Cameroon

Ramadan 2017: Cameroonian Muslims begin 30 days of fasting

28, May 2017

Ramadan 2017: Cameroonian Muslims begin 30 days of fasting 0

Muslims in Cameroon have started the 30 day period of fasting  Cameroon state radio and television reported that the 30 days fast observed each year in accordance with the Islam calendar in preparation for the spiritual journey has been very visible.

At the Briqueterie neighborhood which is predominantly Muslim, provision stores have been stocked with food items consumed during the period of fasting such as rice, sugar flour, milk, date fruits, Corn and Groundnut.

Also, items to facilitate the retreat such as prayer beats, copies of the Koran, kettles and mats have also been displayed. Ramadan is one of the holiest periods in the Islam calendar- a period when Muslims are expected to humble themselves in prayer to Alah. It is a period of spiritual cleansing, abstinence and solidarity.

Camcordnews Desk

Archbishop of Bamenda says he does not know who is dragging him to court

30, April 2017

Archbishop of Bamenda says he does not know who is dragging him to court 0

After a nebulous group known as the consortium of parents dragged the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province to court to answer a seven-count charge brought against them, L’Effort Camerounais caught up with the Archbishop of Bamenda to have his reading of the present imbroglio. Excerpts:

How do you react to the recent court summons of the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province?

My reaction is certainly one of disappointment because, in the first place, I do not know who is dragging me to court especially as the supposed plaintiffs have denied that they are not the ones responsible for the court summons. They accuse the Bishops of failing to ask parents to send their children back to school and of condoning to the acts of those who illegally requested for boycott of school thereby causing some confusion and persistently refraining from performing the duties of teaching children. They further accuse us of condoning to the resistance organized by some individuals and thereby causing social unrest.

On the contrary, the Bishops have issued several communications all in an attempt to appeal to the parties to seek a peaceful solution to the current social unrest plaguing our country. In all our communications and, even in my homilies, violence in all its forms and no matter the origin has been vehemently condemned. We have never asked or encouraged anyone to organize ghost towns or civil disobedience. We have never closed down our schools or sent any child away who wanted to be taught. Parents themselves chose to come and withdraw their children after news spread that the gate of Sacred Heart College Mankon was vandalized. In effect, we have lost enormously because over seven hundred million had been spent in buying food stuff, books and didactic material for the running of schools. Unfortunately, all fees had not been paid when the strike started so the money has not been recovered. Instead we stretched beyond our limits to get money with which we paid teachers and supported the staff for several months after the strike started. We held meetings with parents and teachers to discuss the possibility of reopening our schools but parents chose not to send their children. To be accused now of not having ordered schools to resume is surprising.  So, I am totally disappointed in whoever is behind this act.

Do you think someone is behind all this and who could that be?

Yes, I strongly believe so but I do not know who.  I say this for a number of reasons. In the first place, because the representatives of the so-called “Consortium” are mostly military personnel. Secondly, because one of the charges is that my refusal to pay teachers’ salaries is causing a loss in taxes to the State. So I do not know if their interest is the loss of taxes to the state or it is the children’s welfare they are interested in. Our schools have Parents Teachers Associations right up to the diocesan level and nothing like a consortium of parents as the summons indicate. No one has brought any complaints against us with regards to the social unrests and we refused to listen.

Furthermore they accuse us of propagating “false information liable to injure public authorities and national unity” and of attempting to justify “grievances and apprehensions which is being carried out against the security of the State”.  So, from the look of it, there is someone behind all this and I am anxiously looking forward to meeting whoever is calling the shots.

Does the Church have a preference for a particular style/system of government?

Not at all, because the Church does not meddle in politics and has no political leanings. In our memorandum to the Head of State we have advised the government on what to do to have a peaceful solution to the existing problems.  That is the best we can do as the voice of the voiceless that we are. We can only advise but cannot impose on the government. We do this by presenting to the government what complaints the people have and how to go about solving them. The Church is strictly apolitical and does not express any preference for a style of government.

