing the reddest of the red lines if they kidnap or kill Archbishop Nkea. They will only bring the world against them and this will herald the end of a struggle that has so far enjoyed the sympathy of countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Vatican and Switzerland. This is not the time for such mistakes. There are rules of engagement which clearly spell out that the clergy must never be a victim of violence as their role is clearly humanitarian and peace-seeking. The Cameroon Concord News Group is therefore calling on those who control fighters in Southern Cameroons to ensure that their fighters respect the Clergy. The fighters must understand that they cannot attack people who are working for peace just as they are not supposed to hurt United Nations workers who want to bring supplies to the suffering masses. The world is watching and this is not the time for any expensive errors. On behalf of the over daily twenty thousand readers of Cameroon Concord News and the Cameroon Intelligence Report, we declare that the killing of a Roman Catholic Clergy is counterproductive to the Ambazonia struggle, and should never be tolerated or allowed to happen. We of the Concord Group call on all parties to allow Archbishop Nkea to do his work as a man of God, preaching peace and bringing relief to the suffering people of his archdiocese. We therefore unequivocally condemn the recently released audios calling for violence against Southern Cameroons Metropolitan Archbishop. By Dr Joachim Arrey in Canada and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in London
2279	dbpedia	2	80	https://www.calameo.com/books/000061616bcf8239a3b9a	en	Equatorial Guinea 1927-1979: a new african tradition, par Enrique S. OKENVE-MARTINEZ, PhD HISTORY	https://www.calameo.com/books/social/cover/000061616bcf8239a3b9a	https://www.calameo.com/books/social/cover/000061616bcf8239a3b9a	[ "https://i.calameoassets.com/160212133822-3a64026e8fc442501fbaf1072b35ee3c/large.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "convert pdf to html", "create digital magazine", "digital catalog", "digital magazine", "digital magazine software", "digital magazines", "digital publication", "document sharing", "ePaper", "flip book software", "flipbook software", "free flip", "book interactive", "documents", "magazine", "publishing online", "catalog online", "catalogs online", "documents online", "magazine online", "magazines page flip", "pageflip pdf", "flipbook", "publishing services", "publishing software" ]	null	[]	null	Publishing platform for digital magazines, interactive publications and online catalogs. Convert documents to beautiful publications and share them worldwide. Title: Equatorial Guinea 1927-1979: a new african tradition, par Enrique S. OKENVE-MARTINEZ, PhD HISTORY, Author: JL EBANE MBENG, Length: 389 pages, Published: 2015-11-16	en	//s.calameoassets.com/pinwheel/8985-6c752d/platform/img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png	calameo.com	https://www.calameo.com/books/000061616bcf8239a3b9a	by JL EBANE MBENG Equatorial Guinea 1927-1979: a new african tradition, par Enrique S. OKENVE-MARTINEZ, PhD HISTORY Equatorial Guinea 1927-1979: a new african tradition, par Enrique S. OKENVE-MARTINEZ, PhD HISTORY Less Read the publication
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2279	dbpedia	3	1	https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/cameroon/b138-cameroons-anglophone-crisis-how-catholic-church-can-promote-dialogue	en	Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: How the Catholic Church Can Promote Dialogue	https://www.crisisgroup.…pg?itok=f8qIbZPY	https://www.crisisgroup.…pg?itok=f8qIbZPY	[ "https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/2023-12/000_34744JH_resized.jpg?itok=H9XFitBF", "https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/2023-05/hero_g7_briefing_may_2023.jpg?itok=nnLYum15", "https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/2024-03/FP%20logo.png?itok=QC0PnxwK", "https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/2024-03/FP%20logo.png?itok=QC0PnxwK", "https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_medium/public/Lebanonhero.jpg?itok=Ja1refri", 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The Catholic Church could mediate between Anglophone militants and the state, but clergy have espoused clashing views on key issues. The Church should heal its divides so as to be a neutral arbiter that can broker peace.	en	/themes/custom/icg_d9/apple-icon-152x152.png		https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/cameroon/b138-cameroons-anglophone-crisis-how-catholic-church-can-promote-dialogue	What’s new? Fighting is spreading between security forces and militants from Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. The government largely rejects Anglophone grievances, while armed militants appear inclined to continue fighting. The Catholic Church, representing nearly a third of Cameroonians, could be an arbitrator, but its clergy have taken divergent positions on the crisis. Why does it matter? Other than the Catholic clergy, there are few prospective peacemakers. If no one fills that role, the separatist sentiment already voiced by many Anglophones will continue to grow, fuelling further violence and exacerbating the ongoing insurgency in the Anglophone regions, with elections in late 2018 a flashpoint. What should be done? The Church should bridge its divides and state its impartiality on the thorniest question facing Anglophone regions – federalism versus decentralisation. A clergy able to project a position of neutrality could work with other trusted actors to mediate between Anglophone leaders and the state, and stem a dangerous and growing crisis. I. Overview Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which began in October 2016, has morphed into conflict between security forces and increasingly well-armed separatists fighting in the name of the country’s marginalised English-speaking minority. The separatist impulse among Anglophones is growing as President Paul Biya’s government shrugs off the community’s historical grievances. Violence has spread: more than 100 civilians and at least 43 members of the security forces have reportedly died in the last seven months, as have an unknown number of armed militants. Some evidence suggests that separatists control territory; 34,000 refugees are sheltering in precarious conditions in Nigeria and about 40,000 persons are displaced in the Southwest Anglophone region. Many militants apparently believe they are better served by fighting in order to negotiate with Biya’s government from a position of strength. The African Union and Western powers have called for dialogue. The government agrees on the need for talks, but refuses Anglophone activists’ calls for outside mediation and opposes any discussion of federalism. It has jailed Anglophone leaders with whom it was formerly talking. The Catholic Church could help break this dangerous stalemate. Present in all ten of Cameroon’s regions, the Church is one of the country’s strongest institutions. Almost a third of Cameroonians are Catholic, and the Church operates a dense network of schools and hospitals. Cameroonians take its views seriously. At present, however, its public divisions, particularly between Anglophone and Francophone clergy, stand in the way of it playing a constructive role. It is not too late for the Church to bridge these divides. Anglophone and Francophone bishops should come together in a public statement to affirm their neutrality on the issue most contentious in the crisis – that of federalism versus decentralisation – and state their willingness to mediate. The Church also should renew its calls for an end to violence and for Anglophone leaders and the government to enter negotiations. Given that, for now, direct talks between the two sides appear unlikely, the Church, if it is able to project neutrality and win trust on both sides, might play a behind-the-scenes role to allow for indirect communication between them. It could usefully push for prisoner release and some form of amnesty for Anglophone leaders who have fled the country, both likely prerequisites for talks. It could continue working together with other religious institutions, such as the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, which in January 2017 stated its readiness to mediate, and the Cameroon Baptist Convention, as well as credible civil society associations and traditional rulers. As violence appears set to escalate, particularly ahead of Cameroon’s 2018 presidential election, potential mediators and peacemakers are few. The Church should overcome its divisions, position itself as a neutral arbiter and help resolve an increasingly deadly and worrisome crisis. Loading Video Chronology of Developments in Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis II. A History of Political Engagement and Divisions Cameroon’s Catholic clergy have often been divided at times of political turmoil. The best-known case dates to the 1970s, involving a split over the fate of Archbishop Albert Ndongmo, whom the government claimed supported the insurgent Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (Union des peuples du Cameroon, UPC). The government at the time, headed by President Ahmadou Ahidjo, asked Ndongmo to negotiate with the insurgents, but then arrested him for collaborating with them, and in 1970 condemned him to death (a sentence later commuted to life in prison). Although priests drafted a memorandum denouncing Ndongmo’s incarceration, Jean Zoa, the archbishop of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, who was close to the regime, refused to sign it. When Ahidjo pardoned Ndongmo in 1975, Zoa’s archdiocese declined to join the rest of the Church in celebrating his release. Conflicts within the Catholic Church often have an ethnic dimension, pitting priests from the influential Bamiléké community against those hailing from other groups. Rivalries over postings and promotions are common. In 1987, a group of mainly ethnic Bassa priests in the Douala archdiocese wrote a memorandum to the Vatican criticising the appointment of Bamiléké bishops to dioceses outside their region of origin. Among the appointments drawing their ire was that of Christian Tumi, who comes from the Northwest region and is a member of the “grasslands” ethnic groups to which the Bamiléké are related, to the position of archbishop of Garoua, in Cameroon’s North region. The memorandum described Tumi, in barely disguised pejorative terms, as “Anglophone Bamiléké”. A few years later, the Catholic Church was divided once more as Cameroon began a turbulent transition to multiparty politics, replete with crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters. In 1990, the Cameroon Peoples’ Democratic Movement (which had been ruling since 1960, albeit under a different name) organised nationwide rallies against what it termed the “precipitous” introduction of multiparty politics. In Yaoundé, the rallies ended on 30 March with a mass held in the cathedral led by Archbishop Zoa. Tumi, by then a cardinal and figurehead of the democracy movement, objected to what he considered an authoritarian manoeuvre. The Church has established itself as a leading actor in Cameroon’s politics, but [internal] divisions continue to undermine its potential to play a positive role. On 26 May 1990 oppositionists launched a new party in Bamenda named the Social Democratic Front. After police killed six of its supporters that same day, the Anglophone archbishop of Bamenda, Paul Verdzekov, organised a memorial service in his cathedral. In response, Archbishop Zoa convened a counter-mass in the Yaoundé cathedral to, as he put it, “cleanse the image of the Catholic Church from the unholy service” in Bamenda. The Catholic Church, or individual clergy, have continued to express political views since the 1990s, notably concerning the conduct of elections. And differences have persisted between conservative clergy close to the authorities in Yaoundé and those more willing to speak out. The Church has established itself as a leading actor in Cameroon’s politics, but such divisions continue to undermine its potential to play a positive role. The Anglophone crisis is no exception. III. The Church in the Anglophone Crisis In addition to ethnic divides, the Church suffers from fissures between Anglophones and Francophones. There are five ecclesiastic provinces in the country, all under the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC). Four of them are French-speaking, while the ecclesiastic provinces of Bamenda administers the predominantly English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, under the aegis of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC). Not surprisingly, the six bishops of the Anglophone regions express more concern about the crisis than do those in Francophone areas, reflecting anger among the Anglophone flock at the central government’s actions and the sympathy of the clergy in Anglophone regions for Anglophone grievances. Two issues related to the crisis are particularly divisive among the clergy. The first concerns the structure of the state, namely whether to advocate for decentralisation, federalism or even independence for a new Anglophone state. The national ecclesiastical hierarchy supports decentralisation within a unified state. Touring the affected regions in May 2017, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, president of the NECC, asserted that the conference had asked the government to implement decentralisation, as stipulated by the 1996 constitutional law. Some Anglophone priests have gone so far as to call for the creation of a new state. In contrast, some Anglophone priests have gone so far as to call for the creation of a new state. In April 2017, for instance, Father Wilfred Emeh of the Kumba diocese called for the restoration of the statehood of Southern Cameroons (he proposed federalism as a step toward achieving independence). The next month, Father Gerald Jumbam of the Kumbo diocese wrote an open letter to Archbishop Kleda supporting full independence for the Anglophone areas and calling federalists “cowards standing on the fence”. He was joined later in May by Father David Fomanka, former Catholic education secretary of Mamfe diocese, who advocated for independence in an open letter to “Southern Cameroonians”. These three priests all now live abroad. Their stance undoubtedly reflects the frustrations of a section of the Anglophone population. But the vast majority of Anglophone Cameroon’s 350 priests are more cautious, saying little in public and privately supporting either federalism or effective decentralisation – not independence. Furthermore, most respect the Church’s hierarchy and the principle that the voice of the Church should be heard through the bishops. The second division is over whether to support a school boycott declared in January 2017 by Anglophone militants, along with a general strike (they vowed to turn cities into “ghost towns”). The boycott continued throughout 2017 but, in 2018, classes have resumed at many schools, especially in cities. Fomanka, Emeh and Jumbam support the boycott, while Bishop George Nkuo, president of the BAPEC and effective head or spokesperson of the Anglophone part of the Church, disagrees, arguing that children’s education must be respected as a primordial mission of the Church. In this he agrees with the national Church. Still, some disagreements remain at the level of the bishops. In May 2017, Archbishop Kleda pressured Anglophone bishops to ensure that classes resume immediately. Bishop Immanuel Bushu of Buea had a different opinion. Without supporting the boycott, he did say that it expressed the wish of parents and that progress toward resolving the crisis, and thus reopening schools, could better be made if the government released detainees. The position of leading figures within the Church against the boycott has provoked the anger of Anglophone militants and prompted them to threaten clergy. They also have set fire to schools not taking part in the boycott. Militants burned down two Catholic primary schools in Tobin and Kumbo on 5 August 2017 and badly damaged the Sacred Heart Catholic College in Bamenda on 18 September. Despite the polarisation, Anglophone and Francophone bishops share some views, and important Church figures are trying to find middle ground. For the most part, Francophone bishops have remained silent about the crisis, allowing Archbishop Kleda to speak on behalf of the national Church. Nor did they speak out when a government-fabricated consortium of parents filed a series of lawsuits against Anglophone clergymen, accusing them of aiding the school boycott. In April 2017, the Bamenda Court of First Instance summoned several Anglophone bishops, as well as the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and the executive president of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, in connection with this case, with state prosecutors adding their own charges of endangering national unity, accusing the bishops of making statements that had paralysed the schools. A court in Buea summoned bishops from the Southwest shortly thereafter. Charges have since been dropped, but the government has proved itself willing to put clergy on trial for political reasons. As in the past, the Church is caught between the Yaoundé government and its opponents on the ground. The top-down pressure came even from the papal nuncio (recently replaced), who pushed Anglophone bishops to reopen schools, but expressed no concern about either the schools’ safety from arson or the politically motivated prosecution of bishops. In Yaoundé diplomatic circles, the pope’s emissary was seen as having taken the government’s side in the crisis. Despite the polarisation, Anglophone and Francophone bishops share some views, and important Church figures are trying to find middle ground. For example, despite differences in tone, both Anglophone and Francophone bishops condemned the heavy military crackdown on civilians between September and October 2017. This precedent indicates that greater coherence, and a more constructive role for the Church, are possible. IV. The Church’s Potential as Mediator In order to play a more effective role and help stem an insurrection and counter the risk of civil war in Anglophone Cameroon, the Catholic Church must overcome its internal divisions or at least find enough common ground to project a position of neutrality. Several commentators have called upon the Church to mediate between the warring sides, as it has done in neighbouring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. If it is to play that role, the Church should avoid taking firm positions on the main issues that divide the protagonists. To this end, bishops, Anglophone and Francophone, could usefully come together and issue a public statement, declaring that they remain neutral on the main issues of concern, especially federalism versus decentralisation, underlining that Anglophone feelings of marginalisation have some justification, denouncing human rights abuses and calling for restraint by all sides. They could then state their interest in mediating the crisis. The details of such mediation would have to be worked out away from the public glare. Such an approach would potentially boost public trust (especially in Anglophone areas) in the church, while helping to remove the spotlight from the more radical and polarising positions taken by some priests. Ultimately, direct talks between the main protagonists are the most promising way to avoid escalation. But the current violence and polarisation suggest that their prospects, even with mediators involved, are slim at present. Instead, the most logical step for the Church, if it is able to position itself as a trusted arbiter, would be to talk separately to both sides to understand their differences in opinion and their red lines. According to Crisis Group sources, such parallel consultations may already be happening, albeit in a dispersed way. They should be strengthened through better coordination between bishops, so that those involved can speak for the Church as a whole, and potentially developed into shuttle diplomacy, with the goal of increasing understanding and reducing the distance between the sides in preparation for direct talks. To do so, the Church could usefully team up with other denominations, especially the influential Presbyterian Church, which has indicated its willingness to play a role and which already collaborates well with the Catholic Church. It could also involve the Cameroon Baptist Convention, as well as credible civil society associations and traditional rulers. Even ahead of direct talks, the Church likely will have to address the exile of Anglophone activists. Many want to return home but are understandably frightened by the government’s continued imprisonment of Anglophone militants. It could push for some form of amnesty, prisoner releases and guarantees for returnees, perhaps in exchange for a ceasefire from the Anglophone armed militias. Without talks and the devolution of power in some form to Anglophone and other regions, separatist sentiment is very likely to continue growing. The precise agenda of eventual talks between Anglophone leaders and the government cannot be determined in advance. But even preliminary discussions need to take account of the Anglophones’ deep feelings of alienation. The government cannot continue to dismiss this sentiment and should be open to discussions of federalism, even if that is not the only option for addressing Anglophone concerns (decentralisation that devolves real authority to regions likely would go a long way in that direction). The issue of separatism is trickier. A growing number of militants, tired of what they see as Yaoundé’s bad faith, are attracted to this option (which they tend to term “restoration of statehood”). But it remains a red line for Yaoundé, and supporting secession remains a treasonable offense. At the same time, separatist movements have established themselves on the ground and cannot simply be ignored. Whether the government’s engagement in genuine dialogue with Anglophone leaders and either meaningful decentralisation or federalism would suck the oxygen from those movements remains uncertain. But without talks and the devolution of power in some form to Anglophone and other regions, separatist sentiment is very likely to continue growing and the conflict to escalate further with a risk of mutating into civil war. V. Conclusion Cameroon faces critical risks going into this electoral year. Boko Haram remains active in the Far North, instability prevails along the eastern border with the Central African Republic and popular discontent continues to roil large cities. But the insurgency in Anglophone areas, and the clumsy government response, is now the main threat to the country’s stability. A negotiated solution is vital. The Catholic Church, if it can resolve or keep under wraps its internal divisions and project neutrality, would be well placed to help bring it about. International actors should support Church initiatives and encourage greater unity among the clergy. But the onus is also on the Church itself to display greater coherence. Nairobi/Brussels, 26 April 2018 Appendix A: Map of Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis International Crisis Group Appendix B: Timeline 1 January 1960 The Francophone territory of Cameroon gains independence from France, becoming the Republic of Cameroon. Anglophone areas gain independence from Britain in October 1961 and merge with the new state as the Federal Republic of Cameroon. 20 May 1972 After a referendum changing the country’s official name to the United Republic of Cameroon, then President Ahidjo intensifies centralisation, suppresses federalism and causes outrage among Anglophones. March 1984 President Paul Biya changes the country’s official name back to the Francophone-era Republic of Cameroon and removes from the flag the second star representing the Anglophone part of the federation. 11 October 2016 Tensions break open as Anglophone lawyers from Northwest and Southwest regions lead strikes to demand the full restoration of the common law system in their regions. The demands are ignored by the government, which uses force against the marching lawyers. 21 November 2016 Teachers go on strike in Bamenda, and thousands of Anglophones march to demand respect for their educational system. Police and army respond violently, shooting and killing at least two. 8 December 2016 Violent clashes erupt in Bamenda between anti-government inhabitants and security forces. Catholic bishops publish a memorandum listing Anglophone grievances. The government accuses them of fuelling the crisis. 13-14 January 2017 Negotiations with the teachers’ unions and civil society organisations collapse amid police abuses, including the shooting and killing of two civilians in Bamenda. Anglophone leaders initiate “Operation Ghost Town” and boycott schools in Northwest and Southwest regions. 17 January 2017 Civil society leaders are arrested, but school closures continue and protests intensify. The government shuts down access to the Internet for 92 days. 23 January 2017 President Biya creates a National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism as part of a response to address grievances. Anglophone militants criticise the initiative as too little, too late. 2 August 2017 Crisis Group publishes a report on the root causes of the crisis, warns about the risk of violence and calls on the Cameroonian government to initiate a dialogue on decentralisation, federalism and governance reforms. 12-17 September 2017 Three homemade bombs explode in Bamenda, with no human casualties. Over the following three weeks, security forces kill at least 40 people during the brutal suppression of large protests across major towns and villages in Northwest and Southwest provinces. 19 October 2017 Crisis Group publishes a briefing warning of an imminent insurgency in Anglophone regions and calls on President Biya to adopt de-escalating measures and initiate a dialogue on decentralisation and federalism. 1 December 2017 After Anglophone separatists begin carrying out armed attacks in November, killing at least eight members of the security forces, and after four bombs explode in Bamenda, President Biya declares war against the Anglophone separatists. 21 December 2017 Crisis Group publishes a statement warning that separatist militias are rapidly growing and calling on President Biya to urgently initiate a genuine effort at dialogue on reforms. 11 February 2018 Alongside continued killings of security forces members, separatist militias start kidnapping Cameroonian officials and foreign nationals. 26 April 2018 Crisis Group publishes a briefing emphasising the importance of the Catholic Church’s role in mediating between Anglophone separatists and the state to stem a dangerous and growing crisis.
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https://i0.wp.com/www.afrohustler.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COTTI-COFFEE.png?resize=624%2C351&ssl=1 624w", "https://i0.wp.com/www.afrohustler.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COTTI-COFFEE.png?fit=624%2C351&ssl=1" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Bary", "www.facebook.com", "barry.toah" ]	2017-05-06T12:42:49+00:00	Arch Bishop Samuel Kleda and his team visiting the NW and SW have come to the end of their mission and have a letter from Fr. Gerald to deal with.	en	https://i0.wp.com/www.af…it=32%2C32&ssl=1	Afro Hustler	https://www.afrohustler.com/arch-bishop-samuel-kleda/	Any message to be taken back by Arch Bishop Samuel Kleda after visiting in the Southern Cameroons? Come on let’s peep into the envelop. Since October 2016 the English speaking part of Cameroon (West Cameroon/Southern Cameroon which constitutes the North West and South West Regions) has been in for a nonviolent civil strike action which was initiated by the Common Law Lawyers and later gained much energy when the Teachers Trade Unions lent their support to the struggle. This strike action is what is commonly called “The Anglophone Problem” in Cameroon It is six months plus since the struggle began. During this time a number of persons including the prime minister, Philemon Yang, and a host of ministers have been to that part of the country to calm the unrest. A number of promises have been made by the government to address the situation but have fallen on deaf ears. This week saw another delagation. This time around a delegation of church ministers of the Roman Catholic Church led by the Arch Bishop of Douala and President of the National Espiscopal Conference in Cameroon, Samuel Kleda, paid visits to the different diocesses of the Bamenda Ecclessiastical Province, with the exception of the Diocese of Kumbo, in an attempt to get Catholic schools which have been closed since four months ago as a consequence of the strike action to reopen. The Arch Bishop Samuel Kleda and his team wrapped up their visit yesterday in Bamenda. After following through with the delegation’s tour, one of the Roman Catholic priests, Rev. Father Gerald Jumbam resolved to pen the letter below to express his thoughts on the struggle and the mission of the Arch Bishop Samuel Kleda’s visiting team. The letter is here reproduced unaltered. AN OPEN LETTER FROM FATER GERALD TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF CAMEROON (NECC) – Archbishop Samuel KLEDA Your Grace, When I yielded to the earnest desire within me that I should write you, a friend encouraged me to do so. I consented with something of the reluctance which I developed when I thought of the huge and exalted task of writing you. I rejected the thought of writing. After a little moment, I went on deep thought, meditation and personal prayer about this issue. When I felt the call, I held my pen and began writing until I arrived at this letter before you. It may happen to some persons to feel surprised that it is a priest who is writing an Archbishop. I do so with the happiness and conviction of speaking my own mind, in conscience, about a situation which touches us all in Cameroon. These are my own thoughts and solutions to our recent predicament – welling from unshakeable convictions. I have written them freely without coercion from anyone but only being guided by my conscience – a small voice telling me, ‘Gerald tell the archbishop and the world your own convictions about the crisis bedeviling your homeland. Do so freely without any fear knowing that you and the Archbishop are just citizens and Christians seeking to know and serve God’. It is this voice in me that has enabled me send you this letter in its entirety and helping the world also – by addressing it an open letter – to learn from its ideas. I am happy to embrace this challenge. Opening Remarks I wish to begin straight away by informing Your Grace of the raison d’être of my letter. I share the conviction of the Cameroonian who has recently commented about your letter that “It is discernible from an anxious reading of the first letter of the Bishops of Cameroon, that of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and the present letter of the Bishops of Cameroon that the latest letter of the Bishops of Cameroon is actuated by political rather than Christian motivations.” To me the tone and spirit of your recent letter is not only Pontius Pilating your brother bishops of the Southern Cameroons, but the silence over what you were supposed to have done and have not done, is an impeachment of your brother bishops West of the Mungo. What were you supposed to do? I fear to expose my own ignorance of Episcopal policies and proceedings, but I had thought that as leaders who feel for their suffering brothers of English speaking Cameroon, you bishops of French speaking Cameroon would write a public letter condemning the act of taking whole bishops to court. We know who is behind these things; not so Archbishop? Why are we pretending to call a spade a spade when we have been given the mandate as Apostles of Jesus (who is The Truth) to defend the truth even on to the cross. To me it has been a betrayal which the Church leaders of East Cameroon ought to hang their heads in ashamed. Your silence has given the impression that the Bishops of our Church province have been disobedient to the country. Our Bishops have not been unfaithful to the State. They have been united to the State very much like a believing wife to a husband who is about to commit suicide and so as a Christian wife holding to the relationship, the Bishops have struggled recently to save not themselves, but the government from the crime of political apostasy. We of the Southern Cameroons, if we act consistently with our history, we cannot be loyal subjects to the despicable and tyrannous Yaoundé government. Archbishop, you speak of Decentralization and you offer us it as the best gift you think fitting for the resolution of this crisis? We are determined to decline a gift so laden with spurious promises and deceitful propensities. And who can blame us for so doing? Who should be surprised that Yaoundé would still do to Buea what it did after the Foumban constitutional conference of 1961 – turn traitor to the very constitution that bound them together as brothers with two equal strengths (and not that spurious decentralization you are talking about that wants to equate Buea with Garoua as if you do not know that Buea is the capital of a country and Garoua is a mere region of another country) or turn Cain against his brother Abel by killing everything we (Abel) had as culture, economy, jurisprudence, education, politics, military etc. The Church is the joy and happiness of all of us, and therefore, when justice cries out as it did in the Southern Cameroons (with rapes and killings and abductions and military bestiality over defenseless civilians), it is the duty of the Bishops to speak out loud for the poor and the underprivileged. You spoke but we never got that loudness and that weak voice gave the Yaoundé political cabal encouragement to go ahead. Our Bishops of the Southern Cameroons took the bull by the horns and spoken out loud for the poor and used history, scriptures and the Church’s social teachings to state their case because they love the Church which is people and not money. The world of politics has its own logic and truth that brooks no breaking. One of them is that of nemesis – that any despotism that goes up would come down. Yaoundé has perpetuated that tyranny on Buea and that tyranny is about to have its nemesis. Remember history – that there are two states in Cameroon represented by Yaoundé and Buea. That is why I will always equate the two capitals for that is how it was supposed to be. I wish to let you know something of the people of the Southern Cameroons which many French Speaking Cameroonians seem to be ignorant of. They are people who do not distinguish between their love of country and their love of the Church. They love those two things with their whole hearts. Their patriotism is ethical, concrete, and religiously dutiful – reason why your brother bishops of Southern Cameroons (in the example of that pragmatic culture) have spoken for their subjugated and dispossessed people against such a stinking political tyranny as Biya’s. That is why though many from East Cameroon are comfortable with the atheistic political system glorifyingly baptizedlaicite, it has been scandal of the highest order to the religious sensitivity of Southern Cameroons who like true Africans (and tinged by Anglicanism’s reverence for God and respect for the Monarch) believe that without God and indigenous culture life is impossible. We know very well that this atheism we see in Cameron politics is not from your own ancestors but it is borrowed from France. The people East of the Mungo have been educated in Gallican opinions. We of the West have been educated in Anglican opinions. The respect of each other’s opinions from those educational systems have been what La republique du Cameroun has deprived us of, and it pains us to the marrow. That is why our teachers and lawyers took to the streets to peacefully demonstrate their anger and protest against an evil system. They were met with an autocratic response by a government you fear to criticize. The Testimony of Early Church History To explain my case I make the first century of the Church my special model; It was a virgin Church, yet, a period afflicted by the political autocracy of the Roman empire and its emperors. When Emperors Decius and Diocletian slaughtered thousands of Christians because they stood for truth, the Christian family stood courageously strong against that political cruelty. Both bishops and laity were one against such political tyranny in the example of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons with their maligned flock. They publicly and formally abjured to worship the gods of the Roman empire’s totalitarianism. The picture is what is happening today in our land the Southern Cameroons by the colonial emperors of La Republique du Cameroun. St. Athanasius as a result would go on exile and St Chrysostom would be sent off to Cucusus to be worried to death by an empress. St. Ignatius of Antioch would be arrested by the political authorities and taken to Rome to be given to wild beasts to eat him up because of the Truth. And that is why I am angry with the behavior of the Bishops of Southern Cameroons to have allowed you walk around doing what you are doing and giving the impression like they have no authority over their jurisdictions as full consecrated bishops of Local Sees of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. If the governance of that Church called Cameroon is beyond your governance, the best thing is to inform the Pope to send a Vatican delegate to do that job. I feel your going round Southern Cameroons for such an exercise is the unwisest thing the Bishops of that Church province have allowed to happen in recent times. Good Shepherds lay Life for Flock Times like this are dangerous times. Times when our future is decide by a clay footed political clique that has bastardized the fortunes of the British Cameroons to a shambolic muddle. Sacred altars have been desecrated. For if we are to score the Church leadership performance in these times, it will be clear to all that the tail has been wagging the dog. In moral and spiritual terms, much has been given to religious leadership, and much is expect of her. That is why the tenacity and integrity that Christian giants like Cardinal Christian Tumi and Cardinal Albert Malula, Mgr. Oscar Romero and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have mustered in the world, take us back to the visionary words of President John F. Kennedy: Of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment of each of us…recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state…our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answer to four questions: Were we truly men of courage… Were we truly men of judgment… Were we truly men of integrity… Were we truly men of dedication… With the towering paradigm of Pope Francis in recent times, the world correctly recognizes that Christianity has the potential to lead the way as champion of mores and faith. Perhaps it would be much truer in the Cameroon context. However, the current Catholic national leadership certainly has not lived up to its possibilities, for the most part because the majority of its bishops have been intimidated into silence and inactivity. A Bayangi proverb goes that, “a man who cannot challenge what is wrong is not better than a corpse”. We are living in times where our political and spiritual shepherds have been found wanting in challenging falsehood, and therefore Cameroon has turned in to a graveyard, a cemetery of silence in the face of blatant half-truths, divide-and-rule tactics, flagrant disrespect of human rights, mass abductions and killings.The National Episcopal Council (NEC) has been silent because it concerns the British Cameroons. Though it is disgraceful, we thank them. We thank them for the powerful memento sent to the world that there are two countries in this country. It reminds us of the evil of silence before evil. We know very well that when theNational Episcopal Council (NECC) speaks out, it is listened to by the political powers in Cameroon. When tinged by the inspiration and endorsement of Cardinal Christian Tumi in 2000, the NECC spoke against the canker warm of bribery and corruption. The whole world listened and the government of Cameroon adjusted. Those were prophetic times for the clergy. Spiritual leaders the world over are always pace-setters; their intervention on socio-political disasters has always been prototypical, precisely because it sets the tyrants quaking. With the retirement and deaths among your circles, of names like Ndongmo, Tumi, Etoga, Wouking, Verdzekov, Awah, the national Episcopal Council all this while has been a sleeping bag. Today, NEC has been a fiasco, if we must speak the truth. Cameroon should be courageous to accept they are flawed and stop blaming France or Britain. The Bribery and corruption that we have been African champions for more than a decade, is self-inflicted. Bribery and corruption are a moral and spiritual problem. And therefore the moral and spiritual authorities are to blame. If the Church truly cared for its members, the problem will not be happening every now and then. And the oppressed people of British Cameroons are undergoing something of a genocide now because the National Episcopal Council (NEC) is on holidays, and the world knows that too well. We know what the bishops of the British Cameroons have gone through from the national episcopacy because they kicked up the storm in the daring letter they wrote (despite earlier hesitations) not because they were hoping the leadership of NEC would notice, but precisely because they knew that with the 2016-2017 NEC leadership in charge, every raped, maimed and unjustly imprisoned British Cameroonian might as well add NEC to their laundry list of Do-It-Yourself. The bishops of the British Cameroons came up with another communiqué by the very to the effect that they have not closed down their schools and that they are waiting for the Catholic pupils and students to return to school. But right up till now, the pupils and students have not returned, meaning that the parents have lost faith in the Church’s hierarchy. It is precisely because the Cameroon National Church lacks the courage to support what is right that people are going their own sweet ways. Is it asking too much from Church leaders to say good shepherds must lay life for flock? The Writing is on the Wall If situations were still as they used to be (by bishops not being able to be taken to court in the face of a pernicious silence demonstrated by their brother bishops), I would not hold my pen to write you and I would not have the heart to write this letter to so high an authority as you. Your public silence on the matter of the Bishops of our Church Province being taken to court has provoked this letter from a priest of the Church you belong. We are not unmindful of the history of La Republique du Cameroun when it concerns bishops betraying bishops.In fact, if those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, the Christian who is ignorant of what role the Cameroon Church has played in the governing of Cameroon is even less fortunate. And the metaphor of Bishop Albert Ndongmo’s life is the one great example. Albert Ndongmo was Bishop of Nkongsamba, born to a Christian family of La Republique du Cameroun. His statements on political subjects earned him the hostility of others in the Church as well as of the government. But the best statement about the life of this Oscar Romero of Africa came from the pen of none other than the revered Albert Womah Mukong: Bishop Ndongmo understood those fellows and treated them as they deserved…A lot of rubbish was spread round about him then girls whom he had helped were brought there as his collaborators in crime. They were declared his girl-friends and even dirty pictures of him and one Marie Bella were produced which a criminally minded and gullible audience accepted without asking this simple question: how many respectable people in the community would ever degenerate to taking photographs of this act, how much more a highly respectable member of the clergy? Perhaps his brother, Bishop Jean Zoa, believed in those things, for neither in the BMM nor in the Tchollire days did he ever visit his brother nor did he send him any material or financial help.