Tribute to Bishop Pius Suh Awa

May 2, 2014, 9:22 am

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By Simon Awasum Soh SIMON, SOBAN N° 444 Class of 1949

I first met Bishop Pius Awa and his comrade Archbishop Paul Verdzekov in 1952 in Sasse College. I was then in Form 5. In those days we did six instead of five years in college as is the case today. In other words they were 2 years my junior in Sasse.

They were mature students and lived up the hill in the Minor Seminary. They were always together. We called them twin brothers. They had a sense of vision, mixed very sparingly and spent every minute praying or studying. They gave up teaching and wanted to be priests and nothing could stand in their way. They even studied subjects outside the school curriculum like Greek and literature, and graduated with excellent grades at the Senior Cambridge School Certificate exams.

In 1971, I attended Bishop Awa's Episcopal Ordination in Soppo. Bishop Awa was one time editor of the Cameroon Panorama. I was then Senior Laboratory Superintendent for West Cameroon with headquarters in Victoria. I had just started the Blood Transfusion Services in 1968. This was a new service and quick source of treatment in some serious emergencies like surgery, childbirth and chronic anaemia.

People were suspicious, sceptical and frightened about blood transfusion. Our blood bank was always virtually empty. Blood donors were difficult to find and the few who volunteered took a lot of pleading, counselling and it was time consuming. A good number of our volunteers were prison inmates who ended up with a big Guinness and biscuits after each blood donation. We formed blood donation clubs and worked very closely with the Red Cross Movement. The blood donor response was still difficult. In my frustrations, I summoned enough courage and approached the then Prime Minister, Hon. S.T. Muna and told him of my predicaments. I appealed to him to come to our Blood Bank Centre in Victoria and donate blood to convince prospective donors that blood donation was harmless but very useful in saving life. You cannot imagine, but the unbelievable happened and the great Prime Minister obliged. It became headline news, "Prime Minister Donates Blood to Save Life". That news was a red letter day in the history of blood donation in West Cameroon.

Things changed but not dramatically. I never gave up, I kept fighting and finally I met the Editor of Cameroon Panorama, Rev. Fr. Pius Awa, and told him too of my predicaments. I pleaded with him to let me have a write up every month in the Panorama on Haematology, Blood Donation and Blood Transfusion to educate the wider and reluctant public. Fr. Awa kindly accepted. The caption was "The Red Light". This exercise paid off. By the time I left Victoria on transfer to Yaoundé in 1973, our Blood Transfusion Services in Bamenda and Limbe Hospitals were flourishing.

Thanks to Bishop Awa for helping to save the lives of thousands of people when he accepted to publish those life saving articles in the Cameroon Panorama. Oh! Our simple and smiling Bishop "Gratias agamus"

By Simon Awasum Soh SIMON, SOBAN N° 444 Class of 1949

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The Popes and the Jews, the Religious Foundations of the Holocaust: Lessons for the World

May 2, 2014, 9:25 am

≫ Next: The Confessing Church and the Two Popes

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By Agbaw-Ebai Maurice Ashley (AMDG)

The April 27 twin canonisations of John XXIII and John Paul II have stimulated considerable activity in Church historians and theologians. What unites these popes? What separates them? The responses are varied, consequent on the perspective chosen.

This writer is convinced that a unifying factor between these two popes is their positive attitude toward the Jewish people. This must be understood differently from a positive appreciation of Judaism as a religion, which is the spiritual ancestry of Christianity.

John XXIII not only outlawed the so-called Good Friday Prayer for the “perfidious” Jews, but created the possibilities that led to the historic Vatican II declaration, Nostra Aetate. This document, though small in volume, marked a decisive turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations.

John Paul II was the first Pope, after St. Peter, to enter a Jewish place of worship and prayer. His sincere love for the Jews is traceable to childhood and adolescent friendships with Jews in his native Poland. His pain at Hitler’s deportation remained a life-long ulcer. As the canonisation of these two popes approaches, I am convinced that examining the religious foundations of the Holocaust and its lessons for the world is a worthy though modest attempt, at understanding this ecclesial recognition that John XXIII and John Paul II the Great are in fact, in the presence of the Lord, seeing him face to face and interceding for the Church and the world.

The etymology of the word “Holocaust” can be traced to the Greek language, meaning “sacrifice by fire.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHM) website describes the Holocaust as: “the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.” Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist party (Nazis), who came to power in Germany in January 1933, had this pseudo-scientific belief about the racial superiority of Germans and that the Jews, deemed “inferior,” were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community. The Holocaust is history’s most extreme example of hatred of, or prejudice against Jews, otherwise known as anti-Semitism.

Opinions differ about the role played by Religion, precisely, the Christian Religion, in fomenting the sentiments that created the spiritual justifications for the Holocaust. From the time of New Testament writings particularly of the Gospel and Letters of St. John (circa 90 CE); through the Church Fathers such as John Chrysostom; the Christian Church and the attitudes and actions of German Catholics and Protestants were shaped not only by their religious beliefs, but also by traditional interpretations of religious scriptures which seemed to support these prejudices against the Jews, passing it on from generation to generation; even in its liturgical Good Friday prayers. Thus the Nazi ideology of racial superiority which converged with anti-Semitism that was historically widespread throughout Europe at the time had deep roots in Christian history.

While it can be argued that non-Church factors, such as Nazism as an ideology; fear of communism, the backlash of the German defeat in World War I; the rise of German nationalism and the socio-economic and political changes that occurred during the 1920s where much more at play than Christianity in creating the Holocaust; it cannot be denied that Christian anti-Semitism provided an ease of conscience in those that saw to the killing of over six million Jews under Hitler’s Nazi regime. While outstanding Church men and women such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Edith Stein provided a courageous alternative and paid the supreme price under Hitler; many, Church leaders found themselves compromising with the Nazi godless regime. Other historical facts are still controversial and in need of further study, such as the role of Pius XII.

A walk down memory lane
Historically the German Evangelical Church; the largest protestant church in the 1930s viewed itself as one of the pillars of German culture and society, with a theologically grounded tradition of loyalty to the German state. With the rise of Hitler, emerged a movement within the Evangelical Church called the"German Christians." This group embraced the nationalistic and racial aspects of Nazism; and sought the creation of a national "Reich Church" and by default, supported a "Nazified" version of Christianity. In response, another group; the "Confessing Church" emerged, declaring that the Church's allegiance was to God and the scripture, not a worldly Führer. The result was a bitter struggle for control between those who sought a "Nazified" church, and those who opposed it, with a third group emerging whose priority was church unity and the avoidance of any conflict with the Nazis. The most famous members of the Confessing Church were the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed for his role in the conspiracy to overthrow the Nazis, and Pastor Martin Niemöller, who spent seven years in concentration camps for his criticisms of Hitler.

The Catholic Church was not as sharply divided as the Protestant church, and Catholic leaders were initially more suspicious of Nazism than their Protestant counterparts. Before 1933, in fact, some bishops prohibited Catholics in their dioceses from joining the Nazi Party. This ban was dropped after Hitler's March 23, 1933, speech to the Reichstag in which he described Christianity as the “foundation” for German values. Rabid anti-Catholic figures such as Alfred Rosenberg, a leading Nazi ideologue, raised early concerns among Catholic leaders in Germany and at the Vatican. In addition, the Catholic Centre Party had been a key government coalition partner in the Weimar Republic aligned with both the Social Democrats and leftist German Democratic Party, pitting it politically against right-wing Nazi party. The Catholic Centre Party was dissolved after the signing of a 1933 Concordat between the Vatican and Nazi officials, and several of its leaders were murdered in the Röhm Purge in July 1934.

Yet, in both German churches there were members, including clergy and leading theologians, who openly supported the Nazi regime. Most church leaders were more concerned with blocking the Nazi interference in church affairs. With time, anti-Nazi sentiment grew within Church circles, as the Nazis saw a potential for dissent in church criticism of state activities; and exerted greater pressure on Churches. When a protest statement was read from the pulpits of Confessing churches in March 1935, for example, Nazi authorities reacted forcefully by briefly arresting over 700 pastors. After the 1937 Papal encyclical; "With Burning Concern" was read from Catholic pulpits, the Nazi secret police, the Gestapo, confiscated copies from diocesan offices throughout Germany.

