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How The Bible And The Christian Experience Can Help You Cultivate and Reinforce Your Faith

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Couple praying
Catholics throughout the world are presently observing the Year of Faith which Pope Benedict XVI decreed on October 11, 2012 and which will end on November 24, 2013. The year gives Catholics a chance to rediscover, and share with others, the precious gift of Faith entrusted to the Church and the personal gift of faith that Christians have each received from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But this is not always easy, reason why L’Effort camerounais accompanies you on this journey of rediscovery through its biblical signposts and personal Christian experiences.                                      

Our Lady of Lourdes College Mankon Celebrates Golden Jubilee: Event in pictures

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Pioneer batch with Golden Jubilee torch

Pioneer batch with Golden Jubilee Torch


Cardinal Tumi and pioneer batch infront of college chapel
Cardinal Tumi and pioneer batch infront of college chapel
Lesans at marchpast along commercial avenue
LESANS match past along Bamenda Commercial Avenue
Lesans at marchpast by batches
Christian Cardinal Tumi delivering an academic discourse
Cardinal Tumi delivers academic discourse
Jubilee staff quarters
Jubilee staff quarters

College grotto where jubilee torch was installed (2)
College grotto where Golden Jubilee Torch was installed

Traditional dances  and animation at college campus
Students perform a traditional dance

Our Lady of Lourdes celebrates Golden Jubilee, Douala Emeritus Archbishop warns against the absence of the fear of God

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By Grace Ongey

Cardinal Tumi and pioneer batch infront of college chapel
Cardinal Tumi and pioneer batch infront of college chapel

Douala Emeritus Archbishop His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi has told Lourdes present and former students that successive brilliant academic performances in public exams mean nothing if they are devoid of the fear of God.

Christian Cardinal Tumi was speaking at Our Lady of Lourdes College Mankon Bamenda during celebrations marking the college’s Golden Jubilee as he delivered an academic discourse on the theme: “Being a Christian Young Girl and Woman in the 21st century: Sustaining the Vision of the Founders of Our Lady of Lourdes College.” He therefore stressed the need for moral values rooted in the love of God as a pillar in the life of every human person.

He regretted Christian young girls and women are living in a morally bankrupt society where those who uphold the virtues of truth and honesty are considered foolish. He said education in Lourdes College has grown by leaps and bounds, but said it will be meaningless if it is not accompanied by God-fearing people. He explained that the college’s success is not measured only in academic terms, but also by its training of responsible young girls who uphold the ideals of the founding Fathers.

He said the college was established in 1963 after Rev. Fr. Nabben, who had visited Lourdes in France, realised his dream soon after he returned to Cameroon. The college, he said, came at a time when most young girls were forced into early marriages and when it was thought that educating the girl child was useless.

He, however, regretted that the rate of single motherhood in our society, even among the most educated women, is increasing at an alarming rate and some mothers even force their daughters into prostitution. He said prostitution in universities where young girls from poor homes are prepared to trade their bodies to obtain a university degree is taking the lead. He was, however, happy that some young girls are ready to die to keep their moral and Christian values.

Cardinal Tumi said sustaining the founders’ vision means rediscovering the college’s motto “To serve with love.” He therefore enjoined all to pray for those who hate others for they do not know what they are doing. He explained that true love means being at the service of those in need. He implored those in leadership positions to serve and not dominate.

He urged present and former students or LESANS, to be witnesses to the gospel wherever they are. Cardinal Tumi said he will be surprised if Lourdes does not produce a saint one day. Cardinal Tumi’s discourse preceded a march past of all  batches from the City Chemist Roundabout to the college. 

The jubilee opened on January 3, 2013, with Holy Mass at St. Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral Mankon, Bamenda with the Catholic Education Secretary, Rev. Fr. Christian Mofor, as main celebrant. The Golden Jubilee Principal, Sr. Ndidi Anozie, welcomed all to the jubilee.

Drawing inspiration from the day’s readings, Fr. Mofor said they provide a mirror through which the students and ex-students can see themselves as they are a people set apart. He urged LESANS to stay rooted in Jesus as without Him they can do nothing.

He explained that at 50 the college has done all that God wants of her to the best of her ability. He hailed LESANS for all they have done saying it confirms that a tree is judged by its fruits. He advised present and former students to transform the society. 

A special offertory to support the Bishop’s Education Fund was one of the activities that graced the Eucharistic celebration. At the end of Mass, the steering committee chairperson Prof. Theresia Akenji thanked the chief celebrant and concelebrating priests for starting the jubilee activities.

Past and present students later moved to the school campus for the blessing of the New College gate. The pioneer batch processed into the college campus flanked by present and past students on both sides, and lit the Jubilee Torch which was then installed at the campus grotto. At the college campus a special tribute was paid to the pioneer batch and a minute of silence in honour of students of the pioneer batch who have died.

The jubilee d-day was on January 5 and it started with a Mass with the Archbishop of Bamenda, His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua, as the main celebrant and His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, as the concelebrant. The Bishop of Mamfe, Francis T. Lysinge, the Bishop of Kumbo, George Nkuo, the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda Archdicoese, Agapitus Nfon, the Catholic Education Secretary, Fr. Christian Mofor and several priests from Bamenda Archdiocese and beyond were also present.

Archbishop Esua said the presence of students at the jubilee was an expression of their gratitude to God and to Our Lady of Lourdes College for making them what they are. He said the college was created to give the girl child an equal opportunity,  a holistic education, and to make women responsible citizens at a time when everyone thought the place of the girl child was in the kitchen and the farm. He said the College has produced women who have distinguished themselves in all walks of life.

He lauded Mill Hill missionaries and their collaborators for bringing Catholic Education to Bamenda Archdiocese and also thanked the Congregation of Holy Rosary Sisters for accepting to run the institution since is was created. He hailed Catholic Education describing it as centred on God and the celebration of the Sacraments especially the Eucharist.

He advised LESANS to allow their Christian faith permeate every aspect of their life and called on them to do selfless and dedicated service especially in Cameroon where even those who are paid for services do not do it unless they are given a bribe. He regretted we are living in a society where God has been relegated to the background and enjoined all to put their spiritual values first.

He proposed moral rectitude, transparency and accountability as the guiding principles to a just society.  He lauded LESANS whose association is one of the best in Bamenda Archdiocese. He told present and former students that a jubilee is a time to settle disputes and reconcile with one another.  He thanked parents and guardians for giving their children quality moral education. He also thanked teachers for their commitment in spite of the college’s growing financial challenges.

Governor Lele L’Afrique planted the Jubilee Tree, while His Lordship Agapitus Nfon blessed the Golden Jubilee Staff quarters. Also present at the event were the Fon of Mankon, Angwafor III, the Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Ni John Fru Ndi, and other administrative and political leaders.

Sports competitions, free medical screening and consultations, cultural jamborees, traditional dances, fashion parades, songs and poems, gala and raffle draw competitions, also graced the event.

Our Lady of Lourdes College started with six classrooms, three dormitories and 35 young girls who entered the campus on October 15, 1963. The college now has an enrolment of about 765 boarders, 48 teachers and 20 auxiliary staff. It offers General Education at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels with a few managerial sciences. The Golden Jubilee was celebrated under the theme: Lourdes College at 50; Celebrating Milestones In Holistic Education. The four-day  celebration ended on January 6 with a closing Mass at the College Chapel.
                                                                                                       

Mamfe Diocesan Laity Council congratulates Mamfe Bishop

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Bishop Lysinge

                                                                                                                P.O. Box 120, Mamfe,
                                                                                                                South-West Region,
                                                                                                                December 17, 2012

His Lordship,
Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge,
Bishop of Mamfe,
South-West Region.