[1] The comment above about Bishop Jean Zoa puts me in pain, so much pain because it is Albert Mukong recounting this story in a book and not just an essay. Albert Mukong is a respectable man in our parts of the world, and if you count three most highly regarded human right activists in our country he must fall among them. Consequently, there is truth in Mukong’s Zoa-Ndongmostory above. The story above tells us how the bishops allowed their brother into the hands of the ruthless political psychopath that was Amadou Ahidjo. It is a story of backstabbing and betrayal among religious leaders. That is why I say perhaps the Bishop Jean Zoa cooperation with the Ammadu Ahidjo tyranny against his fellow brother Bishop Albert Ndongmo (recorded in the book above-mentioned) is a powerful metaphor of what is happening in the Cameroon episcopate today. “Shweri yii shaa baa yen kinyi ke ngwev” as the Nso would advise you in our rich language. The wind has blown away the feathers to expose the anus of the fowl. The Ndongmo-Zoa story is a mesmerizing eye-opener, a revelation and the wind that did blow to remind me and any other clergyman under affliction in our country that you will suffer alone when trouble comes. When the Bishops of La Republique rejected and abandoned their brother Bishop Ndongmo into the hands of tyrant Amadou Ahidjo, was it not our Bishops of Southern Cameroons through the instrumentality of Mgr. Peeters that consoled Ndongmo and stood by him and even got a lawyer for him from the Southern Cameroons? So I expected from you the Bishop of East Cameroon this time to do to the Bishops of West Cameroon what Mgr. Peeters in a Christlike fashion did to Albert Ndongmo of East Cameroon . But recently you have failed us woefully. There is a Country “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.”, Desmond Tutu Your Grace, I have thought long and hard about my place in the plight of my native land and I find myself writing about what I have never written before. The right time for it has come. The story I am to tell. The story is: I am of the British Cameroons. Proud and unashamed. I am composed, a composed British Cameroon priest and glad I am. I say that the British Cameroons is part of my story, part of who I am. Its colonial character is what my countrymen and I have assumed for over a century. We are tired. It was time I come out from the security of the sacred sacristy to the market place of concrete truth and public debate. It was time I come out from quiet to tell those who still doubt, the justice of a State meriting restoration, of course, Independence. The British Cameroons. But it is just one part of my life: I am a human being. My village is the world. By all means, Christianity loathes violence, attends to the poor, defends the oppressed, embraces peace, esteems the dignity of each human person. These are ideals espoused by the cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons. Most likely there will be people with personal cruel agendas. The British Cameroonians have been Mahatma Ghandis. Contrariwise, the ruthlessness of their oppressors, has been registered by the high court of history as they callously emit cruelty on peace loving peoples: Buea/Bamenda, tell me, is this you, this back that is bent, This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation, This back trembling with red scars And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun? But a grave voice answers me: Impetuous son, that tree young and strong, That tree over there In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers, That is Buea/Bamenda, That grows again patiently, obstinately… The words of the Cameroonian poet comes down to us, warm with weight and wisdom. This adapted version of David Diop’s poem ‘Africa’, addresses Bamenda and Buea. Darkness has descended on the British Cameroons in the killings, imprisonments, abductions, rapes, graves of mass burials and maim. Bamenda/Buea is facing viral alteration of psychic conditioning. In this state of affairs, silence is criminal. The sense of urgency has lagged so much that a month ago I lost my anger on a letter to a compatriot invading media space with the banner, screaming: Homecoming or Homegoing – the Southern Cameroons! It is a wakeup call no more on failed internal religious and political bodies, but on Britain and International Human rights institutions and activists, not to delay, because what happened in Rwanda is at our doors. AU and UNO look up and act! UK look up and speak! The urgency of speaking for despoiled peoples is so felt that I don’t really care if this anger breaks the bounds of office. How could it be when a priest is first and foremost a citizen. He owes his community a contribution to its wellbeing for his upbringing. He serves God and recognizes that the cry of the powerless and the voice of the voiceless is the cry and the voice of God. Vox populi vox Dei. Anna Quindlen, said: “Look back, to slavery, to suffrage, to integration and one thing is clear. Fashions in bigotry come and go. The right thing lasts.” God lasts. Independence lasts. The Church teaches its leaders a preferential option for the dispossessed, for the hoi polloi. Before someone points the finger at me that I am taking the role of Pope to lay down ways a priest should live today, let me say that I do feel Christian ethics and the Holy Bible would be unambiguous that the priest takes sides with the subjugated. Evidently there is no moral compulsion as pastor to pasture the flock in a particular way. But there is, I believe, a moral obligation as a priest, not to allow oneself be used by tyrants to perpetrate spurious propagandas against the defenseless. A clergyman, in my definition of that office, would not be someone who takes sides with colonial governors against the oppressed. I strongly believe that a priest worthy of the name, should go ahead and dare those forces –morally, nonviolently and with determination – that keep millions of constituted people caged in a cruelty so dehumanizing as the yoke over the British Cameroons, our native land. This because, someday history will disclose to him that those who took courage to work for their mother country, those who spoke for the speechless, those who stood for justice, those who listened attentively to the cry of the oppressed, and those who championed the cause for the non-violently restoration of the sovereignty of a nation, have been champions of whom all upcoming epochs will be proud. Your Grace, The cause for the restoration of the sovereignty of the British Cameroons is a one built on a big idea supported by legality. You don’t kill an idea with the bullet or prison cells. It is established on a winning banner that debate is stronger than the gun. The power of debate and not the debate of power. This power of debate and legality convinces us beyond all doubt that there is a country. I look out of myself into the struggle of our cause and I see a sight which fills me with appalling sorrow. The ignorance of those who don’t see it coming, who don’t see the plain truth of which my whole being is full. There are two alternatives – the way to Southern Cameroons, and the way to la Republique. Federation is the halfway house on the one side, and New Deal decentralization is the halfway house on the other. I have been gravely disappointed with the federalists (the moderates). ‘Shallow understanding’, says Martin Luther King, ‘from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of bad will’; that is why the British Cameroon’s greatest obstacle in the walk towards independence is not even La Republique’s CPDM or Mgr. Kledda’s Decentralization, but the federalists. Federalists are cowards standing on the fence – neither cold nor hot. They have left substance to pursue shadows. The federalists do not know that it is their presence which is the triumph of the oppressor; it is the sight of them which is the Southern Cameroon’s confusion and helplessness. Our oracle of truth is independence, and it looms high and has a reality, and its “Truth can fight its battle. It has a reality in it, which shivers to pieces swords of earth.”[2] When we are skilled enough to dance truth’s music, that truth will set us free. Truth be told: our miseries as a people would accumulate from leaders being afraid to look difficulties in the face, palliate falsehoods which they should denounce and expect truths to spring from fabrications. I speak most earnestly when I say that our great reawakening like great Achilles, has the soft spot of ignorance – ignorance of who our opponent truly is. When we begin to see, all and sundry, that the issue at stake is Independence, we would notice that the enemy is not Paul Biya, but the structures put in place for a Paul Biya (or any otherla Republique party chairman like Ni John Fru Ndi ) to cage us inside this prison of despicability forever. The cause we are undertaking is (to use the words of St. Augustine), “an abyss so deep as to be hidden from him in whom it is”. Many have only hints and glimpse of what it truly is. It is a herculean task. But it is hallowed by God and no one has to be afraid. Is it too difficult to realize that a constituted people are deprived of sovereign air and autonomous space in the 21stcentury? Is it too difficult to realize that they are bent and determined on anything to see their goal attained? The good news is that we speak with one voice, thrash out disharmony. It is good news. The British Cameroons’ struggle, its most significant quality is the re-opening of topics politicians of doom have tried to close down since the rain started beating us. It is a breath of fresh air we should be proud of, to stand tall and speak out, and speak out for future generations. I am comfortable to cross the red sea with a Moses. It may come out tough, yet there is no complexity that can’t be worked out with a good crack of Kolanuts, in the mouth. Kolanut in our traditions is symbol of integrity, symbol of unity, symbol of life, symbol of love, symbol of strength, symbol of sovereignty. The Magna Carta of Liberation Your Grace, Mahatma Gandhi once spoke disapprovingly of the followers of Christ when he read the Beatitudes. He said he was charmed by the magic Christ’s words held, and therefore he loved Jesus. He could, but he would not be Christian. Christians in India discouraged him. They did not practice Christ’s beatitudes, and so, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ, ” Gandhi exclaimed. The beatitudes are the secret keys to the Promised Land. They are the magna carta of liberation. The beatitudes are self-determination. Self-determination championed by the poor, the meek, the weak, the humble, the voiceless, the persecuted, the upright, beside us: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill’ (Matthew 5:6). Blessed is the British Cameroons under colonial yoke, they shall have their independence restored to them. Choose what you like, but you can’t open eyes and not see the valley of tears of our people and their quandary in a despicable CameroonNew Deal apartheid cage. It takes faith to keep their spirits afloat. And what is faith? Faith is a simple ‘yes’ to my heart and my conscience. Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.” Faith is Patrice Lumumba guillotined for an embattled continent. It is Nelson Mandela’s “if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is the British Cameroons’ “enough is enough”. It is a sweet kiss whistled on the lips of a fatherland in the restoration of its Independence. There is a mustard seed that is deep in the heart of every human being. It is faith. “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:5-10). Let us believe without seeing, and sing when our voices are cracked, and move to victory. And were your faith the size of Mount Fako, you will tell the mountain to move and plant itself in Ndop Plains, and it will do! Criminals Without Crime Our people say that when the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby. That hole for us is God. We are fighting a battle of the oppressed and God has never failed underprivileged peoples. Sometime ago, I arrived at a motto of life which I like to remodel once more and bring to use: “You only Live Once”. Then some weeks ago I shared with a priest-friend, this good news of a rule in my life. The gentleman laughed. He asked me and I gave him the reason for such a pledge. I said I find it atrocious that poverty has been death penalty passed on the crimeless people of the British Cameroons. Criminals without crime! Your Grace, there is a recent story of two girl friends, one Bafia(French Cameroon) another Babungo(the British Cameroons) who congregated along buyamsellam lines in Bamenda food market and after petty gossips of what caused the wild fire that consumed the market, they landed on the following informative discussion: “A young man is suffering terribly in jail in Kondengui, my boy-friend” Babungo said. “It is the right thing for him. Are you for the restoration of Southern Cameroons independence?” Bafia intervened. Babungo seems startled “of course”. “You Francophones” she continued. “You’re so lucky to be free: free internet, free boyfriends, free husbands, free children, free people. But living in the British Cameroons, it’s impossible to escape brutality, it hangs in the air.” “You can’t really blame the air for brutality” Bafia cuts in. “The brutality is generated by you Anglos. 55 years under domination, for nothing, for not taking your destiny into your hands. That’s quite a prison sentence!” And that is the word: prison sentence. crimeless criminals serving prison sentences. But the rumbling of the people’s anger is on. I tell this story to say that it has reached a level where we have to dream our own dreams, live our own views, believe our own beliefs, and do so with dignity. On the recent imprisonments without crime of the cream of our native land, it is difficult to comprehend. But let us be consoled by the brave Martin Luther King Jr. : “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” Let this be known: arrests of freedom fighters is an advantage. It hastens freedom. Christ was arrested. The apostles were arrested, but sang alleluias in prison cells and bamboozled their oppressors to shock. They knew, as I know today, they only live once. The imprisonment of our leaders is a warning: freedom is important but fragile. Sovereignty and liberation are won at great price. We must guard our liberty stance like egg and not allow the British Cameroons’ non-violent revolution be hijacked by exploiters of popular anger. The problem is not Paul Biya, neither is it the military all over our land. It is disunity planted by those who enjoy the flesh pots of Yaoundé and won’t move an eye for a united moral force against a communal threat. But the poor masses are wiser than power seekers know. When the anger of Mount Fako’s Chariot of God and the Holy Ghost of the Kilum hills will rise! (The time is near): You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Your Grace, it was devastating as it was aching for me to find la Republique du Cameroun declared in the Vatican among peace loving nations in the mouth of Paul Biya – even though Pope Francis knows. His visit to the Vatican may be difficult to describe only to jaded viewers. It was a masquerade that deceived only the stupid people who give themselves to be mislead by such aimless travesty. This president is not unfamiliar with these apparatus of mass deception he has applied on subjugated peoples for over three decades. His blood-colored track record of brutal killings and unjust incarcerations is well-known to the high court of history except to the leaders of the National Episcopal Council of Cameroon. Talk less of the recent genocide he is perpetuated in the British Cameroons. The whole national edifice has been sanguinary taking into consideration that he inherited the same heritage from a brutal warlord of a president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. The British Cameroonians have turned refugees in their own nation. It is this decadent model of authority that has characterized us since 1961 that we must interrogate. In a nation where silliness is given a standing ovation and fools ride on royal horses, a sell out like PM Philemon Yang who shamelessly takes himself a dishonorable recent trip around the North West, should be taken critically. Cameroon’s false impression of greatness and self-styled portrayal as the island of peace in a sea of troubled Africa has been exposed for what it truly is. The Internet blockage and the mass abduction of the British Cameroonians to Yaoundé by the republican forces of lawlessness and disorder, expose them as a flimsy country pretending to be tough. Our people say that there is no greater injustice than when anus farts, head receives a knock. The tyrant who is oppressor has engaged in placating international eyes that he is the oppressed. What a shame! The heart of our people is bleeding. They are carted like cattle in groves into prison yards away from homeland to Yaoundé. In a country where you are arrested because you are poor, in a country where you go to prison because you have no godfather to back you up, in country where you are put behind bars because you stand for justice and freedom – in such a country, good men must rise up to say Enough is Enough. Now that the shambolic regime is abducting our strong men, how do we gain patience when we are challenged by hurtful things? How do we pick up patience when a villain has cut the throat of a beloved, when a loved one has been raped from life by impious brutes? The undisclosed trick is to busy yourself with some other thing in the period in-between. Gandhi said “If patience is worth anything it must endure to the end of time.” Patience is protest in non-violence. Patience is Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Many people gamble with their lives. They take disasters for wives or husbands because of lack of some little patience. And they pay for it when the mask falls off. Patience is faith in a journey fraught with dejection but rewarding still. Once patience goes, everything goes. It might take a day, it might take a year, it might take a decade, what will be will be. So be patient. ”Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.“ (James: 5:7-10). One patient pause in ill-tempered times can save us painful apologies after. Organization is patience. Patience in other words is stock-taking. Patience is telling the tyrant NO, and giving time waiting to gain breathe, to build other strategies in the darkness of the cause. It is victory when it looks like defeat. Courage is patience. Leadership is patience. Truth is patience. Integrity is patience. Freedom is patience. Ma pipol, mumu don do. A mumurised people are doomed forever. We tried. Your Grace, we tried. We tried. We are tired. Patience is enough-is-enough. The danger signals are enough. UNO, AU, UK, act now or never! A stitch in time saves nine. Conclusion Your Grace, I wish to conclude here by saying that the capacity for self-determination is Christian. No one can conquer the British Cameroons. You can’t extinguish the fire that led our forbears out of Nigeria. That fire burns. If our effort is not enough to win the battle, our children will win it with better effort. But it shall not be postponed this time around. And yet, the cry of the agonizing British Cameroonian has fallen on deaf ears around the globe. For them, the pogrom in the British Cameroons is only some localized problem. The abductions and butchery of humans are hidden, ill-reported. Along with the nonstop infiltration of our land with armed killer squads and military bastards criminally excused from any probe, query or answerability, we are witnessing an experiment with “ethnic cleansing” authorized and sustained by the French Cameroon psychopath, Paul Biya. Strange that those that obtain the just publicity of terror in our land, are only the French Cameroons controlled media. A military selected for the assignment of absolute “pacification” of the British Cameroons is doing its work unopposed. Where is Britain’s assuagement in this matter? It is impossible to believe these things are happening under the nose of international human right bodies and the silence of Great Britain in this carnage in its trusteeship territory it sacrificed its independence in the altar of De Gaullism. The fortunate have been able to break through this militarized and ignominious iron curtain with freedom songs in foreign lands. The rest back home have been blocked from internet use and therefore have had for about 93 days no media through which to inform the world’s people of goodwill of the shocking evils each day exacted on their British Cameroon compatriots. Alas, we have eaten the bitter fruit of blind compromises made with boorish neighbors. We have learnt from this concubinage with Cain, that he who keeps a scorpion in his pocket must constantly watch his groin and he who inherits a cobra should know a cobra is not a pet. The lesson is learnt once and for all. Your Grace, because we are commissioned to preach “the good news to the poor… announce release to the prisoners and … to set oppressed people free”(Luke 4:18), I will do all it takes. I will comfort the powerless people. I will pull them out of the affliction of so painful a colonial yoke. The world must hear their story through me. There has never been a time like this fitting for this challenge. My defense for a fatherland is put on this context. In fact, preaching to empty stomachs without showing them how to come out of misery is as worthless as saying Mass to dogs. Go grant them the secrets to improve on their standards of living and conscientization to bring down the tyrant who has held their progress hostage. Go tell it on the mountain that injustice has been practiced on depraved peoples for the whole length of fifty-six years. Of course, Amos’ denunciation of social injustices quickly puts the poor in perspective: “Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country” (Amos 8:4-7). Archbishop Desmond Tutu is told to have said that when the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “let us close our eyes and pray.” When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land. This may not have exactly been true but there is some grain of truth in it when we consider the type of doctrinal material we got from missionary pulpits in those days and how all wealth was bad. That Christians should have nothing to do with the things of the earth. Abandoning their lands and properties to gain passport to Heaven. That is bad and dangerous theology. Here is the type of theology that impoverished our people. They gave up their lands and forests and mines and best places in cities to imperialists and ended up empty. Churches, mosques and synagogues should be careful. Religion has sometimes been used to impoverish the already despicable situation of poor people. What I mean here is the social doctrine of the Church. And where Christianity stands there is Self-Determination. Your Grace, you may wonder why such an important letter like this to such a respected personality like you was not written in French for your personal benefit and the rest of the Cameroon Francophone episcopate. The simple reason is that English is the language that the British taught their colonial subjects in the British Cameroons. And so I want to ask Your Grace, what France and her subjects are doing in a British colony at this time in history? Would it not sound strange if for instance the people of the British Cameroons moved to neighboring Equatorial Guinea and were asking in English the people of Equatorial Guinea to accept the British Cameroons control of their territory when everybody in Equatorial Guinea knows that Britain was not their colonial master? Accept then, Your Grace, the expression of my gratitude for taking time to go through this message from the pen of a priest of the Church which you are Bishop. Yours devotedly, Fr. Gerald Jumbam
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At the beginning of this year (September) the enrolment was 200 pupils with the strong probability of an increase and there are four staff members.	en	/favicon.ico	Issuu	https://issuu.com/mhmcorrespondent/docs/golden_jubiliee_magazine_st_jude_s_parish_fdg_-_co/s/13977851	Fathers Noah Monday Mbabazi and Johnson Tata are managing the school. At the beginning of this year (September) the enrolment was 200 pupils with the strong probability of an increase and there are four staff members. There are four classrooms and the Head teacher’s Office which were constructed about twenty-three years ago by the community. All the classrooms were constructed by Mr Bernard Chiatoh. Advertisement The Head teachers have been: Raymond Kubuo, Precious Ngwain, Tesem Ivo, Fon Michael, Ntam Frederick Yai, Muluh Patrick Tanga, Ndi Julius and Nsah John Wainmoh. The present Head teacher is Mr Fosi Fidelis Kuh. The school scored 100% in the end-of4. CATHOLIC SCHOOL MUTEFF Catholic School, Muteff There is also an old Catholic School in Muteff. Unfortunately the person assigned to send information about it did not do so. Correspondents: • Chia Jerome Ngeh • Grace Neng Ajuoh • Fosi Fidelis Kuh 1. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY MOVEMENT, CFM The Christian Family Movement, CFM, started in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1983 when Fr Patrick Lafon was Parish Priest. The President, Secretary and Treasurer were Leo/Perpetua Nyongo Thomas/Diana Tohmo, and Blasius/Veroncia Awoh respectively. Motto: Peace, Love, Unity. Objectives: 1. To instill in members the virtue of love within the Family and to the neighbours. 2. To extend the apostolate of the family to the neighbourhood. 3. To enhance friendship among the members to be more enduring and solidly grounded. 4. To accept responsibilities when it is necessary and participate wholeheartedly in their functions. 5. To be fair, open and honest teachers. 6. To share with others the talents God has given them. 7. To assist one another in times of difficulties. Branches: The Christian Family Movement has branches in almost all the 19 Mission Stations in Fundong Parish. Some of these branches have split into Groups in order to ease movement during Sunday meetings. Most of the branches and groups hold their meeting twice a month. The parochial President couple is Francis/Celestine Chiva while Cyprian/ Socials. They celebrate weddings, births, feast days and condole with the bereaved. They also visit the sick members and nonmembers both at home and in the hospital. 2. THE CATHOLIC WOMEN ASSOCIATION, CWA The Catholic Women Association started in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, at Boyui as a prayer group led by Nawain Ntam Juliana Neng before the creation of the Parish on the 21 November 1971. This prayer group was transformed into CWA with Fr Joseph Holznecht t as Parish Priest. The President of this Association was Nawain Lucy Nabuin and her Secretary was Nawain Komtanghi Beatrice. The CWA has grown to zones, branches and to the status of a Division in Fundong parish. Their branches are found in the following Mission Stations: Abuh, Ebosung, Muteff, Meli, Mbam, Mentang, Mbissi, Atondum and Fundong Up. The CWA in Fundong Parish has split into two Zones: The Upper Zone and the Lower Zone with Mrs Aniva Winifred as their Parish President and Yong Matilda their Parish Secretary. Motto: To serve and not to be served. The Patron Saint is the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Association celebrates the feast of Assumption every year with the other Objectives 1. To achieve a true renewal of spirituality of its members founded on Baptism in answer to the call of the faithful to holiness. 2. To provide an instrument for fostering and encouraging more intimate unity between daily life of the members and their faith. 3. To provide a social conjugal spirituality in the lives of members. 4. To promote participation in the mission of evangelization by providing training in spirituality, doctrinal, pastoral and biblical formation. 5. To enable members to mode their lives after the life –style of their Patroness – the Blessed Virgin Mary. 6. To study in a Christian spirit the problems relating to the advancement and development of women in the society and promote the contributions of catholic women in the community at national and international levels. 3. THE CATHOLIC MEN’S ASSOCIATION, CMA Motto: To serve and not to be served. The Catholic Men’s Association, CMA, was formed in Fundong Parish on the 04 November 2001 with Mr Akoni Martin Fuka as the pioneer President who handled the post up to 2005. Mr Buinda John took over and handed the leadership to Mr Kombain Maurice Gama in 2007 who worked for two years and handed over to Mr Mukong Peter Ndvu in 2009. He was the Deanery Coordinator who actually brought CMA to Kom. At the Deanery level, Bobe Ajuoh John Ngam, from Fundong Parish became the first Deanery President in 2004. The Catholic Men’s Association has got branches in a few Mission Stations in St Jude’s Parish. They are operating now with the following Parish executive committee members: • President – Mr Peter Ngwain; Vice President – Mr Clement Muh; Secretary – Mr Kenneth Ngong • Vice Secretary – Fidelis Ayeah; Treasurer – Hon Albert Waingeh; Liturgy – Cyprian Ntoh • Discipline – Ndi Yuh Andrew; Publicity – Faustinus Toh; Financial Secretary – Toh Julius Ful • Advisers – Kahnjam Vincent Tosah and Nchuoji. Objectives 1. To attain a true renewal of spirituality of its members founded on God’s commandments and the teachings of the Catholic Church. 2. To encourage participation of its members in fostering the mission of the Church at all levels. 3. To enable members to model their lives after that of Holy Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. To promote education in social, moral and doctrinal activities both at home and in the society at large. 4. ST JUDE’S APOSTOLATE St Jude’s Apostolate Prayer Group was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1984 In Fundong Town when Fr Patrick Lafon of blessed memory was Parish Priest. Mr Francis Chah Njua and Mrs Mary Yuh respectively. Their branches have extended to Mbam and Fundong Up. The Society is led by Mrs Tim Grace as President and Mrs Nachang Gwendoline as Vice President. Objectives: 1. To pray for hopeless and desperate cases. 2. To promote regular prayers. 3. To sacrifices especially to the needy by offering Masses. 4. To carry out corporal works of mercy. Motto: To follow St Jude the Apostle and invoke him as Patron of hopeless cases The groups meet regularly on Wednesdays for prayers and on the 28 October to celebrate the Patron’s feast day at parish level. 5. THE LEGION OF MARY (MARY’S ARMY) The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff in Dublin, Ireland, on September 7, 1921, which means that on September 7, 2021, the movement was one hundred years old. Before he died on November 7, 1980, he had guided the world-wide extension of the Legion with heroic dedication. Objective: The objective of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active guidance, in Mary and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ. Spirit of the Legion The spirit of the Legion of Mary is that of Mary herself. The Legion aspires after her profound humility, her perfect obedience, her angelical sweetness, her continual prayer, her universal purity, her heroic patience, her heavenly wisdom, her self-sacrificing courageous love of God, and above all her faith. The Legion was active in Fundong before the formation of the curia in 1990. The first parochial executive was as follows: President – Isidore Ivo Diyen; Vice President – Mathias Yong; Secretary – Anthony Yham and Treasurer – Cecilia Andiensa Today the Legion has branches in Abuh. Bamingwah, Boyui, Ameng, Meli, Muchimni, Mbissi, Ntehgum and Fundong Town. The present parochial executive is as follows President – Mrs Grace Mboin, Secretary –Mrs Nkwain Helen and Spiritual Director: Mrs Francisca Nyingchuo. The Work of Legionaries: Visitation of the hones of the people to make personal contact with a great many people and show the Church’s concern for every person and every family. They make contact with non-Catholics, non-Christians and with lapsed Catholics. During the visitations they give attention to those in irregular marriage situations, to those in need of instructions and to the lonely and inform. 1. Visitation of hospitals. 2. Work for the most wretched and dejected of the population. (e.g. those in prison) 3. Visitation of homes of children. 4. Promoting the practice of daily Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. 5. Promote retreats. 6. Daily recitation of the Catena Legionis 7. Recitation of the Rosary at wakes and funerals, etc. Membership: The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholics: men and women, young and old. Many people think that the Legion is for the old but what they do not know is that these old members joined the association when they were young. They could not have remained young for thirty years! Do not be afraid to join the old because you yourself are not growing younger 6. THE BONA MORS The Bona Mors Prayer Group was founded on the 02 October 1848 in the Church of Gesu, Rome by Fr Vincent Carrata. It was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, by Bobe Felix Chi in 1998. This Prayer Group presently has five members with Mrs Grace Tim, as the President. Other members include Mrs. Nkwain Helen, Mrs Mary Mbu and Mrs Nyingchuo Francisca. The Anglophone crisis has displaced some of the members. Motto: Happy death and empty Purgatory Objectives 1. To pray for a peaceful death and an empty Purgatory. 2. To offer Masses every first Friday of the month for the Souls in Purgatory. 3. To promote unity among members and their families in the Church’s mission of evangelization physically and financially, through prayers, socially and by attending meetings when called upon to do so. 4. To model their lives after that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. 5. They also clean the cemetery, comfort the sick and the dying to prepare them for a happy death. They also promote the spirituality of its members. Many Christian pray in the cemetery but have not registered as members of Bona Mors. Members have novenas to the Souls in Purgatory every November Objectives: 1. To conduct and control one’s self as a true Catholic child. 2. To spend each day with the Blessed Virgin Mary as their Mother and Queen. 3. To be generous in service, obeying especially when called to duty. 4. To put others first before self. 5. To be kind and courteous. 6. To be sincere in all their actions and pure in thought. 7. To know and love Jesus, Mary and the Apostles. 8. The Cadets of Mary pray the Rosary daily and celebrate the feast of Assumption on 15 August every year and the feast of Immaculate Conception. 7. THE CADETS OF MARY IMMACULATE 8. THE CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL PRAYER GROUP The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group started fully in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 2001. This was done through the leadership of Mr Antoine Nyamsi, the Chief of Post for Public Security, Fundong. He led the group to a good level and extended branches to Njinikom and Fuli-Kom Parishes. This group gained membership in the Parish and is struggling to form branches in other Mission Stations of the Parish. The Group meets every Thursday at 4.00 p.m for prayer and Bible studies and also have night vigils every last Friday of the month. Objectives 1. To awaken the DORMANT spiritual gift in Christians given to them at Baptism. 2. To promote vocations in any way possible. 3. To pray for the sick and the elderly of the Parish. 4. To lead and encourage Christians to better know and understand God, their Saviour at all times through prayers. 5. To study the Bible, know the Word of The Cadets of Mary Immaculate existed in St Jude’s timidly in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong and became more active during the time of Fr Patrick Lafon. The group is found in all the 19 Mission Stations of the Parish. Two Zones have been created to ease the holding of their meeting namely the Upper and Lower Zones. They hold Zonal and Parish meetings and take part in Deanery and Diocesan meetings. God, live it and spread it to all the parts Parish. 6. Some Christians have styles the group as a Sect, out of ignorance and are reluctant to join it. 9. THE BLUE ARMY The Blue Army was formed in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, in 1993 with Mrs Shuri Bernadette as the first Parochial President, Cyprian Ta-ah as Secretary and Mrs Timbong Mary as Treasurer. The group has branches in some Mission Stations but their activities are timidly carried out due to the Anglophone crisis, sickness and ageing of some pioneer members of the Parish. Youth are reluctant to join this group, thus causing membership to remain still or even reduced. Objectives 1. To pray the Rosary daily. 2. To wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 3. To make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners by visiting and praying with them. 4. The members attend night vigils every first Friday of the month but the Anglophone crisis has come as a hindrance for most members. Their meeting days were changed from Monday to Friday evening before the disturbing Anglophone crisis. That has weakened the members and even caused the displacement of some prominent members. 10. THE ALTAR SERVERS, ST STEPHEN’S GUILD The Altar Servers or St Stephen’s Guild functioned in the Parish with the general name “Mass Boys” but in 2004 when young ladies were allowed to join the group, the name Altar Servers came in. The Altar Servers have as main duty to assist the Priest at Mass. They hold their training sessions on Saturdays and also hold their Zonal and Parish meetings. They attend Deanery and Diocesan meetings. They do corporal works of mercy and celebrate St Stephen’s feast day. Aims 1. To assist the Priest at Mass. 2. To attend Mass daily 3. To lead and live good spiritual lives with a view to becoming a priest or religious. 4. To foster the formation of Altar Servers in the Mission Stations. 5. Most of the Altar Servers in Fundong Parish have ended up as Priests like, Fr Cyprian Ta-ah, Fr John Paul Bangsi, Fr Gilbert Akoni, Fr Elvis Mbangsi, Fr Joseph Nchituh and Brothers like Br Peter Acho Awoh, Br Cyprian Ngeh Ndzingu and Br Nkungsii George Ndim and a good number not listed above. Some of the Altar Servers are undergoing formation to become Priests, Brothers and Reverend Sisters etc in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong. 11. THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN WORKERS, YCW The Young Christian Workers was founded by Fr Cardijn, a Belgian Priest, on the 18 April 1925. This action group came to Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province in1967 through the effort of Fr John Kockman, the then Parish Priest of Fiango, with the financial help of Fr Erwin Hain, a German Priest. When St Jude’s Parish was created in November 1971, the Young Christian Workers was the first action group Fr Joseph Holzkneht chose to be working with, though their activities were timidly carried out. They became fully active with the holding of Parish meetings during the period when Fr John Musi, Fr Cletus Tita and Fr John Bintum became Parish Priests. The Y.C.W become active in all the 19 Mission Stations of St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, Motto: See, Judge and Act Slogan: “In Christ, there is fellowship” Their Parish President is Delbert Yong from Fundong Up, Secretary; Ngoh Lizette from Fundong Town and the Coordinator is Mbeng Pascal from Fundong Town. The Y.C.W in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, holds Parish and Zonal meetings as well as attend Deanery and Diocesan meetings. The membership is very poor in some Mission Stations. The members participate in parish activities such as participating in the Annual Harvest thanksgiving, singing in church, cleaning the church, visiting the sick and the Aim 1. To serve, represent and educate young adults through the method of See, Judge and Act. 2. To examine the underlying causes and consequences of social injustice. 3. To challenge the existing structure on those issues in the Parish. 4. To develop the members of YCW in a holistic way. 5. To achieve change in the individuals and their environs and to activate others to take action 12. THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN STUDENTS, Y.C.S. The Young Christian Students is an action group that is timidly functioning in St Jude’s Parish, Fundong. This group was formed when Fr Michael Yuh was the Parish Priest in Fundong Parish. The group is found mostly in Boyui, Mbam, Fujua, Meli and Fundong Town. Not much is known about the group in Fundong Parish because of no archives about it from the Parish office or even from their old members who are already workers today. Motto: See, Judge and Act Aim: 1. The main aim of the group is to assist young students to have a holistic educational journey in the parish. The members hold meetings and participate in singing during Mass and cleaning the church. They visit the sick and the needy. 2. The main difficulty is that most of the activities are not going on in the Parish because of most students have been displaced by the Anglophone crisis especially the executive members. It is hoped that those around should join the group for a new and firm beginning. St Gerald, Mbissi St Paul, Mentang St Mathias, Bamingwah Queen of Peace, Mbam St John Bosco, Abuh Sacred Heart, Fujua St Gregory, (foundation), Ibali-Meli St St Thomas Aquinas, Aboh St Jude, Fundong Town St James, Meli Temporal structure of St Veronica, St Dominic, Ntehgum St Michael, Muteff St Francis de Sale, Atondum St Raphael, Fundong Up Queen of Apostles, Ameng 1. FR JOSEPH HOLZNECHT (21st November 1971 - 01st September 1980) He was the first Parish Priest. He built the Fundong Parish church following a unique plan. The C.W.A. and the Y.C.W were formed in his time. The Y.C.W is the first action group he chose to work with which at the time had very active young men. He enjoyed swimming in the pool called “Chimni” in Juafeff and that made people believe very strongly that he had mysterious powers. Fr John Bintum describes him as “a quiet, saintly priest.” He left for Bafmeng Parish in 1982and was later sent to Brixen, Italy, where he took care of retired Mill Hill Missionaries. He passed away on 29 July 2011. 2. FR JOHN MUSI (01 September 1980 to 18 August 1982) During his time, the Young Christian Workers became fully active and he established an experimental Kom Mass Rite with Catechist Nguo Linus. He initiated the construction of the Parish Hall. He acquired the pieces of land at Atoini and Ebosung and initiated the creation of CS Ebosung. 