The general tactic by the leadership of both Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany was caution with respect to protest and compromise with the Nazis where possible. There was criticism within both churches of Nazi racialized ideology and notions of "Aryanism," and movements emerged in both churches to defend church members who were considered "non-Aryan" under Nazi racial laws (e.g., Jews who had converted). There were members of the clergy and laity who opposed and resisted the Nazis, including some who aided and hid Jews. Yet throughout the pogrom, there was virtually no public opposition to anti-Semitism or any readiness by church leaders to publicly oppose the Nazis on issues of anti-Semitism and state-sanctioned violence against the Jews.

There were individual Catholics and Protestants who spoke out on behalf of Jews, and Christian groups were in rescue and resistance activities (for example, the White Rose and Herman Maas).After 1945, the silence of the church leadership and the widespread complicity of ordinary Christians compelled Church leaders to address issues of guilt and complicity during the Holocaust - a process that continues to this day.

The Lessons
The driving force behind the Holocaust was Germany, which was looking for an excuse for a war that would allow it to dominate Europe. Yet complacency was also to blame. Too many people, in London, Paris and elsewhere, failed to look beyond the fact that Britain and Germany were each other’s biggest trading partners after America and therefore, war would not happen. The parallels are not exact -which, by and large, they are not. But the most troubling similarity between the 1930s and now is complacency. Businessmen today are like businessmen then: too busy making money to notice the gathering clouds. Politicians are playing with nationalism just as the Nazis did and worldwide, anti-Semitism has anything but declined; while religious fundamentalism is on the rise as some find justifications in religion to kill and die in God’s name!

Humanity has learned little from its mistakes. Today, the Middle East is rife with Islamic fundamentalist indignation against Israel. In Asia, Chinese leaders whip up Japanophobia, using it as cover for economic reforms, while Shinzo Abe stirs Japanese nationalism for similar reasons. Nobody is quite clear what will happen when North Korea implodes, and there is no plan by either America or China to safeguard North Korea’s nuclear programme. India may next year elect Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who refuses to atone for a pogrom against Muslims in the state he runs and who would have his finger on the button of a potential nuclear conflict with his Muslim neighbours in Pakistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been content to watch Syria rip itself apart in yet another grotesque campaign of human savagery and barbarism that has seen the Assad regime use weapons of mass destruction against his own people. Ukraine is another new crisis. And the European Union, which came together in reaction to the bloodshed, including the Holocaust of World War II, is more fractious and riven by incipient nationalism than at any point since its creation.

The memory of the horrors unleashed during the Holocaust makes any such recurrence, including the threat of a nuclear holocaust less likely. The chances are that none of the world’s present dangers will lead to anything that compares to the Holocaust. Madness, whether motivated by race, religion or tribe, usually gives ground to rational self-interest. But when it triumphs, it leads to carnage, so to assume that reason will prevail is to be culpably complacent. That is the lesson of the Holocaust.

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The Confessing Church and the Two Popes

May 2, 2014, 9:28 am

≫ Next: Editorial: Feeding The Needs Of A Miracle-Hungry World

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By Agbaw-Ebai Maurice Ashley (AMDG)

April 27, 2014 is set to mark a historic moment for the Catholic Church when two popes will be canonised. It has never happened before, and perhaps might not happen in our life time. A quick answer to what brings John XXIII and John Paul II together will be the Second Vatican Council: John convoked the Council and John Paul implemented it in creative ways.

Beneath this unity lies a unity of conviction about what the Church should be. A closer look reveals that both men were convinced of the Church’s inner treasure that was meant, not for self-preservation, but as a service to the world. The Church is not a museum of self-preservation, but a mission to the world, a mission that brings the treasure known as Jesus of Nazareth to every man, woman and child.

This mission is a task that summons and places the Church in a role of an indispensable witness that confesses that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9) – the shortest creedal affirmation in the New Testament. In the spiritual and pastoral legacy of these two popes, the Roman Catholicism was invited to become an evangelical confessing Church, one on the roads of all the continents of the world.

In his opening council address– Gaud et Mater Ecclesia (October 11, 1962), Good Pope John saw the confessing role of this Church to be one of mercy, of the defence and advancement of truth, and the promotion of Christian unity. In symbolic gestures and genuine acts of reform built on a keen sense of discernment, John XXIII felt that if the Church had to move beyond the siege mentality generated in a large part by her response to the crisis of modernity, the Church must engage in some ecclesial pruning of unnecessary baggage that had become unevangelical and suffocating to her mission as Church. That was captured in the word aggiornamento – updating, which had to be lived out in a spirit of dialogue with the world.

John Paul II’s long pontificate was a confessing and missionary ministry of what that updating of John XXIII meant, both in the life of the universal Church and the local or particular Churches. That desire to implement the Council turned the Polish Pope into a modern Paul of Tarsus. His life meant nothing without the proclamation of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:16).

As the Church raises these two men to the dignity of the altars, what could constitute some needed principles for the enhancement of this confessing mission of the Church? How can this engagement with the world in a spirit of dialogue be lived out today? What resources do we find in our Catholic tradition for this mission of dialogue and encounter between the world of the Church and the world of the World?

The first distinctive feature about the Church’s dialogical approach is that the Christ-event is the point of departure. Jesus Christ is the paradigm which the Church must bring to bear on all questions, notwithstanding the differences of time and space. To jettison drawing inspiration from the Christ-event to be meaningful to a religiously pluralistic world or even a hostile secularist society, will tantamount to betraying her very soul, a gambling that it will be in the Church’s interest not to engage in. The Church must always keep the doors open to the living Christ as she goes to the public sphere, for “if we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.” (Benedict XVI, Homily, Mass for the Inauguration of the Pontificate).

A second distinguishing characteristic of the Church’s dialogue with the world is that it is anthropocentric. The Church engages the world because she is concerned about man and woman. The Church is convinced that the centrality of the human person is a settled conviction across believers and non-believers alike. Gaudium et Spes, 12, declares forcefully that “all things on earth should be related to man and woman as their centre and crown.”At the same time, man and woman remain a mystery, even to the Church. The centrality of the human person has also empowered Catholic Social Teaching, enriching such principles like the common good and subsidiarity. However, in a post-modern world that is facing serious threats, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, et cetera, it is necessary to pay attention to the excesses which human centrality has brought to the environment.

A third distinctive trait of ecclesial dialogue is its evangelical nature. Gaudium et Spes (4) highlighted this when it says that “the Church has always had the duty of scrutinising the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the gospel.” To see dialogue as an evangelical opportunity says much more about the Church’s self-identity. Mission is what it means to be Church. Church dialogue is an evangelical outreach, with the gospel message at the nexus of it all.

In furtherance, the Church’s understanding of dialogue is eschatological in character. When the Church engages the world, she does so with an inner certitude of faith that this “world as we know it, is passing by” (1 Cor. 7:31). This eschatological vision is very crucial in understanding why and how the Church continues to dialogue even with forces openly hostile to its presence and message. Without degenerating into any fatalistic triumphalism, the Church enters into dialogue with the world deeply conscious of its eternal destiny. The Church knows in faith, the last page of the book of the history of the world. The Church knows that while she engages the world in a spirit of dialogue, sometimes amid world persecutions and God’s consolations, it should not be discouraged when it is ridiculed in the world’s best places and reduced to ideological lines of right and left! The Church knows that the last page of history is the victory of the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:1-10). Eschatology is a necessary component of ecclesial dialogue, for even if the Church prays adveniat regnum tuum, it is important to keep the vision of its rejected Lord, “my Kingdom is not of this world” (Jn. 18:36). Otherwise it risks becoming an exclusive sociological grouping, not a Church.

In addition, recourse to natural law constitutes a peculiarity of ecclesial dialogue. The whole concept of natural law is a complex one with a multifarious history. There is a consensus understanding that natural law is divine law inscribed in nature, understood here as inclusive of humans and the cosmos. Regardless of the position one adopts about the complex concept of natural law, it must be acknowledged that the Church often makes recourse to it when dialoguing with the post-modern world. We see a lot of this when ethical or moral issues are concerned. It is therefore important to keep this mind to better understand the perspective from which the Church is speaking.

After April 27, 2014, it is expected that theologians will begin exploring new paths of similarity between these two popes, and how their pastoral insights and visions could help the summons to the New Evangelisation the Church today must embrace. Dialogue remains an integral lens of reading these two pontificates, and these basic principles could serve as bedrock for further theological reflection along this path of dialogue and encounter.