Your Lordship,

 

Congratulations!
As we move towards the end of 2012 and your birthday on December 28 that falls on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, we the laity deem it necessary to congratulate you and praise you for the numerous achievements you have made as Chief Shepherd for the past 13 years in the young Diocese of Mamfe.

You became the Bishop of Mamfe in April 1999 and you were openly told that you had the task of primary evangelisation of Mamfe Diocese which was almost 90 percent enclaved. Your Lordship, you took up this task with seven priests in six parishes namely; Mamfe, Mbetta, Akwaya, Fontem, Fonjumetaw and Nguti, covering the whole Diocese of Mamfe. Since then, a lot has happened through the ‘Miracle of Grace’. We are living witnesses, and in less than thirteen years, you have increased the number of parishes from 6 to 31. The number of priests has increased from 6 to 47. Congratulations for this magnificent achievement!

We cannot forget the magnificent modern cathedral you are building, an edifice that reflects your image as a true shepherd. The cathedral has not ended your fervent desire to make Mamfe Diocese Something Beautiful for God. You have built the Bishop’s Residence, a convent and the secretariat, and the Pastoral Centre is under construction. The concern you have for the poor has prompted you to establish health centres and hospitals that provide affordable health care.

Your Lordship, in cognizance of your task of primary evangelisation you have opened a Spiritual Formation Centre in Bachuo-Ntai, a Minor Seminary at Fotabong, the Monastic Community in Mbindia and re-opened the Catechetical Institute at Nguti. We have realised an increase in the number of Baptisms, Confirmations and the Sacrament of Matrimony. Your inaccesible diocese has not deterred you from reaching out to the interior parts of your diocese to administer Sacraments to the faithful. Your personal life is enough inspiration for your priests in particular and the faithful in general. To assist in the task of evangelisation, you brought in different Religious Communities in and out of Cameroon. Mola, congratulations!

Your fatherly love is seen in your relationship with the clergy and the laity. There is no other time we can laud or praise your achievements other than now that you are about to celebrate your birthday on December 28 that coincides with the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

Another great achievement which Mamfe Diocese will live to remember you for, Your Lordship, is the Diocesan Synod you organised recently on the theme, Evangelisation and Marriage as a Sacrament of Communion. The Centenary Celebration is another memorable event in the history o f our diocese that ushered in the release of the Post-Synodal Exhortation Aliquod Pulchrum Deo (Something beautiful for God.) This celebration tallied with the Pope’s declaration of the Year of Faith.

Permit us to congratulate you on what you have achieved in the field of education. The birth of St. Anthony of Padua’s College, Banya and Light of Hope Women Empowerment Centre, Mamfe are laudable examples. The efforts at reviving Queen of the Rosary College, Okoyong and St. John’s College, Nchang, are also praise-worthy. Your renovation and construction of primary schools is also commendable. The two primary schools at Eyumojock and Ekok are worth mentioning because the Cameroon/Nigerian border had no Catholic school. Beautiful presbyteries and churches, which we are proud of, have also been constructed. The Agriculture projects you have initiated will be of great benefit to this diocese in the near future, and for this, we the laity, are very grateful to you. Finally the creation of a scholarship scheme to cater for Catechists and Catholic teachers’ children is a big relief to these Church workers.

Once more, we want to remind you that the Blessed Newman Spiritual Formation Centre, Bachuo-Ntai and the John XXIII Minor Seminary Fotabong, remain the true nurseries of vocation to the Catholic priesthood in our diocese. We will continue to pray and support their existence. Like “Oliver Twist” we will happily welcome the creation of Retreat Centres in different parts of Mamfe Diocese to help form the laity spiritually and make Mamfe Diocese Something Beautiful for God.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.

Signed:                       

Eno-Akpa Agbor Ferdinand (K.S.M )    Obasi Gregory Ojong   
Chairman of the Council            Secretary of the Council   

World Prayer Day for Peace: “Cameroon is suffering from a moral illness,” Douala Metropolitan Archbishop

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Excerpts of Mgr. Samuel Kléda’s homily on the World Day of Prayers for Peace

Archbishop of Douala, Mgr Kleda
Dear brothers and sisters,
On this first day of 2013, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and we are praying for peace in the world, in our country and in our families, for this first day is particularly dedicated to praying for peace.

Another important event, which is proper to integrate in our celebration, is the Year of faith, launched in October 2012 and which will end in November 2013. The proclamation of this year of grace commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the proclamation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
 
All these ecclesial events of great importance invite us to deepen our encounter with our Master, Jesus Christ. And it is within this backdrop that we set out in quest for peace in 2013. We first turn to the Virgin Mary, our Mother in heaven. She alone bears the unique title of the Mother of God, and it is on this account that we honour her today. It is not on her merit that God lavished her with so many graces, it is because of the love that He had for her, and Mary, from the beginning and in all her life, obeyed God’s will.

The Virgin Mary, Mother of God, shows us today the path of peace, the peace that she received through her obedience to God’s will.  She is at the centre of the Incarnation mystery; she received the Prince of Peace in her midst; the evangelist St. Luke recounts that she meditated, in her heart, all the events concerning her son; and St. Paul wrote: “God sent his son, he was born of a woman- to make us His sons. Sent by God, the Spirit of His son is in our hearts and it is what makes us cry out, Abba, Father!

United in her son, she experienced the happiness of being the Mother of the Prince of Peace.  Tradition gave her the title of Theotokos, “she who delivered God”. It is for this reason that we greet her with the words, “Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us”. Greeting the Virgin Mary in this way, is to recognise that Mary’s son is true God and true Man. The Virgin Mary therefore gives us peace in our hearts; she never ceases to manifest to us her children, her love, her tenderness and her motherly kindness.

In this regard, we are never going to be attentive enough to the act that was accomplished by our first missionaries: to dedicate this land, on which they had just set foot, to the virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, so that she should watch over it. Let her then show us the path of true peace, which we are all aspiring to today!

“Happy are the peace makers, this is the theme that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has chosen for the 2013 World Day of Peace. He used one of the beatitudes (Mt. 5, 1-12). True peace, which is the fullness of life, cannot be realised out of God’s plan for life. It is in this light that Jesus Christ has made us to be peace makers.  After his resurrection, the first message to his disciples was a message of peace: “Peace be with you.” Through this he instituted peace for all men on earth. The apostle Paul identifies true peace with God and His Son: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1Cor. 14, 33). “For He Himself is our peace” (Eph. 2, 14).

Peace therefore seeks Man’s total fulfilment. It is in this light that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI insists particularly in his message on the respect of human dignity, and the respect of all aspects of human life: “Peace concerns the integrity of the human person and calls for the involvement of all. It is peace with God, by living according to His will. It is internal peace with oneself and external peace with one’s neighbours and all creation.” This very suggestive title, given to the conclusion of Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical letter, throws new light on the peace that we need today: “Development is the new name for peace.”

It is today more urgent than ever before to study the things that can endanger peace in our country and address them to find solutions to them. Among the things that endanger peace we can first mention social inequality. Let us agree at this level, with the Conciliary Fathers, who indicated the real danger that this represents to peace in a country: “ In order to build up peace above all the causes of discord among (peoples), especially injustice, which foment wars must be rooted out. Not a few of these causes come from excessive economic inequalities and from putting off the steps needed to remedy them. Other causes of discord, however, have their source in the desire to dominate and in a contempt for people. And, if we look for deeper causes, we find them in human envy, distrust, pride, and other egotistical passions.” (Gaudium et Spes, 83).