You are aware that Christians from all over the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province were mobilizing to storm the courts had the matter not been suspended. Do you encourage such an action?

I am aware of this because I received calls from Yaoundé, Douala, Buea and other towns. People called to give me their moral support, to reassure me of their prayers and to inform me they will be in court with me because they are the parents who refused to send their children to school and not the bishops. I informed the Governor of the North West Region just in case he did not know about it so that he takes his responsibility to ensure there is maximum security so that the peaceful protest march the people had planned to have will go on without escalating into violence. As to whether I encourage them, I would say I did not ask anyone to accompany me to court and in my communiqué to them about the summons, I only asked them to pray for a peaceful solution and to remain calm. But I think people are aware that they have a right to express themselves and that is why they chose to accompany me to court.

Do you not think a situation like that could stir another uprising or could be considered by government as such?

I would not have cautioned the Governor about impending danger if I did not foresee that some people could take advantage of the planned peaceful protest march to cause chaos. I already mentioned that all along we have been condemning violence no matter the source. So, I have to do what I can to avoid it.

Christ’s Faithful in the Diocese of Buea were bracing up to travel to Bamenda in solidarity with the Church in Bamenda and Kumbo. Is Bamenda going to do same to Buea, Mamfe and Kumba?

We intended going down to Buea as well for the simple reason that actually it is the Church’s hierarchy in our Ecclesiastical Province that has been dragged to court. And since there are two regions, they cannot, from a legal point of view, bring the Bishop of Buea to come and answer charges in Bamenda. So, all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province are in court just as all the leaders of the Presbyterian and Baptist Churches in the two regions are also in court. So, the difference is only where one answers the case because the charges are the same. One of the accusations in the summons is about “the Catholic Church”; and that is a very serious accusation. It would have been totally different if I were accused as the Archbishop of Bamenda or if it were the Bishop of Buea, for example; but as the Catholic Church, I am afraid the Holy Father may have to come and answer the charge in this situation because he is the head of the Catholic Church. So, that is the gravity of it.

So, what will be your reaction if whoever is dragging the bishops to court suddenly realizes this gravity and decides to withdraw the case?

They are free to do so. If they think that they have no charges against us or that they are accusing us wrongly, they are free to. We are only praying that we should not go into situations that are meaningless; things should be founded and should be done properly because nobody enjoys going to court. And the question you asked, as they always say; “have you looked for a peaceful and amicable solution to the problem before going to court?” That is why I would have expected those who are bringing us to court to confront us and if we cannot satisfy them, if they have founded grievances, then they are free to go to court. This explains why the issue of the Church being dragged to court is really an embarrassment to us and I think to anybody. I hope that they will not keep on suspending the case indefinitely because justice delayed is justice denied.

Your Grace, the matter in Buea has been postponed to the same June 5, like that of Bamenda. What reading do you make of that action?

Well, they have a right to put it on whatever date suits them. If they have chosen to put both cases on the same day only they know why they have chosen to do that. I cannot interpret their act. But I know that the reason advanced for postponing the case in Bamenda is not convincing enough. The death of a lawyer or any court official should not cause the entire court to close down. That of Buea is even worse because no reason for its postponement was advanced.

What do you think can be the quick solution to the current social unrest and how soon can that be?

I think the solution is there. We have the knife and the yam. It is very clear. By “we” I mean the Cameroon nation and its authorities. We have the knife and the yam because we have more than a 50-year history. All these problems are man-made and we have been living through them. Let us have the courage, as I said earlier, to take the bull by the horns, look at the problems in the face and look for meaningful solutions. We would be a more peaceful country. This can only be done through genuine and honest dialogue and with the establishment of a truth and reconciliation committee. Cameroon has been hailed for being an oasis of peace. We do not want to lose that. We want to continue being an oasis of peace and we want to continue being an example to follow in our sub region. We do not want to push things to a point that people become exasperated and do foolish things. Let us listen to one another, accept one another and do things in one another’s interest.