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Editorial: Feeding The Needs Of A Miracle-Hungry World

May 2, 2014, 9:37 am

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By Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Never before has the world, or should we say, Africa, been hungrier for miracles than it is now. And to fill the ever-growing miracle desire gap, miracle-centred churches are mushrooming in geometric progression at every street corner, especially in metropolitan areas. Theirs names are understandably different to set them apart from other competing churches, but they all have a common denominator- they provide a miracle galore. No doubt claims of Jesus’ apparition at a home in Minkan-Yaoundé, sent thousands flocking to that home and neighbourhood and some avid believers have already transformed it to a place of pilgrimage.

Gullibility or just a sudden evangelical leveraging in Africa, many are questioning. Miracles are an integral part of the Christian experience and Jesus Himself even says that those who have faith in Him will perform even greater miracles than He has done. But can miracles be performed where faith is absent? Therefore when people tend to believe more in miracles than in cultivating their faith in the miracle-worker, there is certainly a problem.

Catholic teaching understands miracles as a supernatural sign or wonder, brought about by God, signifying His glory and the salvation of mankind. Miracles are learning experiences for those who witness them. As a sign, a miracle is perceived by the senses and makes present the supernatural order, God's governance of nature, and His loving plan of salvation. Miracles are a call to faith. But in today’s world many are seeking the accomplishment of miracles in faith-empty settings. Miracles require divine intervention.

The Catholic Church believes in miracles. Vatican Council I says "If anyone shall say that miracles . . . can never be known with certainty, and that the divine origin of Christianity cannot be duly proved by them, let him be anathema" (DS 3034, cf. 3009). The Catechism of the Catholic Church reasserts this teaching when it mentions that "the miracles of Christ and the saints" as being among "the most certain signs" and "external proofs" of divine revelation (CCC 156).

An article in the Catholic Resource Centre posits that while the Incarnation is the root miracle of salvation, the Resurrection is the definitive and ultimate sign. "The empty tomb and the linen cloths lying there signify in themselves that by God's power Christ's body had escaped the bonds of death and corruption" (Catechism, no. 657). The Resurrection is "the definitive proof" of Christ's divine authority.

St. Augustine writes, "The miracles worked by our Lord Jesus Christ are divine works which raise the human mind above visible things to understand what is divine." Miracles are submitted in the process of canonisation. The Catholic Church is full of miracles and an in-exhaustive list of such miracles include physical healings requiring careful medical documentation, Eucharistic miracles, the incorruptible nature of the bodies of some saints, apparitions and exorcisms.

The Catholic Church, however, sets rigorous standards for the thorough scientific investigation and verification of reported miracles before approving them as evidence for the authenticity of private revelations, or as prerequisites for every beatification and canonisation that she carries out. The Local Bishop first launches an investigation into a said miracle to make sure it is real. Information gathered is sent to the Vatican where the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, reviews and debates the material.

The Church is naturally sceptical since many people try to fake miracles for their own self glorification and neurotic people can also experience things they misleadingly consider as miracles. And this explains the Catholic Church’s sceptism about Jesus’ apparition in a home in Minkan-Yaoundé. It is therefore a hasty and uninformed decision for Catholics to already be part of pilgrims to Minkan when the said miracle has not been investigated and confirmed. Those who also say that the Catholic Church is a miracle-devoid Church are wrong because the Church abounds in miracles.

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Rev. Fr. Roger Nfor Ngala passes on

May 20, 2014, 3:51 am

≫ Next: Bishop Andrew Nkea pays maiden visit to the US, meets Cardinal Sean O`Malley

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By Emmanuel Verdzeka

The Diocese of Kumbo is still in shock and disbelief following the death of Rev. Fr. Roger NforNgala. Rev. Fr. Roger NforNgala, who hails from Donga Mantung Division, North West Region died on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at the Shisong Catholic Hospital at about 10pm.

Before his death he was the Curate of St. Mary Parish, Nkar. His corpse is presently at the ShisongSt. Elisabeth Hospital Mortuary pending burial which has been scheduled for Thursday, May 22 at St.Theresia Cathedral Kumbo.

Rev. Fr. Roger NforNgala was born in April 1972 at Upper Mbot in Donga Mantung to Pa Joseph Ngala and Mama Lucia Mungfu. He obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in Catholic School Ngarum in 1985, baptised on September 16, 1981 and confirmed a year later in Catholic Mission Ndu.

He attended Bishop Rogan College Buea between 1985 and 1994. To realise his dream of being a priest, he was admitted to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, STAMS Bambui. After his formation in STAMS, he was ordained priests on April 24, 2003.

He has served as Curate of Kumbo Cathedral Parish, Parish Priest of Tatum Parish, Curate of Nkor Parish, Rector of Mfumte Parish, Curate of Elak-Oku Parish and before his death he was curate of St. Mary Parish Nkar.

Many who knew him closely say he was humble, peaceful, loving, kind and duty conscious.

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Bishop Andrew Nkea pays maiden visit to the US, meets Cardinal Sean O`Malley

May 20, 2014, 4:08 am

≫ Next: Word of Welcome to Bishop Andrew Nkea of Mamfe Diocese, Cameroon, to the Cameroon Catholic Community, Boston, Sunday, May 11, 2014

≪ Previous: Rev. Fr. Roger Nfor Ngala passes on

By Bertrand Etukeni Agbaw-Ebai, Boston, Massachusetts

The Bishop of Mamfe, His Lordship Andrew Nkea, has paid his first high profile visit to the Cameroonian community in the United States after his Episcopal ordination. Among other activities, he celebrated a Pontifical High Mass at St. Anne Church Salem, Boston. He also held high level talks with His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malleyof the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts.

Catholic Christians from the Cameroonian Community of the State of Massachusetts in Boston converged on the Logan International Airport on May, 10, 2014 to receive the first Cameroonian Bishop appointed by Pope Francis, Bishop Andrew Nkea, on his maiden international official visit to the Cameroonian community in the United States of America.

The former Chancellor of Mamfe Diocese, Rev. Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai, Catholic Women Association, CWA, members, a stampeding crowd and curious White American on-lookers, were present at the airport when he alighted from a United Airlines of America plane. The jubilation did not only create an atmosphere of ecstasy but also drew the attention of the airport security.

The D-Day of the Bishop`s visits was the celebration of Holy Mass on May,11at St. Anne Catholic Church Salem, Boston, where Cameroonians of all ages came out and celebrated with the Bishop of Mamfe. Drawing inspiration from the day’s readings, the Bishop, who has been nickname the “Preaching Bishop”, held the congregation spellbound with his soul-touching homily.

Being the fourth Sunday of Easter, which was Good Shepherd Sunday, the Bishop encouraged his sheep to have faith and hope in Jesus Christ. He reawakened the zeal of the Cameroonian Community in the US with a clarion call to duty back home. As expectations grew to a crescendo, the Bishop added that every Christian is a sheep that follows Christ, the Good Shepherd, the fact that the image of the sheep might sound offensive to many, notwithstanding. The Bishop made known a new form of financial support for his diocese through a monthly commitment of $US 20 in the US by Christians, friends and benefactors of Mamfe Diocese. He humourously quipped he did not want to bring “Ekpe” into the Church. The Bishop commissioned Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai to implement the “Church tax” in Boston for Mamfe Diocese.

The Cameroonian Community used the occasion to raise funds to support projects in Mamfe Diocese and pledged their unflinching and commitment to heed Bishop Nkea’s call to help him realise his pastoral mission of making Mamfe Diocese “Something More Beautiful For God”.The Bangwa community from where the Bishop hails, set the template during the fundraising with thousands of dollars, cheques and pledges, to the satisfaction of many. The newly created Boston CWA branch, the Manyu community under the umbrella of NOMA, ex-students associations like LESA, OPSANS, SOBANS, and BIROCOL, and individual family heads, all came out massively and supported diocesan projects in Mamfe.

Bishop Nkea meets Sean Cardinal O`Malley of Boston MA

The high point of the Bishop’s visit in Boston was an audience granted by His Eminence Sean Cardinal O`Malley of Boston MA on Wednesday, May 14 at the Holy Cross Cathedral Refectory. Cardinal O’Malley is the only North American in the Council of Cardinals which advises Pope Francis on reforms currently going on in the Roman Curia and the Vatican.

Though closed to the press, sources from the meeting said it was a very warm meeting that saw the establishment of a missionary cooperation plan between the Archdiocese of Boston and the Diocese of Mamfe in the areas of the academic formation of priests, sabbatical arrangements, support for pastoral projects and fidei donum opportunities.