Many Cameroonians in our towns cannot eat to their fill, are not employed, especially the youth; and cannot treat themselves when they are sick. How many parents cannot send their children to school today as a result of financial difficulties? Certain segments in our society are becoming poorer and poorer. We consider this a scandal as Cameroon has vast riches. It is admissible to witness the impoverishment of part of a good segment of the Cameroonian population.

It is also necessary to admit that the economic situation of our country is declining year after year. How can we understand that in our towns, water and electricity are in acute shortage, fifty years after Independence? The same problems are being experienced in many other sectors. If the state of Cameroon is unable to provide water and electricity to the population, there is every reason to start asking serious questions about the management of public life.

Cameroonians know the causes of this decline which is not due to the absence of riches; it is not due either to the lack of well trained technicians or a qualified manpower. Cameroon’s illness is moral; this ill has destroyed the consciences of many Cameroonians? Many can no longer distinguish evil from good and vice versa. These people have lost a sense of evil. This is how St. Paul describes the faithful of Ephesus who had adopted the same lifestyle: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ep 4, 17-19).
 
When a person’s thoughts are darkened, his heart is smeared, his moral sense destroyed, it loses the sense of the human person and only seeks its own proper interests to the detriment of others. The main reason behind this situation comes from the fact that many do not believe in God. St. Paul explains that: “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their mind and consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disqualified for every good work (Titus 1, 15-16).

The evil that is devouring our country is corruption. This plague is the biggest gangrene in any society and constitutes a well lubricated setback to development in our country. Some Cameroonians have gotten to a level where to exploit their brothers, to steal and to swindle billions of francs from the State coffers has become an intelligent and brave act. The more it seems efforts are being made to fight this plague, the more it spreads and reaches all sectors of public life in our country. This situation has only increased the suffering of a many Cameroonians –the poorest and the most disadvantaged.


Editorial: For How Long Are Cameroonians going To Continue Paying For Poor Services?

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By Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Whereas elsewhere around the world customers are demanding not just good but great services from service providers, many businesses offering essential services in Cameroon have, on the contrary, cultivated a regrettable reputation of offering scandalously poor services to their customers. From the energy, through the potable water supply, to the telephone sectors, customers have been caught in a spiral of despicably and scandalously poor customer services and many are wondering if anyone is really in charge as no one is being held accountable.

Many telephone users have definitely heaved a sigh of relief now that the festive period is over and the quality of mobile telephone communication has improved, but this is not to say poor telephone communication is only restricted to festive periods, no! Poor telephone services are common in Cameroon at anytime and anywhere and the most annoying part of the story is that service providers never lose a franc, while customers continue paying exorbitantly for poor services.`

Did we get the President right during his New Year address to the nation when he said Cameroon has won or will soon win the energy deficiency battle? If we got him right, then he is yet to fully appreciate the gravity of the situation on the ground as a day hardly goes by without blackouts in many residential and business areas in some parts of Cameroon. It even takes months sometimes to replace fallen power poles that have become a danger to residents. The situation is even worse in rural areas. The privatisation of the former State owned power company has not improved the situation; if it has not only become worse.  It is common to find agents from the lone power company struggling to disconnect homes for unpaid bills in a residential area that has gone for days and/or is still without power. 

A hygiene lesson in elementary school states that good drinking water is colourless and tasteless, but despite its coloured nature; and which customers are left with no choice than paying for, many residential areas go for weeks, if not months, without a drop of water in their faucets. The pipes may be dry, but not the bills that come in handy every month. What about the broken pipes that are left leaking for weeks when households are without water? It is hard for enterprises and businesses to please everyone all of the time, but it is the current expectation and the standard that more and more customers are holding businesses accountable these days, but not so in Cameroon. Customers in Cameroon are simply tired of poor services.

In a competitive market environment it does not take a lot for disgruntled customers to start looking for a replacement, but when they find themselves in situations of absolute or near monopoly, what choices can they make? Nothing important gets done in any business unless it is measured and individuals are held accountable. What have the powers that be done or are doing to ensure that customers in Cameroon get the value or quality of the services that they are being milked for? Are customers in Cameroon not paying too much for poor services? Some hold that a country only has the quality of services it deserves, but it is hard not questioning if this is what customers in Cameroon really deserve as far as energy, potable water and telephone services, for example, are concerned? Cameroon is evidently one of the few countries in the world where any courageous business venture can come into and make whatever profits to the detriment of its population.

To provide services to people far below what they expect is to deceive or lie to them and the Catholic Church considers lying and cheating as misrepresenting the truth in people’s relations with others. Offenses against the truth therefore express, by word or deed, a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness. They constitute fundamental infidelities to God and to his people.

Successful companies usually implement a customer relationship management system which help them measure, track their performances and customer perception with a view to making adjustments where pitfalls are uncovered. Based on continuous poor services in Cameroon, one wonders if the afore-mentioned service providers ever make use of this approach. If service providers are comfortable making money through “Poor Service Obstinacy”, then it is up to customers to hold them to account for Cameroonians do not deserve the poor services they are presently receiving.

L'Effort Camerounais No. 545 From January 9 To January 23, 2013

Kumbo Diocese Celebrates Centenary of the Catholic Faith: Event in pictures

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Apostolic Nuncio recieved by Mgr George, Bui Administration
Bishop George Nkuo and Bui Administration receiving Apostolic Nuncio



A huge crowd answered present
Christians turned out in their numbers for the event

Church Ministers Pose representative of Cameroon's President
PM Yang represented Head of State at the event

Long line of priests
Entrance Procession

Nso Notables(sheys) lead lectionary procession
Who could ever imagine? Nso Notables lead Lectionary procession

Ecclesia awards
Rewarded for contributing to evangelisation

Apostolic Nuncio, Pm Yang, His Grace Cornelius Esua and Mgr George Nkuo cut anniversary cake
His Grace Cornelius F. Esua, Apostolic Nuncio, PM P. Yang and Mgr. George Nkuo cut Centenary Cake

 


As Kumbo Celebrates Centenary of Catholic Faith, Christians urged to remain steadfast

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By Emmanuel Verdzeka

100 years of Catholic Faith in KUmbo
Priests, religious and the lay faithful in Kumbo Diocese have been exhorted to renew their commitment to the Catholic faith as she enters a new dawn. The Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Mgr Piero Pioppo, made the call during the peak celebration of 100 years of the Catholic Faith in Kumbo Diocese on January 25 at the ceremonial ground of St. Augustine College Nso.

Thousands of Christians from Kumbo and beyond, priests and religious and even people from other faiths, were part of a beautifully animated celebration, which many described as historic.  The beautiful singing and culture-styled lectionary procession, which some traditional rulers led, added colour to the event. Cameroon's PM Philemon Yang represented the President of the Republic of Cameroon.

The Apostolic Nuncio, who presided over the Pontifical High Mass, conscious of the growing challenges of today's church, asked the laity to proudly profess their faith as only faith can deliver them from indifferences. He called on parents to transmit their faith to their children, who in turn must not treat it as a private matter, but use it to contribute to their Church’s and community’s growth. He enjoined priests and religious to love each other and to listen to the voice of the Spirit.

Alluding to the day’ s scriptures , Mgr. Pioppo likened the encounter of early Christians with the first missionaries in Kumbo 100 years ago, to St. Paul's conversion on his way to Damascus. He said the early Christians received what St.  Paul received directly from Christ from the first missionaries.