But Your Grace, there was dialogue with the inter-ministerial committee and the Prime Minister made several trips to the North West to dialogue with the people. Are you insinuating there was no genuine dialogue?

When it started the inter-ministerial committee seemed to be in genuine dialogue with the teachers’ union leaders. But shortly after the discussions, some leaders were arrested and are still in jail. This shows there was some bad faith and no trust in the people they were dialoguing with. I have the impression that the PM did not come to dialogue but to present an agenda of a prepared solution to the problem without true and honest dialogue. In this case there was no dialogue but a monologue because he spoke and everyone listened to him but he did not listen to anybody. So I insist that people should face the facts as they are and listen to each other during the dialogue.

Anglophone Crisis: The Preaching Bishop addresses Christians in the Mamfe Diocese

21, April 2017

Anglophone Crisis: The Preaching Bishop addresses Christians in the Mamfe Diocese 0

MESSAGE TO ALL PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN, MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S LAY FAITHFUL AND PEOPLE OF GOODWILL IN THE DIOCESE OF MAMFE

DIRECT SUMMONS TO THE BISHOPS OF BUEA, MAMFE AND KUMBA TO APPEAR IN THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE IN BUEA OVER CRIMINAL CHARGES

Dear Rev. Fathers,

Rev. Brothers and Sisters,

All Christ’s Lay Faithful,

People of Goodwill in Mamfe Diocese;

The Lord is risen Alleluia – Yes he is truly risen Alleluia.

On Monday the 17th of April, 2017, while We, of the Diocese of Mamfe, were celebrating our Priestly Ordinations and basking in our quiet enjoyment in Manyu Division, some  people totally unkown to us from Fako Division, namely, Dr. John Lyonga Efande, Ikome Williams Ligange and Alianto Ngala, through their Legal Counsel, Barrister Achu Julius Ngu Tabe, dragged us to the Court of First Instance in Buea, Fako Division and caused the State Counsel of the same Fako to summon the Bishops of Buea, Mamfe and Kumba to appear in Court on Monday the 24th of April, 2017 at 9 am prompt. The seven charges against the Bishops could be summarized in that the Bishops have refused to reopen the Catholic schools and thus supporting the illegal strike of the Anglophone Teachers. These people are requesting that the Bishops be convicted and imprisoned and pay damages of 150 Billion CFA.

Coming at the splash of the Easter Joy, I can only see an attempt to spread the reign of darkness and get the prince of this world attempt to spoil our Easter Graces. But as you all know, the devil is a liar and we shall not give him the opportunity. I can only talk to you at this kind of trying moment in the words of Jesus who said to his Apostles, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me”(Jn.14:1).

As the Bishop of Mamfe, I stand by the Communiqué which all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province wrote saying that “We have never closed schools and our doors remain open”. The Bishop of Mamfe does not live in Fako, nor does he own schools in Fako and this makes me worried that anybody can sit down in any part of the country and decide that I am a criminal and I have to go to court to prove that I am not.  It is all a calculated attempt by some forces  of darkness, that we shall get to know sooner than later, to humiliate, intimidate and incriminate  the Church and rub the bishops in mud with wanton disregard and disrespect for God, whom these men in spite their human weaknesses, represent. They may end up discovering that they are fighting against God himself(Acts 5:39). It is the reign of the anti-Christ and this is not new. It is a struggle between light and darkness, it is a battle between good and evil, it is a wrestle between sin and righteousness and a confrontation of truth and lies. This is exactly what happened to my Boss who is the Son of a carpenter, Jesus Christ. He was blackmailed and dragged from Annas the High priest to Caiphas and then finally put before Pontius Pilate who unjustly condemned him to death. Shame to death! On the third day he rose again from the dead – Alleluia. Now he lives to die no more.  Jesus told us to expect this when he said; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me”(Jn.15:18-21).