Earlier that day, Bishop Nkea met the President of Boston College, the Very Rev. Fr. William Leahy, SJ. The meeting was also an opportunity for the Bishop of Mamfe to reinforce existing bonds between Mamfe Diocese and Boston College and opened up new vistas of collaboration and mutual support.

On Sunday, May 18, 2014, Bishop Nkea presided at two Masses at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, a sister parish in Boston to Mamfe Diocese. Bishop Nkea’s US visit will also take him to Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Washington DC, Alabama and Dallas, with the singular desire to continue making Mamfe Diocese “Something More Beautiful For God!”

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Word of Welcome to Bishop Andrew Nkea of Mamfe Diocese, Cameroon, to the Cameroon Catholic Community, Boston, Sunday, May 11, 2014

May 27, 2014, 4:05 am

≫ Next: Bishop Andrew Nkea’s homily to the Cameroon Catholic Community, Boston, USA, May 11, 2014, Fourth Sunday of Easter - The Good Shepherd Sunday

≪ Previous: Bishop Andrew Nkea pays maiden visit to the US, meets Cardinal Sean O`Malley

By Rev. Fr. Maurice Agbaw Ebai in Boston

My Lord, Bishop of Mamfe,
Rev. and Dear Brother Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This is the day which was made by the Lord; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24).

(Ask what you can do)

On Monday, October 1, 1979, Pope Saint John Paul II celebrated a historic Mass at Boston Common that was attended by over a million Catholics and peoples of all creeds and none. It was his first visit to the United States as the Successor of Peter. God had called him to become Pope on October 16, 1978.

While in Boston, Pope Saint John Paul II said, among other things, that “On this first day of my visit, I wish to express my esteem and love for America itself, for the experience that began two centuries ago and that carries the name ‘United States of America’; for the past achievements of this land and for its dedication to a more just and human future; for the generosity with which this county has offered shelter, freedom and a chance for betterment to all who have come to its shores; and for the human solidarity that impels you to collaborate with all other nations so that freedom may be safeguarded and full human advancement made possible. I greet you, America the beautiful!”

These words of greeting to the peoples of Boston and the US uttered thirty-five years ago in Boston by Pope Saint John Paul II, seem to me most apt, in welcoming in our midst today, the Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe, Cameroon. My Lord, welcome to Boston! Welcome to the Cameroon Catholic Community of Boston! Welcome to America the beautiful, to use the description of John Paul II. It is also providential that, like John Paul II, this is your first visit to the United States, after the Lord called you into the episcopacy as Bishop of the beautiful Diocese of Mamfe. And more so, like John Paul II, you are beginning this visit in Boston! Thank you for coming to visit us.

In the Pope’s earlier-cited opening remarks, John Paul II singled out generosity as the virtue which distinguishes America. I am sure we shall see much of that in display at some point in this Eucharistic celebration, for the good of the Church in Mamfe, for the peoples of all religious affiliations, which the Church in her many institutions of education, health and social outreach, empowers and continue to give life and hope to.

At the entrance into the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, one finds these clear-cut words which hopefully define the philosophy and orientation of that prestigious School: “Ask What You Can Do!’ That to me, best describes the attitude all of us gathered (here today) should have: Ask what we can do for Mamfe Diocese. Ask what you can do for our less privileged brothers and sisters back in Cameroon. Ask what we can do to make our Church and Country, something more beautiful for God!

Thank you all that you are able to help.

God bless us all!
We now invite the Bishop to kindly lead us in this Holy Mass!
Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Catholic Community, Boston

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Bishop Andrew Nkea’s homily to the Cameroon Catholic Community, Boston, USA, May 11, 2014, Fourth Sunday of Easter - The Good Shepherd Sunday

May 27, 2014, 4:17 am

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+By Bishop Andrew Nkea

Boston

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“The Lord is good, all the time and all the time, the Lord is good”.

Every fourth Sunday of Easter, we read about the Good Shepherd. For me it is not a mere coincidence, but God’s Divine Plan that my first official outing from Cameroon since my Episcopal ordination on August 23, 2013, is to the Catholic Community in Boston.

It is also by divine arrangement that I have come to visit the Cameroonian Catholic Community in Boston on the fourth Sunday of Easter which is the Good Shepherd Sunday. It is still by Divine Plan that I come to visit you on the second Sunday of May which is Mothers’ Day. I use this chance to wish a very Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers who are here present and all those who are absent. May God, who gave you the grace of motherhood, continue to bless you and fill you with joy in your children and in your children’s children. Amen.

Lastly, it is still in God’s plan that all of you are here at this time and I am also here at this time. And so let us give thanks to God for everything, for it is His will in Christ Jesus concerning us. I bring you greetings from the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda, especially the Emeritus Bishop of Mamfe, Bishop Francis Lysinge. I also bring you greetings from the priests and some of your relatives, whose names I cannot here mention. But when they ask you if I gave you their greetings, kindly do me the favour of not refusing.

There are two questions I have been asking myself all through this journey: Why did I come first to Boston on my first outing from Cameroon as a Bishop? I do not know. Other people were calling and making arrangements, but thanks to Fr. Maurice Ebai, it turned out this way.

The second question is, why have I come to Boston at all? When the Bishop comes to visit a Christian community abroad, the first thing people think is that he wants money. No, I have not come here for money, although I will not refuse to take money, no matter how big the amount is. I have come here primarily in my capacity as a Shepherd, who seeks to go after his sheep wherever they are. I have come here as a pastor, to encourage you in your faith and to assure you that in spite the problems we have in Cameroon, the resurrection of Christ this Easter also took place in Cameroon. Alleluia. I have come to you like the “wounded healer” who feels the obligation to bandage the wounds of those who are bleeding, to bring healing to those who are sick, to bring comfort to those in any kind of stress and suffering, to bring unity to those who are divided, and to tell you that in spite the problems you have here in America, Jesus is truly risen from the dead, Alleluia.

I have come to you not in my own name but in the name of the one who called me and sent me. I come with the words of the prophet Isaiah on my lips, which Christ quoted when he said;

“The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me. He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, to open the eyes of the blind, to set the down trodden free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.”(Lk.4:18-19).

My dear friends in Jesus Christ, this is my mission to the Cameroonian Catholic Community in Boston, and I assure you that we believe in the Church as being One, Holy, Universal, and Apostolic. Wherever you are in the world, as long as you are in the Catholic Church, you are in the bosom of our mother the Church and you must feel at home.

In this vein, I wish to sincerely thank the Metropolitan Archbishop of Boston, His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, and his collaborators in the curia, who have been taking care of you and supplying your spiritual needs since you came here. I recongnise the presence of the Director of Cultural affairs of Boston Archdiocese who is here with us. I also wish to thank the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Riley, Pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic Parish, Salem, and his parishioners, who kindly, generously and unreservedly welcomed the Cameroon Catholic Community to their parish and are doing all in their powers to be supportive. God will bless them in abundance.

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and the Church requests that we who are the sheep, must give unconditional, unflinching and total trust to Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep listen to my voice”.

This is a difficult text to explain to a people who are not used to sheep. Ordinarily, when someone calls another sheep, it is an insult and not a compliment. A sheep is known to be dull, docile, defenceless, and vulnerable to the wolf or sheep killers. Yet this is what Jesus wants us to be. Those who drive cars on roads where there are sheep know that once the shepherd crosses the road, the sheep must all cross, whether a trailer is coming or not. They will rather be crushed by the trailer than remain on the other side of the road away from the Shepherd. Why then did Jesus use the image of such a dull animal to describe his true followers? This must be understood in context.

The discourse on the good shepherd is given by Christ in John chapter 10. In John chapter 6, Jesus gave the teaching on the Eucharist and said he who does not eat my flesh and drink my blood will not have eternal life. Many of his followers reasoned this out to be a very difficult teaching and stopped following him. In John chapter 7, the leaders of the Jews decided to kill Jesus at the Feast of the Tabernacles because he claimed to be the Christ. In John Chapter 8, Jesus claims that his testimony was more authentic than that of Abraham, because he existed before Abraham and this greatly offended the religious leaders of the time. In John chapter 9, Jesus opens the eyes of Bartimeus who was born blind and this sparked another serious argument with the Jews. Jesus then said to them, “I came into this world in judgment, so that those who do not see may see and so those who see, may become blind” (Jn.9:39).