He explained conversion is not a result of personal engagement but rather Grace from God. He asked the congregation to reflect deeply on what St. Paul's conversion means to them today. He encouraged Christians to always walk in the early Christians’ path and to ask Holy Mary, Star of New Evangelization, to shine her light on their path to keep their Catholic Faith alive.

Welcoming guests, the Mayor of Kumbo, Donatus Fonyuy Njong, acknowledged the enormous sacrifices which the early Christians made to implant the Catholic faith in Kumbo. He also recounted the numerous contributions the Church has made especially in health and education. He wandered what could have become of Kumbo without the Catholic Church. Even with the growing challenges the Church is facing today, the Mayor called on all to embrace the next century with determination and faith.

The visiting German delegation from Limburg described the celebrations as God's blessings. Limburg and Kumbo Diocese have enjoyed 25 years of fruitful relations. Mgr Charles Hammawah led the delegation from the neighboring Nigerian Diocese of Jalingo.

 Fourteen Bishops took part in the Eucharistic celebrations including Cameroon's lone Cardinal, Christian Tumi.

At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Apostolic Nuncio handed certificates and awards to some Christians who have help in the Church’s growth in Kumbo.

Brief History

On December 31, 1912, six Sacred Heart Missionaries of St. Quentin, who Rev. Fr Lennartz was heading, arrived in Kumbo from Germany. Peter Wame and his wife Elizabeth Yaadiy guided them to Nso.

 On January 1, 1913, the first mission station was opened in Shisong on the same day the first Mass was said. In May 1914, a second group of 12 missionaries arrived. The German Sacred Heart Missionaries departed in 1915 after the Second World War. French Sacred Missionaries only replaced them in 1920.

All along the early church suffered persecution from the already established traditional institutions and rulers. The first church and the catechist's house were burnt to ashes On December 20, 1920. The early Christians were caught, tried in the traditional court and imprisoned.

Today, Kumbo Diocese covers the administrative units of Bui and Donga-Mantung Divisions, North West Region, Cameroon. It has 95 priests, over 30 religious congregations and thousands of Christians, who worship in 27 parishes.

The first parish was Shisong and the youngest is St. Paul's Parish Kikaikom erected in 2012. Kumbo Diocese is under the stewardship of Bishop George Nkuo, who took over from His Grace Fontem Esua first resident Bishop of Kumbo.

                                                                                           

LAMP FOR MY STEPS: The right motive matters

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 By Rev. Fr. Giles N. Forteh

Fr. Giles Ngwa
I truly shudder at the thought of being told at the end of a long and tortuous race, and after much exhaustion, that I was running on the wrong tract. Students are very familiar with some of the evaluation tags which examiners use to evaluate their script content.

Imagine for a while, that you presented a lengthy answer to a question in an examination and went home very satisfied, expecting a distinction; but in the end you find OT (off topic) marked on your script. The two examples cited above are frightening.

One of the fundamental temptations of every human person, irrespective of rank and calling, is the search for self-affirmation and the desire to put oneself at the centre. In big and small ways, this urge can take hold of a person and go so deep that all he or she does begins and ends with it. The danger is real and few do escape or overcome it.

When it sinks its roots into our being, all our intentions become vitiated and our efforts end up becoming nothing more than an exercise in self-seeking. It can be easily said that the daily task of a Christian is the purification of his motive, by means of continuous self-renunciation so that the glory of God becomes the goal of all his striving. This is a lifelong struggle, recommending daily sacrifice and reflection.

It is growing in Christian faith to the point that one can say like Christ, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 4:35; 5:17). Or, in acting, seek to conform to the words of St. Paul, “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31). Jesus knew the tempter will constantly seek to induce his followers into doing good acts for the wrong purpose, that the temptation to seek self-affirmation and mere praise could cause them to lose their heavenly blessings.

It is for this reason that in the Sermon on the Mount recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew he points out the danger of how even the most fundamental religious acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving could be derailed and denuded by self-seeking (Mt 6).

Five years ago a church was inaugurated in a village in Cameroon. Although the project had been completed after the collective efforts of all the villagers, the personal contribution of an elite was very remarkable. He could be said to be the one who conceived the project and singlehandedly raised almost 30 percent of the total building cost. No one could dispute this fact and the villagers had, on previous occasions, expressed their indebtedness to their illustrious son.

On the inauguration day by the bishop, the Church Committee chairman presented a carefully crafted address in which he profusely thanked all who had contributed to the project and laid emphasis on the fact that no project is too great when people generously put together their mites, and work with God to accomplish it. But it seemed the elite who raised a lot of money expected more praises than a simple mention of how grateful the people were for all he did. 

Although his name featured in the speech, he was not satisfied. Immediately after the event, he attacked the village council chairman and walked away inconsolably angry at what he considered a lack of recognition. In his anger he swore never to contribute anymore to the development of the village Christian community.

I guess the elite expected something of a standing ovation. Could there be any other reason for his hard work and generosity apart from affirmation and praise? He swore to stop doing good because the praises of men were not forthcoming.

The temptation to seek one’s glory in all one does comes to each of us. We had better identified it to resist it by an act of the will and the laborious practice of self-effacement. If the desire to earn the praises of men is the only reason for which we seek to render service to the community, then we may either become very frustrated if we persist in doing good or do the evil which is pleasing to men.

When the Seventy-two disciples returned to the master riding on the crest of their impressive missionary exploits, the Lord nibs the temptation to self-affirmation in the bud and takes them back to something very fundamental:“do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10:20). He had already told them to store treasures in heaven:"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mt 6:19-20).

The praises of men pass with the passing wind. What endures is the joy of the Lord. When we set out to do things for God’s sake, then we can be sure that whatever the outcome, our reward is being in heaven. Our daily prayer should be: Lord, purify our motives; deliver us from the evil of self-affirmation. May we always seek your glory in all that we do, so that our works will be sown for an eternal harvest.

First edition of Cameroon Panorama Day launched

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By Jude Abanseka

Past Editions of Cameroon Panorama
Past editions of Cameroon Panorama

The Bishop of Buea, His Lordship Immanuel Bushu, has called on Christians to sustain the Catholic monthly, Cameroon Panorama, either financially, morally, by contributing articles or in any way they consider necessary.

Bishop Bushu was speaking in Holy Family Parish, New Town, Limbe, on January 6, 2013, while presiding at a Solemn Mass to launch the first edition of what shall be known from now on as "Cameroon Panorama Day."

In his homily Bishop Bushu said that Jesus shares His light with Christians at Baptism. Inspired by the day's Gospel passage, Mgr. Bushu said the visit of the Magi who hailed Jesus as Light, Priest and King, is a sign that Christians are the same from their baptism.

He said Christians have to suffer for Christ who was not crucified on a bed of roses but with a crown of thorns. "As his followers, therefore, we have to accept suffering but with the understanding that we shall not suffer in vain," the Bishop said.

He said like lights, Christians have to shine in their families, their work places and where ever they are. Mgr. Bushu added that if Christ was born on earth it means Christians can also be born in Heaven. Noting that in life we become what we eat, the preacher said Christ has given his body for us to eat to become like him.

"Only Christians," he went on, "have this wonderful gift of being able to eat their God as they do in Communion after consecration." He explained that God was humble to allow himself to be written as a book.  "He thus makes it easy for Christians to know Him because it suffices reading the Bible often to know God."

Being the Feast of the Epiphany, the Bishop noted that the Epiphany reminds Christians that they have to strive daily to be like Christ. He stressed that there should be an Epiphany wherever Christians are because Epiphany means "showing outside". He concluded good Christians are known through what they do, not what they say.