As a true and law abiding son of this country, I will respect the call of the law of the state and appear before the court of Frist Instance in Buea on Monday, 24th April, 2017 at 9.am prompt. I will not waste Diocesan money, which we don’t have, to hire a lawyer and I will not prepare any defense because I believe in Christ who said : “Watch out! Men will hand you over to the local courts. They will whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me. You will be witnesses to them and to those who aren’t Jews.  “But when they arrest you, don’t worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the right words to say. It will not be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.”(Mtt.10:17-20).

I therefore call on all Christians of Mamfe to do the following:

Stay calm and restrain from any acts of violence, be it verbal, physical or even psychological,  that will only make the situation worse. This is a call I made to all the Motor Bike Riders on the 31st of December, 2016 and to all the Youth of the Diocese during the World Youth Day on the 9th of April, 2017 and I am repeating to all Christians of Mamfe today.

Done on  the 22nd of April 2017, which is the 25th Anniversary of my ordination to the Sacred Priesthood

His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 Roman Catholic Bishops to stand trial

18, April 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 Roman Catholic Bishops to stand trial 0

Three Roman Catholic Bishops will appear before a court in the Bamenda province of Southern Cameroons for not intervening to ask parents to send their children to school. The plaintiffs backed by the corrupt regime in Yaoundé are claiming the sum of 150 billion CFA francs in damages.

The spiritual leader of the Bamenda ecclesiastic province, Archbishop Cornelius Esua, his deputy, Bishop Michael and His Lordship Bishop George Nkou of the Kumbo Diocese were summoned to appear before a court in Bamenda on Friday April the 21st for their possible role in the strike action orchestrated by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.  The summons was given to the Bishops a few days ago, during the Holy Week by a regime headed by a Roman Catholic Christian with good ties with the Vatican.

The civil parties constitute a group of parents whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools and they claim that the prelates have not done enough to ensure the resumption of classes in Catholic institutions ever since the Southern Cameroons crisis started last year.

The Southern Cameroons Bishops who are by extrapolation members of Pope Francis cabinet have argued that they have never closed any Roman Catholic academic establishment.  Barrister Richard Nde who has opted to defend the Bishops told Radio France International that the trial is basically political. “There is nothing concrete. It is only the interest of money and the political aspect.”

In February, the West Cameroon Episcopal Conference stressed in a statement that the Anglophone crisis was symptomatic of a deep “socio-political” crisis. The bishops then argued that the numerous killings, arrests, torture , rapes and the shutdown of the Internet had aggravated the situation. Relations between the State and the Church remain strained even though President Paul Biya was received last month by the Holy Father Pope Francis at the Vatican.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Archbishop of Douala says attack on Anglophone Bishops is “sacrilegious”

18, April 2017

Archbishop of Douala says attack on Anglophone Bishops is “sacrilegious” 0

The President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, Archbishop Samuel Kléda has denounced the Yaoundé regime’s fierce attack on Southern Cameroons Bishops. The Archbishop of the Douala Diocese say Roman Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda ecclesiastical province cannot be held responsible for the closure of denominational schools as claimed by the a group backed by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime.

The Man of God observed that the attack on the Roman Catholic Church by government agents is a real scandal! The Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala told Radio Equinoxe that the Catholic Church did not orchestrate the Anglophone crisis that has paralyzed the English-speaking regions since November 2016. He pointed out that the Southern Cameroons Bishops did not shut down the private and public schools.  Archbishop Kleda wondered aloud if the so-called Consortium of Parents that sued the Anglophone Bishops will also file a complaint against those responsible for private and public institutions.

Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua, his assistant Bishop Michael Bibi, the bishop of Kumbo Diocese George Nkuo, and the principal of the Sacred Heart College of Mankon, are expected to appear before the Bamenda Court of First Instance on Friday, April 21, 2017, to answer the charges against them. The two plaintiffs are senior officers of the Cameroonian army. They blame the respondents for collecting tuition fees on behalf of the school year, which is drawing to a close, without giving anything as a course. Therefore, they are claiming compensation of 150 million FCFA.

Monday, April 17, 2017 was the day of resumption of classes for the 3rd quarter of the school year 2016/2017 throughout the national territory. In Buea and Bamenda as in other towns in the South-West and North-West Regions, several schools belonging to the Anglophone educational sub-system, including denominational schools of the Catholic Church, have not been opened.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Eyong Johnson

Buea Catholic Education Secretary, the Bishops and the strike: Love the sinner, hate the sin approach

9, February 2017

Buea Catholic Education Secretary, the Bishops and the strike: Love the sinner, hate the sin approach 2

If “actions speak louder than words,” as the saying goes, the message from the Anglophone Roman Catholic Bishops on reopening of schools is increasingly confusing. On the one hand, the Bishops had reiterated the Church’s stance on the Anglophone problem and even repeatedly condemned the rapes, killings and arbitrary arrest going on in Southern Cameroons.  However both in their recent deeds – most notably the press release from the Catholic Education Secretary in Buea, have left an impression in many minds that the Roman Catholic Church in Anglophone Cameroon is badly in need of new leadership.

It is not only the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and their majority following who have observed these mixed signals but the entire nation including even Francophone political elites. The statement from the Catholic Education Secretary in the Dioceses of Buea has also raised the issue of legitimate authority.

Roman Catholic schools and colleges belong to the Bishops and only the Bishops have legitimate authority to open or close those institutions. For an Education Secretary to have come out strong during this difficult period in Southern Cameroons history is very disturbing. Many Roman Catholics can’t help but suspect that the recent shift in position has been orchestrated from the presidency of the republic via its brutal Secret Service.  It will be hard for West Cameroonians to uphold Catholic traditions if the Bishops fail to come out clean.

This editorial is presented with love and respect for the Bishops in answer to their call for open dialogue to resolve the Anglophone problem.  President Biya has chosen to remain silent at key intervals, most especially in the aftermath of the historic memorandum sent to him by the Anglophone Bishops. This significant shift in the earlier position regarding the Anglophone problem is completely unacceptable to both the detained and interim leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Although the Consortium has not asked for comment from the Episcopal Conclave, we of this publication think that it would be proper for the Bishops to clarify their current decision. But if it is true that the Anglophone Bishops have ordered Roman Catholic academic establishments in Southern Cameroons to reopen their doors, then it is indeed a defeat for humanity.

The Anglophone Roman Catholic Bishops may as well be following the Holy Father Pope Francis “who am I to judge” comment leaving Biya and his Francophone Beti Ewondo regime to ride over Southern Cameroonians. Equally concerning is the fact that the Bishops of Cameroon Conference that recently held in Mamfe, the chief town in Manyu Division failed to condemn the rapes, extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrest going on in Southern Cameroons. This is the “love the sinner, hate the sin” approach.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

 

Presbyterian Church in Cameroon distancing itself from the PEATTU resolution

5, February 2017

Presbyterian Church in Cameroon distancing itself from the PEATTU resolution 1

The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has reportedly issued a statement contradicting the position held by the Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers Trade Union, PEATTU. Cameroon Concord News is yet to confirm the authenticity of the document that was emailed to our Brussels bureau today Sunday the 5th of February 2017. Below is the text as sent to us:

The Moderator is the proprietor of all Presbyterian schools in Cameroon. He has not been consulted in the present dispensation for the signing of any document by whosoever on behalf of the PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATION AUTHORITY TEACHERS TRADE UNION (PEATTU).

He is presently in AKWAYA for the Thanksgiving of his late father together with the entire workers and staff of the synod office, including a cream of pastors. Until you get his personal opinion on this issue, we consider the said Mr Stephen acting for reasons best known to him.