3. FR JOHN MAIMO BINTUM (July 1982 - 10 August 1986) When Fr John Maimo Bintum arrived the Parish, there were eight Primary Schools, a health post at Ilung, six Nguti trained catechists, (highest in the Diocese at the time), a vibrant catechumenate, C.W.A., Youth Groups, St Jude’s Apostolate, Natural Family Planning apostolate and a Nsamba group. He established a sub Parish Exco in Ilung that has evolved to the present Parish. He improved the Liturgy with the Kom Choir in Ngwah Atondum that went national with Catechist Christopher Mih, the resident Catechist and improved the Liturgy with the experimental Kom Mass Rite by Fr John Musi and Catechist Nguo Linus The solution of the longstanding famergrazer problem that took him to the High Court in Wum was resolved in favour of St Jude’s Parish through the honest witness of Nawain Juliana Nafoin who was the W C P D M P r e s i d e n t , a g a i n s t t h e administration. He always involved Fon Jinabo II to accompany Archbishop Paul Verdzekov on his pastoral visits to the Bum area and facilitated the work of evangelization in that Sub Parish. It is very interesting that the Fon Clement Ndzi was then the Fon’s Private Secretary at the time. Fr Bintum ensured that the Billings Method of Natural Family Planning was introduced in the Parish when tow parishioners, Mr Leo Nyongo and wife, Mrs Perpetua Nyongo were sent to Kenya to specialize in the programme. The parish was first in the Diocese in couple-participation. He successfully carried out ecumenical Moral Instructions in all the schools in the parish in collaboration with Mr Waingeh Albert Ndim, who was the pioneer Principal of G.S.S. Fundong, who had the courage to put up such a programme in favour of the Catholic Church which led to the number of vocations to the priesthood from GSS/GHS Fundong at the time. He introduced the celebration of the Parish feast day that brought together all the parishioners which always started with a Thanksgiving Masses during which the Fon was always present followed by choral music competitions, sporting activities and traditional dances by the Christians and school children. He sourced for funds for the construction of the Parish hall. The parish hall project brought together pagans like Bobe Misa Yong (who was later baptized by Fr Abner Dimo) and other denominations like the Baptist to boost the evangelization process in the parish. 4. FR PATRICK LAFON (1986 - 1992) He was keen in football and often played the game with the Christians and with the second division football club that was in Fundong at the time. He passed away this year, 2021, while serving as Head of the Philosophy Department in the Catholic University of Cameroon in Bamenda. 5. FR CHRYSANCTHUS TIM (1992 – 1994) During his time Fundong Parish covered Ilung Parish, Ajung and Konene areas. He created the Kichowi Mission Station. Before his appointment as Parish Priest, he had worked as a curate from 1989 to 1990 and was transferred to Bafmeng. During his period, he organized the Catholic Youth Movement and youth groups were formed in many Mission Stations and the membership rose from 10 to 300 active members. The Cadets, Mass Servers, Vocation Groups converged monthly in a given Mission Station for a two day parochial Christian formation meeting, pray and discuss issues challenging them. The present cemetery, which was occupied by Bobe Ngong, the mentally deranged man who used to reside in the place, was blessed and he was the first to be buried there. He initiated the fitting of the metallic door shutters of the parish house, after the attack by armed robbers one Saturday in 1993, with the financial assistance of his Dutch friends Mr and Mrs Ton Margaret Kerssens. He brought the first computer to Fundong Parish with the Help of Dr Paul Nchoji Nkwi and he did not only use it for evangelization work but he also used it to teach others. During his ministry the Mboh-Ilung disagreement was destabilizing that area and he went as far as he could in an effort to solve the problem. He celebrated the 10th anniversary of his o r d i n a t i o n i n F u n d o n g a n d w a s overwhelmed with joy at the massive turnout of Christians and the festive atmosphere. This was a manifestation of the relations Fr Tim had with his parishioners and he felt like a rare prophet accepted in his own country. 6. FR MICHAEL YUH (1994 – 2004) He introduced meetings with Catechists at Parish and Zonal levels with only one Nguti trained Catechist, late Pius Kitu. He contributed very much in the preparatory phases of the Provincial Pastoral Plan in the Parish and Kom area by ensuring that St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, was present at all the phases. He also introduced Armed Forces Day which was celebrated every January and delegations from Belo, Njinikom, Fundong and Bum Sub Divisions were always present. Sometimes there was a delegation of Security Forces from Bamenda led by Sr Hedwig. There were nine Primary Schools at the time, namely CS Fundong, CS Boyui, CS Muteff, CS Ebosung, CS Aduk, CS Fundong Up, CS Fujua, CS Konene and CS Achain. He supported the building of the Catholic School at Ilung and the space for the church was bulldozed. He introduced Sunday Massed at Boyui and Mbam alternately and in other Mission Stations following a programme and laid the foundation of the Mbam Church and extended the Sanctuary area of Boyui Church. He introduced Quarter Masses in Fundong Town. The Bona Mors Prayer Group was formed during his ministry and the YCS became prominent. He encouraged the holding of Parish Council meetings in a rotatory manner in different Mission Stations. During the visit of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov to the Parish for Confirmation, Fr Michael took him to Ilung He ensured the celebration of the Thanksgiving Masses of Fathers Joseph Nchitu and Augustine Nkwain in Fundong and Ilung and later that of Fr Anthony Bangsi in Fundong and Konene. He celebrated his Silver Jubilee in the priesthood in Fundong. It was during his ministry that the Infant Jesus Sisters of Nicolas Barré arrived Fundong and started the work of visiting the sick, teaching French in CS Fundong and Cs Boyui, handling Cadets and other Church groups and accompanying priests to Mission Stations. Fr Michael resolved the misunderstanding between Mboh and Aduk on the one hand and Ilung on the other after eight years of separation. 7. FR GERARD DOYLE ( August 2004 – August 2008) He was the first Parish Priest to take charge of the Parish after five Diocesan Parish Priests. He laid the groundwork for the implementation of the Provincial Pastoral Plan. 8. FR ABNER DIMO (16 August 2008 - April 2012) Important events like the following were celebrated: the Visit of Bishop George Nkuo, the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Sr Francisca, the Final Profession of Sisters Evelyne Kitu and Geneviva Bi Njah, the ordination of Fr Cyprian Ta-ah, the installation of the Blessed Sacrament in Boyui, the elevation of Ilung to a Quasi-Parish, the celebration of the Ruby Jubilee of St Jude’s Parish, Fundong, the Thanksgiving Mass of Sr Vera Ndifon and the Government recognition of St Jude’s Special Catholic School, Fundong Town. He ensured that the Pastoral Plan was put in place by encouraging the Parish Pastoral Formation Team to carry out formation in all the Mission Stations of the Parish which led to the self-reliance of the Parish before his departure in April 2012. Fr Abner Dimo arrived In Fundong in July 2004. He was appointed Parish Priest on 16th August 2008 and he also played the role of the Manager of Schools. During his Ministry there were realizations like: the tiling of the Parish Church, the renovation and creation of St Jude’s Special Primary School, Fundong Town and CS Fundong Town with the help of Br Huub Welters, MHM, the renovation of the Parish house by Br Huub Welters, renovation of Parish Hall (Ruby Jubilee Project) and the building of the Church and Father’s house at 9. FR CHRISTOPHER HANCOCK (April 2012 – 2016) He combined his work as Parish Priest with the teaching of Canon Law in St Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, Bambui. He introduced the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the Parish and the strict adherence to the liturgical rubrics. It was during his ministry that the launching of the Centenary of Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Bamenda took place in Fundong.
2279	dbpedia	2	79	https://www.scribd.com/document/689098128/THE-SUN-0736-compressed	en	THE SUN 0736.compressed	https://imgv2-2-f.scribdassets.com/img/document/689098128/original/99b85e8c64/1723430633?v=1	https://imgv2-2-f.scribdassets.com/img/document/689098128/original/99b85e8c64/1723430633?v=1	[ "https://s-f.scribdassets.com/webpack/assets/images/shared/gr_table_reading.9f6101a1.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Marius Lambou" ]	null	THE SUN 0736.compressed - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The Nigerian Consul General to Cameroon's South West and North West regions urged former inmates of the Buea central prison to make the best of their lives and avoid further criminal acts. He spoke after donating seeds worth FCFA 3 million to the former inmates. The Consul General partnered with other Nigerians to secure the release of the inmates, noting the process was difficult. He called on the former inmates to be morally upright and make their lives better. One of the inmates thanked the Consul General for the support during their trying time after regaining freedom.	en	https://s-f.scribdassets.com/scribd.ico?f0445a4f2?v=5	Scribd	https://www.scribd.com/document/689098128/THE-SUN-0736-compressed
2279	dbpedia	3	35	https://www.academia.edu/70121880/State_Religion_and_Law_in_Cameroon_Regulatory_Control_Tension_and_Accommodation	en	State, Religion, and Law in Cameroon: Regulatory Control, Tension, and Accommodation	http://a.academia-assets.com/images/open-graph-icons/fb-paper.gif	http://a.academia-assets.com/images/open-graph-icons/fb-paper.gif	[ "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/academia-logo-redesign-2015-A.svg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/academia-logo-redesign-2015.svg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/single_work_splash/adobe.icon.svg", "https://0.academia-photos.com/attachment_thumbnails/79983919/mini_magick20220131-7289-g04ngo.png?1643621483", "https://0.academia-photos.com/41651122/39581253/32704737/s65_charles_manga.fombad.jpg", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loaders/paper-load.gif", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png", "https://a.academia-assets.com/images/loswp/related-pdf-icon.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Charles Manga Fombad", "independent.academia.edu" ]	2022-01-31T00:00:00	State, Religion, and Law in Cameroon: Regulatory Control, Tension, and Accommodation				https://www.academia.edu/70121880/State_Religion_and_Law_in_Cameroon_Regulatory_Control_Tension_and_Accommodation	This article analyses the conversion to Islam of indigenous chiefs in North Cameroon. The chiefs studied belong to the Mundang ethnic group. Their islamisation is interpreted as the outcome of the ambivalence brought about by their intermediary role between local society and the wider society. This approach offers insights in (a) the connection between conversion and political careers; (b) the relation between Islam and ethnic identities; and (c) the popular legitimacy of conversion.KEY WORDS: Cameroon, Mundang, chiefs, Islam, ethnicity, cosmology This article questions the role of the moral and religious actors in the emergence of homosexuality as a political object in Cameroon. It situates the genealogy of a moral sexual panic by the Catholic Bishop of Yaoundé and the Cardinal of the same tendency as the key actors of the public debate that also included the private press. It shows 'opposing movements' engaging those two religious actors with same-sex people's organizations. It calls for a contextualized analysis of 'religious homophobia' by taking into account the opposition between the moral actors and the State. This article sets out to present Joshua Dibundu and Lotin Same, two clergymen and contemporaries of John Chilembwe of Nyasaland and Simon Kibangu of the Congo, who stood out against European missionary pressure and colonial administrative oppression in an effort to establish and sustain the first African Independent Church (AIC) in Cameroon: the Native Baptist Church (NBC). I argue in this article that unlike the Cameroon kings and chiefs who resisted European occupation of the territory, and nationalists who fought for independence, the leaders of the Native Baptist Church represent another type of early nationalist and change-oriented agents who deserve their place in the historiography of the country. I have privileged the use of archival documents, structured interviews and some critical empirical literature to establish this account.
2279	dbpedia	2	4	https://www.facebook.com/p/Professor-Doctor-Bernard-Nsokika-Fonlon-Group-100063748935967/	en	Facebook	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yv/r/B8BxsscfVBr.ico	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yv/r/B8BxsscfVBr.ico	[ "https://facebook.com/security/hsts-pixel.gif?c=3.2" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Sieh dir auf Facebook Beiträge, Fotos und vieles mehr an.	de	https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yv/r/B8BxsscfVBr.ico		https://www.facebook.com/login/
2279	dbpedia	3	15	https://newswatchcameroon.com/index.php/2024/07/20/catholic-churchs-inculturation-theory-stirs-up-storm-in-nso/	en	Catholic Church’s inculturation theory stirs up storm in Nso! – NewsWatch Cameroon	https://newswatchcameroo…/Fon-of-Nso.jpeg		[ "https://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NewsWatch-logo-2020-lg.png", "https://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Bishop-George-Nkuo.jpeg", "https://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fon-of-Nso.jpeg", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/nwatch.jpg", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NewsWatch-logo-2020-e1606338577900.png", "http://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newswatch-butt1.png" ]	[ "https://newswatchcameroon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/279017895_146766617858022_1698628261782592947_n-2.mp4" ]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Ndi Eugene Ndi" ]	2024-07-20T00:00:00		en			https://newswatchcameroon.com/index.php/2024/07/20/catholic-churchs-inculturation-theory-stirs-up-storm-in-nso/	The inculturation theory of the Roman Catholic Church is conflicting with the traditional culture of the Nso people in the Bui Division of the North West Region. In a sternly worded letter to the Bishop of Kumbo Diocese, Mgr. George Nkuo, the Nso Cultural and Development Association, (NSODA), has warned against what it describes as desecration of their culture by the Catholic Church in name of inculturation. NSODA is an umbrella association that promotes and protects the tradition and culture of the Nso Kingdom. The association’s letter to the bishop of the Kumbo on June 4 comes after widely circulated videos showed some sacred masquerades of the Nso people displaying in churches of the diocese – what NSODA considers an erosion of their culture. “We have not been oblivious to the efforts your Diocese has been making to the development of the Nso Kingdom, and the evangelization works that have been shaping our society,” the NOSDA letter signed by its president General, Tadze Adamu Mbiydzela reads in part. It says the people of Nso remain “indebted and sincerely grateful” to the Local Ordinary of the Kumbo Diocese for the abovementioned. Inculturation wantonly and severely abused However, NSODA expressed resentment that the very lofty idea of inculturation has been “wantonly and severely abused” by the Catholic Church in the Nso land under the watchful eye of the Bishop. “The avalanche of those abuses inundated social media with shocking desecration of our culture and tradition,” NSODA states. “A few instances which have caught our attention are moot shows in the Church or Catholic premises of our highly cherished sacred masquerades like the Wanmabuh, the Yee Ngwerong, the Kikum, the Kirang Ke Ngiri etc”. NSODA further says: “We are totally dismayed that if care is not taken to protect our cultural heritage, which is our identity, then, with the passage of time, our culture will be completely eroded in the guise of inculturation”. The Nso body polity, NSODA said, “is built from her cultural heritage which, if not seriously protected, shall be lost, and Nso as a kingdom be eroded into an irretrievable abyss.” The socio-cultural and development association says it behoves them to strongly denounce to the prelate what it terms “these provocative moot displays of our culture on Catholic premises and elsewhere under the guise of inculturation”. NSODA has “respectfully” called on the bishop to “caution and counsel Catholic Christians or whoever is under your diocese to consequently refrain from those moot displays of our cultures in the name of inculturation.” NSODA to seek court action if… The association says they will consider court action to protect what they consider “sacred and sanctity in our culture” should those moot displays continue. The Kumbo diocese had yet to comment on the NSODA letter at the time of this report and the Spokesperson of National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon did not respond to our request for comments. The Diocese of Kumbo is made up of two civil administrative units, namely, Bui and Donga Mantung Divisions and is considered one of the densely populated Catholic dioceses in Cameroon. Even in Nkambe, the headquarters of the Donga Mantung Division, it is common to see sacred masquerades display in the Catholic Church or around church premises. The visit of the Bishop is always characterized by the display of sacred masquerades with even the dreaded Nko’oh literally rubbing shoulders with the prelate. One of the largest ethnic groups in the country, Nso is known for its rich cultural heritage. Many Cameroonians also consider the Nso land a stronghold of Christianity with the primary religion being Roman Catholicism. The land has also produced some prominent people in the church including the first ever cardinal of Cameroonian origin; the late Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop Paul Verdzekov; the late Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda and Bishop Immanuel Banlanjo Bushu, Emeritus Bishop of Buea.
2279	dbpedia	2	59	https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/31613297/autumn-2011-the-mill-hill-missionaries	en	Autumn 2011 - The Mill Hill Missionaries	https://www.yumpu.com/en…ook/31613297.jpg	https://www.yumpu.com/en…ook/31613297.jpg	[ "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/logo/Yumpu_Logo_RGB.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/account/document_privacy_modal/step1.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/account/document_privacy_modal/step2.png", "https://img.yumpu.com/31613297/1/500x640/autumn-2011-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg", "https://assets.yumpu.com/v4/img/avatar/female-200x200.jpg", "https://img.yumpu.com/51633809/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51633318/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51621348/1/184x260/ireland-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51562326/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/51054530/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49437361/1/184x260/summer-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49357668/1/167x260/een-zegening-van-de-ouderen-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/49071426/1/184x260/life-in-the-submarine-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48869766/1/184x260/st-josephs-advocate-autumn-2012-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48851179/1/190x135/advocate-spring-2013-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48639690/1/190x135/advocate-summer-2013-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/48211928/1/190x260/st-josefs-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/46436022/1/184x260/constitutions-and-statutes-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/45683667/1/190x260/missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-missionsbote-the-mill-hill-.jpg?quality=85", "https://img.yumpu.com/43011464/1/184x260/summer-2012-pdf-the-mill-hill-missionaries.jpg?quality=85", "https://assets.yumpu.com/release/ou6ZPgO72P294QN/v5/img/logo/yumpu-footer2x.png", "https://assets.yumpu.com/v5/img/footer/worldmap-retina.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "millhillmissionaries.com", "pope", "missionaries", "catechists", "bishop", "parish", "ambrose", "missionary", "maori", "glasgow", "gerry", "autumn", "millhillmissionaries.com" ]	null	[ "Yumpu.com" ]	null	Autumn 2011 - The Mill Hill Missionaries	en	https://assets.yumpu.com…icon-favicon.png	yumpu.com	https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/31613297/autumn-2011-the-mill-hill-missionaries	Attention! Your ePaper is waiting for publication! By publishing your document, the content will be optimally indexed by Google via AI and sorted into the right category for over 500 million ePaper readers on YUMPU. This will ensure high visibility and many readers! Inappropriate You have already flagged this document. Thank you, for helping us keep this platform clean. The editors will have a look at it as soon as possible.
2279	dbpedia	3	54	https://panafricanvisions.com/2020/09/from-the-anger-of-despair-to-resistance-and-self-defense-the-trajectory-of-21st-century-genocide-in-cameroon/	en	You are being redirected...			[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null
2279	dbpedia	1	36	https://kumbo-limburg.org/2006/02/	en	February 2006 â Kumbo Limburg Partnerschaft	http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Fons.jpg		[ "https://kumbo-limburg.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/03/cropped-20050331_Peterek_Kathedrale.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Robert_Tanto.0.jpg", "http://leffortcamerounais.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/biofresua.gif", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Krysia_Fluss_Privatbild.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Krysia_Kinder_Privatbild.0.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Stone_work.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Work_at_catchment.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Work_at_interruption_chambe.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Delegation.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Fons.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/Archbishop-ESUAs-induction.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/ESUAs-induction-4.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/ESUAs-induction-2.jpg", "http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6483/2188/320/ESUAs-induction-3.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2006-02-25T13:07:00+02:00		en			null	Such is the richness of the grace which he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight.? (Eph. 1: 4 ? 8). How can we thank God enough for today? I thank him for having chosen me, unworthy as I am, ?for his own kind purposes? to become the Pastor of his flock in Bamenda. Uprooted first from the hills and valleys of Mbetta to Kumbo, and now from Kumbo to Bamenda, I feel like the Prophet Amos, a shepherd who was called from looking after sycamores on the hills of Judah to prophesy in Bethel(cf. Am. 7:10?17). 2. I want to express my profound gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for confirming my appointment to the Metropolitan See of Bamenda, notwithstanding my unworthiness. I heartily thank his Representative the Most Rev. Antonio Eliseo Ariotti, Titular Archbishop of Vibiana and Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, for having kindly accepted to preside at this celebration. I am equally grateful to the Archbishops and Bishops of Cameroon and all of you who have come from far and near to celebrate this day with us. I joyfully greet all of you, the clergy, men and women religious, and Christ?s lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Thank you for your warm welcome. I praise and thank Almighty God for your dynamism. Homage to an Illustrious Predecessor 3. This celebration is primarily an act of thanksgiving to Almighty God for our dear Father, the Most Rev. Paul Verdzekov, on the occasion of his 75th Birthday. He has spent almost half of his life span, more than 35 years, as the Shepherd of the Archdiocese of Bamenda, of which he is the Founding Father. He has built up the Diocese from the scratch to what it is today, a Metropolitan See with all its complex structures. The birth of the Diocese of Kumbo in 1982, barely 12 years after the erection of the Diocese of Bamenda was the fruit of his hard work and vision. He has been a great and exemplary Pastor, endowed with extraordinary qualities ? human and spiritual. Many have described him as one of the intellectual giants of the Church in Africa because of the invaluable contributions he has made not only on the level of the Church in Cameroon, which he led for 6 years as the President of the National Episcopal Conference, but also on the continental and universal levels. 4. He has been a member of many Dicasteries of the Holy See: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Council for the Family, etc. He is an expert of the Synod of Bishops and has participated in various capacities in many Ordinary and Special General Assemblies of the Synod. He is a member of the Council of the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops and was one of the key persons who drafted the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa. 5. He has contributed a lot to priestly formation not only in our Ecclesiastical Province but also on the level of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and beyond. He was one of the brains behind the establishment and development of our Provincial Major Seminary, Bambui which has nursed to maturity and given a world wide reputation in the area of priestly formation. His assistance has very often been solicited by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples to serve as an Apostolic Visitator of many major Seminaries in Africa. 6. Faithful to his motto: ?Et veritas liberavit vos? ? ?And the truth shall make you free? (Jn. 8: 32), he has been a strong defender of the fundamental human rights and has contributed a lot to the promotion of justice and peace in our society and to the total liberation of the human person, body and soul. His pastoral ministry at the helm of the Archdiocese of Bamenda has been a wonderful track-record. The Bench of the Conference of the Bishops of Cameroon will greatly miss him both on the national and provincial levels but we hope to continue to draw from his wealth of wisdom as the Emeritus Archbishop of Bamenda. It is, therefore, with trembling and fear that I accept to become his successor. As I take up this office I would like to make my own the prayer of young Solomon: ?May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he never desert us or cast us off. May he turn our hearts towards him so that we may follow all his ways and keep the commandments? ? (1 Kg 8: 57 ? 58). The Truth liberates 7. When I became the Bishop of Kumbo some 23 years ago, I chose for myself the motto ?Sermo tuus veritas est? ? ?Your Word is Truth? (Jn. 17: 17). This choice was motivated by the importance I wanted to give to the Word of God in my pastoral ministry. This Word which ?was the true light that enlightens all men? and which ?was made flesh and lived among us? (Jn 1: 8, 14), should be the source and inspiration of our Christian life. It should purify and uplift the values of the African culture. Today I can see better the providential link between the motto of the outgoing Archbishop of Bamenda: ?Et veritas liberavit vos? (Jn. 8: 32) and that of his humble successor: ?Sermo tuus veritas est.?(Jn. 17:17). The truth that liberates us is Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word of God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His words are truth and they are life (Jn. 6: 63). As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council clearly stated, the Word of God is nourishment which ?enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and fires the hearts of men with the love of God.? (Decree on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, n. 23). 8. It is through the proclamation of this Word that the Church continues the mission of Christ of liberating the whole person ? body and soul. ?The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the down trodden free, to proclaim the Lord?s year of favour.? (Lk 4: 18). The Bishop as the teacher of the faith and the herald of the Word of God is the prophet of truth which liberates. He, ?with the strength which comes from the radicalism of the Gospel, also has the duty to unmask false conceptions of man, to defend values being threatened by ideological movements and to discern the truth.? (Pope John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis on the Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World, n. 66). Our Program of Evangelisation 9. I therefore see my pastoral ministry here as a continuation of what has so well been begun. As I mentioned on the 11th January 2005, the day I was presented to the faithful as the Co-adjustor Archbishop of Bamenda, the programme of our work of evangelisation is already contained in our Provincial Pastoral Plan. That programme is global and detailed enough. All that needs to be added will be my own vision of and emphasis on the whole programme. Our Provincial Pastoral Plan, imperfect as it may be, is the program of evangelisation for the coming years and all the other programmes and pastoral initiatives, individual or collective, should be situated in it, if they want to be recognized and find their legitimate place. 10. In the Church as Family of God all the members have to work together harmoniously for the service and the common good of the entire family (cf. 1 Cor. 12: 4 ? 30). We would have to lay a greater accent on participatory and collaborative ministry if we do not want to run the risk of unhealthy rivalry or of dissipating our energy. All of us, priests, religious and laity, need to have a common vision and a common purpose, and the same mind which was in Christ Jesus (cf. Phil. 2: 5). The Word of God and the Eucharist 11. We have just ended the Year of the Eucharist and the Year of the Bible. These have been privileged moments of grace for us. The Word of God and the Eucharist are the two pillars on which the life of the Church is built. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, ?The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord, in so far as she never ceases, particularly in the sacred liturgy, to partake of the bread of life and offer it to the faithful from the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ? (D.V. n. 21). We would, therefore, have to make the Word of God the basis and inspiration of our pastoral life and work, starting from the Small Christian communities. We were reminded during our recent Provincial Bible Congress, held in St. Augustine?s College, Kumbo, from the 12th ? 15th December 2005, that we have to know the Word of God better, love it more, live it more deeply and proclaim it with greater enthusiasm. An authentic inculturation of the Christian message will only come through a sound and profound knowledge of the Word of God which is ?alive and active? (Hebr.4:12) and which has the power to transform us and our culture(cf. Acts 20:32). 12. The recent General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which took place in Rome from 2nd to 23rd October 2005 as the conclusion of the Year of the Eucharist, reminded all of us that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church. It is the centre and nourishment of our life as Christians. In his Apostolic Letter on the occasion of the Year of the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II underlined the centrality of the Eucharist in the work of evangelisation when he exhorted the Pastors of the Particular Churches in the following words: ?I am not asking the individual Churches to alter their pastoral programmes, but to emphasize the Eucharistic dimension which is part of the whole Christian life.? (Mane Nobiscum Domine, n.5). All our pastoral programmes and life should flow from and end with the Eucharist. The Spirituality of Communion 13. The Church is the Sacrament of unity and communion. This unity and communion finds its concrete expression in the Particular Church when all her members: clergy, religious and laity can live and work together in harmony under the leadership of the Bishop, each one playing his or her God-given role as in a symphony (cf. St. Ignatius of Antioch). In order to achieve this objective we have to promote what Pope John Paul II calls the spirituality of communion. A spirituality of common ?means an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith within the profound unity of the Mystical Body, and therefore as ?those who are part of me?.? It also implies ?the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God: not only as a gift for the brother or sister who has received it directly, but also as a ?gift for me?. A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to ?make room? for our brothers and sisters, bearing ?each other?s burden? (Gal. 6: 2) and resisting the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy.? (Tertio Millennio Ineunte n. 43). In this regard I would like to appeal especially to all the categories of the lay faithful to continue to make their specific and indispensable contribution to the work of the evangelisation of our fast growing Christian communities and to consider themselves as true fellow workers with God (cf. 1 Cor. 3: 9). The Bishop as Father and Brother 14. In the Particular Church as Family of God, the Bishop is the father in the image of God the Father. In the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation ?Pastores Gregis? on the Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World, Pope John Paul II has this to say about the figure of the Bishop as father. ?The tradition which sees the Bishop as an image of God the Father is quite ancient. As St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, the Father is like an invisible Bishop, the Bishop of all. Every Bishop, therefore, stands in the place of the Father of Jesus Christ in such a way that, precisely because of this representation, he is to be revered by all. Consonant with this symbolism, the Bishop?s chair, which especially in the tradition of the Eastern Churches evokes God?s paternal authority, can only be occupied by the Bishop. This same symbolism is the source of every Bishop?s duty to lead the holy people of God as a devoted father and to guide them ? together with his priests, his co-workers in the Episcopal ministry, and with his deacons ? in the way of salvation. Conversely, as an ancient text exhorts, the faithful are to love their Bishops who are, after God, their fathers and mothers. For this reason, in accordance with a custom widespread in certain cultures, one kisses the Bishop?s hand as one would kiss the hand of the loving Father, the giver of life.? (P.G. n. 7) Acting as father, brother and friend to all, the Bishop has to ?stand beside everyone as the living image of Christ our hope, in whom all God?s promises are fulfilled and all the expectations of creation are brought to completion.? P.G. n. 4). 15. The Bishop is a father particularly to the priests who share in his priestly functions and who are his closest collaborators. That is why our revered Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, exhorts the Bishop to strive always ?to relate to his priests as a father and brother who loves them, listens to them, welcomes them, corrects them, supports them, seeks their cooperation and, as much as possible, is concerned for their human, spiritual, ministerial and financial well-being.? P.G. n. 47). 16. Our Father, Most Rev. Paul Verdzekov has reminded us of the ancient tradition of addressing the Bishop as ?Father? in a Circular he addressed to all the faithful of the Archdiocese through the Clergy, Religious communities, Full-time Catechists, Presidents of Parish Pastoral Councils and the Focolare Movement on the 20th December 2001. In this Circular he humbly requested that he be addressed as ?Father?. This is a venerable title which has an important place in the African Culture. I consider it one of the important legacies I have inherited from him. I, therefore, request that you should not hesitate to address me as Father, Papa Bishop, PÃ¨re EvÃªque, Bobo, Taah, AtaÃ h, Ataah, or the equivalent in your own dialect. However, you may feel free to address me with the other accepted titles if you feel more comfortable with them. What is important is that you consider and relate to me as a son or a daughter to a father. Pray that in my pastoral ministry and in relating with you I may be a reflection, no matter how dim it may be, of this image of a father, or at least of a brother. For, the Bishop becomes a ?father? precisely because he is fully a ?son? of the Church.? (cf. P.G. n. 10). I want to be among you both as a father and a brother. The Bishop as a Fellow Christian 17. During the 10th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on ?The Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World? which took place in Rome from 30th September to 27th October 2001, the following phrase from St. Augustine?s famous sermon on the Good Shepherd was often heard in the Synod Hall: ?For you I am a Bishop and with you I am a Christian? (cf. P.G. n. 10). Twenty three years ago, after my Episcopal Ordination on the 8th December 1982, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, on the grounds of St. Augustine?s College, Kumbo, I made reference to this phrase in my address to the people. I would like to repeat it today. ?For you I am a Bishop and with you I am a Christian?. 18. This phrase has far reaching implications for the person who has been called the exercise the very heavy and difficult ministry of a Bishop. This is what St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, says: ?The Lord, as he thought fit, and not according to my own merits, appointed me to this position, for which the account to be rendered is fraught with danger; and I exhibit two distinct features: one, that I am a Christian, two that I am appointed overseer of others. The fact that I am a Christian is for my benefit, that I am appointed overseer is for yours. My own good is to be considered in my being a Christian, in my being an overseer, only yours? But I, besides being a Christian, and for this having to render an account for my life, am a leader also, and for this shall render to God an account of my ministry.? (Divine Office, Vol. III, p. 538). To be a Bishop is a tremendously delicate responsibility for which one has to give an account to God not only for himself but also for the people who have been entrusted to his pastoral care. The Bishop as a Servant 19. The Bishop is the servant of the People of God. This is the significance of the Crosier which has been handed over to me today by my illustrious predecessor. It is a sign of service, that is, of leading the flock ever to greener pastures in order that they may have life and have it more abundantly(cf. Jn. 10:10). His Grace, Most Rev. Paul Verdzekov is handing over this Crosier to me after more than 35 years of faithful and meritorious service of the People of God. From my 23 years experience as Pastor of Kumbo Diocese I can imagine how heavy the Crosier of the Archdiocese of Bamenda can be. I pray that following the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many(cf. Mt. 20:28), and who laid down his life for his sheep (cf. Jn. 10:11), I may be among you as one who serves(cf. Lk. 22:27). 20. It is not easy to be a good and holy Bishop. As Pope John Paul II quoting St. Augustine again says, ??whatever we may be, let not your hope be placed in us: if we are good, we are your servants, if we are bad, we are still your servants. But if we are good and faithful servants, it is then that we are truly your servants.? Servants of the Gospel for the hope of the world? (P.G. n. 5). I would, therefore, like to recommend ourselves to your prayers. Pray for the outgoing Archbishop of Bamenda that God may reward him for the many years of service as a faithful Pastor of this Particular Church and bless him with good health. Pray also for me that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redeemer and of St. Joseph, her husband and Patron of the Universal Church, the Lord may give me the grace to be to you a faithful servant and a Pastor according to his heart. Gratitude to Missionaries and Collaborators 21. Today we cannot but think of the missionaries who have contributed to implant the Church in Cameroon. The first of these, the Pallotine Missionaries, founded by St. Vincent Pallotti, whose Memoria the Church celebrates on the 22nd of this month, arrived Cameroon in December 1890 and celebrated the first solemn Holy Mass on Cameroonian soil in Marienberg (Diocese of Edea) on the 8th December, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. They were followed by the Sacred Heart Fathers of St. Quentin who arrived Kumbo in December 1912 and founded the first Mission in Shisong in January 1913, and the Mill Hill Missionaries who arrived in 1922 and took over from the Pallotine and the Sacred Heart Fathers the work of evangelisation in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. This is an opportunity to praise and thank God for all the missionaries, past and present, who have contributed and continue to do so to the evangelisation of the Church in Cameroon and in our Ecclesiastical Province. Let us thank God for our Diocesan Priests, for the men and women Religious, for our dedicated Catechists and Catholic Teachers and for all the other categories of our laity for their respective contributions in the work of evangelisation in this Archdiocese. I would like to continue to count on all of you for the harvest is great but the labourers are few. Once more I am grateful to all of you who have come to celebrate this day with us. May God bless you abundantly and accompany you back home safely. Conclusion: A Prayer 22. Permit me to conclude with a paraphrase of the beautiful Pastoral Prayer of the Venerable Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx, which I dare to make my own. O Good Shepherd Jesus, Good, gentle, tender Shepherd, Behold a shepherd, poor and pitiful, A shepherd of your sheep indeed, But weak and clumsy and of little use, cries out to you. To you, I say, Good Shepherd, This shepherd, who is not good, makes his prayer. He cries to you, troubled upon his own account, and troubled for your sheep?.. Teach me your servant, therefore, Lord, Teach me, I pray you, by your Holy Spirit, How to devote myself to them and How to spend myself on their behalf. Give me, by your unutterable grace, The power to bear with their shortcomings patiently, To share their grief in loving sympathy, And to afford them help according to their needs ?.. Teach me to suit myself to everyone according to his nature, Character and disposition, According to his power of understanding or his lack of it, As time and place require, in each case, as you would have me do? You know, Lord, I do not want to rule them harshly or self-assertively, But to help them in charity, Rather than command, And to be subject to them in humility, While being always one of them in sympathy?. Be in their midst, According to your faithful promise. And, since you know what each of them needs, I pray you, strengthen what is weak in them. Spurn not their frailty, heal that which is diseased, Give joy for sorrow, Kindle what is lukewarm, Establish what is insecure in them, That each of them May know he does not lack your grace In any of his trials and temptations? I, for my part, Commit them into your holy hands and loving providence May no one snatch them from your hands, Nor from your servant?s, Unto whom you have committed them.