The event's second part continued in the Parish hall after Mass with three talks. The first, which Rev. Fr. Joseph Awoh gave on the Year of Faith, explained what it is all about. He noted the Year of Faith seeks to move one's faith to a higher level. He explained to achieve this Christians are called to go on pilgrimages like visiting the birth place of Christ and Marian Shrines, do devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and study the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Vatican II texts.

Rev. Fr. Eric Akongnui presented a talk on the media and responsible parenthood. He noted that with the rapid development of science and technology nowadays, the media is influencing all aspects of life.  Fr. Eric Akongnui therefore advised parents how to prevent the media from having a negative influence on their children.

Two journalists, Kevin Njomo and Charles Ndi Chia, present at the occasion, reiterated calls for parents to raise their children properly. While Charles Ndi Chia advised parents with decoders to always use the parental control button to block channels they do not want their children to watch, Njomo Kevin urged Fr. Eric Akongnui who works with young people, to pull off rings from boys' ears and chains from girls' ankles.

Kevin Njomo also presented the third talk in which he presented the history of Cameroon Panorama, tracing the magazine's roots from Fiango Parish Kumba 50 years ago, with a Mill Hill Missionary, Rev. Fr. Bernard Stuggart as its first editor, to its present site.

A question and answer session, which will continue in subsequent editions of the monthly magazine, followed the presentation. Speaking to L'Effort Camerounais after the event, the present editor, Rev. Fr. Wilfred Emeh, said he was satisfied with the first edition, and especially so as the priests who delivered the talks prepared thoroughly.

He said more Christians of the host parish were expected to participate, but the hall was barely full. Fr. Emeh said "Cameroon Panorama Day" has been instituted to evaluate the work the production team is doing and to look for ways to improve the magazine's content.

The next edition will be commemorated on January 6, 2014 at a venue the     committee will decide.
                                                                          

Adolescent abuse remains high in Cameroon a non governmental organisation reveals

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 By Percy Afuh

Protecting children
It has been revealed that over 40 percent of adolescents and pre-adolescents in North West, West and Centre Regions of Cameroon have suffered and are still suffering from abuse and exploitation.

A Non-governmental Organisation, The International Circle for the Promotion of Creation, CIPCRE, made the disclosure recently during a press conference to make public the findings of a study, "The Fight Against Gender discrimination, sexual abuse and exploitation of the child, notably the girl child."
The study, carried out in 2012, revealed that more than 4000 children, especially girls, are victims of sexual exploitation in the North West, West and Centre Regions, with 36 percent of the victims below 13, often subjected to sexual activity on an average of 130 hours per week.

The project coordinator, Mathieu Foka, said these abuses are sometimes carried out with or without the consent of parents and the most affected are children with little or no education.
The study also indicated that girls are victims of gender discrimination within their families - a phenomenon that often pushes them to varied forms of exploitation.

Victims of sexual abuse and exploitation of the girl child, the study uncovered, usually drop out of school, contract sexually transmissible diseases and HIV and are traumatised and this sometimes degenerates to madness.

Within the project, and in collaboration with some specialised organisations, CIPCRE indentified and rehabilitated some victims, the coordinator indicated.
To reverse the trend, CIPCRE, recommends conscious and committed parental responsibility and the creation of vigilante groups in the regions to check child trafficking and rape.

Mathieu Foka, explained the North West, West and Centre regions were chosen for the study because they serve as the origin, transit and destination zone respectively for child trafficking.

In collaboration with the Institute of Anthropological Research in Yaoundé, CIPCRE carried out the research in March 2012.
                                                                                                                    

Japan to construct 18 schools in the North West Region

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By Percy Ngwainbi Afuh

Trad Rulers - NW Governor- Ambassador and Minister at Foundation Stone site
Japanese Ambassador, traditional authorities and administrative authorities

A project to construct new classroom blocks in 18 primary schools in the North West Region has been launched.  Cameroon's Minister for Basic Education, Yussuf Adidja Alim, and the Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, His Excellency Tsutomu Arai, laid the foundation stone of the Japan- sponsored project on December 21 in Government School, G.S, and Government Bilingual School, G. B. S, Ngomgham, Mezam Division.

The G.S. and G.B.S. Ngomgham new school buildings will be made up of 24 classrooms, four offices and two toilet blocks, and will be the first of 18 primary schools to be constructed by the Japanese government across the North West Region to the tune of FCFA 5.5 billion.

The 18 primary schools - five in Bamenda,  four in Santa, two each in Bali, Tubah, Ndop and Bafut and one in Fundong, constitute schools to be constructed within the fifth phase of the Japanese grant.

As construction work is set to begin, people have been questioning why a sub-division like Santa has as many as four schools, while Momo, Menchum, Donga-Mantung and Bui Divisions have not benefitted from the largess.

The North West Region is the last to benefit from the Cameroon- Japan Corporation project which started in 1998 with the construction of schools in Yaounde and Douala.

The Japanese project is expected to assuage the acute shortage of classrooms in primary schools across the North West Region. At the opening of the 2012/2013 Academic Year, the North West Regional Delegate for Basic Education, Susana Fon Nyangha, said, in the previous academic year, the North West Region had 2892 schools with only 9040 classrooms. Given that a primary school in Cameroon has six classes, the figures therefore suggested a deficit of over 8000 classrooms.
It is against this backdrop that inhabitants of the North West Region are anxiously looking forward to the completion of this project in 2014. When the project is completed it will reduce the classroom deficit by 200.

"At the end of the fifth phase, the government of Japan would have spent FCFA 64.4 billion to build 1521 classrooms in 141 schools in Cameroon," His Excellency, Tsutomu Arai said.

The Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon sees the project as Japan's contribution to Cameroon's efforts to meet one of the Millennium Development Goals, universal primary education, by 2015.
                                                                                                       

Catholic Education collaborators deliberate way forward

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By Rev. Sr. Roseline Rueben

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Catholic Education Secretaries and principals

Catholic Education Secretaries and principals of Catholic colleges in Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province held their annual meeting in Mamfe  from January 14 to 16, 2012. During the meeting the Catholic Education Secretaries examined deficit which is one of the factors crippling education in the four dioceses that make up the ecclesiastical province.

Despite the fact that some Bishops, school proprietors, painstakingly look for ways of paying the school fees of poor pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, the payment of salaries, pensions and other benefits accrued to teachers, still remains a major problem.

The Catholic Education Secretaries Chairperson, Fr. Christian Mofor, therefore identified three ways to improve on the situation. He implored Catholic parents to enroll their children in Catholic schools as high enrollment, he explained, will improve the present situation. The Chairperson also lauded the Bishops' Scholarship Scheme through which the fees of some poor children in rural areas are paid and implored the government to increase subventions to Catholic schools.
During a Pontifical High Mass which served as an opening Mass on the second day, the Bishop of Mamfe told the Catholic Education Secretaries and principals not to be afraid of the challenges they encounter while carrying out their duties. "We are not fighting a lost battle and we should not give up our role in education. Be strengthened by the words of Christ, for when we meet, deliberate and discuss our problems as Christians, the Lord is with us," he told them.

In a paper he presented titled, Focusing on making our secondary schools progressively communities of faith, Fr. Christian Mofor stated, among other things, that creating a Catholic environment in school sets the stage to portray the Catholic character of Catholic secondary and high schools. He explained for such an environment to be created, Catholic secondary and high schools should be seen as big parishes.

He encouraged the celebration of the Holy Mass before lectures and the recitation of the Angelus. He asked students to join Catholic associations and crucifixes to be hung in the classes, rooms and offices and for school authorities to ensure that the duty of a chaplain is felt in every school.