With all these forgoing arguments, Jesus then said to his followers: I am the Good Shepherd, anyone who wants to follow me must be like the sheep, and if you are not like the sheep, then you cannot be my disciple. This simply means that we cannot obstinately persist in arguments against the teachings of Jesus Christ who is God made man and who came that we may have life and have it to the full (Jn.10:10). It calls us to have great faith in the Shepherd first and then in following the shepherd wherever he goes, because we know and trust that he can only lead us to the right direction.

My dear friends, however, it is important to note that the reading does not talk about the good sheep but about the good shepherd. The Palestinian shepherd carried a bag of animal skin for food; a string and a staff. He cared for his sheep. Today in the Church, we see a symbol of the Shepherd’s care in the Bishop’s crozier. It curves at the top because he uses it to care, lead the sheep or separate the feeble and strong. Priests share with the Bishop the office of pastor and shepherd of God’s flock. We shepherd the flock in the person of Christ who is the good shepherd par excellence. Therefore, the teaching we give is not our own, but we teach in the name and the person of Christ who gave us the mandate, and woe betide us if we do not feed the sheep entrusted to our care.

It is hard to be a Christian and not be a sheep. We see problems in the Church today because people refuse to recognise their shepherds. People argue and criticise the Pope and Bishops and openly defy their teachings and instructions, yet they want to remain Christians. This is not possible. This explains why there are many Churches in the world. Sheep are stubborn to the shepherd and break off.

What kind of sheep are we? What is our relationship with the Church? Do we believe in the Pope’s authority? Are we in union with the Bishop of our local Church?

You are living in a free society where anyone can decide to be a shepherd tomorrow. If Jesus talks about the good shepherd then it is as opposed to bad shepherds. There are bad shepherds “ad intra et ad extra” that is, “within and without the Church. We must pray for the conversion of the bad shepherds, ad intra, and we must not follow the bad shepherds, ad extra. Catholic Christians fall prey easily to bad shepherds because if you go into most of the new ecclesial movements, most of their followers are Catholic Christians who are looking for miracles, healing, success and the gospel of prosperity without the cross. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who says that “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, he must renounce himself, take up his cross every day and follow me”.

My dear friends, my advice to you therefore is:

-Love one another as Jesus has loved you. You come from various parts of Cameroon, but in this far away country, be brothers and sisters to each another. Do not glory in the downfall of each other, but rejoice in the progress and growth of your fellow countrymen.

Secondly, keep the faith. Fortunately, Cameroonians are generally a God loving people, no matter their confessions of faith. Do not come into the race for money and forget the God who guided you to where you are now. From most of our backgrounds we would never have been where we are now had it not been for God’s grace and favour. Therefore, do not see light and forget the source of light. Keep the faith and God will continue to help you in your difficulties.

- Be good citizens and law abiding residents of the United States of America and proverbially we say, “Never bite the hand that is feeding you”.

Lastly, do not forget where you come from. Keep warm the link between yourself and your roots, be it economically, socially or spiritually. May God bless all of you and keep you safe in your work. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Bishop Andrew Nkea's Boston visit in pictures

May 27, 2014, 4:40 am

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Arrival at Logan Airport, Boston

Cardinal O'Malley receiving Bishop Nkea

From Left to Right: Rev. Fr. Maurice Agbaw Ebai, Cardinal O'Malley and Bishop Nkea

Bishop Nkea Holds talks with Cardinal O'Malley while Fr. Maurice Agbaw Ebai looks on

Rector of Jesuit Community and Bishop Nkea

Lectionary procession

Mass attendance was massive

Bishop Nkea and CWA Boston

CWA animating

Bishop Nkea and LESA

Reception

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Njinikom St. Anthony Parish Priest celebrates 30 years in the Priesthood

May 30, 2014, 9:11 pm

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By Hans Linus Song and Bruno Ndong in Njinikom Parish

Christians of St. Anthony of Padua Parish Njinikom and beyond joined Fr. Cletus Tita and some of his classmates on Sunday, May 4, to celebrate their 30th anniversary in the Priesthood. The celebration started with Holy Mass at 8: am. The main celebrant was the Bishop of Eseka, Mgr. Dieudonné Bogmis, assisted by four priests, two who were also Jubilee celebrants.

Before Mass started, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Cletus Tita, thanked his fellow priests celebrating with him, regretting that some of their classmates were absent. In his homily, Fr. Humphrey Tatah, who also read the Gospel, reminded the parishioners of the Golden Jubilee of Mgr. Joseph Ayeah on May 23, 2014 still in Njinikom Parish and the parish’s 90th anniversary in three years. He described all these as blessings to Njinikom that parishioners need to thank God for. “Njinikom Parish is the mother parish in Bamenda Archdiocese, so we should thank God for all the blessings in this area,” Fr. Tatah said.

To put across his message he used the mnemonic: PUMP and said P, which stood for the Priesthood, was the high esteem in which the first Missionary Priests were held. He said the priestly vocation is not for self aggrandisement but to serve others. He said that is the angle the Church wants Christians to reflect on the priesthood as the day was also being observed as World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

“The Church therefore invites us to reflect on the meaning of God’s call and to pray for an increase in vocations. We have to care for our priests in all aspects, that is, materially, morally and spiritually. We must avoid gossiping about our priests or talking negatively about them because we only invite misfortune on ourselves when we talk against God’s ministers,” he said.

“As we pray for an increase in vocations,” he continued, “let us also pray for better understanding and the appreciation of the life and work of ordained ministers so that more and more people should avail themselves of the grace which God grants through them. Let us also pray that more young people will be drawn to follow in their footsteps and generously answer God’s call. We should avoid exploiting our priests except when we are asking for blessings or the Sacraments.”

He said U stood for Unity which indicates that we are one and there is no discrimination in the Church by virtue of our baptism. He said the Christian community should always talk as one because they need each other.

M, he said, stood for Misunderstanding because even the disciples on their way to Emmaus had some misunderstanding about the resurrection of Christ. He therefore said it is the misunderstanding among Christians that leads to criticism.

P, he indicated, stood for Patience which solves a lot of problems. “Even families run the risk of being scattered because of lack of patience. We should always be patient and give everyone a chance.”

He said a jubilee is a time of reflection and thanksgiving to God for all the success, achievements and difficulties one has gone through in life. He told the Jubilee celebrants that “Looking 30 years back, you people have made uncountable achievements. Through your ministry, many people have been baptised and confirmed. You have anointed many people and led them back to health or to a good death, you have absorbed the sins of many sinners and reconciled them to God and repaired many broken marriages. We have every reason to thank God for all these and more. We must also thank God for your life and good health because if you are sick you could not have achieved all these good works.”

He said the jubilee was special because it came up during the Centenary Year of the Evangelisation of Bamenda Archdiocese. He gave Fr. Tita’s biography indicating that after his elementary, secondary and post secondary school education, Fr. Cletus Tita heard God’s call and gladly answered it. He was admitted to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary Bambui in September 1977. After three years of Philosophical Studies, he progressed to the Theological Department for four years.

He was ordained Deacon in 1983 and on April 25, 1984, he and his classmates were ordained into the Sacred Priesthood. He was transferred to Fundong Parish where he served as curate for two years. From Fundong, he was transferred to Azire Parish, Small Mankon. Two years later he was sent to Widikum.

In 1992 he was transferred from Widikum to Ntambeng Parish. In 1995 he was sent to Bafmeng Parish. Two years later, he was appointed Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Njindom. He was in Njindom for six years before being sent again to Bafmeng Parish. Two years later he was sent to St. Therese Parish Esu and from Esu he was sent to Bambui. It was in Bambui Parish that he had an opportunity to go to the United States of America for studies. He was in U.S.A. for five years and when he came back he was sent to Njinikom as the Parish Priest.

He said for slightly more than one year, Fr. Cletus Tita has transformed Njinikom Parish as many fallen or lapsed Christians have come back to Church. “We are proud to say that through his inspiration and foresightedness, a piece of land at the place where the first church was built in Njinikom, and which became a market place, has been transformed and a magnificent Shrine has been constructed there.”

It is used as a pilgrimage centre, a place of prayer and devotion and a touristic site for people from all over Bamenda Archdiocese. The main mission cemetery, which had almost become a play ground for children and a grazing land, has been transformed into a real burial ground, thanks to Fr. Tita’s ingenuity. There are also plans to renovate the altar and construct a bigger shrine, to name these few. Fr. Cletus Tita has also made himself a friend to young people in the parish helping many to stay away from crime.