2279	dbpedia	0	6	https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/history.php	en	Bamenda and Portsmouth	https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/icons/favicon.ico	https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/icons/favicon.ico	[ "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/logo.png", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/banner/bamenda-10.jpg", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/BishopPaulVerdzekov.png", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/BishopDerekWorlock.png", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/2022-03-31-300x233.jpg", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/1975-April-Michael-Peters- Bishop-Worlock-Ron-Hishon-at-Bambui-Seminary.jpg", "https://www.bamendaandportsmouth.com/images/2009-Crispian_and_Cornelius-281x400.JPG" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Bamenda and Portsmouth Template		images/icons/favicon.ico		null	History In 1974, Bishop Derek Worlock of Portsmouth and Bishop Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda initiated our diocesan twinning as a practical demonstration of the Pope’s Vatican II document “Gaudium et Spes” (‘Hope & Joy’). The document applied the Church’s scripture and social teaching to everyday life in the world. It urged us to treat one another with a spirit of brotherhood - to look after and love one another. The link has been enthusiastically continued by subsequent bishops to the present day. Bamenda is the capital of North West Province in Cameroon, West Africa. In 1970 the Bamenda Diocese had been created with Paul Verdzekov appointed as the first bishop. Later Kumbo was split from Bamenda and a new diocese was created with Cornelius Fontem Esua as its first bishop. Back in 1974 the first missionaries from Portsmouth went out to Bamenda to spread the Gospel. Three of the pioneers in the 1970s Father Ron Hishon, Father Peter Codd and Father Frank Isherwood (RIP) are pictured here. In January 2006 Archbishop Paul retired to be replaced by Archbishop Cornelius (seen here with Portsmouth’s Bishop Crispian Hollis). Auxiliary Bishop Michael Bibi assisted Archbishop Cornelius until he retired in 2019 and was replaced by Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. Other Portsmouth priests who collectively served for over twenty years in Bamenda include: Father Michael Peters (RIP), Father Eamon Walsh (RIP), Father Antony Gatt, Father Tony Day, Father Felix Muscat, Father Joe McElhinney and Father Michael O’Kelly. Over the years, four Portsmouth Bishops: Bishop Derek Worlock, Bishop Anthony Emery, Bishop Crispian Hollis, and now Bishop Philip Egan, have all made repeated visits and other priests and lay people have also been warmly entertained as guests of the Catholics of Bamenda. In 2014 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the link with delegations of priests and lay people from both dioceses visiting each other. In recent years, as vocations to the priesthood have fallen in our diocese, an offer of Fidei Donum priests came generously from Bamenda. As with the original plans, priests have come to serve for up to 6 years. During their time in our diocese, some of the priests have also undertaken education at Southampton University or The Maryvale Institute. At the present time we have six priests from Bamenda Diocese ministering in our Diocese of Portsmouth. Fr Bonaventure Ndong and Fr Thomas Amungwa served their term and returned to Bamenda. Fr Bernardine Nsom and Fr George Ngwa have had their terms extended, and are serving in Bournemouth and New Milton respectively. In 2020, Fr Elijah Fru Nde moved from Totland on the Isle of Wight to our Cathedral parish. Fr Emmanuel Rinda moved from the Cathedral parish to Corpus Christi & St Joseph's in Portsmouth; Fr Anthony Chiatu moved from the Cathedral to Winchester and plans are afoot for Fr Gaston Forbah to move from Basingstoke to Guernsey, once the visa he requires is obtained. Priests and lay people of Portsmouth are appointed by the bishop to the Portsmouth Bamenda Committee which serves the link on behalf of the Diocese. There is also a ‘Bamenda Portsmouth Committee’ in the Archdiocese. The Committees act as a channel of information and mutual support. Since 2010 a system of formal applications and progress reports has been set up for projects carried out in collaboration with local Bamendan communities. The committees administer the funds that are contributed from the annual Portsmouth ‘Bamenda Sunday’ collection, parishes and any individuals or groups who have adopted specific projects. The local communities in Cameroon also contribute, often through labour and materials. Over the past 40 years more than £1,000,000 has been raised by Portsmouth parishioners and projects have been successfully implemented in the areas of Faith, Health, Education and Social Welfare. More details on this work can be seen under the ‘What do we do?’ section of the website. We continue to support multiple projects each year.
2279	dbpedia	2	63	https://www.camerounweb.com/CameroonHomePage/general/religion.php	en	Overview Religion in Cameroon	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico	[ "https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/logo_desktop.png", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Biya-Pape.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Clerge.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Cath_Yde.jpg", "http://static.cameroonweb.com/GHP/img/pics.org/Cath_Dla.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Overview Religion in Cameroon	fr	https://cdn.camerounweb.com/design/favicon.ico		https://www.camerounweb.com/CameroonHomePage/general/religion.php	State and religion The preamble of the Constitution affirms the secularity of the Cameroonian State: "The State is secular. The neutrality and Independence of the State towards all religions are guaranteed. " The Constitution of Cameroon provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. Government policy contributes to the generally free practice of religion. There were no reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious belief or practice. The country is generally characterized by a high degree of religious tolerance. Christianity and Islam are the two main religions in Cameroon. Christian churches and Muslim centres of various denominations operate freely throughout Cameroon. Approximately 70 % of the population is at least nominally Christian, 21 % is nominally Muslim and 6 % practise traditional indigenous religious beliefs. Groups that constitute less than 5 % of the population include Orthodox Jews, the Bahai Faith, and persons who do not associate themselves with any particular religious movement. The Christian population is divided between Roman Catholics (38.4 % of the total population), Protestants (26.3 %), and other Christian denominations (including Jehovah's Witnesses) (4 %). Christians and Muslims are found in every region, although Christians are concentrated chiefly in the southern and western provinces. There is significant internal migration. Large cities have significant populations of both groups, with churches and mosques often located near each other The two Anglophone provinces of the western region largely are Protestant and the Francophone provinces of the southern and western regions are largely Catholic. In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani (Fula: Ful?e; French: Peul or Peuhl) ethnic group is mostly Muslim, but the overall population is fairly evenly mixed between Muslims, Christians, and animists, each often living in its own community. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Province is largely Muslim. Traditional indigenous religious beliefs are practised in rural areas throughout the country but rarely are practised publicly in cities, in part because many indigenous religious groups are intrinsically local in character. There are 40 000 adherents of the Bahá'í Faith in the country. By 2001 the Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was registered with the Government of Cameroon as one of the few non-Christian religions. There is a tiny population of Jews in Cameroon who have established ties with the wider global Jewish community. A community of approximately 50 people practice some form of Judaism in the country today. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion in Cameroon, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The country is generally characterized by a high degree of religious tolerance. Legal and policy framework Christian and Islamic holy days are celebrated as national holidays. These include the Christian holy days of Good Friday, Ascension Day, Assumption Day, and Christmas Day, and the Islamic holy days of the Feast of the Lamb and Eid al-Fitr, the End of Ramadan. The Law on religious congregations governs relations between the Government and religious groups. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINATD) must approve and register religious groups in order for them to function legally. There were no reports that the government refused to register any group; however, the process can take a number of years. It is illegal for a religious group to operate without official recognition, but the law prescribes no specific penalties. There was a growth within the major cities of so-called "sects," which their leaders consider to be subgroups of Protestant denominations; few of these are registered, and all of them operate freely. Although official recognition confers no general tax benefits, it allows religious groups to receive real estate as tax-free gifts and legacies for the conduct of their activities. To register, a religious denomination must legally qualify as a religious congregation. The definition includes "any group of natural persons or corporate bodies whose vocation is divine worship" or "any group of persons living in community in accordance with a religious doctrine." The denomination then submits a file to the MINATD. The file must include a request for authorization, a copy of the group's charter describing planned activities, and the names and functions of the group's officials. The Minister reviews the file and sends it to the presidency with a recommendation to approve or deny. The president generally follows the recommendation of the Minister and grants authorization by a presidential decree. The approval process may take up to several years. The only religious groups known to be registered are Christian, Muslim, and Bahai. According to the latest MINATD statistics (released in 2002), there are 38 officially registered denominations, most of which are Christian. There also are numerous unregistered small religious groups that operate freely. The Government does not register traditional indigenous religious groups, stating that the practice of traditional religion is a private concern observed by members of a particular ethnic or kinship group or the residents of a particular locality. The MINATD, rather than the judiciary, primarily resolves disputes between or within registered religious groups about control of places of worship, schools, other real estate, or financial assets. Missionary groups are present and operate without impediment. The licensing requirements for foreign groups are the same as those for domestic religious denominations. The practice of witchcraft is a criminal offense under the national penal code, punishable by a 2 to 10 year prison term. Several religious denominations operate primary and secondary schools. Although post-secondary education continues to be dominated by state institutions, private schools affiliated with religious denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, and Qur'anic schools, have been among the best schools at the primary and secondary levels for many years. The law charges the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Secondary Education with ensuring that private schools run by religious groups meet the same standards as state-operated schools in terms of curriculum, infrastructure, and teacher training. For schools affiliated with religious groups, the Sub-Department of Confessional Education of the Department of Private Education performs this oversight function. School attendance--at public, private, or parochial schools--is mandatory through junior high school. The campuses of the Central Africa Catholic University and the International Adventist University are located in the country. The Catholic Church operates two of the country's few modern private printing presses and publishes a weekly newspaper, L'Effort Camerounais. A 2000 government decree requires potential commercial radio broadcasters to submit a licensing application, pay a fee when the application is approved, and pay an annual licensing fee. The Government has been slow in granting authorization; consequently, there are many unauthorized radio stations operating. Two private religious radio stations, the Pentecostal Radio Bonne Nouvelle and Radio Reine (managed by a Catholic priest although not officially sponsored by the Catholic Church), that had been broadcasting without licenses continued to broadcast while awaiting official authorization, as do many other radio stations awaiting their licenses. The Catholic station Radio Veritas has temporary authorization to broadcast and has been broadcasting without incident. The state-sponsored television station, CRTV, carries two hours of Christian programming on Sunday mornings, normally an hour of Catholic Mass and an hour of a Protestant service. There is also one broadcast hour dedicated to Islam on Friday evenings. State-sponsored radio broadcasts Christian and Islamic religious services on a regular basis, and both the radio and television stations periodically broadcast religious ceremonies on national holidays or during national events. State television occasionally broadcasts ecumenical ceremonies on major occasions such as the commemoration of a national event. Restriction on religious freedom Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion. The practice of witchcraft is a criminal offense under the national penal code. People generally are prosecuted for this offense only in conjunction with some other offense such as murder; however, there were no reports of convictions of witchcraft under this law. The Government distinguishes between witchcraft and traditional indigenous religious practices; witchcraft is defined by the law as attempts to do harm by spiritual means and is a common explanation for diseases. There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country. Forced religious conversion There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. In 2004 the Government responded promptly to assist the U.S. Embassy in the case of the forced conversion of American citizens by a private actor. Societal abuses and discrimination There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice; however, some religious groups reported societal hostility within their regions. Established churches denounced new unaffiliated religious groups, most of which are Protestant, as "sects" or "cults," claiming that they were detrimental to societal peace and harmony. In practice, such denunciation did not inhibit the practice of the unaffiliated religious groups. In the northern provinces, especially in rural areas, societal hostility by Muslims against Christians and persons who practice traditional indigenous religious beliefs continued. When there have been natural disasters, or to commemorate national events, Christians and Muslims organized ecumenical ceremonies to pray and promote a spirit of tolerance and peace. Islam in Cameroon Muslims comprise roughly 24 % of the 21 million inhabitants in the African country of Cameroon. Approximately 27% identify themselves as Sunni and 3% Shia while the majority of the rest do not associate themselves with a particular group. The Fulani, a pastoral nomadic group, spread Islam in early 19th century West Africa largely, through commercial activity and Sufi brotherhoods (Qadiri and Tijani). In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani overwhelmingly is Muslim. Other ethnic groups, known collectively as the Kirdi, generally practice some form of Islam. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Province is also largely Muslim. Islam in German Cameroon 1884-2008 In the rush to claim African territories Germany first entered Cameroon in 1884 and established rule in northern Cameroon by 1902. Throughout the German colonial period, the Adamawa and Lake Chad regions were governed by combining heavy military presence with indirect rule. The local Muslim rulers, called Lamido in Adamawa and Sultan in the far north, remained in power, although their influence was much more limited than during the nineteenth century, owing their legitimacy to the Germans and not to the Emir in Yola, the Caliph in Sokoto or the Shehu in Kuka. Existing political and legal institutions, together with Muslim and native law and customs, were kept intact. Contrary to British rule in Northern Nigeria, German indirect rule did not involve immediate taxes or land reforms before 1913, when such reforms were proposed but, due to the war,it was never implemented. Roman Catholicism in Cameroon The Catholic Church in Cameroon is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are an estimated 4.25 million baptised Catholics in the Republic of Cameroon, 26% of the population, in 24 Dioceses. There are 1 350 priests and 2 600 men and women in religious orders. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda is the Metropolitan See of the Ecclesiastical province of Bamenda in Cameroon. It was by the Bull Tametsi Christianarum of 13 August 1970, that Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Bamenda with territory detached from the Diocese of Buea. On 18 March 1982 Pope John Paul II created, by the Bull Eo Magis Ecclesia Catholica, the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and erected the Diocese of Kumbo with territory detached from the Diocese of Bamenda. Bamenda was by the same bull made into the Metropolitan See of the Ecclesiastical Province with Buea and Kumbo as its Suffragans. History : - August 13 of 1970: Established as Diocese of Bamenda from the Diocese of Buéa - March 18 of 1982: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bamenda Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Bamenda. Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Bemenda (Roman rite) - Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua (since January 23 of 2006) - Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (March 18 of 1982 – January 23 of 2006) - Bishops of Bamenda (Roman rite) - Archbishop Paul Verdzekov (August 13 of 1970 – March 18 of 1982) Suffragan Diocese - Buea - Kumbo - Mamfe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bertoua : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bertoua is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Bertoua in Cameroon. History : - 1983/03/17: Established as Diocese of Bertoua from the Diocese of Doumé - 1994/11/11: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bertoua Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is Holy Family Cathedral in Bertoua. Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Bertoua(Latin Rite) : Joseph Atanga, S.J. since 2009/12/03 Roger Pirenne, C.I.C.M. 1999.06.03 – 2009/12/03 Lambertus Johannes van Heygen, C.S.Sp. 1994.11.11 – 1999/06/03 - Bishops of Bertoua (Latin Rite) : Lambertus Johannes van Heygen, C.S.Sp. 1983.03.17 – 1994/11/11 Suffragan Diocese - Batouri - Doumé–Abong’ Mbang - Yokadouma Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Douala is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Douala in Cameroon. The current archbishop is Archbishop Samuel Kleda, he had previously been the coadjutor archbishop to the Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi. History : - 1931/03/31: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Douala from the Apostolic Vicariate of Cameroun -1932/05/27: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Douala -1955/09/14: Promoted as Diocese of Douala - 1982/03/18: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Douala Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul in Douala Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Douala (Latin Rite) Archbishop Samuel Kleda since 2009/11/17 Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi 1991/08/31 – 2009/11/17 Archbishop Simon Tonyé 1982/03/18 – 1991/08/31 - Bishops of Douala (Roman rite) Archbishop Simon Tonyé 1973/08/29 – 1982/03/18 Bishop Thomas Mongo 1957/07/05 – 1973/08/29 - Vicars Apostolic of Douala (Latin Rite) Bishop Pierre Bonneau, C.S.Sp. 1946/12/12 – 1955/09/14 Bishop Mathurin-Marie Le Mailloux, C.S.Sp. 1932/05/27 – 1945/12/17 - Prefects Apostolic of Douala (Latin Rite) Bishop Mathurin-Marie Le Mailloux, C.S.Sp. 1931/05/05 – 1932/05/27 Suffragan Diocese - Bafoussam - Edéa - Eséka - Nkongsamba Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Garoua in Cameroon. History -1947/01/09: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Garoua from the Apostolic Vicariate of Foumban -1953/03/24: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Garoua -1955/09/14: Promoted as Diocese of Garoua - 1982/03/18: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Garoua Special churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Sainte Thérèse in Garoua Leadership : - Metropolitan Archbishops of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Antoine Ntalou since 1992/01/23 Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1982/03/18 – 1984/03/17 - Bishops of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1955/09/14 – 1982/03/18 - Vicars Apostolic of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1953/03/24 – 1955/09/14 - Prefects Apostolic of Garoua (Roman rite) Archbishop Yves-Joseph-Marie Plumey, O.M.I. 1947/03/25 – 1953/03/24 Suffragan Diocese : - Maroua-Mokolo - Ngaoundere - Yagoua Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé : The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé (Latin: Yaunden (sis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Yaoundé in Cameroon. History - March 18 of 1890: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Cameroun from the Apostolic Vicariate of Two Guineas in Gabon - January 2 of 1905: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Cameroun - April 3 of 1931: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Yaoundé - September 14 of 1955: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Yaoundé Special Churches : The seat of the archbishop is the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires (Our woman of victories) in Yaoundé. There is also a Minor Basilica at Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica in Yaoundé. Leadership - Metropolitan Archbishops of Yaoundé (Roman rite) Archbishop Simon-Victor Tonyé Bakot since 2003 Archbishop André Wouking 1998 – 2002 Archbishop Jean Zoa 1961 – 1998 Archbishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. 1955 – 1961 - Vicars Apostolic of Yaoundé (Roman rite) Archbishop René Graffin, C.S.Sp. 1943 – 1955 Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. 1931 – 1943 - Vicars Apostolic of Cameroun (Roman rite) Bishop François-Xavier Vogt, C.S.Sp. 1923 – 1931 Bishop Francis Hennemann, S.A.C. 1914 – 1922 Bishop Enrico Vieter, S.A.C. 1904 – 1914 Suffragan Diocese - Bafia - Ebolowa-Kribi - Mbalmayo - Obala - Sangmelima Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon The Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon was established when the country was separated into two colonies - British and French Cameroon. The first Bahá'í in Cameroon was Enoch Olinga, who had left his homeland of Uganda to bring the religion to British Cameroon in 1953. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman who had moved from Britain, arrived in French Cameroon April 1954 - both Olinga and Munsiff were honoured with the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. In 2003 Bahá'ís estimated there were 40 000 adherents of the religion in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated about 50800 Bahá'ís in 2005 Early history In 1953, Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith, planned an international teaching plan termed the Ten Year Crusade. This was during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa near the end of the period of the Colonisation of Africa. During the plan Ali Nakhjavani and his wife drove by car with two African pioneers from Uganda where the religion was growing very quickly to open new countries to the religion. The first pioneer in the region was Max Kinyerezi October 6 who settled in what was then French Equatorial Africa, and then Enoch Olinga to British Cameroon on October 15. In Limbe (then called Victoria), through the efforts of Olinga, Jacob Tabot Awo converted to the religion becoming the first Cameroonian Bahá'í. During the following year there were many converts to the religion, many of whom were from the Basel Mission system of Protestant Christians. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman, arrived in French Cameroon in April 1954 in Douala after helping to found the Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar. A letter from Olinga describes the advancement of the religion into 6 towns and translation work into the Duala language had begun of a pamphlet. As the number of Bahá'ís was growing rapidly, Shoghi Effendi asked if members of the religion could pioneer to neighboring areas where there were still no Bahá'ís. On April 21, 1954 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was formed and five young Cameroonians left during the Ridván period, each becoming a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh; the various protectorates they arrived in merged into the modern countries of Cameroon, Ghana, and Togo. It was emphasized that western pioneers be self-effacing and focus their efforts not on the colonial leadership but on the native Africans - and that the pioneers must show by actions the sincerity of their sense of service to the Africans in bringing the religion and then the Africans who understand their new religion are to be given freedom to rise up and spread the religion according to their own sensibilities and the pioneers to disperse or step into the background. Enoch Olinga is specifically mentioned as an example of this process unfolding as he arose out of Uganda and repeated the quick growth of the religion. Because of the successive waves of people becoming Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, Enoch Olinga was entitled "Abd'l-Futuh", a Persian name meaning "the father of victories" by Shoghi Effendi. In very early 1955, Valerie Wilson, an Auxiliary Board member for Africa stationed in Monrovia, Liberia, embarked on what was considered a bold trip for a woman alone by car to travel on a trip across some 2000 miles to visit the Bahá'í groups functioning in the Gold Coast, Togoland and the British Cameroons. In April 1955 British Cameroon had eight assemblies Growth In 1956 a regional Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was elected with Olinga as the chairman with its seat in Tunis, comprising areas from the Cameroons north to Tunisia and parts west including Islands like the Canary Islands. Early in 1957 the Bahá'ís in British Cameroon acquired a center and the population was noted at some 300 Bahá'is while the younger community of French Cameroon had between 10 and 20 Bahá'ís and there was a Bahá'í conference on the progress of the religion held in Mutengene, near Tiko. In 1958 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon sent another pioneer, Willie Enang, to Ghana while multiple communities held local conferences on the progress of the religion in their area. Bahá'ís sometimes walked through dense forests to people who had not heard of Jesus Christ. By 1960 the entire Bahá'í population across North West Africa was 3000 and 1800 were in British Cameroon. Limbe, (then called Victoria), British Cameroon, hosted the convention for the election of the regional national assembly for north west Africa in 1960 and there were 45 delegates, including local chiefs and women, as well as Enoch Olinga. Enoch Olinga could not attend the dedication of the Bahá'í House of Worship in his native Uganda because of political turmoil in Cameroon after independence. While over 1500 people and Bahá'ís from many places in Africa went, Olinga preferred to stay in Cameroon to help guide the Bahá'ís through times of unrest. And in 1963 the Cameroons were re-organized under the regional national assembly system to be with the West-Central African National Assembly. The second convention was held in Limbe - and that year its members were Stephen Tabe, Sampson Forchnk, Janet Mughrabi, Moses Akombi, Lillie Rosenberg, Oscar Njang, Jawad Mughrabi and Solomon Tanyi and Sherman Rosenberg. The convention of 1966 for the west central regional national assembly was held in Mamfe. Following the death of Shoghi Effendi, the elected Universal House of Justice was head of the religion and began to re-organized the Bahá'í communities of Africa by splitting off national communities to form their own National Assemblies from 1967 though the 1990s. In the presence of Hand of the Cause William Sears in 1967 the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon was elected for the first time thus splitting the country off from the regional National Assembly established in 1956 and had jurisdiction over neighboring areas of Spanish Guinea, Fernando Po, Cariseo and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands while the rest of the west central regional assembly continued over other countries. In 1967, the Bahá is of Cameroon initiated a proclamation project in Spanish territories of Fernando Poo and Rio Muni. In December 1971, Cameroon hosted the first regional African youth conference in Yaounde. Bus loads and cars of youth came from Chad and the Central African Republic, including youth visiting from the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Iran, Canada and the United States then in Chad and Cameroon for a period of service to the community came - during the conference two radio interviews were given. Book exhibits were held in 1974 in the University in Yaounde and a classroom in the Pan-African Institute of the Buea which also attracted radio coverage. In 1978 an international Bahá'í youth Conference was held in Cameroon with 380 attendees from some 19 countries. Though he had recently toured Cameroonian in 1975 in December 1979, a full account of the circumstances under which Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Cameroon, Hand of the Cause, Enoch Olinga had been murdered Sept. 16th 1977 in Uganda during political and social turmoil. Final answers may never be known why he and most of his family were murdered with confidence. A biography published in 1984 examined his impact in Cameroon and beyond. The first person in Cameroon to join the religion withstood beatings to persevere in his choice. The first woman to become a Bahá'í in Cameroon did so from his impact on her life though she had been an active Christian before - but she and her husband converted and were among the first to move to Togo and then Ghana. Another early Bahá'í, the first of the Bamilike tribe, moved to what was then French Cameroon to help there. Another early contact joined the religion later but his wife was the first Bahá'í of Nigeria. The researcher again found that there was an emphasis not on rooting out cultural traditions among the peoples but instead focusing on awareness of the religion and awareness of scientific knowledge should not relate to social class. There were accusations of political intrigue of which Olinga was acquitted. It was judged that Olinga was always sincere and never belittled. In 1982 the first Bahá'í under the assigned region to Cameroon of Fernando Po joined the religion. Joseph Sheppherd was a pioneer to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, circumstances woven into a book he later wrote which presents the Bahá'í Faith in a context of global change (see Bahá'í Faith in fiction) and delves into the dynamics of pioneering as a method to gain understanding of spiritual issues compared to social issues, to struggle with a cultural naivete, which was published in Bahá'í News in December 1988 International developments In 1967 local assemblies began to acquire or build local centers as one of many activities of the community some of which continued into 1968. Informational packets and interviews were granted to major print and radio news outlets and coverage of events continued. In October 1967 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon were included in efforts, and multiplied instances of, observances of United Nations Day across Cameroon including talks given by Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum. In November Rúhíyyih Khanum dedicated the first school in the Cameroon which was dedicated first to classes studying the religion, (the first classes were held in December 1968.) The convention of 1968 had 45 delegates and an observer from Fernando Po island. The NSA of the country wrote a document, Declaration of Loyalty to Government, possibly dated from 1968, which declared the loyalty of the institution to the government of the country. But in 1969 large regions of Cameroon were still sparely populated, while the first school in eastern, formerly French, Cameroon had its first meeting in spring 1969. In 1977 a mobile school was established run from a van which toured for several months in 1977 visiting villages and farms. In 1978 three regional conferences were held. A conference on the progress of the religion at which it was announced there was an estimated 166 assemblies, 27 of which and established permanent centers, and beyond that some 832 towns and places Bahá'ís lived in Cameroon. A women's regional conference gathered 30 women at the national center and eighty Bahá'í gathered for a regional conference Mankon to discuss the progress of the religion. Meanwhile two individuals toured Cameroon in January; Hand of the Cause Rahmatu'llah Muhajir and Frenchman Armir Farhang-Imani each of whom who spoke to Bahá'í and public audiences. Rahmatu'llah Muhajir again visited Cameroon as part of a broader trip through West Africa summer 1979. Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone visited Cameroon in February 1979. In 1980 simultaneous regional Bahá'í schools were held in March in English and French with about 25 people attending each. A follow-up school was held in September at the end of which there was a wedding. In 1980, 100 people including several national assembly members attended a national youth conference Yaounde. In 1982, a Bahá'í reached a remote region with pygmies and in three months was able convince 24 people to join the religion and another pioneer was moving to help him. A pair of academic researchers toured West Africa from Switzerland speaking to the public and Bahá'ís in 1985. They offered public talks "Women and Development" "How can woman assume her role in society?" and "Women and the Future of Mankind." and talks to Bahá'ís on "Excellence in All Things" and "Happiness in Marriage" Tour of Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum From January to March 1970 Rúhíyyih Khanum crossed Africa from east to west visiting many country's communities including Cameroon, meeting with individuals and institutions both Bahá'í and civic. In October 1971 Rúhíyyih Khanum returned from Western Africa. She stopped for a time in Mamfe and spoke to the Bahá'ís there and emphasized the role of women in the growth of the religion. From Mamfe she traveled more widely seeing villages and regional chiefs, attending weddings and giving talks at schools. In many places she took note of women in prominent positions in the community and sometimes spoke to about the Bahá'í law of monogamy to contrast with the traditional cultural practice of polygamy and other traditional forms. A prominent meeting was of the regional conference calling for the progress of the religion in the region. She took part in the program of observances of United Nations Day sharing the stage with members of the staff of the Secretary-General of the UN as well as the staff of the Prime Minister of Cameroon. Reaching Buea she met with the Prime Minister and mentioned her wide travels in relative safety with kind assistance of villagers and truck drivers. From there she continued her travels through Douala and Yaounde and in each case also neighboring villages while also making time for radio interviews and at the University of Cameroon before moving on to Zaire International Year of the Child Cameroon was one of the countries Bahá'í organized a series of events in honor of the International Year of the Child, 1979. Among the effort were articles in newspapers, tutorial schools in three cities, a women's conference in Liberia at which Cameroonians attended and radio interviews about the schools. There were women and children's committees operating at a national level to sustain the teachers of the schools. A Bahá'í consultant traveled Western Africa including Cameroon assisting communities in their efforts who was joined by volunteer from Canada who also traveled western Africa including Cameroon. And a Cameroonian woman, a headmistress of a nursery school volunteered to travel Cameroon encouraging projects and schools in the country Commemorating pioneers Among those elected to the NSA was Ursula Samandari, who was elected to the institution in the years of 1972-74 and 1975–80, after being elected to the same institution in North East Africa and the British Isles. She had learned of the Bahá'í Faith from Richard St. Barbe Baker and Hasan M. Balyuzi in 1936. Among the comments at her 2003 funeral were these from the paramount chief of Buea, HRH Samuel L. Endeley: "My dear Sister, You lived with us like one of us, you served faithfully and lovingly to win souls into God's redeeming grace. You loved us and our country, Cameroon, and you have demonstrated this in dying here like the good soldier of God you have lived to be. You died with your boots on. We thank God for all you were to us. May your soul rest with the good God, our creator, in perfect peace." Another member of the NSA who died unexpectedly was Karen Bare who had come from Hawaii in 1969. She was known for offering hospitality and also walking to villages for classes she taught and was elected as Secretary to the NSA for a time. She died in a car accident in 1974 while visiting family in the United States Modern Community By 2001 the National Spiritual Assembly was registered with the Government of Cameroon as one of the few non-Christian religions. Also in 2003 a project had begun to move the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly from Limbe, in the west, to the central capital, Yaoundé, together with the responsibility to acquire a new National Bahá'í Centres for which the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom has been asked to help Jubiliee Over 600 Bahá’and their friends gathered at the Palais des congrès in Yaoundé to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the Bahá'í community in Cameroon. Mr. and Mrs. Nakhjavani and other guests of honour, went to Limbe to visit the Bahá'í s of the southwest province, and Buea where they were received by the paramount chief, and travelled to Douala. Demographics In 2003 the Bahá'í community claimed 40,000 adherents and 58 Local Spiritual Assemblies, (there is another estimate from 2007-8 of more than 130 000 Bahá'is in Cameroon and another of members of the religion in 1744 localities in Cameroon.) However the Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were some 50799 Bahá'ís in 2005 Multiplying interests Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Cameroonian community also became involved in a number of initiatives. In 1985 Bahá'ís established a tutorial school among the pygmies and the building infrastructure was to be expanded by the government now that a site had been developed. In 1990 the Cameroonian community held a nation-wide campaign on the growth of the religion named in honor of Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga with teams named after other Hands of the Cause Involvement in advocacy for women The Cameroonian Bahá'í community has initiated and cooperated with a number of projects attempting to equalize the position of women, a primary principle of the religion. In 1985 a National Women's Committee of the Baha'is of Cameroon produced a statement "Equal Rights for Women and Men". The rate at which women participated in December school of 1986 increased. The Bahá'ís of Cameroon cooperated with an initiative of the Bahá'í International Community in cooperation with UNIFEM on a project to effect a change in the social status of women in village communities in eastern Cameroon and other countries. The changes in the community focused on the role of women but aimed strongly at educating the men. According to Tiati Zock, the national coordinator of the project in Cameroon, a survey done in early 1992 among some 45 families in each of the seven villages reported that the men made virtually all of the financial decisions alone. A follow-up survey, taken in 1993, indicated more than 80 percent of the families now make such decisions in consultation between husband and wife. The number of girls being sent to one village school had increased by 82 percent by 1993 Academic and civic forums The Bahá'í community of Cameroon has been involved in forums for wrestling with social issues in Cameroon in both academic and civic forums. In 1987 Cameroonian university students gathered in a conference from multiple tribes along with international students to facilitate an exchange of ideas on issues they all faced in society. This theme evolved in Yaoundé into the theme "African Youth Facing the Challenges of Modern Society" in 1988 and "The Role of Youth in a World in Search of Peace" in 1989. Annual youth conferences in the northwest evolved and continued through 1990 and echoed many of these themes while also making efforts on other themes. In 2002 the second Cameroon Bahá'í Academy took place at the Regional Bahá'í Centre at Yaoundé with 28 scholars from Buea, Douala, Dschang, Soa, and Yaoundé. The key research paper, "Cameroonian Tribal and Family Meetings and the Bahá'í Teachings," was presented by Chongwain Nkuo, a teacher at the Post and Telecommunication School. It was published in the December 2002 volume of the Cameroon Bahá'í Studies journal. After his presentation, there was an evaluation of his work by the members of a jury including David Nkwenti, Head of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Yaoundé. Nkwenti indicated he was going to expand academic interests in studying Bahá'í teachings and anthropological issues. Also in 2002, for United Nations Day on October 24, members of the Buea religious community gathered for an interfaith panel discussion led by the Secretary General of the South West Province; the group included members or spokesmen of the Bahá'í Faith, the Muslim Imam, a representative of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese, and a representative of the Hindu community. A January 20 of 2007 service in Buea at the Bahá'í Centre of Learning commemorated World Religion Day among a similar breadth of representation Jews in Cameroon Rabbi Yisrael Oriel, formerly Bodol Ngimbus-Ngimbus, was born into the Bassa tribe. He is one who says there were historically Jews in the area. The word Bassa, he said, is from the Hebrew for 'on a journey' and means blessing. Rabbi Oriel claims to be a Levite descended from Moses. Reportedly, Rabbi Oriel made aliya in 1988 and was ordained as a rabbi by the Sephardic Chief Rabbi and appointed rabbi to Nigerian Jews. Rabbi Oriel claims that in 1920 there were 400 000 'Israelites' in Cameroon, but by 1962 the number had decreased to 167 000 due to conversions to Christianity and Islam. He said these tribes had not been accepted halachically. But he believes that he can prove their Jewish status from medieval rabbinic sources. The father of Yaphet Kotto, an American actor, was a Cameroon Jew. Kotto identifies as Jewish. Bankon (Abaw, Abo, Bo, Bon) is a tribe related to Bassa and Rombi groups, located in the north of Douala city, Abo subdivision, Bonalea commune, in the Littoral region of Cameroon. The word Ban-Kon means "son of prince" in Assyrian, an Aramaic dialect. In her works The Negro-African Languages, the French scholar Lilias Homburger concluded that Bankon language is Kum. The word Kum means "arise" or "get up!" in Hebrew; the Assyrians called the House of Israel by the name of Kumri Yaounde and Douala Cathedrals
2279	dbpedia	0	95	https://www.olfpb.org/blog/the-beginning-of-catholicism-in-bambili-b8471	en	THE BEGINNING OF CATHOLICISM IN BAMBILI	https://www.olfpb.org/content/library/images/	https://www.olfpb.org/content/library/images/	[ "https://www.olfpb.org/content/library/images/logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	https://www.olfpb.org/favicon.png	Our Lady of Fatima Parish Bambili	https://www.olfpb.org/blog/the-beginning-of-catholicism-in-bambili-b8471	Although it is recorded that Our Lady of Fatima Parish Bambili was created in 1997, this is not in any way to say that Christianity in Bambili began barely 25yrs ago. The history of Catholicism in Bambili goes far beyond this period. In fact, it can be traced well back to the twentieth century. The Sacred Heart missionaries led by Rev. Fr. Joseph Lenartz had opened the first mission at Shisong Kumbo on new year's day 1913. This was actually the very first Catholic mission established in the then administrative Bamenda Division, now the North West Region of Cameroon. On trade expeditions through Kumbo, a group of Bambili indigenous traders came into contact with Father Lennartz and his few Christians in the Shisong mission. They took interest in worshipping with them and around the nineteen twenties, they were making efforts to implant the faith back in their native Bambili village. They worshipped from house to house and their sessions consisted principally of the recitation of prayers learned in Shisong. Worship by these early Christians in Bambili as elsewhere in the grass field was not a smooth ride. They met with fierce hostility from traditional authorities and other pagan individuals at the time. When they tried to set up a worship structure at "Atomietoo"(the present site of the Presbyterian Church) near the Bambili palace, for example, they were chased away by "kwi ifuo" and even threatened with banishment from the village if they continued practicing this their new religion publicly. Committed to the faith and steadfast, they stood their ground and finally set up a small worship house at Mishi at Achi(the present St Francis of Assisi Quasi parish cemetery). Constructed with local materials, worship continued in the structure and Christianity kept growing in Bambili through the efforts of these early Christians who included: Andreas Tangie, Joseph Ma abo, Michael Foleng, Nazarius Amungwa, Paul Abety, Peter Ndikum, Simon Nsha’ah, Augustine Awemo, Akwo Ngwashi, Bartholomew Fombung, Benedict Ndikum, Francisco Ashungwe, John Ntewah, and John Moungang. This group, together with their wives were baptized in Shisong around 1924 and they got married at the same time. They were later joined by the second generation of younger men like Donatus Ndofor, Nicholas Asanga, Marcus Mushongong, Mathias Njele, Thomas Amungwa, Cletus Chungong, and their wives. The Coming of Bambui Mission Station As the early Christians mentioned above alongside others continued to keep the flame of Christianity burning, a bolster came around 1935 when a parish was created in Mankon and Bambui became one of its mission stations. Later in 1950, Bambui was upgraded to a full parish with Bambili as one is its mission stations. With this development, there was a need for a more befitting worship house. Consequently, a permanent church was constructed at Ntsewhi in 1954 (the present St. Francis Quasi parish Multi-purpose hall) and the Christians moved from the small Mishi church house to the new church. It is worthy of note that by the time of moving to this new church, hostility against Christians was gradually abating and the Christian population (mostly indigenous)was increasing. The Coming of Educational Institutions and Christian Growth In The Parish. The early and mid-nineteen sixties saw the creation of several educational and professional institutions such as CCAST, E.N.S, R.C.A, CENEEMA, IRZ/IRA, etc in Bambili and environs. There was consequently an upsurge in the population of the village with most of the incoming people settling in the Nibie area and other neighboring quarters where most of the institutions are located. There was therefore the need to find a place of worship close to the incoming student and worker population to save them from the difficulty of having to cover long distances to the Ntsewhi church. Temporary worship places were sought in the buildings of CCAST and E.N.S where Masses took place on Sundays and feast days. As the population continued to grow, the Catholic Church authorities requested and obtained land from the Fon of Bambili and used part to start a second primary school. This was done in 1964 to add to that which had earlier been constructed in Ntsewih in 1952. This newly built primary school was however taken by the state in 1971. The advent of the Social Center Worship House. With the ever-growing population, there was the need to find a more permanent and spacious place of worship. With the availability of part of the land that had been acquired from the Fon, Rev. Fr. Bouma, the then parish priest of the mother Bambui parish decided to build a multipurpose structure to serve both the purposes of celebration of the Eucharist and the holding of other social events. This was done in 1974 and the said building served the intended purpose with its activities taken care of by the Ntsewhi catechist supervised by the Bambui mother parish. With the passing years, more and more Christians came to worship in the spacious social center hall on Sundays. This necessitated the appointment of Mr. Raymond Niba as pioneer catechist in 1977 to take charge of the catechetical responsibilities of the worship center. He worked here with commitment until his retirement and passed on to eternity this silver jubilee year 2022. Christians who worshipped here requested in due course and got the social center upgraded to a Eucharistic center by the Archbishop of Bamenda. This was on November 24th, 1986 and the act actually meant the creation of a new mission station in Bambili placed under the patronage of St Ignatius of Loyola. These were already unmistakable indicators of a parish in gestation. OUR LADY OF FATIMA PARISH TAKES OFF. We mentioned from the very beginning that Sunday 3rd August 1977 was a memorable day in the history of Our Lady of Fatima parish Bambili because it is on that day that His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov(RIP) created the parish. The infant parish took off with two missions being at Momnibie and Ntsewih. Although the Momnibie mission was a much younger mission than the several years old Ntsewih mission it was accorded the status of the main parish church perhaps for reasons other than age. It got named after Our Lady of Fatima. The Setting Up of Parish Structures With the creation of Our Lady Of Fatima Parish, there was an immediate need to start work on erecting the parish structure. This meant that land had to be acquired for this purpose. For this reason, a delegation met the Fon of Bambili who readily offered a piece of land between the E.N.S buildings, the R.C.A, and the Agric road. Work was immediately planned and launched on this piece of land and on it today stands the parish church, the presbytery, and a multipurpose hall under construction: efforts of providing adequate infrastructure for Our Lady of Fatima Parish since its creation 25years ago have succeeded and continue to succeed thanks to the successive parish leadership by the Marist community and the generosity of parishioners, the MarisFathers, and the other benefactors. Ordination of First Priest In Our Lady Of Fatima Parish Bambili One of the most historic events that took place in the parish a few years after the erection of the parish church was the priestly ordination of Father Constant Amoussouga, sm alongside three deacons in 2003. It is worth recalling that the first priest of Bambili origin, Rev Fr. Foleng Peter had been ordained in the far-off Kumbo diocese in 1993 and many Christians didn't have the opportunity to witness an ordination due to travel difficulties. One had come to their doorstep. On that memorable day of 5th July 2003, the newly constructed parish church received His Grace Archbishop Paul Verdzekov who presided over the solemn ordination. It was such a beautiful and heavily attended ceremony that brought together not only clergymen and religious from far and near, but also civil authorities, traditional dignitaries, and family members of Father Constant from Benin. The parish is yet to witness another ordination after that of Reverend Father Constant who by divine working was called upon shortly after his ordination to serve as Parish Priest of the same Our Lady of Fatima Parish. His appointment came in replacement of Father Anaua Finau who took ill and left the Parish. The three-year term of office as Parish Priest gave the young energetic priest in a young parish with a predominantly youthful student population the opportunity to fast-track the spiritual and material growth of the parish. The Creation of Ntembang And Ntahmoukong Missions. Apart from the two missions of Momnibie and Ntsewih that were already in existence upon the creation of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in 1997, the newly created Parish soon saw the birth of two additional mission stations in Ntembang and Ntahmoukong. These two missions before now had barely existed as prayer centers occasionally visited by the clergy. Ntembang and Ntahmoukong mission stations continued to witness a growth in population and pastoral activities as permanent churches were eventually constructed there before the birth of St Francis of Assisi Quasi Parish in Ntsewih in 2018 to which they now belong. OUR LADY oF FATIMA PARISH BEARS FRUIT. It is written in Genesis 1:26 that: "...be fruitful and multiply". Our Lady Of Fatima fulfilled this biblical mission in 2018 when it gave birth to St Francis of Assisi Quasi Parish Ntsewih. That a quasi Parish was carved out of Our Lady Of Fatima Parish before it even got to 25yrs is clear proof that maturity and achievements don't depend only on age but also on the ability to create an impact on society. The rapid growth of Our Lady Of Fatima Parish and the subsequent carving out of the Ntsewih Parish from it can be attributed to the remarkable growth in population since the creation of the University of Bamenda. The church hierarchy of the Bamenda Archdiocese must have seen the need to split the Parish in order to make for easier administration and evangelization of the huge student population living around the university campus and environs. Who knows if more parishes will not be carved out of Our lady of Fatima parish in due course as the Christian population seems to be growing very rapidly. EVANGELIZATION AND GROWTH OF SPIRITUALITY IN OUR LADY OF FATIMA PARISH. The strength of a parish is measured not only by its material and infrastructural assets. Its spiritual viability is all-important and even primordial. The growth of Our Lady of Fatima Parish twenty-five years after the creation has therefore not only been significant physically and materially but also spiritually. The spiritual health of the parish since creation can be explained by her strict implementation of the pastoral plan of the Bamenda ecclesiastical province incidentally adopted just around when the parish came into being. Aspects of the pastoral plan such as the promotion of personal evangelization, family prayers, and SCC activities such as gospel sharing are fully practiced in the parish. All these have gone a long way to gradually establish the new church which is actually the family of God and an awakening church. Even the recently introduced concept of synodality is gaining ground in the parish and Christians are becoming more and more aware of the spiritual fruits of working together for the church doctrine, reconciliation, forgiveness, faith, love, justice, and peace to become reality in the parish. PRAYER AND ACTION GROUPS AS CATALYSTS OF SPIRITUALITY IN THE PARISH. In addition to other organs to promote the spiritual growth of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bambili, there is the existence of prayer and action groups. Some of those groups include The Catholic Men Association (C.M.A), the Catholic women association (C.W.A), cadets of Mary, St Jude society, Blue army, Catholic charismatic renewal, Sacred heart of Jesus and his immaculate heart of Mary(ASHJIM), Bona more society, association of parish choir, Parish Youth Council precious blood, divine mercy, etc. These movements are engaged in different prayer, spiritual, social, and even economic income-generating activities which all go to enhance the concept of living together in a synodal atmosphere. Their activities include weekly meetings, prayer sessions, corporal works of mercy such as visits to the sick, and setting up small income-generating projects such as poultry farming, beekeeping, etc. Owing to their activities, these groups are considered to be a vital aspect of Our Lady of Fatima Parish and the parish hierarchy has never spared any effort in encouraging their activities.
2279	dbpedia	2	34	https://archdiocesebamenda.org/apostolic-workers-and-their-collaborators/	en	APOSTOLIC WORKERS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS – ARCHDIOCESE OF BAMENDA	https://archdiocesebamen…-arms-32x32.jpeg	https://archdiocesebamen…-arms-32x32.jpeg	[ "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/coat-of-arms.jpeg", "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/coat-of-arms.jpeg", "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DIRECTOR-AND-TRAINEES.jpeg", "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-logo.png", "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/plugins/translatepress-multilingual/assets/images/flags/en_US.png", "https://archdiocesebamenda.org/wp-content/plugins/translatepress-multilingual/assets/images/flags/en_US.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null		en	https://archdiocesebamen…-arms-32x32.jpeg		https://archdiocesebamenda.org/apostolic-workers-and-their-collaborators/	APOSTOLIC WORKERS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS CLERGY Diocesan Clergy There are 136 Diocesan Priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Bamenda working along with the Religious and Diocesan Priests from other Dioceses. Since 2014, 68 priests have been ordained for the Archdiocese of Bamenda. We render immense thanks to God for the increase in the number of vocations to the Priesthood. At the same time, we still acknowledge that, in spite of the increase, some parishes still have just a single priest to minister to them which means that there is still more need for priests. As of now, 8 Diocesan Priests from the Archdiocese of Bamenda are studying out of the country, 6 are Fidei Donum Missionaries in the Diocese of Portsmouth in England, 1 in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, and 1 is in the Archdiocese of Firenze in Italy, with which we have a partnership. Six (6) Diocesan priests were called to rest by the Lord during this quinquennium. The Diocesan Priests can be grouped according to the following age groups: 80 years and above: 1 70 – 80 years old: 10 60 – 70 years old: 30 50 – 60 years old: 30 40 – 50 years old: 38 30 – 40 years old: 17 25 – 30 years old: 10 NAME BIRTH ORDINATION 01. Msgr. Clemens NDZE 06/07/1931 18/12/1960 02. Msgr. Engelbert KOFON 02/01/1942 16/12/1966 03. Msgr. Lucas SANOSI 19/08/1944 31/10/1971 04. Fr. John Musi 26/04/1945 28/04/1977 05. Fr. Michael YUH 19/03/1948 28/04/1977 06. Fr. John Bosco AMBE 24/11/1949 28/04/1977 07. Fr. William NEBA 15/12/1951 28/04/1977 08. Fr. Anthony VIBAN 17/01/1950 19/04/1979 09. Fr. John BINTUM 18/11/1950 19/04/1979 10. Fr. Joseph AKEM 28/12/1950 19/04/1979 11. Fr. William TARDZE WIRNGO 10/07/1952 19/041979 12. Fr. Michael KINTANG 11/11/1950 22/04/1981 13. Fr. Henry DINAYEN WIRBA 10/11/1953 14/04/1982 14. Fr. Clement PISHANGHU 23/11/1956 06/04/1983 15. Fr. Chrysanthus TIM 05/05/1947 25/04/1984 16. Fr. Cletus TITA 13/02/1952 25/04/1984 17. Fr. Humphrey TATAH MBUY 04/06/1957 11/08/1985 18. Fr. Anthony NGEH 13/02/1954 02/04/1986 19. Fr. Ignatius WAINDIM 20/07/1961 06/04/1988 20. Fr. Michael Suh Niba 24/01/1962 06/04/1988 21. Fr. Martin FORGWE 26/07/1960 03/04/1991 22. Fr. Joseph TANGKA 24/11/1960 22/04/1992 23. Fr. Joseph ATEH 25/01/1962 22/04/1992 24. Fr. Bernadine NSOM 14/06/1962 22/04/1992 25. Fr. Isaiah Benedict FRU 27/04/1963 22/04/1992 26. Fr. George Ngalim 10/01/1963 22/04/1992 27. Fr. George NGWA 12/03/1962 19/03/1994 28. Fr. Paschal NSAH 28/03/1964 19/04/1995 29. Fr. Victor FORGHO 06/10/1965 19/04/1996 30. Fr. Ernest TIMCHIA 04/09/1966 19/04/1996 31. Fr. Charles NGUOBI 32. Fr. Jude TAH FONCHAM 02/08/1962 19/12/1955 12/06/1996 12/01/1996 33. Fr. Joseph NCHITU 18/03/1967 02/04/1997 34. Fr. Oliver GAM 11/10/1961 02/04/1997 35. Fr. Augustine NKWAIN 21/06/1968 02/04/1997 36. Fr. Antoninus TANTAN 10/05/1968 15/04/1998 37. Fr. Gregory CHEO NGWA 10/03/1967 15/04/1998 38. Fr. Bonaventure NDONG 12/12/1967 15/04/1998 39. Fr. Paul ACHA 01/06/1962 02/04/1999 40. Fr. Anthony Ful BANGSI 23/02/1967 07/04/1999 41. Fr. Michael Miabesue BIBI 28/07/1971 26/04/2000 42. Fr. Cletus Ashu AMAH 07/06/1973 23/042003 43. Fr. Collins OTIA 28/06/1975 14/04/2004 44. Fr. John BERINYUY 18/12/1975 30/03/2005 45. Fr. Thomas AMUNGWA 13/10/1973 30/03/2005 46. Fr. Cyprian DIANG 18/03/1973 19/04/2006 47. Fr. Michael MUA 21/01/1975 19/04/2006 48. Fr. Terence CHI 15/06/1975 19/04/2006 49. Fr. Derek Che CHOH 01/01/1975 11/04/2007 50. Fr. Raphael ALETUM 01/10/1979 11/04/2007 51. Fr. Emmanuel SENINKA 21/05/1982 09/04/2010 52. Fr. Leonard AKIUMBENI 15/02/1983 27/04/2011 53. Fr. Paul Remjika NYUKIGHAN 26/06/1983 27/04/2011 54. Fr. Kenneth NGWOBELA 12/07/1984 11/04/2012 55. Fr. Paul Fru NJOKIKANG 26/05/1983 11/04/2012 56. Fr. Valentine NDONG Z. 15/02/1981 11/04/2012 57. Fr. Ignatius BERILIY 17/03/1982 11/04/2012 58. Fr. Emmanuel Ngu 19/04/1983 03/04/2013 59. Fr. Valentine KIKPU TATAH 01/07/1973 03/04/2013 60. Fr. Elijah FRU NDE 16/09/1980 03/04/2013 61. Fr. Francis Tche Nde M. 05/10/1983 03/04/2013 62. Fr. Frankline N. Kamgeh 30/11/1984 03/04/2013 63. Fr. Ernest Njodzeven 27/08/1976 03/04/2013 64. Fr. Stanley Njobarah 08/07/1983 03/04/2013 65. Fr. Boris Lemfon 08/04/1985 03/04/2013 66. Fr. Emmanuel Ngu 19/04/1983 03/04/2013 67. Fr. John Paul II Ngwa Ambe 22/08/1985 29/05/2014 68. Fr. Patrick Mbih Atang 17/03/1983 29/05/2014 69. Fr. Richard Chin 09/11/1977 29/05/2014 70. Fr. Alban Fonlon Berinyuy 12/06/1986 29/05/2014 71. Fr. Benedick Ndikum 16/02/1982 29/05/2014 72. Fr. Emmanuel Rinda Bamuh 20/12/1980 29/05/2014 73. Fr. Francis Ngong Wam 01/10/1981 29/05/2014 74. Fr. Gatien Ngah 16/11/1984 29/05/2014 75. Fr. Pascal Ambe Fuh 21/04/1985 29/05/2014 76. Fr. Leo Ndanjong Asanga 04/03/1987 08/04/2015 77. Fr. Gilbert Fuka Akoni 14/05/1983 08/04/2015 78. Fr. Lesley Fonye Keman 04/11/1987 08/04/2015 79. Fr. Wilfred Buma Forte 08/03/1984 08/04/2015 80. Fr. Parfait Cheo Zoa 18/04/1988 08/04/2015 81. Fr. Mathurin Armand Samo 17/08/1979 08/04/2015 82. Fr. Gabriel Afumbom Tokoh 09/01/1984 30/03/2016 83. Fr. Patrice Tapie 05/09/1986 30/03/2016 84. Fr. Godlove Ngenge 01/08/1985 30/03/2016 85. Fr. Divine Chi Fru 05/05/1977 30/03/2016 86. Fr. Romaric Njuakom 03/01/1986 30/03/2016 87. Fr. Andre Demanou 09/05/1986 30/03/2016 88. Fr. Gaston Afah Forbah 27/09/1987 30/03/2016 89. Fr. Anthony Chiatii Njingo 30/08/1987 30/03/2016 90. Fr. Bertrand Mangoua 29/04/1987 30/03/2016 91. Fr. Emmanuel Meyanui 24/12/1979 30/03/2016 92. Fr. John Vianney Mbangsi 31/05/1987 30/03/2016 93. Fr. Roland Kang Ategha 09/12/1984 19/04/2017 94. Fr. Killian Ndonui 23/11/1986 19/04/2017 95. Fr. Marius Momukweh 05/04/1985 19/04/2017 96. Fr. Harris Wadinga 03/07/1988 19/04/2017 97. Fr. Kizito Gopte Gopte 14/06/1986 19/04/2017 98. Fr. Marcellus Mbuh 10/07/1985 19/04/2017 99. Fr. Richard Fuh Suh 04/12/1979 19/04/2017 100. Fr. Lionel Kiven 10/02/1992 24/04/2019 101. Fr. Michael Sollivan Ngwa 20/09/1984 24/04/2019 102. Fr. Ferdinand Nsah 30/05/1988 24/04/2019 103. Fr. Beltus Asanji 22/09/1984 24/04/2019 104. Fr. Denis Tem Meh 01/10/1983 24/04/2019 105. Fr. Wilson Formuluh 04/05/1987 24/04/2019 106. Fr. Divine Reemla 12/11/1985 24/04/2019 107. Fr. Hyacinth Kam 25/05/1987 24/04/2019 108. Fr. Niba Angu Ngenyui 12/02/1993 04/07/2020 109. Fr. Vitalis Ake Njang 03/07/1989 04/07/2020 110. Fr. Pancras Ngeh Ngwang 22/03/1987 04/07/2020 111. Fr. Ambrose Saam 07/04/1989 04/07/2020 112. Fr. Colins Berinyuy 17/10/1981 04/07/2020 113. Fr. Aloysius Chukwuka A. 10/07/1973 24/04/2019 114. Fr. Linus Mbikatu Nkwale 17/05/1988 04/07/2020 115. Fr. John Siewe 20/10/1992 04/07/2020 116. Fr. Joseph Awemo 30/10/1986 04/07/2020 117. Fr. Joseph Ngeh 15/08/1985 04/07/2020 118. Fr. Arnauld Kenne Tsayem 06/03/1991 04/07/2020 119. Fr. Paul Che Nkwain 25/08/1988 04/07/2020 120. Fr. Bertrand Zoum Chimewa 15/09/1987 04/07/2020 121. Fr. Remigius Elvis Ngangte 01/10/1987 04/07/2020 122. Aldon Kenne Manfo 03/09/1993 07/04/2021 123. Alexis Akeambom Abeh 07/011994 07/04/2021 124. Dickson Esah 02/11/1988 07/04/2021 125. Eugene Kum Chu 08/05/1989 07/04/2021 126. EUGENE Wokiashi Powoh 08/09/1988 07/04/2021 127. Ivo Suh Ngwa 31/01/1991 07/04/2021 128. John Paul Limnyuy 15/03/1983 07/04/2021 129. Maxellus Keye 29/09/1990 07/04/2021 130. Valery Bemsii Nyah 18/03/1991 07/04/2021 131. Alphonsius Tangko 29/04/1989 07/04/2021 132. Emmanuel Sevidzem 01/11/1987 07/04/2021 133. Lambert Eseme Etim 14/11/1990 07/04/2021 134. Stephen Ewane Nchadze 26/12/1989 07/04/2021 Diocesan Priests out of the Country Rev. Fr. Paul REMJIKA Italy Rev. Fr. Francis NGONG WAM Italy Rev. Fr. Antoninus TANTAN Italy Rev. Fr. Cyprian DIANG TOH Italy Rev. Fr. Kenneth NGWOBELA Italy Rev. Fr. Gatien NGAH Italy Rev. Fr. Frankline KAMGEH Italy Rev. Fr. Anthony CHIATII NJINGO England Rev. Fr. Gaston AFAH England Rev. Fr. Elijah FRU NDE England Rev. Fr. Emmanuel RINDA BAMUH England Rev. Fr. George NGWA England Rev. Fr. Bernardine NSOM England Rev. Fr. Gregory NGWA CHEO U.S.A Rev. Fr Godlove NGENGE South Africa Deceased Diocesan Clergy NAME: DIED Fr. Paul VERDZEKOV 26/01/2010 Fr. Donatus BASEBANG 02/12/1987 Fr. Peter CHU 31/01/1994 Fr. Ivo NDICHIA 02/01/1999 Fr. Peter AMAH 30/11/1999 Fr. Henry MESUE 09/02/2003 Fr. Timothy SOH 20/01/2006 Fr. Valentine NGORAN 31/01/2008 Fr. Emmanuel LUKONG 13/01/2009 Fr. Peter MUKONG 13/12/2010 Msgr. James NSOKIKA 10/08/2013 Fr. Christian MOFOR 11/06/2015 Fr. Evaristus YUFANYI 24/08/2015 Fr. Arnold AMBE 16/09/2016 Msgr Joseph AYEAH 30/08/2019 Fr. Cosmas NDANG NGONG 00/00/2019 Fr. Joseph NGAH 02/02/2021 Fr. Patrick LAFON 04/03/2021 Diocesan Priests from Other Dioceses Clergy of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life In the Archdiocese of Bamenda, there are 35 Priests spread in 16 different communities of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. NAME BIRTH ORDINATION 01. Fr. Henri Peeters 09/02/1940 12/07/1964 02. Fr. Arnold Verhoeven 31/11/1943 28/06/1969 03. Fr. Monday Noah 09/11/1981 10/05/2014 04. Fr. Chrysantus Mbiemieh Manu 30/03/1986 24/02/2017 05. Fr. Ndichia Anthony Ndang 11/07/1982 04/02/2012 06. Fr. Ohanga Benedict Oduor 07/08/1983 16/05/2015 07. Fr. Shudzeka Elvis Berka 04/07/1973 29/07/2006 08. Fr. Tatah Johnson Leinteng 09/08/1984 13/02/2015 09. Fr. Ephraim Ugodu 27/07/1978 16/08/2013 10. Fr. Joseph Menjo Tangka 02/06/1942 08/12/1977 11. Fr. Stephen Wara 12/04/1958 12/01/1996 12. Fr. Ewang Ndille Michael 20/04/1947 31/05/1997 13. Fr. Charles Raymond A. 17/04/1950 11/05/2001 14. Fr. Rory O’BRIEN 29/10/1929 10/04/1955 15. Fr. Brian BYRNE 12/09/1944 11/04/1971 16. Fr. Angel VALENZUELA S. 19/11/1943 23/09/1967 17. Fr. Aloysius Ngongbi Kongnyuy 30/04/1984 19/07/2013 18. Fr. Wirkom Donatus Moshuimo 01/02/1971 12/04/2007 19. Fr. Pascal Fomonyuy Tatah 28/03/1976 12/04/2007 20. Fr. Siver Kibuh 15/04/1977 22/06/2013 21. Fr. Cornelius Bamenjo Wirsiy 02/04/1984 09/04/2015 22. Fr. Jude Berinyuy Lukong 05/09/1979 13/05/2013 23. Fr. Martin Dikwa 28/04/1980 14/04/2012 24. Fr. Gioacchino Catanzaro 01/01/1946 27/05/1973 25. Fr. Emil Nyuyki Fon 20/03/1988 04/07/2020 26. Fr. Kenneth Kinyuy 11/05/1978 1604/2009 27. Fr. Amos Bongdin 23/11/1985 09/04/2015 28. Fr. Valentine SAHNYUY 27/01/1979 24/06/1920 29. Fr. Kenneth Njong Akua 09/01/1988 01/19/2019 30. Fr. Didier Hadonou 23/05/1968 09/05/2004 31. Fr. Emile Kouma 22/05/1970 17/02/2007 32. Fr. James Nguemo KENFACK 09/11/1980 25/01/2020 33. Fr. Serge MPANGA KWANDA 07/07/1979 24/04/2019 34. Fr. Erwin HINDANG 15/10/1966 20/06/2006 35. Fr. Placid MUNTONG GWEH 14/03/1988 28/04/2019 36. Fr. Dieudonné Ngenso BOMYE 05/02/1980 10/08/2012 37. Fr. Prosper Nyuydze Kunse 07/03//1984 27/04/2019 38. Fr. Francis Njoko Domleu 02/02/1981 23/02/2013 39. Fr. Joseph Kuate 03/02/1968 27/01/2001 40. Fr. Salomon Edinguele 01/09/1987 27/04/2019 41. Fr. Nnomo Zambo Emmanuel 08/05/1975 25/04/2009 42. Fr. Armand Janvier FESSI 11/05/1958 21/07/1984 43. Fr. Jean Baptiste NSIMI B. 29/08/1973 24/04/2009 44. Fr. Sanama Sidiang Robert 18/10/1971 07/07/2007 45. Fr. Emeribe Chibuzo Marcel 16/01/1973 06/08/2011 Fr. Augistine Ojiribe Fr. Michael Eze Ukwu Members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Male Clerical and Non-Clerical Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Male Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in the Archdiocese at the Period covered by this Report are: Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries, officially known as St. Joseph’s Missionary Society, was founded in 1866, in Mill Hill, North West London, England by Herbert Cardinal Vaughan. It is a Society of Apostolic life and of Pontifical Right. The Society’s fundamental charism is working in the area of Primary Evangelization. However, now it also focuses on inter-faith dialogue, justice and peace issues, Reconciliation and Mission animation. The Society started its missionary work in Cameroon in 1922 when the Apostolic Prefecture of Buea was entrusted to them by the Holy See. They started in Bonjongo, then moved up to Shisong (now Kumbo Diocese) in 1923 and then to Njinikom in the Archdiocese of Bamenda which was erected into a Parish in 1927. They have been the pioneers of the evangelization of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda and at the heart of the work of evangelization in the Archdiocese of Bamenda since its creation, collaborating with the Local Ordinaries and the local clergy in the establishment of many early parishes and educational institutions. Up to the time of this report, they were entrusted with the pastoral administration of only one Parish, namely, St. Jude’s Parish, Fundong. But since 2005, and with their increasing numbers, their pastoral commitment to the Archdiocese is also on the increase. Besides being engaged in Parish Pastoral Ministry in the Archdiocese, one of their members is part of the staff in St. Thomas’ Aquinas Major Seminary, one of them was a member of the Archdiocesan College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council. St. Theresia Parish, Ilung has also been entrusted to the Pastoral care of the Mill Hill Missionaries. At the moment, there are ten Mill Hill Missionaries, eight Priests and two Brothers, serving in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. They have a Formation House with an increasing number of candidates from the Archdiocese of Bamenda. In fact, the Formation House is being extended to provide accommodation for about 40 candidates. The candidates are sent to the Catholic University of Cameroon – Bamenda for their philosophical formation. Their Theological formation takes place outside the Archdiocese and outside the Country. Presently, they have twenty-nine Mill Hill Missionaries from Cameroon, twenty of whom are from the Archdiocese, serving as Missionaries in different parts of the World. Being the pioneers of the evangelization of the Archdiocese, they have been considered as our fathers in the faith, and so, up till now, the relationship of collaboration with them in the work of evangelization has been taken for granted and based on tradition, mutual understanding and gentleman’s agreement. We are grateful to the General Superior, the Very Rev. Father Michael Corcoran, MHM, the Society Superior for Cameroon, Rev. Fr. Richard Njoroge, who, in June 2021 officially departed from Cameroon, and to all of them for their availability to continue to be at the service of mission in the Archdiocese particularly engaging in primary evangelization work and working side by side with the Diocesan clergy. The Monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance Presently, the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Bamenda has Twenty-five (25) members divided as follows: Twenty (21) solemnly professed Monks. (4) of these are priests, Four (4) temporarily professed Monks, No Novices, No Postulants, They have not been able to elect an Abbot since 2013. At the moment, Brother Polycarp is acting as the superior Prior Administrator of the Abbey. The Claretian Missionaries Up till 2017, the Claretian Missionaries were entrusted with the running of two Parishes, namely, Christ the King’s Parish, Fuli-Kom and Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Santa. Because of the Anglophone crises that hit Kom so terribly, the Fathers in Fuli-Kom withdrew. The Claretian Missionaries are now present only in Santa. At present, there are three (3) Claretian Missionary Priests in Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Santa. A Contract between them and the Archdiocese has been signed according to the Code of Canon Law. The Conceptionists or Sons of the Immaculate Conception (CFIC) The Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception, otherwise known as the “Conceptionists” are an Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right. It was founded on 8th September 1857 by Blessed Luigi Maria Monti. It is made up of Priests and Brothers with equal rights and duties. The present Superior General is a Rev. Brother. Their charism is Charity, serving the needy youth and the sick. They have been in the Archdiocese of Bamenda since 1989. The Parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Njimafor has been entrusted to their pastoral care. The priests do full time services in the pastoral work while the Brothers, as students, cooperate in the service of the Parish. They have special attention and care for needy children, sponsoring a good number of them in the school and for the medical care when they are sick. They are the Custodians of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of the Redeemer – Redemptoris Mater – Jangma which is located in Njimafor Parish. They have a Formation House in Njimafor and a good number of vocations from the Archdiocese of Bamenda and the Diocese of Kumbo. Some of them are already Perpetually Professed and priests serving in the missionary field of the Congregation in different continents. Presently, the community in Njimafor is made up of two Priests and three Brothers. The brothers are currently running the Medical Health facility that the Congregation opened last year, 2020. We are grateful to them for the services which they are rendering to the People of God in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. The Order of the Pious Schools (Piarists) or Calasanzians Presently, the Piarists Fathers have two communities in the Archdiocese of Bamenda: St. Michael’s Parish, Futru, and the Agro-Pastoral Project at Menteh. The community in Futru has six priests and the Scholasticate 2 priests with six candidates doing the first year Philosophy and Sixteen candidates in second year Philosophy at the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) – Bamenda. The community in Menteh has three priests and two Brothers, who ensure the proper running of their Agro-Pastoral school there. They also run a secondary school and a teachers training college The Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins The Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins have one community in Bambui with six Priests, six finally professed Brothers, four of whom are studying in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, Bambui. There are nine Post Novices studying in the Friary. They are deeply involved in pastoral and social apostolates. Since the last Quinquennial Report, they have taken over the running of the Emmaus Centre which caters for the mentally disturbed homeless people. One of the Priests is in charge of the Prisons’ apostolate. Two brothers work in the vocations’ group of the Parish and two in the Archdiocesan Vocations Team. They take Masses in Bambui Parish and beyond. They were entrusted with the pastoral care of the faithful of St. Bernard’s Parish Kedjom Ketingo. 