The Chief celebrant of the Pontifical High Mass that ended the meeting, the Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, His Lordship Hillary Paul Odili Okeke, whose visit to Mamfe Diocese coincided with the CESs and principals meeting, marveled at the organisation within the province and said it is worth emulating. Bishop Okeke said the foundation of Catholic education should be built on Christ. He also entreated that prayers should be part and parcel of the formation of students.

Meanwhile, the National Catholic Education Secretary, Rev. Fr. Giles Ngwa Forteh, unavoidably absent, sent a letter in which he praised the efforts, sacrifices and dedication of his collaborators in fostering and nurturing Catholic Education. He also disclosed that the General Assembly of Principals of Catholic Colleges will be held in Yaoundé from February 19 to 20, 2013.

Two participants, Fr. Leonard Ekwelle and Sr. Anthonia Eze HHCJ, said the workshop and paper presentation widened their horizon and provided solutions to the challenges they encounter while carrying out their duties.

The Catholic Education Secretaries and principals also paid a visit to the Blessed John Henry Newman Spiritual Centre and to His Royal Highness Nfor Tabetando of Bachuo-Ntai.
                                                                                             

Veteran Catechist Marcus Nkwi finally retires

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By Bruno Ndong Yonghabi and Hans Linus Song, Parish Social Communicators

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His Lordship Agapitus Nfon and Catechist Marcus Nkwi

Christians of St. Anthony’s Parish Njinikom and beyond joined in a thanksgiving Mass on Friday, January 4, 2013 to celebrate the retirement of Catechist Marcus Nkwi alias “Mali”. The Mass, which started at 9am, had as chief celebrant the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda, Agapitus Nfon, assisted by the Vicar General, Mgr. Engelbert Kofon and twelve priests.

The Entrance and Lectionary processions which the Catholic Women Association, CWA, and Catechists respectively executed, preceded the day’s readings. In his sermon Bishop Nfon said Christians had gathered to acknowledge the great services that Catechist Marcus Nkwi had rendered to the Church.


He said he himself passed through the hands of a Catechist before becoming what he is today. While thanking Catechist Nkwi for his long service to the Church, he prayed that God should continue to bless and protect him and his family.

He also prayed that God should keep him healthy so that he could continue offering his services to the Church when the need arises. He, however, said we cannot ride a willing horse to death, but stressed being a catechist is not a profession, but a vocation. “Once a catchiest, a catechist forever,” he indicated.

The Auxiliary Bishop also quoted Pope John Paul II who in his address to catechists in Angola during his last pastoral visit to Africa laid emphasis on the importance and indispensable role of catechists in the Church.  “So many times it has fallen on you to strengthen and build up young Christian communities, and even to found new ones through the proclamation of the Gospel. If missionaries could not be there for the first proclamation, or had to leave before it could be followed up, it was you, the catechists, who instructed the catechumens, prepared people for the Sacraments, taught the faith and were leaders of the Christian communities.”

He continued, “We give thanks to the Lord for the gift of your vocation, through which Christ has called you from among men and women, to be instruments of His salvation, to respond with generosity to your vocation and your names will be written in heaven”.

He related Pope John Paul II’s message to the work and life of Catechist Marcus Nkwi explaining that he has strengthened and built up Christian communities, instructed catechumens, prepared children and adults for the Sacraments, and taught the Faith.

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Exhibiting the Word he helped in propagating

He said Christians and many priests and religious today owe a lot to Catechist Nkwi as they all passed through his hands, thanks to the strength from the Almighty who has made him an instrument of Salvation.

After Mass, the Parish Pastoral Council, PPC, Chairperson, Bobe Gregory Kuh Chia, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Cletus Tita and Catechist Marcus Nkwi all rendered thanks to God for what has been accomplished this far. They wished the retired catechist good health and a long life

A civic reception followed in the Parish hall during which gifts were presented, more speeches made, and traditional dances performed accompanied by feasting. We wish Bobe Marcus Nkwi alias “Mali” a peaceful retirement.



Pope Benedict XVI announces he will step down

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PopeBenedictXVI_3
Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff.

 With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013

 

Who Will Vote for the Next Pope?

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The conclave that will elect Benedict XVI's successor will have 117 members on the day his resignation becomes official, at the end of this month.

There are 61 Europeans, 19 Latin Americans, 14 North Americans, 11 Africans, 11 Asians and one from Oceania among the voters. Benedict XVI will not participate in the conclave.

The country with the greatest number of cardinal-electors is Italy, with 21. Sixty-seven of the electors were created by Benedict XVI and the remaining 50 by John Paul II.

The conclave will proceed according to the rules of "Ordo Rituum Conclavis," established by Pope John Paul II's apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis."

During the time between the Holy Father's resignation and the election of the next pontiff, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, as the cardinal camerlengo, will have the fundamental role in governing the Church.

While the conclave is ongoing, the cardinals reside within the Vatican. They are not permitted any contact with the outside world.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, reported that Benedict XVI will go to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo when he leaves office on February 28. After that he will reside in a cloistered monastery within the Vatican walls.

Source: Zenit.org

Do you have or know an ambitious young man or woman between 15 and 19 years?

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Interviewed by Ireneaus Chongwain Chia


Elmadi
The African Leadership Academy is offering ambitious young men and women in Africa an opportunity to acquire upright and ethical leadership skills that the continent so desperately needs. One of its officials, Elmahdi Oummih, was in Cameroon recently and explained in greater detail what his institution is doing to ensure transformational leadership for Africa. Excerpts:

You have been in Cameroon for close to a week now. May we know what has brought you to Cameroon?

African Leadership Academy (ALA) seeks to enroll the brightest young people from every country on the continent. Cameroonian students at the Academy have historically stood out. Recent ALA graduates Marie Elimbi Moudio and Stanley Ewala are prime example. They are at MIT and Williams College in their first year of university. They were also top performers in the Southern Africa Science Olympiad last year.

http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/news/ala-students-sweep-2012-science-olympiad

Listening to you talk to American Language Center students recently one would conclude that present leadership in Africa has crossed a point of no return in bad and uninspiring governance. Is the present governance pattern so irretrievable that hope is only embodied in the young?

The Academy was founded on the premise that the root cause of all of the continent’s problems is poor leadership. We focus on grooming ethical leaders who are opportunity seekers and have a true passion for Africa. We believe in the promise that young people hold.

You also cited some African countries that are leadership models, yet these countries are not governed by young people. Does this not indicate that through thoughtful actions the present dreary leadership can still be overhauled?

A person’s leadership journey begins when they are young and impressionable. Old habits die hard, bad habits die harder! We look to instill strong values and take our students through real leadership challenges while they are young so that they are ready to face the challenges that are bound to come along when they become leaders in various fields across the continent.

But many professional schools in Africa are training young people to assume leadership positions eventually.

There are not many that focus on combining African studies and Entrepreneurial Leadership. Africa is the land of opportunity and we are building leaders who understand the context of the continent.

What’s your academy’s unique selling proposition? In other words, how is your institution different from these professional schools in different African countries?

We are also unique in that we stay connected with all of our students even beyond the two years they spend at the Academy. Once you are part of African Leadership Academy you join a lifelong network of transformative leaders. We are excited to see the impact of this network on our continent.

 

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ALA students in South Africa

It is too early, perhaps, to measure the impact of the work your academy is doing, but are graduates from the African Leadership Academy already making their presence felt in their different countries? If yes, how?