The Parish Pastoral Council chairperson Joseph Bajia Chiwo, Fr. Cletus Tita and the officiating Bishop Dieudonné Bogmis, made speeches after Mass. Senator Francis Bochong Nkwain, civil authorities and traditional leaders attended the event. The day ended with presentation of gifts, Choral Singing and traditional dances.

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HIV positive pregnant women can now have uninfected babies

May 30, 2014, 9:14 pm

≫ Next: Declaration of the Bishops of Cameroon on growing insecurity in Cameroon

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By Jude Abanseka

HIV/AIDS positive pregnant women and their partners and those who wish to have babies can now have uninfected babies without sophisticated medical care and extra cost.

The Test and Treat Programme Manager, HIV-Free North West Project, Edith Lem made the revelation at a workshop with journalists for community mobilisation for the uptake of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT). The workshop took place at the Baptist Centre in Bamenda on Thursday, April 24, 2014.

Edith Lem said through the Ministry of Health, the HIV-Free North West and South West Project has introduced a Test and Treat (Option B+) Programme. The programme manager explained that Option B+ is a universal life-long Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) for all HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women regardless of their clinical or immunological stage.
She added that all pregnant women need to go for Antenatal Clinic (ANC) and do their HIV test. Those infected are placed on free PMTCT and Option B+ AR, she explained.

Option B+ ART has replaced the previous ART option. Option B+ is a single drug tablet of three molecules. It is simple to implement as only one tablet is taken each day. It also prevents mother-to-child transmission in future pregnancies, has increased the number of HIV-positive women in reproductive age, prevents HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partners and provides better opportunities for ART integration in a MNCH set up.

Pregnant women and their partners, breastfeeding mothers, and children can take the Test and Treat-Option B+ ART treatment. Pregnant women and partners are therefore encouraged to take up the ANC and PMTCT option to prevent HIV transmission to their unborn babies or to continue breastfeeding their children, and to stay healthy and take proper care of their children and families. The Project Manager, HIV-Free North West, advised HIV positive pregnant women to avoid the ARV “start and stop” drugs approach.

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Declaration of the Bishops of Cameroon on growing insecurity in Cameroon

May 30, 2014, 9:23 pm

≫ Next: Final Communiqué of the 39th Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Cameroon

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1- We the Bishops of Cameroon, have on several occasions, raised concerns about the question of insecurity in our country. Meeting for our 39th Plenary Assembly in Yaoundé, we are coming back to the question today because of the problems of the time, precisely the kidnapping of three missionaries in Tchéré Parish in the Maroua-Mokolo Diocese last April 04: Fr. Gianantonio ALLEGRI, Fr. Giampaolo MARTA and Sr. Gilberte BUSSIERE. This violent act reminds us of the kidnapping of Fr. Georges VANDENBEUSCH and the MOULIN-FOURNIER Family, and other people in the country.

2-    We express our profound regret at this phenomenon, which apparently shows no sign of abating, and which gravely hurts human dignity and raises concern and horror. It also has lots of negative consequences. It saddens and troubles us with regards to the preaching of the Gospel and the Church’s work in the development of our country.

3-    We are delighted with government efforts in fighting this ill, but much still remains to be done. The present situation demands greater involvement from all.

4-    This is why we are calling on Christian communities, on other religious denominations, and also on traditional authorities to redouble their efforts to preserve concord and to ensure peace among all inhabitants in Cameroon, irrespective of their religious leanings.

5-    Finally, we invite Christians and other believers to pray for the liberation of our missionaries in captivity, for all victims of violence in the world and for peace in our country, Cameroon.
                                                                                             Done in Yaoundé on May 10, 2014
                                                                                             H.E Mgr. Samuel Kléda
                                                                                             Archbishop of Douala
                                                                                             NECC President

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Final Communiqué of the 39th Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Cameroon

May 30, 2014, 9:24 pm

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1- The Bishops of Cameroon held their 39th Plenary Assembly from May 05 to 10, 2014 in Yaoundé on the reception of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”. Taking part were Douala Emeritus Archbishop His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, the Bishops of Cameroon, Priests, Religious Brothers and Sisters and the Lay faithful.

2-    Under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Douala and President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, (NECC), His Excellency Mgr. Samuel Kléda, the meeting started on Monday, May 05, with work in Episcopal Commissions followed by the presentation of reports to the Permanent Council.

3-    The Solemn opening of the Plenary Assembly took place on Wednesday, May 07, 2014, at 9.30 at the John XXIII Centre Mvolyvé in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Mgr. Pieri Pioppo. Two speeches marked the opening ceremony.

4-    In his speech the Nuncio thanked God for the appointment of a new Bishop for Maroua-Mokolo, Mgr. Bruno Ateba Edo. He also paid homage to Mgr. Philippe Stevens for his pastoral work in Maroua-Mokolo Diocese and to Mgr. Eugeniusz Juretzko who celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. He said the Universal Church rejoices over the Canonisation of Popes John XXII and John Paul II.

5-    Solemnly opening the session, His Excellency Mgr. Samuel Kléda, on behalf of the Bishops and God’s people in Cameroon, expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for his choice of a new Bishop, Mgr. Bruno Ateba Edo, member of the Pallotine Missionaries, while reiterating the assurance of the collaboration of Cameroon’s Episcopate.

6-    The day was also marked by a Thanksgiving Mass at the Mary Queen of the Apostles Minor Basilica in memory of Saints John XXIII and John Paul II and for the intention of Pope Francis. It was presided at by the Apostolic Nuncio, in the company of the Bishops and many priests, with the participation of the Lay Faithful who turned out in their numbers.
7-    The Head of State was represented by the Minister of State, Minister for Justice and the Keeper of Seals, His Excellency Laurent Esso. Members of government and the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Yaoundé also took part.

8-    With particular focus on the theme, three presentations were made:
-The general presentation of “Evangelii Gaudium” by the Bishop of Eseka, Dieudonné Bogmis
-The social dimension of Evangelisation as seen in “Evangelii Gaudium” by the former Secretary General of Pontifical Missionary Works, better known by its French abbreviation, O.P.M, His Excellency Mgr. Jan Dumon
-Practical implications in the ministry of “Evangelii Gaudium” by the Emeritus Bishop of Maroua-Mokolo, His Excellency Mgr. Philippe Stevens.

9- Based on the reality of the time, the Bishops raised concerns over growing insecurity in Cameroon, especially in northern Cameroon. They firmly condemned the kidnapping of people living in Cameroon peacefully.

10- In Communion with the Holy Father, the Bishops of Cameroon are calling on believers to intensify their prayers for the liberation of hostages in the world, especially the three missionaries in northern Cameroon.

11-At the end of this sitting, the Bishops took the following decisions:
-The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Cameroon has to be included on the list of manuals in all Catholic secondary schools in Cameroon.
- Fr. Etienne Noel Bassoumboul was appointed as the National Permanent Coordinator of the Biblical Apostolate.
-Mgr. Sosthène Léopold Bayemi was appointed as the National Coordinator of the Charismatic Renewal.

12- Moreover, the Bishops published a declaration on insecurity in Cameroon and a message to the people of God on the occasion of the Canonisation of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.
                                                                                                Done in Yaoundé on May 10, 2014
                                                                                                Mgr. Sébasien Mongo Behon
                                                                                                Secretary General
                                                                                           (Translation- L’Effort Central News Desk)

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First Cameroonian Maroua-Mokolo Bishop Consecrated, asked to foster inter-religious dialogue

May 30, 2014, 9:27 pm

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≪ Previous: Final Communiqué of the 39th Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Cameroon

By John Neba

The new Bishop of Maroua-Mokolo Diocese, Mgr. Bruno Ateba Edo has been exhorted to renew the old spirit of the Pallotine Fathers by promoting peace between Christians and Moslems. The Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, His Grace Pierro Pioppo, made the call during his sermon at the Consecration Mass of the new Bishop of Maroua-Mokolo on May 17, 2014 at the Lamido Yaya Dairo Stadium in Maroua.

While extending the Pope’s greetings to the new Bishop, Mgr. Pioppo acknowledged that he is a great gift to Maroua-Mokolo Diocese. The Nuncio thanked the Emeritus Bishop, Mgr. Philipe Joseph Stevens, for his hard work and humility that has made Moroua-Mokolo Diocese what it is today.