1.7 The Marist Fathers The Marist Fathers have one community in the Archdiocese which is administering Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bambili which was created in August 1997 and entrusted to them. They are also taking care of the Chaplaincy for the students in CCAST (Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology). They have established a Handicapped Centre as work proper to them. Presently, there are two priests in their community. We have just renewed the Contract with them. Patrick’s Missionary Society (The Kiltegans) St. Patrick’s Missionary Society or the Kiltegans is an Irish Society of Apostolic Life. At the moment, there is only one Kiltegan Priest serving in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the one-time, coordinator of two houses for mentally disturbed homeless people in Bamenda urban area, presently the Principal of St. Gabriel’s Technical /Commercial College, Bafmeng, which is a diocesan school. The Xaverian Missionaries The Pious Society of Saint Francis Xavier for the Foreign Missions or the Xaverians had one member working in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. He opened St. Paul’s Parish, Benakuma, where he served as Parish Priest for almost two decades. He got retired and took residence in the same parish, but later left due to ill health and could not return when the armed conflict in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon escalated. Hence, the society gradually faced out of the diocese. The Augustinian Fathers The Order of the Augustinians Discalced (OAD) is a reformed form of the Order of St Augustine (OSA). It was born on May 1592. The Order is a clerical Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right. Their charism is: “Service of the Most High in the spirit of humility”. Their General House is in Rome, and the Superior General is Fr. Gabriele Ferlisi. They have communities in Europe, South America and Asia. They were invited to make a foundation in the Archdiocese of Bamenda in 2008. Their first community was established in St. Joseph’s Parish, Bafut where they have already started a Formation House. This is their first foundation in Africa. After about a year of introduction to the pastoral programme of the Archdiocese, the pastoral care of St. Joseph’s Parish, Bafut has been entrusted to them. A Contract between them and the Archdiocese has been signed according to the directives of the Code of Canon Law. The community is made up of the following members: three priests, six postulants and four aspirants. The members of the community are: Rev. Fr. Erwin Hindang Jose- Superior The Marist Brothers of the Schools The Marist Brothers of the Schools, before the Anglophone Crisis, had two communities in the Archdiocese, with six finally professed members and five in temporal vows. Four of them were serving in St. Joseph’s College, Mbengwi, an Archdiocesan secondary school that was entrusted to them, while seven of them served in St. Albert’s Comprehensive College, Bafut which was opened by them in 2004. When the crisis reached drastic levels with schools being shut down, the Marist Brothers had to temporarily shut down their schools as well. We have signed a Contract with them concerning the running and the administration of St. Joseph’s College, Mbengwi. The Brothers of St. John of God The Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God have two Communities in the Archdiocese with one priest and five Brothers finally professed and one Brother in temporal vows. They run a Health Centre and pastorally assist the priests of St. Sebastian’s Parish, Batibo. They equally run a Health centre in Abangoh quarter Bamenda. The Little Brothers of Jesus A small community of the Little Brothers of Jesus in Bamenda is made up of three finally professed and one temporarily professed members. Besides their witness of a life of contemplation in the midst of the people, one of them is in charge of the Archdiocesan Department for Construction. Male Institutes of Consecrated Life that have come and left the Archdiocese during the period of this report Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy (SMMM) Two members of the Congregation of Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy came to the Archdiocese in January 2021. When they arrived, they were assigned two parishes of the Archdiocese (St. Patrick’s Parish, Njinteh and All Saints Parish, Bayelle) to get familiar with the basic policies and functioning of the Archdiocese. In April 2021, they were assigned to begin two parishes in the Archdiocese: St. John Bosco’s Quasi Parish, Bawum – Bafut and Santa Mbei. Female Institutes of Consecrated Life There are 229 Women Religious distributed into 18 different Institutes of Consecrated Life who are living and working in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Since the last Quinquennial Report, 7 new Institutes of Consecrated Life have made foundations in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, namely, the Capuchin Sisters, Sisters of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Handmaid Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, Sisters of the Cross, Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret, Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima and the Passionist Sisters. We shall now look at the various activities they carry out in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. New Female Institutes of Consecrated Life which have made Foundations in the Archdiocese of Bamenda since the last Quinquennial Report 2.1. The Capuchin Sisters The Capuchin sisters arrived in Bambili, in the Archdiocese of Bamenda on 11th October, 2004 and were officially welcomed by the Parishioners on 24th October, 2004. Their Charism is to love God, “The Supreme Good” and to serve him in the least of their brothers and sisters as apostles of grace and salvation, with a special attention to the youth and the sick, to be well devoted to the Eucharist and united in one heart. They are a true family in the Lord, living in poverty, simplicity and humility following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. Since they arrived in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, they have had a successful mission in getting candidates who follow their way of life in the Capuchin spirit to serve God and His people by being simple and little among the people of God. As of now, they have 4 finally professed Sisters, 3 temporal professed sisters and 12 postulants. They are involved in education at the Nursery and Primary levels, as well as fully engaged in pastoral activities in Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bambili, especially assisting in distributing Holy Communion, as well as bringing Holy Communion to the sick in their homes. At the Parish level, they are involved in Pastoral work, and they participate in different prayer and action groups, and also assist in the educational life of the Parish by taking care of the Nursery and Primary School. They teach pupils to grow mentally, spiritually and morally, to be good citizens tomorrow. In all, their missionary work in the Archdiocese of Bamenda has been successful till date. 2.2. Sisters of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of Buea Diocese is an Institute of Consecrated Life of Diocesan Right. It was founded by the Rt. Rev. Jules Peeters, Bishop of Buea in 1963. They have communities in the Dioceses of Buea, Kumbo, Mamfe, Douala and in one Diocese in Spain. They carry out the following apostolates: Education, Health Care, Pastoral and Social Work in Parishes and the Prisons. They arrived in the Archdiocese of Bamenda on the 27th September, 2007. Their Charism is love and unity, expressed in joyful simplicity. They have one Community in the Archdiocese of Bamenda with two members. Since their arrival in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, they have been involved in Health Care. They work at the Diocesan Health Centre known as St. Blaise Clinic. Their vision is to assist St. Blaise to develop and offer some specialized Medical Care to the inhabitants of the Archdiocese of Bamenda and beyond. Notwithstanding the challenges that they face, they have excelled in their ministry to the sick and are doing everything possible to bring relief to the many patients who come there on daily basis. With the growth of this Health Centre, many people will have access to health care at a very affordable cost. 2.3. Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus The Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus is an Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right, founded on 15th January 1931 by Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker, a Religious of the Sisters of Charity. She came to Nigeria under the invitation of Bishop Joseph Shanahan, then Prefect Apostolic of Southern Nigeria to help in the education and evangelization of women and children. Their Charism is “All-embracing charity”. The members, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord, carry out the following apostolates: Education, Health Care, Pastoral Ministry and Social Work. They have communities in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo, Sierra Leone, Kenya, England, Italy, Germany, the United States of America and Canada. In Cameroon, they have communities in the Dioceses of Buea and Kumbo. The Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus arrived the Archdiocese of Bamenda in September 2010 and founded a community in St. Francis Xavier’s Parish, Bali where they have established and run a college of their own, namely, Ancilla Catholic Comprehensive College, Wosing –Bali. Their vision is to assist in the work of evangelization through education in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Their community is made up of 4 Sisters, three finally professed and one temporarily professed. 2.4. Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod The Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod is an Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right which was started in Chavanod, South East of France, in 1838 by Mother Claudine Echernier and Father Pierre Marie Mermier. Their charism is to participate generously in the Mystery of Jesus’ death and Resurrection in the world for the salvation of all mankind. They are concerned in making God known and loved by all. They are involved in education, health care, pastoral work and social work. They have communities in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and North America. They have been in Cameroon in the Archdiocese of Yaounde since 1987. The sisters packed out of the Diocese due to Anglophone Crises. 2.5. Missionary Sisters of our Lady of Fatima The Congregation, initially called “Missionary Daughters of our Lady of Fatima”, simply known today as: “Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima”, was founded on 2nd October 1949, in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima at Pieve (Perugia) in Italy, by Mother Emma Pia Pignanelli. She died in 1975. It is an Institute of Consecrated Life of Diocesan Right with the Generalate in the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria, Italy. Their Charisma is Marian-Franciscan, inspired by the message of our Lady of Fatima, centred on the daily prayers and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners in the whole world, the propagation of the rosary, through the poor, chaste and obedient lifestyle of St. Francis. Such charisma is manifested in an apostolic form through the education of children, youth, with the Samaritan care towards the needy, abandoned and orphans. Through contact with a Diocesan Priest of Kumbo Diocese, they started getting vocations from Cameroon before they were invited by the then Archbishop of Bamenda to make a Foundation in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. They arrived Bamenda on 18th November 2009 and started a community in Immaculate Conception Parish, Ngomgham, which is made up of two Professed Sisters. Since their arrival in the Archdiocese, they are fully involved in pastoral activities of the Parish at all levels. At the diocesan level, they carry out any activity assigned to them working in close collaboration with the Bishops. They have a Formation House and eight young girls in formation. The community is made up of 7 members, two finally professed, five in temporal vows and three postulants. We thank God for their presence, and we hope and desire that they will grow and found many more communities in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. 2.6. Congregation of the Sisters of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Passionist Sisters) This Congregation was created in 1918 in Poland by Mother Josepha Halacinska. It is an Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right, and follows the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi. It is both contemplative and active. Their charism is to glorify God through prayer and, and to work for the salvation of mankind. Their spirituality is centred on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Their apostolate includes education and the care of children and youth, catechetical and pastoral work with Christian movements and associations, social and charitable work, medical work, etc. They have communities in Poland, Canada, Italy, Germany and Cameroon. They have been in Cameroon since 1986 and have two communities in the Archdiocese of Bertoua. Through the invitation of the Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda, they arrived in the Archdiocese of Bamenda on 09 August, 2013 and founded a community in Santa Mbei, Assumption Parish, Santa. For the moment, they have three members in their community, one finally professed and two temporarily professed. Presently, they are involved in the work of education in the Nursery and Primary School in the Parish. In future, they hope to get involved in health care. 2.7. Sisters of Divine Providence At the invitation of the Archbishop, the Sisters of Divine Providence came to the Archdiocese of Bamenda in June 2021. They are in control of the Health Centre in Our Lady of Lourde’s Parish, Njindom. Female Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life which have been in the Archdiocese before the period of this Report. 2.8. Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi Since the last Quinquennial Report, the communities of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis have grown from eight to nine, the youngest being Ntasen. They have a total of 91 sisters, 60 finally professed and 31 in temporal vows who live and work in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. New developments within the congregation comprise: Health: Njinikom hospital: Construction of Project Hope – Centre for HIV/AIDS patients; a new theatre, a new pharmacy; a new physiotherapy department; a new maternity; and a new surgical ward. The hospital has a new Matron, four resident doctors and 235 beds. Bafut Health Centre; 105 beds and two resident doctors and a new Matron. Ntasen Hospital: Construction of a new maternity. SAJOCAH (St. Joseph’s Children and Adults Home) which serves as centre for the handicapped and rehabilitation presently has two 200 beds. Education: St. Maria Goretti’s Vocational/Technical College, Njinikom was upgraded to a Comprehensive High School. Formation: The Postulancy was moved from Shisong to Bafut. A new building with 60 beds was constructed at La Verna Spiritual Centre to host renewal courses, meetings, retreats, and rest. The Congregation held a Provincial Chapter in 2019, all at La Verna Spiritual Centre. For the first time in the history of the congregation, no expatriate was elected to the Provincial Council – the new Provincial Council is made up only of indigenous sisters. Unfortunately, up till now, there has not been a proper Contract between the Archdiocese of Bamenda and the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis concerning all the works of the apostolate they are carrying out in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, whether they have been entrusted to them or they are works proper to their Congregation. It is absolutely necessary that this is done as soon as possible according to the regulations of the Code of Canon Law. 2.9. The Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary Since the last Quinquennial Report, the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary have maintained three Communities in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, with a total of Sixteen Sisters. These Communities are Akum, Mankon and Ngomgham. Ngomgham is the West African Candidacy of the Congregation and presently has twenty-two candidates. The new developments in the Congregation comprise the following: The establishment of the Treasure Centre, a school for children with intellectual and physical impairment. One of the Sisters is serving as the Archdiocesan Health Coordinator. The construction of an Out-Patients Department, a Mortuary and a Theatre at the Holy Family Health Centre, Akum and the employment of two resident doctors. The election of one of the Sisters originally from the Archdiocese of Bamenda as a Councillor in the General Council of the Congregation. At present, we are working on a new Contract between the Archdiocese of Bamenda and the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary concerning Our Lady of Lourdes College, Mankon whose running was entrusted to them right from the beginning of its establishment. 2.10. The Dominican Sisters The Sisters of the Order of Preachers continue to make an important contribution to the work of evangelization in this Archdiocese as one of its spiritual power houses. They are very much appreciated by the faithful. This is shown by the growing number of them who are attracted to become Lay Dominicans. The Dominican Monastary in Bambui presently has Eighteen nuns, all solemnly professed, four novices and one postulant. Since the last Quinquennial Report, it has realized one major development, namely, the completion of a Large Guest house and the installation of digital Machines for production of liturgical vestments. The installation of the Solar Panels in currently going on. During a recent Chapter, they elected a new Prioress. There is need to continue to consolidate their monastic tradition and spirituality according to the demands of “Sponsa Verbi”. 2.11. The Sisters of the Holy Union The Holy Union Sisters have moved from two communities in the last Quinquennial Report to four communities. The two new communities are in St. Mary’s Catholic Comprehensive High School, Ndop and St. Paul’s Comprehensive College, Nkwen, respectively. St. Mary’s Catholic Comprehensive High School is owned and run by them. St. Paul’s Comprehensive College, Nkwen belongs to the Archdiocese of Bamenda in which the Sisters serve as part of the administrative and teaching staff. One of them is Bursar and the other is on the teaching staff. In the four communities, there are twelve (12) finally professed sisters, while those in temporal vows are thirteen (13). The new developments realized since the last Quinquennial Report include: The completion of the convent at the new site of St. Mary’s College. The transformation of the old site of St. Mary’s College into a Centre for spiritual activities, Conferences and Seminars. The establishment of a Health Centre in part of the plot of the Old Site of St. Mary’s College. The construction of a multi-purpose building in Baba I serving as a Postulancy and a spiritual centre. 2.12. The Sisters Servants of Mary The Sisters Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick, have two communities: in Widikum and in Alakuma – Mankon, with a total of thirty-two (34) sisters, nineteen (20) finally professed and thirteen (14) with temporal vows. There are seven Novices in the Formation House. Since the last Quinquennial Report, the following developments have been realized: The upgrading of St. Maria Soledad’s Health Centre to a hospital with three doctors. The establishment of the Juniorate in Widikum which automatically stopped the sending out of the Temporarily Professed Sisters to other Countries for their intensive Juniorate. 2.13. The Sisters of St. Ann The Sisters of St. Ann have four Communities in Bamenda Archdiocese, including the new community which has been established to take care of the newly open Divine Mercy Centre. It is situated about two kilometres from the Formation House. This new community serves as a centre for the promotion of the Divine Mercy Devotion, counselling, retreats, pro-life and family apostolate issues, and has a chapel for Eucharistic Adoration which is open to the public during the day. It equally has a multi-purpose hall. Some members of the congregation are responsible for the catechetical formation and the preparation of students of Government and lay private colleges in Bamenda urban area for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Archdiocesan level. They also follow up and promote the activities of the Young Christian students (YCS). Number of finally professed Sisters: 16 Number of temporarily professed sisters: 08 2.14. The Sisters of Christ (Union Mysterium Christi) The sisters of Christ have only one community in the Archdiocese of Bamenda with five members, Four finally professed and one temporarily professed. They are deeply involved in pastoral and social work in St. Peter’s Parish, Bambui. 2.15. The Infant Jesus Sisters These sisters who resided at Fundong left the area because of the heightening Socio-political Crises that hit the area so much. 2.16. The Calasanzian Sisters The Calasanzian Sisters have one community in the Archdiocese. Presently, the community is made up of three sisters, all finally professed and nine postulants. They own and run a Nursery School. In addition to their Education apostolate mentioned in the last Quinquennial Report, they have opened two institutions: Divine Shepherdess Home Care Centre for girls that are orphans or victims of HIV/AIDS. Centre for the Promotion of Women for both normal and mentally sick girls. A big house is being constructed to accommodate these two centres. 2.17. Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart have one community in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, with one finally professed Sister, three temporarily professed sisters and ten postulants. Since the last Quinquennial Report, they have moved into their newly constructed convent and Formation house, and have opened a Nursery School in their new site. They remain deeply involved in pastoral work in Njimafor Parish. 2.18. Little Sisters of Jesus The small community of the Little Sisters of Jesus in Bamenda has four members striving daily to live a contemplative life centred on the Eucharist and lived in the midst of the world, sharing the Good News through a presence of friendship. Lay Collaborators The Focolare Movement The Focolare Movement, also known as the Work of Mary, has two communities in the Archdiocese of Bamenda: one for the Male Branch – the Focolarini – in St. John the Baptist Parish, Foncha Street, Nkwen and the other for the Female Branch – the Focolarine – in St. Pius X’s Parish, Akum. The community of the Male Branch is made up of 3 members, while that of the Female Branch is made up of 3 members. Last year, they lost one of their leading female members from Uganda. They have quite a good number of Volunteers or Friends of the Movement, among them a number of Diocesan Priests and Religious. They continue to organize annually the Mariapolis encounters for families and young people and to carry out the so-called programme of the New Evangelization, especially in St. Pius X’s Parish, Akum which promotes dialogue between Christianity and the African Traditional Religions. One of them was in charge of the Archdiocesan Mechanical and Technical Centre. Another runs an Optical Centre in St. Blaise Clinic, Mankon. Auxiliaries of the Apostolate The Auxiliaries of the Apostolate were founded by Cardinal Mercier in France. They are neither an Institute of Consecrated Life nor a Society of Apostolic Life. These are mostly lay women who want to dedicate themselves to the service of the Particular Church, living their consecration in the world. The call is addressed to an individual lay woman by her Bishop, a call which establishes her in an apostolic vocation. As a lay woman, the Auxiliary shares exactly the same conditions as those among whom she lives, personally assuming her own responsibilities and providing for her own needs like any other lay person. As a consequence of this call, it is necessary that the Auxiliary of the Apostolate surrenders her entire life to God and does not marry; neither is she allowed to have children of her own. Since it is a diocesan vocation, it is normally in the diocese that an auxiliary receives the necessary formation before the call and continues to receive throughout her whole life. There are three members of the Auxiliaries of the Apostolate living and working in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. They work in the office of the coordination and animation of the Catholic Women Association on the archdiocesan, provincial and national levels, the Education Secretariat, the Archdiocesan Book Centre, the Archbishop’s House, Bamenda and the Archdiocesan Bakery. Catechists The Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes Divinitus, n. 17 says that “the role of catechists is of the highest importance” in the work of evangelization, for the catechists are “true co-workers of the priestly order”. For them to carry out this role effectively, there is need for formation. Consequently, during the last decade, the formation of full time and part time catechists has been our priority. This is carried out by the Maryvale Institute in Bamenda. Candidates are chosen by the various parishes who sponsor their formation in the Institute. The Archdiocese subsidizes their lodging. One of the difficulties encountered in the process of formation is that most of them do not have the basic qualification needed to do the programme. To remedy this, the members of the Maryvale Formation Team go round the parishes every year to continue updating the catechists and the entire Christian community with the Echoes and Anchoring Christ programmes. Many have found this to be very valuable. The Chaplain for Catechists organizes Formation Seminars for parish Catechists two times a year. For this, the Catechists usually come together according to deaneries in order to ease movement and catering. There is also an Annual Retreat for all the Catechists of the Archdiocese at the Paul VI Memorial Pastoral Centre, Bamendankwe, organized by the Chaplain. There is an Episcopal Vicar for Catechists who follows them up very closely and attends to their various needs and refers the difficult situations and cases to the Local Ordinary, and assists them in various ways so that they can carry out their ministry properly. In Decree n. J-511/12/001 on the “Policy on Catechists in the Archdiocese of Bamenda” published on Monday, 14 May, 2012, the then Archbishop of Bamenda and his Auxiliary spelt out the various categories of catechists. There is a job description for every category and, except for those who are voluntary, they are remunerated accordingly. In the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Catechists belong to the following categories: Category 1: Full-time Catechists with a Diploma in Catechetics from Nguti, the Maryvale Institute, or equivalent Institute. Category 2: Full-time Catechists without a Diploma in Catechetics. Category 3: Part-time Catechists: Those who serve part time in a Parish (main mission or outstation) or in an Institution while at the same time carrying out their own occupation. Category 4: Volunteer Catechists: Those who offer their services free of charge as Catechists in a Main Mission/Outstation/Small Christian Community/Institution. The statistics for catechists in the Archdiocese of Bamenda stands as follows: Category Married Single Total Full time: 41 5 47 Part time: 237 71 308 Voluntary Catechists: – – 57 Total number of catechists 278 76 412 Job Description of Catechists: Full-time Catechists in the Main Mission Ring the bell, prepare the sacristy and altar for Mass; Prepare Readers, Choir and Altar-Servers; Lead morning, evening prayers and other devotions; Prepare Children and Adults for the Sacraments; Give doctrine in non-Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools; Do office work assigned to them by the Parish Priest such as filling registers, etc; Visit families, the sick and the old at home or in the hospital at least once a month; Follow up and animate Mission Groups and Small Christian Communities and RCIA Teams. Organize and attend meetings at Parish/Outstation levels. Full-time Catechists in the Outstation Ring the bell, prepare the sacristy and altar for Mass; Prepare Readers, Choir and Altar-Servers; Lead morning, evening prayers and other devotions; Prepare and lead Sunday Services; Prepare Children and Adults for the Sacraments; Give doctrine in non-Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools; Do office work assigned to them by the Parish Priest such as filling Registers, etc; Visit families, the sick and the old at home or in the hospital at least once a month; Follow up and animate Mission Groups and Small Christian Communities and RCIA Teams. Organize and attend meetings at Parish/Outstation levels. Part-Time Catechists Ring the bell, prepare the sacristy and altar for Mass; Prepare Readers, Choir and Altar-Servers; Lead morning, evening prayers and other devotions; Prepare and lead Sunday Services in the Outstation; Prepare Children and Adults for the Sacraments; Visit families, the sick and the old at home or in the hospital occasionally; Follow up and animate Mission Groups and Small Christian Communities and RCIA Teams. Organize and attend meetings at Parish/Outstation levels. Volunteer Catechists: Prepare and lead Sunday Services; Give doctrine for the Sacraments; Render any other services agreed upon with the Parish Priest and the Christian Community. In the 444 mission stations in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, it is thanks to the contributions of the catechists that most of these communities exist and are active. In the absence of the priest, the catechists keep the communities alive and report to the Parish Priest at the end of every month when they meet for their monthly meetings. Together with them, most Parish Priests draw their monthly programme of activities and visit their various mission stations. Through them, the various pastoral needs of the communities are known by the priest and he can decide on when to pay a pastoral visit to the area. The catechists have played, and continue to play a very essential role in the implementation of the Provincial Pastoral Plan, especially in the formation of the various Small Christian Communities, Gospel Sharing Groups and the various commissions of the Pastoral Plan. The Archdiocese takes care of the material welfare of the Catechists in various ways. Their housing is being taken care of, especially those in category 1 and 2. As concerns their remuneration, the various parishes take their responsibility in paying them, and, in some parishes, especially in areas of Primary Evangelization, an archdiocesan subsidy is given, thanks to the subsidy we receive from Rome and to the Annual Catechists Collection made on the First Sunday of Lent in all the Parishes to assist them and contribute to the payment of their remuneration. Added to this, once a year the Christians of a particular Parish may show their appreciation of the services their Catechists are rendering to them by making a collection for them on a Sunday or Solemnity of their choice. The collection is done at Parish level, and the proceeds equally shared among all the Catechists in the Parish without distinction. The tuition fee in the Catholic Primary and/or Nursery School of the legitimate, biological children of Categories 1, 2 and 3 Catechists is paid by the Parish/Institution. On the occasion of the death of a catechist, the Archdiocese provides a coffin and a fixed amount of money to assist the family in the burial of the catechist.