Many of our students have been making an impact even before they arrived at the Academy. Indeed this is one of our selection criteria. Below are a few notable examples:

o   Sophie Umazi a recent graduate started the “I am Kenyan project”  which seeks to bring together persons from all over the world including Kenyans through photography to promote peace and unity during the 2013 upcoming Kenyan elections http://www.iamkenyan.or.ke/

o   Madelle Kangha our first college grad started an organization called  “Youth for change” http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/nurturing-network/alumni-experience/alumni-news/words-ala%E2%80%99s-first-college-graduate-%E2%80%93-madelle-kangha

o   Joseph Munyambaza started “COBURWAS” an education services NGO in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement ,Uganda. http://www.coburwas.org/

 

What is African Leadership Academy’s long term objective? When do you expect graduates from your academy to have a positive massive influence on governance in Africa?

 

The ALA long term objective is to create 6000 Leaders over the next 50 years and over 150,000 Finalists who will be a part of the Network of Africans that will one day transform the continent. Our Graduates will have an ever increasing impact on the continent as time progresses, but it is clear from some of the initiatives launched by our recent alumni that they have already had a positive influence on governance in Africa. For example, Jihad Hajjouji and Hafsa Anouar won the $10,000 Davis peace prize, leveraged that with a large grant from a foundation and ran an entrepreneurial camp for youth for a week in Morocco! I believe that the world will know ALA in the near future much the same way they have come to know Harvard, but while it took Harvard centuries to build their reputation, it will take us less than one decade.

 So, what does it take to enroll in your academy?

The enrollment process is very simple. Send me an email at eoummih@africanleadershipacademy.org and ask me for an application in French or English. I will send it to you. Complete the application, email it back to me, and you will have started the process towards a better Africa. Telling people about this opportunity is the best gift you could give anyone.

                                                                  

“We need a Pope according to the Lord’s heart wherever he is from. This is what we should be praying for.” Mgr. Paul Nyaga

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Mgr Nyaga
Since Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will be stepping down on February 28, speculations with regards to who and where his successor will come from, continue doing the rounds. To understand the issues at stake, L’Effort Camerounais spoke to a Canon Law expert, Mgr. Paul Nyaga, who also revisits Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy and throws light on some thorny and shady issues. Mgr., as an ecclesial authority what was your reaction when you heard Pope Benedict XVI announce he was going to retire  from February 28?
I was touched but after reflecting on his decision, I was no longer surprised because it is part of the person the Pope is. He is a man of principles and he had already alluded to it in 2010 when he granted an interview to a German journalist. He mentioned that a Pope could resign for health reasons or otherwise. Honestly, I was not too surprised, but I was touched because I expected him to continue like his predecessor, John Paul II, till the end. He is very wise and because of the love he has for the Church he did not want certain decisions, in my opinion, to be taken without him understanding them. Other people may take certain decisions and it will be said it is the Pope, whereas they are not his personal decisions. When he announced he was retiring, I saw in him a great Church figure.

From February 28 till the conclave elects a new Pope, the See of St. Peter will be vacant. Who will be governing the Church during this vacancy?
The See of Peter will be vacant, but the Church will continue because the Church will never be vacant. According to Church rules elaborated by the different Popes of our time like John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, even Benedict XVI, and Canon Law, the person in charge of running the Church’s affairs is called Cardinal Camerlengo in Italian. There is no innovation or important decision, like the appointment of Bishops, taken during this period.

Even on doctrinal issues?
No, because it is only the Pope and his advisers who decide on doctrinal and moral issues and principles. So this particular period is just to continue running the Church’s affairs until a new Pope is elected. It is hoped by Easter on March 31, the Church would have had a new Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI has given his declining strength and age as the reasons he is retiring. Late Pope John Paul II was in a worse situation, yet he stayed on. Many suspect there could be another reason that the Church has not officially given for his resignation?
It is not the Church that gives reasons why a pope resigns. It is the pope who gives the reasons why he is resigning like Pope Benedict XVI has just done and in accordance with Canon 332 paragraph 2 which states clearly that a Pope can resign for several reasons. He should do so freely and manifest it openly, which is what Pope Benedict XVI has just done. True, Pope John Paul II went on till the end, but Pope Benedict XVI is saying to run the Church, you need to be mentally, psychologically and physically fit. He has also said his capacities are declining and he does not want people to decide for him. He is the head of a College and whatever decision is taken lies on and also depends on him.  If he feels that he cannot carry on anymore, it is better for the Church for him to resign. I do not see why we should be looking for different reasons why he has resigned. There are no better reasons than the ones he has given.

When he finally steps down on February 28, what role will he continue playing in the Church?
He also said it clearly that he will now become like a monk. Let us not forget that Joseph Ratzinger had always wished to become a monk and to end his life in this world as a monk. It is out of humility that he became Archbishop in Bavaria, accepted to be created Cardinal by Pope Paul VI, and later Pope. If he had a personal choice he would have chosen not to become Pope, but for the Church’s sake and good, and because of the great love he has for the Church, he accepted to become the successor of Peter. He has said he will continue his life in contemplation and prayer and will retire to a monastery in the Vatican. He will no longer be Pope Benedict XVI, but will become Joseph Ratzinger, a Bishop and will continue praying for the Church’s well-being.

From February 28 we shall be talking about Joseph Ratzinger. When he finally dies, how will he be buried? Will he receive the same burial rites reserved for Popes?
Normally he would not die as a Pope. If we stick to Canon Law he will not receive the same ceremony reserved for a dead Pope because he will not be a Pope, but a Bishop when he dies. However, it will depend on the Pope at the time to decide the kind of burial ceremony to give him, but not as a Pope because it will not be the Pope’s funeral.

When Pope Benedict XVI finally steps down, what do you think, will be some of the legacies he would have left for the universal Catholic Church?
He has done a lot. In eight years only he has done what could have been accomplished in 20 years or more. He came to office when he was already old but he kept on working hard. He did not take anytime off for himself because of the love he has for the Church. He has done a lot concerning the faith as this has been the main issue in his life. When he was called to Rome he headed the controversial Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for several years and he did a wonderful job despite many attacks. His main concern was to leave behind a Church certain where she is heading.

When Pope John Paul II died, many people were saying the Church was going to have a less conservative Pope. When Pope Benedict XVI was elected he showed clearly that the faith we proclaim does not depend on the Church, moods, directions, and the winds that blow today. It depends on the Lord himself and he understood that his mission was to help the entire Church understand what she believes and strengthen her in that belief. You remember before his resurrection Jesus met Peter and asked him three times, ‘Do you love me more than these’ and Peter also said three times, ‘I love you; you know everything that I love you.’ Then he said, ‘Remember I will pray for you, when you come back from your doubt, strengthen your brothers and sisters in the faith.’ It was very clear to Benedict XVI that his main mission was to strengthen the faith of those entrusted to him. He did this in his teachings and pastoral visits. He proclaimed the faith everywhere he went and did everything to conserve his purity. He also showed that he had great love for the entire Church. Most often in the past, many people thought that the Church was an Italian or a European affair but after John Paul II, Benedict XVI has taught us that the Church is really universal and has to remain as such.

Cameroon was the first African country he visited and during that visit he did not only address religious, but also social, political and economic issues. We saw in him someone who has an international concern for humanity. He even drew the Church’s attention to what is happening in the Church today like homosexuality, pedophilia, embezzlement, and the traffic of documents. He said these winds are contrary to the boat. The Church is like a boat sailing at sea. There are times when the sea is calm and other times when there are storms. For the Pope these winds are like storms within and outside the Church. But he has assured Christians that the boat will not sink because it is Jesus himself who is in the boat and guiding it.