He urged Christians to love their new Bishop and to pray for the two Italian Missionary Priests and a Reverend Sister recently kidnapped in Maroua-Mokolo Diocese. Reflecting on the day’s readings, the Nuncio said Christ’s Body and Blood which Catholics share at Mass, fortifies and unites them.

“We should therefore prove this oneness, by collaborating with the new Bishop, who needs the help of all to do great things for the Church”, the Nuncio went on.

He said Christ chose Mgr. Ateba Edo to make a difference in his pastoral mission in a diocese like Maroua-Mokolo that is facing many security challenges. He encouraged the new Bishop to be an agent of peace and reconciliation with the Islamic Group, Boko Haram, which continues to perpetrate insecurity in that part of Cameroon.

In his welcome speech, one of the new Bishop’s Consecrators and Maroua-Mokolo Emeritus Bishop, Mgr.Phillipe Stevens, thanked Moslem leaders and encouraged them to denounce militants of Islamic sects perpetrating insecurity in northern Cameroon. He prayed that these militants should change their hearts and stop kidnapping and killing innocent citizens.

Douala Archbishop and President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, His Grace Samuel Kleda, one of the three main consecrators, thanked the Nuncio for presiding at the Episcopal Ordination Mass. He entreated Mgr.Bruno Ateba Edo to emulate the lives of Baba Simon and Mgr. Henri Vieter, who were very instrumental to the Church’s growth in the North of Cameroon.

He expressed the wish that cooperation ties between Douala Archdiocese and Maroua-Mokolo Diocese be maintained. Mgr. Kleda also prayed that the missionaries kidnapped in the Tchere-Tchakidjebe Parish in Maroua, which he earlier visited with some Catholic Journalists, be released quickly.

Mgr. Bruno Ateba Edo thanked God for choosing him as Bishop. He said the Episcopate is a responsibility and not a position to make someone proud. He described himself as a new wife married to Maroua-Mokolo Diocese and asked Christians to pray for him.

Pope Francis appointed Mgr. Bruno Ateba Edo, a Pallotine Priest, on April 5, 2014 as the new Bishop of Maroua-Mokolo. He was the Regional Superior of Pallotine Fathers in Cameroon and Nigeria. He studied Theology in Rwanda, Cameroon and the Pallotine Theologian Institute of Valendar in Germany.

He was ordained priest in 1995. He replaces Mgr. Phillipe Stevens who has been in Cameroon for the past 50 years. Mgr Stevens took over the shepherding of Maroua-Mokolo Diocese from Mgr. Jacques Joseph François de Bernon, Pioneer Bishop of Maroua-Mokolo Diocese. The diocese has 48 priests and 35 parishes. It is located in the Far North Region of Cameroon and was created on January 29, 1973.

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Editorial: A Time To Show Not Only National But Also Christian Solidarity

May 30, 2014, 9:31 pm

≫ Next: National Episcopal Conference President announces the death of the Bishop of Kribi Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba

≪ Previous: First Cameroonian Maroua-Mokolo Bishop Consecrated, asked to foster inter-religious dialogue

By Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Cameroon is standing at the crossroads in its fight against terrorists from neighbouring countries who are determined to shatter the proverbial peace that this country has known for a long time. Cameroonians may not all understandably agree that Cameroon is a peaceful country, as the absence of war does not necessarily depict peace, but after recent fatal skirmishes between Cameroonian soldiers and Islamic insurgents from these neighbouring countries, many agree that it is time for Cameroon to get up from its lethargic security complacence and keep the marauding forces, which from every indication are determined to do this country in, at bay.

The Catholic Church in northern Cameroon is already paying a heavy price of insurgent activities as in less than a year, four of her missionaries have been kidnapped, cars stolen and her property vandalised. These abductions have not diluted the evangelical zeal in many missionaries who continue serving the poor and destitute in that part of the country. They are fully aware that these insurgents could whisked them off at any time as Cameroon’s porous borders with the neighbouring countries from where these hoodlums come, make nonsense of even the most well thought-out and astute security measures.

Prevailing insecurity has become one of the drawbacks to effective evangelisation in the Moslem-dominated north that of recent has been making commendable Gospel in routes in that region. Taking cognizance of this situation and its consequences during their May 05 to 10, 2014, 39th Plenary Assembly in Yaoundé, the Bishops of Cameroon said, “We express our profound regret at this phenomenon, which apparently shows no sign of abating, and which gravely hurts human dignity and raises concern and horror. It also has lots of negative consequences. It saddens and troubles us with regards to the preaching of the Gospel and the Church’s work in the development of our country.” They consequently called on all Cameroonians, irrespective of their religious leanings, to redouble their efforts in ensuring peace and concord wherever they live.

Having tasted the consequences of obnoxious insurgent activity, the Emeritus Bishop of Maroua- Mokolo, Mgr. Philippe Stevens frontally appealed to traditional rulers to denounce militants of the Islamic group that is running amok in that part of the country. Commenting about insurgent activities in Trends In Outside Support for Insurgent Movements it is stated that in “--- any clandestine movement, members are also part-time intelligence agents, operating among the population, gathering information, and conveying it to higher authorities. Insurgents typically are able to draw on a large network of informants and local sympathisers who can provide information useful to the cause.”

The precision with which these militants operate has therefore made many to conclude that they must have local accomplices. There are even speculations that until he was unmasked recently, one of Boko Haram’s close aides had been living unperturbed in northern Cameroon.

If local intelligence gathering has been one, if not, the sect’s strongest weapon in its asymmetric war against Cameroonians, local intelligence provision to security forces on Boko Haram suspects and activities could also be the greatest weapons against it. It is difficult to ensure rational behaviour and conduct in situations of conflict and where there is anxiety to find a quick solution to a disturbing situation, but information gathered should be carefully analysed to avoid past errors which, instead of helping to solve a problem, have only further contributed to exacerbating it; only making a sufficiently disturbing situation worse.

It is not time to ask if our soldiers can effectively wade off these insurgents, as they have already done and continue doing o in places like the Bakassi Peninsular, but instead time to pray and give them the moral and spiritual support they need to help defend our fatherland; and most especially, to pray for the conversion of hearts. Looking at the prevailing situation in the Central African Republic, Cameroonians must remain alert to avert their country’s descent into the doldrums of war. Fighting against the forces of evil is not only a national but also a Christian obligation.

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National Episcopal Conference President announces the death of the Bishop of Kribi Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba

June 4, 2014, 3:58 am

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The President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and Archbishop of Douala, His Excellency Mgr. Samuel Kleda, announces with deep regrets the death of the Bishop of Kribi, His Excellency Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba, which occurred today from an illness.

The people of God are invited to pray for him. The funeral programme shall be made public later.

Done in Douala, June 04, 2014

+Samuel KLEDA

Archbishop of Douala

NECC President

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Who was Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba?

June 4, 2014, 8:32 am

≫ Next: “We do not have any grievances neither against the Bororos as Bororos nor against the Moslems as Moslems. I have a problem with individuals,” Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua

≪ Previous: National Episcopal Conference President announces the death of the Bishop of Kribi Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba

Mgr. Joseph Ateba was born on April 25, 1962 in the Diocese of Mbalmayo where he did his primary and part of his secondary education. He received his priestly formation at the St. Therese Minor Seminary, Mvolyé and the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary, Nkolbisson. He was ordained on July 20, 1987 under Yaoundé Archdiocese.

Mgr. Ateba did his university studies at the Media Service Centre in Kaduna, Nigeria and at the Advanced School of Mass Communication, ASMAC, Yaoundé. He holds a Baccalaureate in Theology and a Diploma in Communication Sciences. He became Vicar of Yaoundé Cathedral Parish in 1987. In 1989, he was appointed Parish Priest of Kondengui and the head of Social Communication in Yaoundé Archdiocese.

In 1995 he became the regional secretary of the commission in charge of Social Communication in the Association of Episcopal Conferences of the Central African Region. In 1998 he was the executive secretary of the Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communication and press attaché of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. He was the Parish Priest of St. Joseph Anglophone Parish, Mvog-Ada from 2004 until June 19, 2008 when the Diocese of Kribi was created and he was appointed as its first Bishop.

The Head of State appointed him as the President of the National Communication Council on July 08, 2011, a position he held until his death.