2279	dbpedia	1	20	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/why-did-i-write-an-open-missive-to-archbishop-samuel-kledaon-the-beatification-cause-of-cardinal-christian-wigyhan-tumi-shufaay-kintam/	en	Why did I write an Open Missive to Archbishop Samuel Kledaon the Beatification Cause of Cardinal Christian Wigyhan Tumi (Shufaay Kintam)?	https://thesunnewspaper.…023/04/AEEEE.jpg	https://thesunnewspaper.…023/04/AEEEE.jpg	[ "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/The-Sun-logo.png", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AEEEE-300x249.jpg", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AI-243x300.jpg", "https://www.kerawa.com/oc-content/uploads/201712/20171213-145833-3005621-2017121302583297446.jpg-864333.jpg", "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPCqXT58MO92ErcQq2LXhe5HcmlQ8qHQ4U_MohTeUdzcPGXlQyvQ", "https://thesunnewspaper.cm/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/advertisementsvtc.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2023-04-11T11:07:42+00:00	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac On Monday, April 3, 2023, I wrote a 32-page Open Missive to Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala regarding the need to begin gathering documentation for the introduction of the Beatification Cause of Cardinal Christian Wigyhan Tumi (Shufa	en	https://thesunnewspaper.…avicon-32x32.png	THE SUN NEWSPAPER CAMEROON	https://thesunnewspaper.cm/why-did-i-write-an-open-missive-to-archbishop-samuel-kledaon-the-beatification-cause-of-cardinal-christian-wigyhan-tumi-shufaay-kintam/	By Nchumbonga George Lekelefac On Monday, April 3, 2023, I wrote a 32-page Open Missive to Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Douala regarding the need to begin gathering documentation for the introduction of the Beatification Cause of Cardinal Christian Wigyhan Tumi (Shufaay Kintam) on the second anniversary of his passing into glory. Cardinal Tumi passed on to glory on April 3, 2021 at the ripe age of 90 and was buried on Tuesday, April 20 at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. During the Ecclesiastical funeral, many assured Cardinal Tumi, in front of his remains that his precious fight led until his death for Cameroon and for Africa, will continue. From the various testimonies and other speeches delivered on this occasion, we remember that Cardinal Tumi marked the men and women of his time with his great generosity. The members of civil society took the solemn decision to perpetuate the values of unity, dialogue, listening, courage and respect, values dear to Cardinal Tumi who has always encouraged them in their initiatives in favor of democracy, respect for human rights and improvement of the national socio-political climate. The populations of the English-speaking area, who also came en masse, signified that the Cardinal was their patriarch as well as their icon of unity, impartiality and cultural and national integration. With this premise therefore of the immortal legacies of the practice of the cardinal virtues of Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence and the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity by Cardinal Tumi, I wrote the open missive, in which I elaborated that Christian Cardinal Tumi (S.T.L., Lyon, France; Ph.D., Fribourg, Switzerland; Doctor Honoris Causa, Catholic University of Yaoundé, Central Africa); pioneer rector of Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui; first bishop of the diocese of Yagoua, first Cameroonian intrepid cardinal whose voice was respected worldwide; Cameroon’s most outspoken, unfaltering, unswerving, unflagging bishop with an unwavering faith, hope and charity; first Cameroon Cardinal to be kidnapped at 90 in world history for his quest for peace and dialogue; bold and fearless Churchman; a man whose name is synonymous to courage, humility, simplicity, service to mankind, truth and transparency; highly distinguished beacon of integrity for more than four decades; archbishop emeritus of Douala (Cameroon) was a genuine pastor who by virtue of his holy life and enlightened teachings of the truth – the Gospel of Jesus Christ handed down to the people of God in Cameroon a particular legacy of admiration and affection which is known worldwide and which has been attested by people from different background and status in the church. Cardinal Tumi is a spiritual sentinel who from heaven continues to guide the way of the pilgrim Church through time in Cameroon and Africa. In order to keep ever alive, the memory of Cardinal Christian Tumi, faithful pastor who was outstanding in the exercise of his priestly, episcopal ministry in Cameroon, the Synodal Assembly recommended that particular Churches like the Archdiocese of Douala where you serve as the head should make the lives of these Bishops known to the faithful you’re your predecessor, Christian Cardinal Tumi, through updated biographies and, when the case warrants, consider the possibility of introducing their cause for canonization. (Cf. PastoresGregis, number 29) It is with this premise of Pastoresgregis number 29 subtitled “The Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World,” an post-synod apostolic exhortation released on October 16, 2003 by Pope Saint John Paul II that I humbly approached Archbishop Kleda across the oceans to bring to his attention the important need for the Archdiocese of Douala to begin with the paper work for the documentation of the life and works of Christian Cardinal Tumi for his cause of beatification in the form of documented interviews. We know that the process of documenting the life and virtues of a holy pastor of souls like Cardinal Tumi cannot begin until 5 years after his death, that is, until April 3, 2026 since Cardinal Tumi died on April 3, 2021. This waiting period insures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. It can be waived by the Supreme Pontiff, and has been done on two occasions. Pope John Paul II waived 3 years of the waiting period in the case of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope Benedict XVI waived all five years in the case of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. After the five years have concluded, or earlier if all or some of the period is waived, the Bishop of the diocese in which the individual died can petition the Holy See to allow the initialization of a Cause for Beatification and Canonization. If there is no objection by the Roman Dicasteries, in particular the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the permission, or nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way), is communicated to the initiating Bishop. However, I told Archbishop Samuel Kleda that it was my humble wish that the Archdiocese of Douala COULD begin as early as possible with the collection of testimonies in the form of interviews for documentation on the life of Christian Cardinal Tumi (who distinguished his life by putting into practice the cardinal virtues of Justice, Prudence, Temperance, fortitude and the theological virtues of faith, hope and love) so that by April 3, 2026, the Archdiocese of Douala will be ready to petition his cause of beatification to the Dicastery of the Canonization of Saints in Rome. In just two years after his death, Cardinal Tumi has enjoyed an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful in Cameroon and abroad as you would find in the tributes on Cardinal Tumi. Logic says that in philosophical disputation an argument from authority is the weakest argument, that the ipse dixit (a dogmatic and unproven statement) should be accepted only after minute scrutiny. But when you have an authority with such indisputable and undisputed credentials like Christian Cardinal Tumi, the rules are reversed, and the word of such a master mind becomes far superior to whatever mediocre intellectual can propound. I informed Archbishop Kleda that I am so elated to know that Christian Cardinal Tumi formed him as a seminarian in the North of Cameroon in the 80s. As the then archbishop of Garoua, Cameroon from March 17, 1984 to August 31, 1991, he ordained Archbishop Kleda as priest on March 9, 1986 at 27 for the Archdiocese of Garoua in the North region; he sent him to Rome for biblical studies to best equip you prepare you for your priestly ministry; he consecrated him on February 18, 2001 at 42 as bishop of Batouri diocese in Cameroon and he succeeded Cardinal Tumi on November 17, 2009 at 50 as archbishop of Douala, Cameroon. Told Archbishop Kleda that this was a clear indication and evidence that his story could not be written without the name of Christian Cardinal Tumi. This is significantly important, I noted to Archbishop Kleda as it will facilitate the process of documentation given the fact that he best knows the personality of Christian Cardinal Tumi, who was his bishop and spiritual father. In the open missive, I narrated my four encounters with Cardinal Tumi. In my fourth encounter, I had the grace to interview cardinal Tumi which could be found on u tube: Part 1: Research Interview with Cardinal Tumi on Dr. Prof. Fonlon, Douala, October 26, 2020, in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGU6rzThU_Y Part 2: Research Interview with Cardinal Tumi on Dr. Prof. Fonlon, Douala, October 26, 2020, in:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VCn4R7nCEE Part 3: Research Interview with Cardinal Tumi on Dr. Prof. Fonlon, Douala, October 26, 2020, in:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQDBR1aBHb4 I went further to elucidate the two future saints who influenced Cardinal Tumi: Prof. Dr. Bernard Fonlon and Archbishop Paul Verdzekov in the life of His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, he was highly influenced by two future saints in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda whose cause of beatification I am crusading: Prof. Dr. Fonlon and Archbishop Paul Verdzekov. It is unfortunate that Prof. Dr. Bernard Fonlon’scase of canonization is still to be formally introduced by Bishop George Nkuo, bishop of Kumbow hile that of Archbishop Paul Verdzekov is still to be formally introduced by Archbishop Andrew Nkea, archbishop of Bamenda. Then, I gave a brief biography of Christian Cardinal Tumi. After, I elaborated on the Immortal Legacies of Cardinal Christian Tumi and his Contributions to the Church in Cameroon. Last but not the least, I offered two humble suggestions to Archbishop Kleda in the following words: “Dear Archbishop Kleda, the foregone evidences and contributions of Cardinal Tumi are enough justifications to begin documentation for the beatification process of Cardinal Tumi. It is therefore my humble wish that the Communications Office of the Archdiocese of Douala and the Catholic Television of the Archdiocese of Douala could produce a video documentary of testimonies on the life of Cardinal Tumi thereby emulating the example of Diocese of Bafoussam who have produced a professional documentary of late Archbishop Wouking titled: “Monseigneur André WOUKING: un évêque aux odeurs de sainteté” by Christus Vivit. (Cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fFxFet7aTg). These documentaries are very important in promoting the cause of beatification and in enlightening the people of God about Bishop Paul Etoga as Pastores Gregis number 29 has recommended. Secondly, I humbly suggest that you could set up a commission as early as possible to begin this documentation on the beatification cause of Christian Cardinal Tumi.” Finally, I concluded the 32-page open missive with a prayer for the beatification of Christian Cardinal Tumi in the following words: “O God, fount of all holiness, make us each walk worthily in our vocation, through the intercession of your Saints, on whom you bestowed a great variety of graces on earth. Having graced your Church with the life of your priest, bishop and cardinal: Christian Wigyhan Tumi, grant that by their intercession this humble flock of the Ecclesiastical Province of Douala, the Church in Cameroon and the universal church may reach where the brave shepherd has gone. Grant that your Church may proclaim them saints, living in your presence and interceding for us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.” I thanked Archbishop Kleda for his consideration to this important matter in the life of the Ecclesiastical Province of Douala and the Catholic Church in Cameroon in particular and the universal church in general. I also thanked him in advance for having taken time out of his very busy schedule to peruse the 32-page open missive.
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Tel: (+237) 77 07 27 79. E-mail: themedianpaper@yahoo.com	en	http://themedianpaper-yde.blogspot.com/favicon.ico		http://themedianpaper-yde.blogspot.com/2020/11/	After his kidnapping on Thursday November 5, 2020, the abductors fighting to restore the State of Southern Cameroons, preferred by them as Ambazonia, have set out some rules for the traditional ruler to follow before he returns to his Palace. Cameroon News Agency has obtained an 8 minutes 23 seconds audio from the Bui Warriors Communication department, where a voice declares that the Bui Warriors and Ngoketundjia Restoration Forces have decided to release the Fon of Nso, under certain conditions agreed by the two parties. Separatists say Sehm Mbinglo cannot return to A source has told CNA that they have released the Fon and asked him to return to Yaoundé. The voice read, “After due interrogation, examination, re-examination and cross examination, His Majesty Fon Mbinglo was found guilty as charged…He had been induced into error by some Elites residing in French Cameroon…He agreed to meet the following conditions.” That he is going to hands off completely from anything that has to do with politics and French Cameroun. In this regard, the Fon of Nso is going to send a resignation letter to Ambazonians. Resigning from been a candidate in the said Regional elections. his palace until he meets their conditions The Fon will only return to Nso upon fulfilment of this agreement else he might return to Yaoundé or anywhere else in French Cameroon where he could promote French Cameroon interests. Upon reoffending the people of Ambazonia, the Fon will be rearrested and penalized by the restoration forces accordingly. The Fon agreed to work as untainted, uncorrupted traditional authority for the Nso people, following the footsteps of his own father to regain the lost glory for the Nso people and repair his own damaged integrity. The integrity damaged by his mingling with French Cameroon politics. Here, he reiterated his position never again to be a politician. The Fon has also agreed to on his release, to send a direct message to Mr Paul Biya the President of French Cameroun, to release all our people held as Prisoners in French Cameroon dungeons beginning with President Sisiku Ayuktabe and members of his cabinet abducted by French Cameroon terrorist forces in Nera hotel Abuja Nigeria and all the other Ambazonians held in Cameroon prisons and cells. The Fon equally agreed to urge Mr Paul Biya to get into the negotiation table with Ambazonia and end this senseless war declared by him on the Ambazonia people. And lastly the Fon of Nso agreed to tell or urge Mr. Paul Biya to stop all colonial activities in Ambazonia starting with the withdrawal of army and administration of occupation. “In the light of these, the Bui Warriors working hand in gloves with Ngoketundjia defense council, wish to announce to the Nso people, to national and international opinion as follows. His Royal Highness, Sehm Mbinglo, paramount Fon of Nso has been released by the Ngoketundjia Restoration Forces, he shall be making his triumphant home coming to Nso when the moment shall have been ripped. The Bui Warriors shall be joining the Nso population with open hands to receive his Majesty back home come this appropriate moment.” “Finally the Bui Warriors and the Ngoketundjia Restoration Forces hereby sound a loud warning to whosoever and all traditional rulers who venture to do French Cameroon politics on Ambazonia territory or who in anyway try to promote French Cameroon politics of any such on Ambazonia territory…Contrary to legislation and contrary to exigencies of the Ambazonia people…” Cameroon’s Sinking Fund (CAA) informs that on September 30, 2020, the country’s public debt was XAF10,164 billion, representing 45.8% of GDP. According to the sinking fund, the debt is up by 1.3% year-over-year but down by 0.1% quarter-over-quarter. Meanwhile, compared with its December 2019 level, it is up by 5.7%. It explains that since July 2020, the scope of public debt has gradually expanded to include the entire public sector (including the debt of public companies and institutions) when the information is available. In detail, the public sector’s external debt is estimated at XAF7,110 billion (including XAF6,681 billion for the central government and XAF429 billion of direct external debt not endorsed by the state). As for the domestic debt, it is estimated at XAF3,019 billion, including XAF208 billion of over 3 months old outstanding debts. Overall, 61.3% of Cameroon’s bilateral public debt is owed to China (which is its main bilateral partner) and 28.5% to France. As for the multilateral debt, 30.1% is owed to the AfDB, 30% to the World Bank, and 17.1% to the IMF. The match between Cameroon and Mozambique Thursday, November 12, 2020, in Douala will not be opened to spectators, authorities have said. In a release issued Tuesday, November 10, by Cameroon’s minister of sports and physical education, only officials and players with access badges and authorized accreditations shall be permitted to enter the Douala Reunification Stadium. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi says the decision was taken at a meeting with officials of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and in conformity with COVID-19 preventive measures put in place by FIFA. The minister of sports and physical education however has called on Cameroonians to follow the encounter on CRTV. The match between Cameroon and Mozambique will count for the third day of play of qualification matches for “AFCON TOTAL CAMEROON 2021”. Cameroon will play the return leg match on Monday, November 16, 2020, in Mozambique. Despite the postponement of the competition from 2021 to 2022, CAF says the name remains AFCON TOTAL 2021. Cameroon’s minister of public health Dr. Manaouda Malachie has earlier mentioned that the number of COVID-19 positive cases are on the rise in Cameroon.
666	dbpedia	2	7	http://www.artnet.com/artists/adolph-von-menzel/biography	en				[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null
666	dbpedia	3	41	https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/adolph-menzel-the-iron-rolling-mill/	en	Masterpiece Story: The Iron Rolling Mill (Modern Cyclopes) by Adolph Menzel	https://www.dailyartmaga…42b94922c6_o.jpg	https://www.dailyartmaga…42b94922c6_o.jpg	[ "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/16113100809_42b94922c6_o-768x474.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Capture-4-264x177.png", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/N-0538-00-000022-wpu-264x177.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Stanhope_Forbes_-_The_Munitions_Girls-264x177.jpeg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MenzelAdolph_Ballsouper02-1024x812.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/menzel1-1-1024x666.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/16113100809_42b94922c6_o-1-683x1024.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/themes/idvetmp-child/images/google-news-icon.png", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3dcb7129330764095338ba163971c426?s=96&d=mm&r=g", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/01-Vincent-van-Gogh-Terrace-of-a-Cafe-at-Night-1888-Kroller-Muller-Museum-Otterlo-Netherlands-264x177.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Zelfportret_-_s0159V1962_-_Van_Gogh_Museum-1-e1722265751666-264x177.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240615_115354-264x177.jpg", "https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/vigeelebrun-e1718789697762-264x177.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Kate Wojtczak" ]	2022-05-01T04:00:21+00:00	In the 19th century along with the industrial development, physical labour became a theme in art. An example is Menzel's Iron Rolling Mill.	en	https://www.dailyartmaga…rome-192x192.png	DailyArt Magazine	https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/adolph-menzel-the-iron-rolling-mill/	The 19th century, the age of steel and steam, witnessed not only the development of the industry but also the new themes in painting. Now, simple workers found their place next to mythological heroes and saints, you might know them from Gustave Courbet’s and Jean-François Millet’s works. Yet one of the most iconic depictions of physical labor in art history is The Iron Rolling Mill painted by Adolph Menzel. Adolph Menzel (1815-1905) was one of the two most prominent German painters of the 19th century (the other one is obviously Caspar David Friedrich). He was a Realist known for drawings, etchings, and paintings. Menzel was born in Breslau, Silesia but as a 15-year-old he moved to Berlin where he studied briefly at the Berlin Academy of Art. During the early years of his sojourn in the capital, he produced mostly drawings and etchings, including a series on the works of Frederick the Great, Illustrationen zu den Werken Friedrichs des Grossen (1843-1849). During that time Menzel started studying painting on his own and soon created a variety of works, mostly scenes of everyday life. Among them The Market-place at Verona, In the Tuileries, The Ball Supper, and At Confession. His paintings demonstrated keen observation and honest workmanship and focused on contemporary people shown during various everyday life situations. His works were appreciated not only by Otto von Bismarck and King William I but also by Edgar Degas who admired and copied his work, calling him “the greatest living master.” The Iron Rolling Mill, also called Modern Cyclopes, is one of the most renowned of Menzel’s paintings. It’s a group scene in an industrial setting: dozens of workers are shown during the tough factory work, they are gathered around an open hearth of a furnace in the factory in Königshütte (today’s Chorzów), in Upper Silesia. Menzel traveled there in 1872 to familiarize himself with work conditions and to make some preparatory sketches. The result is overwhelming – it’s one of those theatrical paintings in which one can admire the general composition of the whole scene but can also look out for details and particular parts with their own dynamics and interactions. In the center of the composition, Menzel placed a group of workers responsible for the crucial task of rolling the iron. Thanks to the play of light and shadow created by the artist, the viewer can almost feel the heat of the piping hot iron. The way in which the characters are shown, their positions and their tensed muscles, express their hard work. On the right, we can see a group of people having a break from work. The tired men have a few minutes to drink and eat some simple food they brought with them to the factory. Most of the characters are focused on their own activities, however, one young boy is looking straight at the viewer and he gives quite a heavy, pitiful look. Yet Menzel’s main concern was not a social critique, but the artistic challenge of portraying the production process and the various groups of people involved in it.
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"https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b39bbe_e7060d69e952481299adf330a28fad41~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_81,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/b39bbe_e7060d69e952481299adf330a28fad41~mv2.jpg", "https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b39bbe_204ee289620c451aad5e8776b5e2ac1c~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_127,h_140,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_3,enc_auto/White%20Transparent%20Background%20Green%20Box.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	WWII Most Wanted Art™ - Adolph Menzel (1815-1905) \| In the "Jardin des Plantes" \| gouache, 8.66 x 13.78 in. (22 x 35 cm) \| Cash Reward up to $2,500	en	https://static.wixstatic…b53c2a%7Emv2.png	MonumentsMenWomenFnd	https://www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org/join-the-hunt/wwii-most-wanted-menzel	Adolph Menzel’s painting In the "Jardin des Plantes," the main botanical garden in Paris, was owned by the Jewish businessman Alfred Sommerguth and his wife Gertrud. Born in 1859 in Magdeburg, Germany, Alfred made his fortune as the director and co-owner of the tobacco company Loeser & Wolff. After selling his shares in 1920, he worked as an official of the Ministry of Interior in Berlin in charge of city planning. Alfred and Gertrud were known for their art collection, which consisted of 106 paintings, by both Old Masters and contemporaries of their time. The Menzel, previously in the collection of Eduard L. Behrens, was purchased by Alfred Sommerguth in 1936 from an art dealer in Berlin. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Alfred was working in the Ministry of Interior. As a Jewish man he was viewed with deep suspicion and by the late 1930s he had been ordered to register all his assets, including his art collection, with the Nazi authorities. In order to pay the huge taxes imposed on Jewish households, as well as the so-called “flight tax” that would allow him and Gertrud to leave Germany, Alfred was forced to sell the majority of his collection at the Hans W. Lange auction house in Berlin on February 7, 1939. In the catalogue of the sale, the Menzel is listed as coming from the Behrens Collection, and as “on the protection list of nationally valuable art monuments in Germany.” Another Menzel from the Sommerguths’ collection, a drawing, was sold to the Städel Museum for RM 960. Alfred and Gertrud were able to escape Germany in 1941, first via Switzerland, then to Cuba, and finally New York. Alfred caught typhoid fever during his stay in Cuba, and the freezing of their accounts by Nazi authorities, left the couple destitute. Alfred died on October 15, 1950 in New York, and Gertrud four years later, on April 8, 1954. In 2011 a highly publicized story appeared in the press, detailing the return of one of Alfred Sommerguth’s paintings to his heirs. Madame La Suire, by Albert von Keller, was discovered at the Kunsthaus Zürich by chance, during an exhibition on Keller organized by the Kunsthaus. It had been donated to the museum in 2006 by the widow of Oskar Mueller, a Keller collector. The heirs agreed to leave the painting with the Swiss museum, with an added text panel detailing its provenance. This was the fourth painting returned to the Sommerguth estate in three years, including a painting by Karl Blechen pulled from sale at Sotheby’s in 2008. Jardin des Plantes has not appeared on the market since 1939, and its current whereabouts are unknown.
666	dbpedia	3	16	https://arthive.com/artists/302~Adolf_Friedrich_Erdmann_von_Menzel	en	Adolf Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (08.12.1815 - 09.02.1905) - Biography, Interesting Facts, Famous Artworks	https://arthive.com/res/…t/410/121784.jpg	https://arthive.com/res/…t/410/121784.jpg	[ "https://arthive.com/res/media/img/sx200/artist/ad8/121784.jpg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/qr-code-4.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-black.svg", "https://arthive.com/res/img/svg/spinner-white.svg", "https://mc.yandex.ru/watch/40832419", "https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=209775657147908&ev=PageView&noscript=1" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Find out more about the history of Adolf Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel, including interesting facts, large resolution images, historical features and more.	en	/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png	Arthive	https://arthive.com/artists/302~Adolf_Friedrich_Erdmann_von_Menzel	German painter and graphic artist. Learned lithography from his father and at the Berlin Academy of arts (1830). Already in the early works of Menzel full expressive and accurate domestic details differ liveliness characteristics. Tireless draftsman (over 5 thousand drawings in the National gallery, Berlin), he was also a master of watercolor, gouache, etching, lithography. Adolf von Menzel was born in the Eastern German town of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). In 1830 he moved with his family to Berlin. The first art school was for Adolf lithographic workshop of his father. Becoming in 1833, the breadwinner of the family after his father's death, he took any job: did a lunch menu, invitations, etc. Adolf short (only 6 months) attended classes at the Academy of arts in Berlin and was almost self-taught. First became known in 1833 by the notebook of drawings executed with pen and depicting "the Life of an artist". This youthful work of Menzel followed a number of them lithographed "Attractions Brandenburg history" (1834-39, 12 sheets) and some of his first experiments in oil painting what, for example, "the Game of chess" (1836), "Legal advice" (1837), "the Trial" (1837) and other works.But soon he had to put aside the palette and brush, in order to deal with the composition of the illustrations to "History of Frederick the Great," Kugler (1839 -42) and after that illustrating luxury editions of the works of Kugler (1843-49). Both of these works made Menzel to delve into the study of the epoch of Frederick the Great. Rendering it with complete historical accuracy, excellent characteristics of the provisions and actors, the realistic truth and technical prowess, he made himself a big name from their compatriots mainly with paintings on the themes drawn from that era, what are, for example: * "Round table of Frederick the Great" (1850, is in the Berlin National gallery), * "Concert in Sanssouci" (1852), * "Frederick the Great on the road" (1854), * "The oath of Frederick the Great in Breslau in 1741" (Breslau Museum) * "The meeting of Frederick the Great and Joseph II at Neisse", * "Friedrich before a leithian battle", * "Friedrich Gorkitskoe in battle" (1856; in the Berlin Royal Palace) and others. In 1840-ies he begins to write from life. There are a number of landscapes, portraits, which were first shown in 1906 at the exhibition Menzel at the National gallery in Berlin and have dramatically changed the prevailing opinion about his work. In 1850-ies he wrote, besides, several paintings of biblical content, the advantage of which in most cases harm their excessive realism, and then again showed his talent with the full splendour in the magnificent "Coronation of Frederick William I in königsberg" (1861-65; in the Berlin Royal Palace), the "Departure of the king to the war, July 30, 1870" (1871; in the Berlin National gallery), "dinner Ball" (1878), "the Conversation of the king with the lady at the court ball" (1880), in "Religious procession in Gastein"(1880), "Square d'erbe in Verona" and "Zhelezobaktery plant" (1875), the most remarkable of all the artist's paintings depicting the inside zhelezorudnogo plant while working on it. Beyond the mentioned works, Menzel performed many other, less significant genre paintings, pen drawings, compositions for policypage, watercolors and gouaches. Since 1856 he was a Professor and member of the Berlin Academy of arts. During the long years of his life he visited Austria, traveled on the Rhine, the Danube, was on the Baltic sea, Holland, Italy, toured the whole of Germany. Travel was his source of subjects for paintings, genre paintings, pastels. In these works was not the poetry and emotions that were inherent in his early works. Menzel has worked for over twenty years (1863-1885) on a series of gouaches and watercolours, combined to form a "Children's album". It contains scenes from everyday life, images of animals, birds, etc. the Last years of his life he devoted to the schedule, although throughout the creative journey never parted with a pencil: in the National gallery in Berlin, there are over five thousand of his drawings. In 1880-1890 G. G. Menzel drawn to the image of old age, he depicts the portraits of old men and women, seek psychological expression of this condition. 9 Feb 1905 in the ninetieth year of his life he died. The Imperial court he had arranged a very lavish funeral, which was awarded to only General-field Marshal.
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When he was young, his peers called him the “Little Mushroom.” When he got mad and...		http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/favicon.ico		http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/05/menzel-beyond-appearances.html
666	dbpedia	2	60	https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6338391	en	ADOLPH VON MENZEL (German, 1815-1905), Mondschein über den Dächern von Berlin	https://www.christies.co…54).jpg?mode=max	https://www.christies.co…54).jpg?mode=max	[ "https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_001(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040507).jpg?w=100 100w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_001(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040507).jpg?w=200 200w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_001(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040507).jpg?w=300 300w", "https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=560&maxheight=350 560w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=1120&maxheight=700 1120w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=1680&maxheight=1050 1680w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=750&maxheight=350 750w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=1500&maxheight=700 1500w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=2250&maxheight=1050 2250w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=695&maxheight=650 695w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=1390&maxheight=1300 1390w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=2085&maxheight=1950 2085w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=1010&maxheight=650 1010w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=2020&maxheight=1300 2020w, https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19990_0003_000(adolph_von_menzel_mondschein_uber_den_dachern_von_berlin040454).jpg?maxwidth=3030&maxheight=1950 3030w", "https://www.christies.com/img/specialistImages/mathislaura2__LauraH_LauraH_1426.JPG?w=60 60w, https://www.christies.com/img/specialistImages/mathislaura2__LauraH_LauraH_1426.JPG?w=120 120w, https://www.christies.com/img/specialistImages/mathislaura2__LauraH_LauraH_1426.JPG?w=180 180w" ]	[]	[]	[ "Christie’s", "Live Auction", "Auction", "Lot" ]	null	[]	null	Mondschein über den Dächern von Berlin	en	/Assets/Discovery.Project.Website/V2023/favicons/favicon.ico		https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6338391	The work is being offered for sale pursuant to a settlement agreement between the current owner and the heirs of Alfred and Gertrude Sommerguth. This settlement agreement resolves the dispute over ownership of the work and title will pass to the successful bidder. The cloud study forms an important subgenre of its own within the broader context of Romantic landscape painting. Motivated by the desire to capture a fleeting moment in time, which would later come to define the Impressionist movement, as well as an interest in contemporary natural sciences and cosmology, the Romantic painters returned time and time again to the ever-changing sky. While John Constable is perhaps the Romantic artist best remembered for his cloud studies today, the genre held an equally important place in the development of German Romantic painting, and painting clouds, particularly in the light of the moon, became a recurring motif in the work of the movement’s three most important exponents – Caspar David Friedrich, Johan Christian Dahl (who, while Norwegian by birth, was an important figure in the Dresden art scene), and Adolph von Menzel. From the advent of German Romanticism moonlight became one of the most used motifs in art and literature, symbolizing internal contemplation of the presence of the divine within nature. ‘Why has looking at the moon become so beneficiary, so soothing and so sublime? Because the moon remains purely an object for contemplation, not of the will. […] Furthermore, the moon is sublime, and moves us sublimely because it stays aloof from all our earthly activities, it sees all, yet takes no part in it…”, wrote German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in 1840. While the moon as an object of contemplation was mediated by either a human presence or landscape in the works of both Dahl and Friedrich, by the time Menzel undertook the present work in 1855-1860, the landscape was no longer a necessary element to understand the subject matter of the nocturnal cloud study. Instead, Menzel has reduced the landscape to the mere suggestion of the upper levels of buildings in the lower right-hand corner of this small masterpiece, only visible upon close examination, and devoted the bulk of the sheet to a lyrical, gestural, almost abstract study of the moon and clouds over Berlin. Much like Schopenhauer’s depiction of the moon as above earthly activities, Menzel himself seeks to similarly elevate his artistic viewpoint, determinedly untethering himself from the landscape to express the transcendent emotional state of his soul while looking at the night sky through his rendering of it. The only concrete element to which the viewer could fix their attention is the bright circle of the moon, and yet this is partially obscured by the black, mauve and lavender clouds passing before it. Instead, our attention is captured by the light reflected on the clouds behind the moon, which in turn helps define what is obscured, an astonishingly modern approach which Menzel’s contemporaries struggled with. The writer and critic Theodor Fontane recalled seeing one of Menzel’s compositions called Berlin by Night, describing it as a ‘sheet of black paper. With enough imagination one could distinguish clearly the cupola of the castle and the towers of the Gendarmenmarkt, but for most mortals, it was merely a large blot of ink, that’s all!’ (Letter from Fontane to W. van Merckel, 21 December 1857). To modern eyes, however, trained on the later Impressionist and abstract painters, Menzel’s more experimental work is not at all inaccessible. Instead, we can appreciate both the artist’s ability to capture his emotional state in looking at the moon, and his almost contradictory ability to express objective observation of meteorological phenomena. The thin washes of low, scudding clouds along the horizon which dissolve into the suggestion of the buildings are contrasted against the thick, fluid application of undulating passages of gouache to indicate the higher altitude Altocumulus clouds – what are known as Schäfchenwolken, or sheep clouds, in German, and as a ‘mackerel sky’ in English. The reflected light behind the moon is defined by dry brush scumbling of gouache, which emphasizes the broken structure of the clouds, reflecting the light in some places while suggesting that it passes through in others. Finally, the dark clouds passing in front of the viewer are rendered in alternating thick and thin applications of dark gouache, completing the three-dimensional effect of the light by obscuring it in some places while allowing it to almost pass through the thinner portions of the cloud and toward the viewer in others. Described by Edgar Degas as the ‘greatest living master’ during his lifetime, Menzel is less remembered today outside of Germany than the French painter who so admired him. And yet his remarkable oeuvre, which encompasses both formal Prussian history painting and Romantic works of startling modernity like the present painting, deserves far greater appreciation and study than it receives. An important forerunner to the Impressionists and to Whistler’s nocturnes (fig. 1), Menzel’s revolutionary influence can be understood far into the 20th century in the emotive gestural brushwork of the Expressionist and Abstract painters (fig. 2). This painting was formerly in the collection of Alfred and Gertrude Sommerguth, prominent members of Berlin society in the early 20th century. The Sommerguth collection was wide-ranging, including Dutch and Italian old masters, French and German Impressionists, and also a number of works by Menzel. As a result of increasing anti-Jewish measures enacted by the Nazi government in the 1930s, the Sommerguths were forced to sell part of their art collection, including this present work, in 1939 to meet the discriminatory 'flight taxes' imposed before emigration. They fled Germany in 1941, travelling via Cuba to New York, where Alfred passed away in 1950 and Gertrude in 1954. The sale of this painting will address its history, as generously acknowledged by the parties involved.