The Pope himself has said we are living in a rapidly changing world and that a vigorous Pontiff is needed to keep pace with these changes. Many important Catholic countries like France, Spain and Portugal have all legalised same-sex marriages. What do you think will be the next Pope and the Church’s stance on marriage, homosexuality, and the ordination of female Priests?
I am not he Holy Spirit to foresee certain things, but I believe that the Church lives and works in continuity. I do not see major changes as far as the doctrine is concerned. Benedict XVI has taught us that the Church has to consider the world in which she lives. He also taught that we should never forget the words of our Lord Jesus when he prayed in John 17. He said, “I pray for those you have given me, I entrust them to you. They are in the world, but they are not of the world.” The Church is in the world, but is not of the world. This means the Church is not there to follow contemporary modes. France and the other countries have legalised homosexuality but it is not the Church that has taken the decision in these countries. Even among Catholics, many bad winds are blowing, but the Church continues on her road because she is built on a solid rock and a foundation called Jesus Christ.

The Pope said the world is changing, but he did not say that because of the changes we need someone to change everything inside the Church. He meant that the problems of our world today need to be addressed in a very rapid manner. As citizens and Christians we cannot ignore that fact because we are living in a world of double standards. Christians therefore need rapid solutions or answers to questions about their faith today. The Pope has said he does not have the strength anymore because of his old age and the Church needs someone more vigorous. I think he is already orientating the conclave to the choice of a younger Pope like John Paul II who came to office at 58 instead of choosing someone who is already 78 or 80.

The majority of Catholics are in Latin America and Africa. Of the 117 Cardinals eligible to elect the next Pope, 61 are Europeans while only 30 are from Latin America and Africa. What chances do you think an African stands this time to be elected Pope?
What is at stake is not the chances Africans have or do not have. What we really need is a Pope capable of guiding the Church according to the Lord’s will. We need a Pope according to the Lord’s heart. This is what we should be praying for. If an African is elected it is for God’s glory, but it does not bring anything special to Africa. The Church is one and if the Pope comes from Africa, Oceania, Europe or America, or Asia, it is the same. A pope leads the Church which is one and universal. Christians, like the Pope said, should be praying that God should give the Church a man according to His heart.

The conclave will be meeting very soon. Do you think it will be a short or long conclave and how, do you think, Pope Benedict XVI could influence that conclave?
When Pope Benedict will step down on February 28, he will retire, first, to Castel Gandolfo, as he said, and then to the monastery in the Vatican. As a monk he will have no influence on that conclave because no Cardinal will be able to contact him. His age prevents him from taking part in the conclave. To be a conclave member one has to be less than 80 and he is above 80. He will be 86 in April. Pope Benedict XVI has given a great example even for some of our Heads of States in Africa and the world. You have to prepare for the future and to step down when it is really necessary. I do not know whether it will be a short or long conclave, but the Pope’s intention is that we have a new Pope by Easter which is on March 31. The rule makes it easier because in the past certain rules were not every clear and it could take a much longer period. I am sure that the Cardinals are aware of the situation and will not waste time, or maybe start behaving like people in the world. They should only work for the Church’s good by coming to a quick decision. We all are praying for them and the Holy Spirit will also help them  to choose a successor for Benedict XVI as soon as possible.


“No one can force a Pope to resign as there is no other authority superior to the Pope’s in the Catholic Church,” Douala Emeritus Archbishop, Christian Cardinal Tumi

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Cardinal Tumi
Douala Emeritus Archbishop, Christian Cardinal Tumi, participated in the last conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. Though no longer eligible to be part of the conclave that will elect Pope Benedict XVI’s successor when he finally retires on February 28, he, however, clarifies the circumstances that can lead to a Pope’s resignation and much more.

It is not common to see a Pope resign. We still have memories of Pope John Paul II who struggled until the end despite his age. Has Pope Benedict XVI’s announced retirement surprised you?
I was surprised because no one was expecting his resignation. But if we refer to Church law, a pope can resign if his conscience tells him that he can no longer lead the Church. Pope Benedict XVI himself explained that because of his declining strength and age, he no longer feels he is capable of shepherding the Church. Do not forget that it is a very demanding responsibility. The resignation of a pope is a matter of conscience.  If Pope John Paul II stayed on till the end it was, first, a matter of conscience. He considered resigning as a betrayal of his mission. He suffered like Christ until he died. Everybody was therefore surprised because such an experience is very rare.

You have just said Pope John Paul II considered resigning as a betrayal of his mission. Will the Faithful not be discouraged since Jesus Himself carried his cross till the end?
The reasons the Pope has given for resigning are very clear. It is the same procedure for bishops. Every bishop retires at 75 because at that age he no longer has the strength to lead the Christian community, and can no longer be as effective as when he was 50. At 85, it is normal to resign. I recall that his elder brother was surprised that Benedict XVI even accepted to become Pope. He knew that at his age and his health problems, it could be difficult for him to assume such a responsibility. His elder brother has said his sudden resignation does not surprise him.

It is being rumoured that the Pope may have been forced to resign. However, Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law states that a pope can resign. Can you throw more light on  this subject?
Nobody can force a pope to resign. There is no authority that is superior to the pope’s in the Catholic Church. He freely took this decision.

After the Pope’s resignation, what will happen?
As he said himself, when he steps down on February 28, the Cardinals will start preparing to elect his successor and a conclave will be convened.

What should the Faithful’s attitude be at this given moment?
In daily life we see pastors retiring. There are actually four Emeritus Bishops in Cameroon now. I think it is right to give places to those who are young, that is, those who have the strength to carry out such demanding functions. Following the Pope’s resignation, we are therefore being called to the conversion of hearts.

How will he be referred to from the moment he resigns: His Holiness, Monsignor, or Eminence?
He will be called Pope Emeritus, just as we have Emeritus Archbishops.

Your Eminence, are you going to be part of the upcoming conclave?
No, no Cardinal above 80 years, like me, can take part in the conclave, but even without being there, one is always a candidate. The Cardinals can elect another bishop or even an Emeritus Cardinal. The Church’s law states that only cardinals can elect a pope for the church when the See of Peter is vacant.  The candidate chosen could be a Lay Christian, a bishop, and not necessarily a Cardinal.

What lesson has the Pope’s resignation for the Church and the world?
A good number of Head of States have already saluted Pope Benedict XVI’s decision. He has shown an evangelical courage of great depth. It is in the light of the Gospel and for the Church’s good that the Pope has resigned. This shows that whether one is a Head of State or a civil servant, once he realises that he can no longer govern or serve, he should not be afraid to resign, that is, to give up the position for a younger person. The Pope has made the decision only for the Church’s good. There is no other reason. He has said he will retire and will continue praying for the Church. It is a great lesson in humility as there are bishops who do not want to retire, but the Pope himself has set a good example. One should have the courage to give up a position for someone younger. Those who are afraid of retiring are those who did not manage well and are worried that their successor will uncover their bad work.

What impressions do you have of Pope Benedict XVI whom you have known as a Bishop and Cardinal?
Benedict XVI is a man of faith and he has even declared a Year of Faith because today faith is declining. He has deemed it necessary to invite the whole Church to pray that God should continue strengthening the Church’s faith, that is, the faith of each member, and of each baptised person. Pope Benedict XVI is also a great intellectual and a great theologian.  I will remember him as a pastor who writes simply but profoundly.
Interviewed by Fr. Jean Benoit
Nlend and Slyvestre Ndoumou
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