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“We do not have any grievances neither against the Bororos as Bororos nor against the Moslems as Moslems. I have a problem with individuals,” Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua

June 12, 2014, 8:51 am

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Interviewed by Jude Abanseka and Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Insecurity is on the rise in Cameroon and after the recent conflict between the Catholic Church in Bamenda Archdiocese and the Bororo community over a disputed piece of land at Banja, L’Effort Camerounais asked the Archbishop Of Bamenda the Church’s present position, the state of Catholic-Bororo relationships now and what will become of plans for a new campus for the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda and much more. Excerpts:

Your Grace, It has been a very trying moment for Bamenda Archdiocese in general and for you in particular over a recent land dispute with the Bororo community in Wumse Ndzah or the Banja Hills. What is the Church’s and your position today as far as this conflict is concerned?
It has been a very painful situation considering that since 2008 we had already done and completed everything to acquire that piece of land but suddenly a problem started. I am certainly disappointed but the decision we took to abandon the piece of land has left us in peace. I took the decision with my auxiliary and the priests, religious, and Christians have all appreciated it through the messages I have been receiving. We are following Christ’s instructions who says if someone slaps you on the right cheek also offer the left, if he wants you to walk a mile with him, walk two miles, if he takes your cloak, give him your tunic too. When somebody attacks you and you do your best to solve the problem to no avail, you better let go. We have to live the scriptures and the demands of our Christian life to go to any length to ask for and work for peace.

During the conflict many described the Church as a land grabber arguing that she appropriated to herself more land than she was initially given. How many hectares were allotted to the Church, 46 or 72 hectares?
This allegation is actually one of the reasons that made us to give up the land totally. We have been painted as land grabbers whereas this is not the case. As I have explained many times before, we started the acquisition of that land from the traditional rulers and we told them the amount of land we needed which they accepted. The Fon of Ndzah and his councillors, my representatives and the Divisional Officer for Bamenda III all went to the site. In the first stage, I compensated the Fon of Ndzah for 72 hectares. After that my architects sent a surveyor there who mapped the area, which I have here, indicating that it was 72 hectares. Everything was very clear. Afterwards when we had to apply for a grant from the State, we were told by those in charge that we should first apply for 46 hectares and apply for the rest afterwards and that is what we did. I received a letter from the Senior Divisional Officer recently who told me what he did not tell me before that the State does not grant more than 50 hectares. Three to four years ago he did not tell us that. Anyway, I would have applied twice because of the amount of land we needed. How can we be land grabbers when we had paid compensation to the last franc as the State prescribes for 72 hectares? Those who were occupying the land were paid their dues in the presence of the State and other media organs. We took all the measures to ensure that things were properly done. This accusation is certainly very unfair.

There were threats that if the Church did not pull out from the disputed Banja Hills, Boko Haram was going to called in to fight the Bororo cause. Has this conflict affected Catholic-Bororo/Moslem relationships and your personal relationships with this community?
Not at all! We do not have any grievances neither against the Bororos as Bororos nor against the Moslems as Moslems. I have a problem with individuals. There were about 13 people occupying that land and only one person did not accept to be compensated and he whipped up sentiments against us with the support of a lawyer. I cannot tell if the others supported him, though. But from the beginning the Ardo of the Bororos wrote to us saying they were very happy to have us there and were gladly going to give up that piece of land and that was what they did initially. I have a good relationship with the Bororos. In fact one of the board members of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Provincial Health Assistance -BEPHA scheme is a Bororo man who is in charge of that community in the Santa area, if I am not mistaken. Other Bororos are BEPHA adherents. We were very upset when the impression was given that we were ill-treating a minority group, the Bororos. It was not a question of a minority but of an individual who did not want to abide by the law. We did not treat them violently, but it was they who attacked us even outside the disputed area. What did we do wrong? In any case, they still enjoy my love and sympathy.

Your Grace, you have said repeatedly that the Church respected the procedure for acquiring land. What therefore happened that this conflict kept taking unexpected twists and turns?
That is what baffles me! We satisfied every requirement right up to getting a “Certificate of non-Appeal” from the courts. So it really baffles me that a situation like this came up.

Pulling out from the Banja Hills has only reinforced claims that the Church is a land grabber and a human rights violator. What’s your reaction to this claim?
This is certainly the interpretation of those who will always blame us. If we did not pull out they would have said we were land grabbers. We have left the land and they still call us land grabbers. It gives the impression that we could never have won in a situation like this. It takes at least two to fight, but we have withdrawn. The other people can continue attacking us but as far as I am concerned, we are out of the fight.

So, what are your plans for a campus worth the name for the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda?
I am scouting for another place to build a worthy campus because the university is not a one-faculty affair. Our university will have a number of faculties and a number of campuses not only in Bamenda Archdiocese, but also in the dioceses of Buea, Kumbo and Mamfe. So, we need a large piece of land for about 20 faculties. I am therefore scouting round where I can get enough land. A number of Fons have already opted to give us land.

Are these Fons offering you land for free or selling it?
I do not know because I have not yet responded. They have simply said they have land and have invited us. I am still observing.

Could direct talks between the Church and the Bororo community concerned not have resolved this problem amicably than the judicial wrangling that only heightened tensions between the two parties?
I presume direct talks could have helped. However, we had direct talks because the SDO invited the parties concerned. I sent my representatives and the Ardo was there. Talks were held but apparently they did not yield the expected fruits. We were certainly open to any negotiations that could solve the problem amicably. But the opposing party was not prepared for that.

Do you intend to seek any judicial redress and financial compensation for the damage that has been done to the Church’s image in Bamenda Archdiocese and will the Church recover the compensation that she paid to those she intended to displace?
When I say I have withdrawn from that land it means I have abandoned everything. When they started attacking us, none of those we had compensated showed up to return what they had received. This is a bad case and I have therefore decided to let go of everything. If they want to give back the money they are free to, but I am not asking anything from anybody, not even from the Fon.

What lesson(s) has the Church learned from this recent land conflict with the Bororo community?
We have learned that we have to be even more cautious when dealing with people because there is a lot of falsehood and foul play in our society. You meet people and you talk to them in confidence. You put all your cards on the table and are totally open, but you do not get what you need in return.

Do you include civil authorities in this category of people?
This includes civil authorities because you ask them to advice you on the best way of handling a situation and you do exactly what they tell you, but thereafter they tell you more was supposed to have been or is still to be done. We sought to be law abiding because we know the implications of bypassing the law. We preach about the importance of truth and justice and we try to be examples. But a situation like this one only tells us that we have to be more careful. There is no end to being meticulous in this situation. I do not think we can blame ourselves for not having done what we should have done. It only teaches us that we are living in a world that is very crooked and that if you do not always do things well and have ulterior motives; even when you are right, you are deprived of your rights. And this is just what is happening where force is might or might is right. Falsehood almost always triumphs today. I can only imagine what goes on in our law courts and what happens to people who cannot defend themselves. How many people who had land that has been expropriated are suffering like this? We are now suffering like many Cameroonians and we only hope that there will be greater justice and people living according to the truth someday.

If you are looking for land in the future for any Church project, what will you do differently?
I will follow all the procedure to acquire land in Cameroon, especially in the North West Region (chuckles). I started Kumbo Diocese and we acquired land for the Bishop’s House and other projects like schools and parishes. I always follow the same process. First you contact traditional rulers or the person who has the piece of land who takes you to the traditional rulers because they are custodians of the land. If they approve and the person accepts, you give a traditional token as a sign of appreciation. The traditional ruler and his council then designate the piece of land you need. Next you meet civil authorities, precisely the Divisional Officer and the land consultative board for the official papers. After this you pay what the government demand as dues. If there are people to be displaced, you pay the prescribed compensation. You start the procedure for acquiring a land certificate. That is what I have always done and that is what we did at Ndzah. In this case the Divisional Officer told me I should not have given any compensation to the traditional ruler because all land belongs to the State and it is the State that gives out land. But this is not what actually happens. I am still waiting for the day I shall see a piece government land and apply for it, but I know that even then I will still have to pay taxes. So there is no way you can avoid certain procedures.

Your Grace, is there any message to pass on to your faithful on this recent conflict?
First, I call upon all Catholics to be very calm and live in peace with their neighbours and not to be affected by or react negatively to this recent happening. We need to live in peace with other people irrespective of what is happening. Second, we should learn from what has happened. So I am calling on all our schools and missions to protect their land. Get the appropriate documents, if not you may be thrown out as it just happened to us. I know that many people trespass or encroach on parish land because of a wrong impression that Church land is nobody’s land. So, all parishes and Church institutions should protect their land.

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