666	dbpedia	0	96	https://www.wikiart.org/en/adolph-menzel/all-works	en	Adolph Menzel	https://uploads.wikiart.…icon-256x256.png	https://uploads.wikiart.…icon-256x256.png	[]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	www.wikiart.org		/Content/images/favicon.ico	www.wikiart.org	https://www.wikiart.org/en/adolph-menzel/all-works
666	dbpedia	0	5	https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103JVZ	en	Adolf von Menzel (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection)	https://static.getty.edu…e-20/share75.png	https://static.getty.edu…e-20/share75.png	[]	[]	[]	[ "Getty Museum collections", "artworks", "art works", "art history", "video", "interpretation of art", "acquisitions", "artists", "Getty art", "collections Getty", "collezioni Getty", "colecciones Getty", "Sammlung Getty", "Getty exhibits", "Getty current exhibitions", "Getty Museum exhibits", "los angeles collections", "antiquities", "decorative arts", "sculpture", "manuscripts", "photography", "paintings", "drawings" ]	null	[]	null	Explore the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.	en	/art/collection/favicon.ico	The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection	https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103JVZ
666	dbpedia	3	94	https://si-la.org/interview-james-gurney-judge-illw52/	en	Interview with James Gurney, Illustration West 52 Judge	http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-01-250x200.jpg	http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-01-250x200.jpg	[ "https://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SILA_Logo.png", "https://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-01-250x200.jpg", "http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-01-250x200.jpg", "http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-02.jpg", "http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-04.jpg", "http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JamesGurney-03.jpg", "http://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SILA-IllustrationWest52-AlinaChau.jpg", "https://si-la.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SILA_Logo.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "SILA" ]	2013-09-27T19:09:33+00:00	James Gurney, respected illustrator, author, and prolific blogger is one of the distinguished Illustration West 52 judges. Illustration West Show Chair, Santosh Oommen was able to interview Mr. Gurney recently […]	en	https://si-la.org/wp-con…olor-220x180.jpg	The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles	https://si-la.org/interview-james-gurney-judge-illw52/	James Gurney, respected illustrator, author, and prolific blogger is one of the distinguished Illustration West 52 judges. Illustration West Show Chair, Santosh Oommen was able to interview Mr. Gurney recently about his history, practice and inspiration. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself or how you got started? Me in less than 50 words: Graduated UC Berkeley as an archaeology major, left art school for job as an animation background painter, meanwhile writing a book on sketching. Freelanced book covers and Nat Geo until writing Dinotopia, all the while plein air painting. Recently active in art instruction books and videos. What’s your daily routine look like? No two days alike. But basically I wake up at 7:00, have oatmeal, take a walk, and get working by around 9:30. A trip to the post office before lunch, more work and a half hour of outside chores. In the evening, books, magazines, or computer (we have no TV, smart phones, or game systems). That’s basically it, unless we’re on tour. Who are you inspired by? Let’s see. Lately by the drawing of Adolph Menzel, the writing of E.B. White, the animation of Hayao Miyazaki, and the music of Schubert. Do you have a mentor or teacher that was influential on you, while you were studying in college? Yes, Ted Youngkin was the greatest ever perspective teacher. Very demanding and a bit scary while the class was going, but as I followed up with him for all the years until he passed on, he really loved his students and wanted them to succeed. What has been one of your favorite projects to work on? The latest one (released today) of the Australian dinosaur stamps. Worked with some great people and had the privilege to hold some of the fossils in my hands that I reconstructed as living animals. gumroad.com/l/ausdinos \| youtube.com/watch?v=i-E2bGzsDS8 What medium do you work with predominately now? And do you use the digital painting medium? My main media lately are oil, casein, and watercolor, plus an assortment of pens and pencils. I love digital photography and video and non-linear editing, but am only interested in handmade artwork. How important is social media for an illustrator now? And how are you using it? I don’t know about other illustrators, but I do a lot of blogging and YouTubing. Love the feedback and the shared expertise. I’ve learned as much as I’ve taught. Recently have had a blast with Concert Window Open monetized live stream demos. http://www.concertwindow.com/artists/jamesgurney How important is a blog? How often do you update your own blog and what can illustrators do to get more traffic to their sites? The GurneyJourney blog has been the key to everything I’ve done over the last five years.It was the proving ground for all the ideas in my books Color and Light and Imaginative Realism. I update every day. Helps clear my head while the coffee is brewing. Tips for traffic? I don’t know, just be yourself and stay curious. Where do you think the field of Illustration is headed in 5 years or 10 years? No one knows. But one thing’s for sure. The ecosystem of art publishing won’t look like it did 1993 anymore. The changes in publishing, from largely print to largely digital empowers creators to be their own publishers, keep 95% rather than 10% of the profits, and communicate directly with those who support them. This places a burden of responsibility upon content creators to maintain quality in everything they do, but at the same time to take risks and experiment, not only with subject matter, but with delivery systems and monetization. This new world is full of paradoxes. Here are a few: Free content builds paid content; You give stuff away so that you can sell it later; Let people set their own price, they will support you; Promote others, and you will be promoted; Share your trade secrets and you will learn from others. What advice do you have for illustrators beginning and pro? Unless you’d rather work for someone else, where being a specialist is probably necessary, I’d recommend developing a lot of skills. That includes drawing, painting, writing, video editing, photography, accounting, marketing, lettering, sculpting—it all helps. Also deliver on time and give more than you promise. be nice to everyone because it will come back to you. And if you can’t say something nice about someone…. Where can we see more of your work? And watch your informative videos? Where can we purchase your books? Thanks for asking. You’ll find it all on my blog, GurneyJourney, my YouTube channel, and the JamesGurney.com website. Thanks for your questions, Santosh. James Gurney’s blog and his instructional books and videos are highly recommended. jamesgurney.com GurneyJourney Blog James Gurney’s YouTube Channel Illustration West 52 is open for submissions at illustrationwest.org.
666	dbpedia	3	82	https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/tag/adolph-friedrich-erdmann-von-menzel/	en	Self-Portrait of the Artist	https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/03fb80aad1e54302492107fa5ad7b53edf8d3a5ceda6262304693133b0f3d600?s=200&ts=1724605704	https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/03fb80aad1e54302492107fa5ad7b53edf8d3a5ceda6262304693133b0f3d600?s=200&ts=1724605704	[ "https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/cropped-2221030549_8dcaeeeed8.jpg", "https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/menzel-hand-des-kunstlers-mit-farbnapf-1864.jpg?w=500&h=403", "https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/menzel-right_hand_drawn_left_hand-1848.jpg?w=500", "https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/menzel-the-artists-foot-1886.jpg?w=487", "https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/menzel-self-portrait-1876-77.jpg?w=487", "https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/03fb80aad1e54302492107fa5ad7b53edf8d3a5ceda6262304693133b0f3d600?s=50&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Flogo%2Fwpcom-gray-white.png", "https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/03fb80aad1e54302492107fa5ad7b53edf8d3a5ceda6262304693133b0f3d600?s=50&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Flogo%2Fwpcom-gray-white.png", "https://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?v=noscript" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null	Posts about Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel written by Self-Portrait of the Artist	en	https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/03fb80aad1e54302492107fa5ad7b53edf8d3a5ceda6262304693133b0f3d600?s=32	Self-Portrait of the Artist	https://selfportraitoftheartist.wordpress.com/tag/adolph-friedrich-erdmann-von-menzel/	The artist’s hand has been his earliest object of self-portrayal, ever since the (probable?) dawn of art in the paleolithic. That was during the last ‘ice age’ — but I reckon Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel did not know this, as he set about painting the Artist’s hand with ice cube in 1864. Sixteen years earlier he had experimented on the same subject with his Right hand drawn with the left hand; twenty-two years later he would paint his own foot. The Artist’s foot (1876) belongs to Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel. He was seventy-one at the time, and probably the most popular German painter living. In portraying his own foot he is claiming to the artist’s unlimited power of choice. He has also left us a few portraits of his right hand (being left-handed). The self-portrait below, from von Menzel’s sketch-book of the same year, is as unusual in the way the composition is framed. (No doubt, von Menzel could hardly have guessed how popular foot self-portraiture would become in our days…)
666	dbpedia	0	80	http://beardedroman.com/forgotten-master-adolf-von-menzel-polishgerman-1815-1905/	en	Forgotten Master: Adolf von Menzel (Polish/German, 1815-1905)	http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-32x32.png	http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-32x32.png	[ "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2783968034_49b62626fb.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2783114649_87ae75eb14.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2783115471_64abc94647.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2783729977_59a4b806aa.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2783115343_e30735337b.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2784583396_fcf11a8759.jpg", "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2783114557_0447fa7540.jpg", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/facebook.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/twitter.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/pinterest.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/linkedin.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/mail.png", "http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b5c8e49f2c387b2e8e5294096de38fd7?s=72&d=mm&r=g", "http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0ca1ade14247c4e6138b0590e7ba51be?s=72&d=mm&r=g", "http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0ca1ade14247c4e6138b0590e7ba51be?s=72&d=mm&r=g", "http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b5c8e49f2c387b2e8e5294096de38fd7?s=72&d=mm&r=g", "http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=72&d=mm&r=g", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/facebook.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/twitter.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/linkedin.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/rss.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/vimeo.png", "http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/32x32/instagram.png" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Micah Christensen", "beardedroman.com" ]	2008-08-21T00:00:00		en	http://beardedroman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-32x32.png	BEARDED ROMAN	http://beardedroman.com/forgotten-master-adolf-von-menzel-polishgerman-1815-1905/	His graduation from the Academy was followed by a series of lithographic commissions, including works by Goethe and a history of the Frederick the Great. Adolf von Menzel (Polish/German, 1815-1905) Meissonier in his studio at Poissy (1869) Oil on panel. 8 1/4 BY 11 3/8IN. Private collection. In 1855, Menzel traveled to Paris for the first time. The occasion was most likely the influential Paris Exposition Universelle, with thousands of artists’ works on display in series of pavilions organized by nationality. There Menzel saw Gustave Courbet’s “Pavillon du Réalism,” which led to a more naturalistic approach to his paintings. From that time forward, he would make regular trips to Paris and came to know some of the city’s most important artists. Adolf von Menzel (Polish/German, 1815-1905) Aufbewahrungssaal während des Museumsumbaus (1848) Pastel on paper. 46 BY 57CM. Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin. By the end of his life, Menzel was considered one of Berlin’s greatest artists. He joined the Royal Academy of Art in 1853, and was a teacher at the school from 1875 until his death in 1905. He had been decorated as a Knight of the Black Order, given the rank of Privy Councilor with the title “Your Excellency,” and awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Berlin.
666	dbpedia	2	76	https://linesandcolors.com/2016/08/10/adolph-menzel-drawings-and-paintings/	en	Adolph Menzel: Drawings and Paintings – Lines and Colors	http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2016-08/menzel_drawings_paintings_450.jpg		[ "https://linesandcolors.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/lc_header_1200.jpg", "https://linesandcolors.com/images/common/mastodon_logo_32.jpg", "https://linesandcolors.com/images/common/twitter_32.png", "https://linesandcolors.com/images/common/facebook_32.png", "http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2016-08/menzel_drawings_paintings_450.jpg", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/21c62139bfaf75784159ca1ef2955582?s=40&d=mm&r=g", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8f851c32f3ae896ca8ed90529e225d6f?s=40&d=mm&r=g", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cbc1822c0df0d9714b011c1fdb314a55?s=40&d=mm&r=g", "http://linesandcolors.com/images/ads/vasari_300x250_yellow_orange.jpg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	2016-08-10T00:00:00		en			https://linesandcolors.com/2016/08/10/adolph-menzel-drawings-and-paintings/	Though I had seen a few reproductions of his work in books, I first really took notice of German artist Adolph Menzel quite a few years ago, when I encountered some of his original drawings in shows of 19th century master drawings at the Morgan Library in New York and the National Gallery in D.C. Even amid drawings by the likes of Ingres and Degas, I found Menzel’s drawings compelling. There is a kind power in his drawings that comes from honest, direct observation, and the artist’s intention to unflinchingly study and understand what is before him. In this respect (though not particularly in style or execution), Menzel’s drawings remind me of Rembrandt’s clear, economical observations of the streets, people and landscapes in his immediate surroundings. Menzel quickly went onto my list of favorites, a position that has been solidified in recent years as I’ve become more fascinated with gouache, a medium of which Menzel was a master. I quickly found that books on Menzel were far too rare and difficult to find — an unfortunate state that persists to this day — which is why I was delighted to receive a review copy of a new book, Adolph Menzel: Drawings and Paintings, co-edited by Christian Schlierkamp and the indefatigable James Gurney, who also contributed the introduction and the selection of the images. The book is nicely balanced between showcasing Menzel’s too rarely seen drawings, and 32 color plates of both drawings in color and his gouache paintings. The latter include a wonderful selection of images of his paintings for The Festival of the White Rose, a set in which he rendered not only detailed scenes of the events, but set them in intricate trompe l’oeil frames — all painted in gouache. The book also includes a selection of Menzel’s etchings. All are presented in a 116 page volume from Dover Books. This volume continues their line of high-quality art books presented at remarkably reasonable prices, in this case, $27.95 USD. The book will not be released to bookstores or online sources until August 17, 2016; but is currently available direct from James Gurney’s website, signed by Gurney (orders within the US only). Like most of Gurney’s books and videos, this one is augmented by posts on Gurney’s website; to date, one on Menzel’s technique, his use of photography, Menzel the Sketcher and his philosophy of drawing everything. There are also older posts on Menzel, not directly related to the book. I would not be surprised if additional posts are added at some point. Menzel’s studies, sketches, finished drawings and gouache paintings are both a visual treat and a valuable source of study for artists. Menzel drew incessantly and took whatever was around him as his subjects. Adolph Menzel’s drawings are a prime example of an artist’s devotion to drawing as a tool, craft, art and source of understanding and inspiration. His beautiful gouache pantings are a testament to that devotion as a source for richly realized finished works. Adolph Menzel: Drawings and Paintings provides a valuable showcase for both. For those unfamiliar with Menzel’s work, the book is a terrific introduction, particularly because of the emphasis on his brilliant drawings. For those like myself who are already admirers of Menzel, the volume is a long overdue treat.
666	dbpedia	0	18	https://www.kettererkunst.com/bio/adolph-von-menzel-1815.php	en	Biography and Offers			[ "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/kklogo.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/lupe_27x24.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/lupe_27x24.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/de.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/it.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/fr.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/de.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/it.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/fr.gif", "https://www.kettererkunst.com/img/buchsymbol.gif" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[]	null					null	Lots sold by Ketterer Kunst Auction 304 - Lot 464.10 Adolph von Menzel Das Chorgestühl im..., 1869 Sold: € 333,450 / $ 360,126 Auction 355 - Lot 331 Adolph von Menzel Blindekuh, 1867 Sold: € 97,600 / $ 105,408 Auction 282 - Lot 311 Adolph von Menzel Porträt eines jungen Italieners, 1888 Sold: € 50,600 / $ 54,648 Auction 498 - Lot 537 Adolph von Menzel Frühstücksstunde..., 1891 Sold: € 47,500 / $ 51,300 Ketterer Kunst Sell successfully Ketterer Kunst is leading in modern and contemporary art and the only auction house in the German speaking world listed among the worldwide 10 (top 7 according to artprice 2022). specializing in internationally sought after artists. Bespoke marketing concepts and targeted customer approach – worldwide. Personalized and individual service. Worldwide visibility for a successful sale of works by Adolph von Menzel. Printed catalogs : we are the only auction house printing the evening sale catalogs in English and German langiage. Adolph von Menzel Biography The painter and printmaker Adolph von Menzel was born in Breslau in 1815 into a middle-class family. The fact that Menzel was raised to the peerage in 1898 attests to the great esteem in which Menzel was held as a man and an artist. Menzel's father, Carl Erdmann Menzel, was the headmaster of a school for girls and later ran a lithographic printing press. In 1830 the family moved to Berlin, where Adolph Menuel trained in lithography in his father's business. After his father's early death in 1932, the son had to support the family and continued operating the printing workshop. In 1833-1834 Adolph Menzel attended the Berlin Art Academy, where he met Carl Heinrich Arnold, a wallpaper manufacturer who would later became a friend and patron. Menzel received his first commission as an artist from Louis Sachse, an art dealer and publisher, for a sequence of lithographs illustrating the Goethe poem "Künstlers Erdenwallen". Printmaking always enjoyed high status in Adolf von Menzel's œuvre, notably illustrations to works of literature and several biographical and historical works on Frederick the Great and his army as well as his writings. Menzel thoroughly studied the biography of that great exponent of the Enlightenment and did his utmost to ensure that his illustrations were executed with the greatest possible historical accuracy even though the scenes they represented had taken place at least a century before. In 1853 Adolf Menzel became a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts and in 1856 he was appointed professor there. By 1872 Menzel was also an honorary member of the Munich Art Academy. Among Menzel's most important oil paintings is "Das Eisenwalzwerk" ("The Rolling-Mill", 1875) - it is regarded as the first representation in European art of an industrial motif. In 1884 the Berlin Nationalgalerie mounted the first large retrospective of Adolf Menzel's work. An exhibition a year later in Paris attests to the recognition Menzel's work had by then attained abroad. On his 70th birthday Berlin University awarded him an honorary doctorate. He was also given the Freedom of the City in Breslau and was an honorary member of the St Petersburg Academy. Then he was given the Freedom of the City in Berlin and was made a Privy Councillor, to be addressed as "Your Excellency". Adolf von Menzel's lifetime achievement was honored by his being made a Knight of the Black Eagle and raised to the peerage. Adolph von Menzel died in Berlin in 1905. + Record hammer prices at Ketterer Kunst Auction 550 - Lot 38 Alexej von Jawlensky Spanische Tänzerin, 1909 Sold: € 8,338,000 / $ 9,005,040 Auction 550 - Lot 19 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Tanz im Varieté, 1911 Sold: € 6,958,000 / $ 7,514,640 Auction 540 - Lot 33 Alexej von Jawlensky Mädchen mit Zopf, 1910 Sold: € 6,383,000 / $ 6,893,640 Auction 535 - Lot 10 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Das blaue Mädchen in..., 1910 Sold: € 4,750,000 / $ 5,130,000 Auction 535 - Lot 6 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Hockende, 1910 Sold: € 4,290,000 / $ 4,633,200 Auction 535 - Lot 4 Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Lesende (Else..., 1912 Sold: € 4,060,000 / $ 4,384,800 Auction 545 - Lot 43 Wassily Kandinsky Murnau, 1908 Sold: € 3,920,000 / $ 4,233,600 Auction 525 - Lot 243 Albert Oehlen Ohne Titel (Triptychon), 1988 Sold: € 3,600,000 / $ 3,888,000 Auction 386 - Lot 25 Hermann Max Pechstein Weib mit Inder auf..., 1910 Sold: € 3,480,000 / $ 3,758,400 Auction 420 - Lot 820 Kazuo Shiraga Chijikusei Gotenrai, 1961 Sold: € 3,145,000 / $ 3,396,600
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"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png", "https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg", "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/footer/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" ]	[]	[]	[ "" ]	null	[ "Contributors to Wikimedia projects" ]	2005-02-18T04:58:20+00:00		en	/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png		https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolph_Menzel	German artist (1815–1905) Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (8 December 1815 – 9 February 1905) was a German Realist artist noted for drawings, etchings, and paintings. Along with Caspar David Friedrich, he is considered one of the two most prominent German painters of the 19th century,[1] and was the most successful artist of his era in Germany.[2] First known as Adolph Menzel, he was knighted in 1898 and changed his name to Adolph von Menzel. His popularity in his native country, owing especially to his history paintings, was such that few of his major paintings left Germany, as many were quickly acquired by museums in Berlin.[3] Menzel's graphic work (and especially his drawings) were more widely disseminated; these, along with informal paintings not initially intended for display, have largely accounted for his posthumous reputation.[2] Although he traveled in order to find subjects for his art, to visit exhibitions, and to meet with other artists, Menzel spent most of his life in Berlin, and was, despite numerous friendships, by his own admission detached from others.[4] It is likely that he felt socially estranged for physical reasons alone—he had a large head, and stood about four foot six inches (137 cm).[4][5] Biography [edit] Career [edit] Menzel was born to German parents in Breslau, Prussian Silesia (now Wrocław, Poland), on 8 December 1815.[6] His father was a lithographer and intended to educate his son as a professor, but did not thwart his taste for art. After resigning his teaching post, Menzel senior set up a lithographic workshop in 1818. In 1830 the family moved to Berlin, and in 1832 Adolph was forced to take over the lithographic business on the death of his father. In 1833, he studied briefly at the Berlin Academy of Art, where he drew from plaster casts and ancient sculptures; thereafter Menzel was self-taught.[4] Louis Friedrich Sachse [de] of Berlin published his first work in 1833, an album of pen-and-ink drawings reproduced on stone, to illustrate Goethe's little poem, Kunstlers Erdenwallen. He executed lithographs in the same manner to illustrate Denkwürdigkeiten aus der brandenburgisch-preussischen Geschichte; The Five Senses and The Prayer, as well as diplomas for various corporations and societies. From 1839 to 1842, he produced 400 drawings, largely introducing to Germany the technique of wood-engraving, to illustrate the Geschichte Friedrichs des Grossen (History of Frederick the Great) by Franz Kugler. He subsequently brought out Friedrichs der Grossen Armee in ihrer Uniformirung (The Uniforms of the Army under Frederick the Great), Soldaten Friedrichs der Grossen (The Soldiers of Frederick the Great); and finally, by order of King Frederick William IV, he illustrated the works of Frederick the Great, Illustrationen zu den Werken Friedrichs des Grossen (1843–1849). The artist had a deep sympathy for the Prussian king. In one of his letters to Johann Jakob Weber, he said that it was his intention to represent the monarch as a man who was both hated and admired—simply as he was, in other words, as a man of the people.[8] Through these works, Menzel established his claim to be considered one of the first, if not actually the first, of the illustrators of his day in his own line. Menzel's fame came from his illustrations of the 18th-century Prussian monarch, Frederick the Great. As well as dedication to adding historical accuracy and attention to detail. Menzel also made sure to do research on the items he was painting.[10] From 1840 and onward Menzel became admirable for his small paintings and drawings. In which he depicted his unconventional ideas.[11] In the meantime, Menzel had also begun to study, unaided, the art of painting, and he soon produced a great number and variety of pictures. His paintings consistently demonstrated keen observation and honest workmanship in subjects dealing with the life and achievements of Frederick the Great, and scenes of everyday life, such as In the Tuileries, The Ball Supper, and At Confession. Among those considered most important of these works are Iron Rolling Mill (1872–1875) [12] and The Market-place at Verona. When invited to paint The Coronation of William I at Koenigsberg, he produced an exact representation of the ceremony without regard to the traditions of official painting. During Menzel's life, his paintings were appreciated by Otto von Bismarck and William I, and after his death they were appropriated for use as electoral posters by Adolf Hitler.[2] If these historical illustrations anticipated the qualities of early Impressionism,[14] it is paintings such as The French Window and The Palace Garden of Prince Albert, both painted in the mid- 1840s, that now appeal as "among the most freely observed of mid-nineteenth century images."[15] Such genre paintings evidence associations with French and English art. Though he was primarily an excellent draughtsman, art historian Julius Meier-Graefe considered him to be a "proto-impressionist" painter, whose graphic work hindered his painterly potentials.[16] Private drawings and watercolors made of dead and dying soldiers in 1866 on the battlefields of the Austro-Prussian War are unsparing in their realism, and have been described by art historian Marie Ursula Riemann-Reyher as "unique in German art of the time."[17] Later years [edit] The paintings which were available to the public garnered recognition not only within Germany, but from the French avant-garde as well: Edgar Degas admired and copied his work, calling him "the greatest living master",[18] and Louis Edmond Duranty wrote of his art: In a word, the man is everywhere independent, sincere, with sure vision, a decisive note that can sometimes be a little brutal....While being perfectly healthy he has the neurosis of truthfulness....The man who has measured with a compass the buttons on a uniform from the time of Frederick, when it is a matter of depicting a modern shoe, waistcoat, or coiffure, does not make them by approximations but totally, in their absolute form and without smallness of means. He puts there everything that is called for by the character (of the object). Free, large, and rapid in his drawing, no draftsman is as definitive as he.[19] Notwithstanding Menzel's professed estrangement from others, his renown entailed social obligations, and in the 1880s the poet Jules Laforgue described him as "no taller than a cuirassier-guard's boot, bedecked with pendants and orders, not missing a single one of these parties, moving among all these personages like a gnome and like the greatest enfant terrible for the chronicler."[20] In Germany he received many honors, and in 1898 became the first painter to be admitted to the Order of the Black Eagle; by virtue of receiving the Order, Menzel was raised to the nobility, becoming "Adolph von Menzel". He was also made a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Royal Academy in London. After his death in 1905 in Berlin, his funeral arrangements were directed by the Kaiser, who walked behind his coffin.[21] Exhibitions (selection) [edit] "Adolph Menzel 1815–1905. Das Labyrinth der Wirklichkeit", Nationalgalerie (National Gallery) and Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, 7 Feb – 11 May 1997[22] "Menzel. Maler auf Papier", Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, 20 September 2019 – 19 January 2020.[23] World War II [edit] Several important works by Menzel were seized, sold by force or under duress during the Nazi period. Some of these have been restituted in the 21st century. [24] In 2014, the Menzel's Stehende Rüstungen (1886) ("Standing Suits of Armour" or "Armoury Fantasy"[25]) was restituted by the Albertina Museum in Vienna to the heirs of Adele Pächter, who was murdered at the Theresienstadt concentration camp.[26] In 2015, the Menzel pastel "Lady with a Red Blouse" was restituted to the heirs of Erna Felicia and Hans Lachmann-Mosse.[27] [28] Oskar Reinhart had purchased the pastel from the art dealer Fritz Nathan in Munich in 1934 and donated it to the Foundation in 1940.[29] Others have been claimed but not restituted.[30] Also in 2015 the Dutch Limbach Commission refused a restitution request for the Menzel painting "A Weekday in Paris" which had belonged to the Jewish banker Georges Behrens.[31] [32] In 2017 Germany's Culture Minister Monika Gruetter returned Menzel's Interior of a Gothic Church to the heirs of Elsa Cohen who, persecuted by the Nazis because Jewish, sold it to Hitler's art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt in 1938. It was rediscovered in the art stash of his son, Cornelius Gurlitt.[33] The German Lost Art Foundation lists numerous Menzel artworks on its website.[34] In pop culture [edit] Menzel and an exhibition of his art plays a pivotal role in the HBO series The Gilded Age, Season 2 Episode 3.[1] Gallery [edit] Building Site with Willows, 1846 Living Room with the Artist's Sister, 1847 The Bedroom of the Artist in the Ritterstraße, 1847 Study of a Man with a Ruff Collar, ca 1850 Frederick II at Hochkirch, 1856 Students illuminated procession, 1859 Coronation of Wilhelm I, 1865 Weekday in Paris, 1869 Studio Wall, 1872 Supper at the Ball, 1878 Fronleichnamsprozession in Hofgastein, 1880 At the Beer Garden, 1883 Japanese Artist at Work, 1886, graphite on paperboard, National Gallery of Art Notes [edit] Selected bibliography [edit] Karl Scheffler, Adolf Menzel: Der Mensch, das Werk. Berlin: Cassirer, 1915. Elfried Bock, Adolph Menzel: Verzeichnis seines graphischen Werkes. Berlin: Amsler & Ruthardt, 1923. Werner Schmidt, Adolf Menzel: Zeichnungen Verzeichnis und Erläuterungen. National-Galerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, 1955. Ulrich Bischoff, Jens Christian Jensen, Richard Hoppe-Sailer, Wulf Schadendorf, Johann Schlick, Jürgen Schultze, Adolph Menzel: Realist – Historist – Maler des Hofes. Exhibition catalog. Schweinfurt: Weppert, 1981. Gisela Hopp, Eckhard Schaar, Werner Hofmann, eds., Menzel – der Beobachter. Exhibition catalog. Munich: Prestel, 1982. Jost Hermand, Adolph Menzel mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten (Rowohlts Monographien, vol. 361). Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1986. Gisold Lammel, Adolph Menzel. Frideriziana und Wilhelmiana. Dresden: Verlag der Kunst, 1987. Claude Keisch and Marie Ursula Riemann-Reyher, eds.: Adolph Menzel 1815–1905: Between Romanticism and Impressionism. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996. Michaela Diener, „Ein Fürst der Kunst ist uns gestorben“: Adolph von Menzels Nachruhm im Kaiserlichen Deutschland (1905–1910). Regensburg: Roderer, 1998. Hubertus Kohle, Adolph Menzels Friedrichbilder: Theorie und Praxis der Geschichtsmalerei im Berlin der 1850er Jahre. Munich and Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2001. Christina Grummt, Adolph Menzel – zwischen Kunst und Konvention, die Allegorie in der Adressenkunst des 19. Jahrhunderts. Berlin: Reimer, 2001. Michael Fried, Menzel's Realism: Art and Embodiment in Nineteenth-Century Berlin. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Jens Christian Jensen, Adolph Menzel. Cologne: DuMont, 2003. Werner Busch, Adolph Menzel: Leben und Werk. Munich: Beck, 2004. Bernhard Maaz, ed., Adolph Menzel radikal real. Munich: Hirmer, 2008. Werner Busch, Adolph Menzel: Auf der Suche nach der Wirklichkeit. Munich: Beck, 2015. Anja Grebe, Menzel, Maler der Moderne. Berlin: Verlag Eisengold, 2015. Claudia Czok, "Menzel, Adolph (Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von)", in De Gruyter: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: Die Bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker, vol. 89. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2016, pp. 117–121. References [edit] Busch-Salmen, Gabriele (2003). "Adolf Menzels 'Flötenkonzert Friedrich der Großen in Sanssouci': Ein vertrautes Gemälde, 150 Jahre nach seiner Fertigstellung neu gesehen". Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography. 28 (1–2): 127–146. ISSN 1522-7464. Eisler, Colin. Masterworks in Berlin: A City's Paintings Reunited. Bulfinch, 1996. ISBN 0-8212-1951-0 Fried, Michael. Menzel's Realism: Art and Embodiment in Nineteenth-Century Berlin. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-300-09219-9 Keisch, Claude, et al. Adolph Menzel 1815–1905: Between Romanticism and Impressionism. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-300-06954-5 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Menzel, Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 146–147.

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