The decision taken before remains. We call for those detained to be released and government should stop the brutal arrest and detaining of individuals. We also call for fresh dialogue as a possible way to reinstate our dignity as a people.

The PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CAMEROON IS NOT A SELLOUT CHURCH AND WILL NEVER BE. Blood has been split and this must not and cannot be taken lightly. Until the PCC Moderator speaks, consider PEATTU position on that approval back to school as null and void.

By Chi Prudence Asong

 

Moderator Samuel Fonki calls for the release of all Anglophone detainees

4, February 2017

Moderator Samuel Fonki calls for the release of all Anglophone detainees 0

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, Rt. Rev. Samuel Fonki  Forba  has said that the Government should release all Anglophone leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and proceed with dialogue for the possible resumption of schools in the two English speaking regions of the country.

 Rt. Rev Samuel Fonki was speaking at a Press Conference held in Bamenda, North West region after the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees Meeting of the PCC. The Moderator and 13 other Executives signed a two-page press release proposing that some sought of amnesty be given to all those who were arrested and detained in the wake of the crisis that continues to rock Southern Cameroons.

 “We want those arrested because of their political ideologies and those detained because of crimes committed within the period to be tried in the regions where they were arrested so that their rights to be cared for by family members and friends would be guaranteed.”

The PCC Moderator and his Executives also called on the State to end all arbitrary arrest and detention of persons from the two English Speaking regions. They also suggested that the Government should comply with the decisions arrived at with Teachers during the Bamenda meeting of January to enable the resumption of classes.

On the issue of suspension of the strike and contrary to what was reportedly on Cameroon Tribune, the Moderator said, “I never initiated a strike action in the first place and I would not be the one to call it off. I am simply appealing on stakeholders to do so. If Government schools are unable to resume classes, I don’t see how PCC schools can do so in isolation.”

Cameroun Info.Net

Mamfe: Roman Catholic Bishops of Cameroon directs Christians on marriage

14, January 2017

Mamfe: Roman Catholic Bishops of Cameroon directs Christians on marriage 0

MESSAGE OF THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON

On the occasion of the 40th Seminar

Held in Mamfe from 07 to 14 January 2017

———————–

To the People of God in Cameroon;

To all persons of good will

May the Grace, Love and Peace of the Lord be with you, members of the Church, the family of God Cameroon!

  1. We, the Bishops of Cameroon, gathered together in Mamfe for our 40th Seminar, address this message to you on the joy of love, a joy which, lived in families, is also the joy of the Church. (Amoris Laetitia No.1).
  2. After the two Synods of Bishops held in Rome in 2014 and 2015 on “the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization”, Pope Francis gave the Universal Church, on 19 March 2016, the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation: AMORIS LAETITIA.

This exhortation highlights the pastoral attitude to adopt in the face of the many challenges confronting the family today.

Among these challenges are: the attack on the dignity of Christian marriage; the weakening of love between spouses; the growth of single-parent families; the promotion of “gender ideology”, which risks putting men and women in conflict; the distortion of human love; the promotion of same-sex marriages, the legalization of the destruction of the family, the commercialization of the female body, divorce and remarriage, the legalization of abortion, etc.

  1. Faced with these challenges, we invite you, following Pope Francis, to a true path of conversion in the context of the New Evangelization. This implies on the part of pastors an attitude of welcome, discernment and accompaniment of fragile individuals and families. It is no longer a question of presenting rules and regulations, but:

–              To propose to you values and offer couples motivation for this courageous and lasting stake that marriage is. (Amoris Laetitia No. 201);

–              To approach families with a humble understanding, and to accompany them so that they can discover the best way to overcome the difficulties that they encounter daily. (Amoris Laetitia No. 200).

 “To find the right language, arguments and forms of witness that can help us reach the hearts of young people, appealing to their capacity for generosity, commitment, love and even heroism, and in this way inviting them to take up the challenge of marriage with enthusiasm and courage” (Amoris Laetitia No. 40).

  1. Concretely, we commit ourselves in each of our particular Churches to reinstating the family at the heart of our pastoral care by reorganizing the preparation for marriage and the accompaniment of couples during and after the celebration of the sacrament.

The preparation of fiancés for Christian marriage will henceforth be done through the structure of an interdisciplinary team for the pastoral care of the family, composed of well-prepared priests, lay persons and couples, at the levels of basic Christian communities, mission stations, parishes, deaneries and dioceses. The experience of the Pastoral Institutes shall be of great help here.

  1. Within the framework of this pastoral task of closeness, the Church in Cameroon is aware of the values embedded in our cultures about marriage and the family that should be respected in accordance with the Gospel. This same attention will be directed towards cases of great delicateness such as: the divorced and remarried, women in distress, orphans, etc.by setting up, for example, structures of Counseling.

We admit that the service of accompanying couples after marriage has been inadequate. But with the advent of Amoris Laetitia, this post-sacramental accompaniment becomes urgency and a pastoral priority today. We will therefore seize all the opportunities offered by the life of the Church, such as recollections, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, baptisms, death celebrations, etc.(Amoris Laetitia No. 208) in order to consolidate the newlyweds in their matrimonial commitments.

In this respect, we will incorporate these orientations into the National Directory for Pastoral Care of the Family that is being revised and in the Pastoral Plans being drawn up in our dioceses.

  1. Finally, we recommend that you welcome Church Teaching on Marriage and the Family as the application of Divine Teaching and Divine Mercy to the people, couples and families that suffer one weakness or the other.

We urge couples and pastoral agents, and the faithful to read and meditate on Amoris Laetitia.

The infinite Mercy of God requires from each Christian a discernment and a true personal conversion.

  1. To you, members of the Church, the family of God in Cameroon, in your respective situations, of joy and of sorrow, we urge you to open yourselves to the Mercy of God and to contemplate the face of the Merciful Father, Jesus,our Savior.

On this path of welcoming the joy of love, we look unto the merciful eyes of the Holy Mother of God, for it is she who is the first to showus the way and accompany us in experiencing love. (Pope Francis)

Consortium, Roman Catholic Bishops hold “conclave” on the Southern Cameroons crisis

11, January 2017

Consortium, Roman Catholic Bishops hold “conclave” on the Southern Cameroons crisis 1

The 2017 annual Episcopal Conference of the Bishops of Cameroon that started on Sunday January 8 in the Pastoral Centre of the Diocese of Mamfe has held a private session grouping the Roman Catholic Bishops and the leaders of The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Present were all the Bishops of Cameroon and top on the agenda was discussions on the Papal encyclical Amoris Lettitia which deals with the new marriage law of the Catholic Church. After the official opening ceremony on Monday attended by the Mayor of Mamfe, John Ayuk Takunchong and the administration of Manyu Division, the Bishops and other invited Roman Catholic couples from various dioceses where schooled on the documents by experts for two days.

According to the program, the Bishops were to go into a conclave as from today the 11th. This conclave drew the attention of all Cameroonians specially the members of the Consortium who were invited by the Bishops. The highly expected closed door meeting lasted for over 4 hours with no official declaration made public.

Cameroon Intelligence Report staff man revealed that the Anglophone leaders left the conclave visibly satisfied. The President, Barrister Agbor Balla, the Secretary Dr Niba Fontem and the Right Hon. Wilfred Tassang refused to make any meaningful comments to the press.  The nation is waiting for the final declaration of the Bishops Conference that will provide an insight and stands of the Bishops of Cameroon on the ongoing crisis in southern Cameroon. The annual Cameroon Bishops forum ends on the 14th of January.

By Bruno Difand Tarh in Mamfe for CIR

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