Religion

When will Cameroonian Bishops get serious about Biya and the ruling CPDM crime syndicate?

21, October 2021

When will Cameroonian Bishops get serious about Biya and the ruling CPDM crime syndicate? 0

The remains of His Lordship Bishop Balla of the Bafia Diocese were discovered by a Malian fisherman at a place known as Tsang in Monatele in the Lekie Division.  Under the supervision of a Biya appointee passing for an Attorney-General, an investigation was opened in the Mbam-et-Inoubou and Monatélé in the Lékié Divisions where the body of the bishop was recovered. Mbam-et-Inoubou and Lékié are two of the ten divisions of the Center region.

The late Bishop disappeared on the night of May 30, 2017 and his body was found lifeless on June 2nd off the Sanaga River after a traditional ceremony led by the patriarch of Mbam who pleaded to his ancestors for the Bishop’s body to be made available to the living. For almost 72 hours, efforts made by sea divers from the Cameroonian Navy and local fishing community proved futile.

This is just one of the many shocked crimes against the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon under the watchful eyes of a Roman Catholic head of state who is quietly destroying everything Christianity stands for and President Biya is possibly the greatest tragedy to befall the Cameroonian Catholic church in the period of the Second Vatican Council.

Most tragically for Roman Catholic Christians in Cameroon, the responses from the Cameroonian bishops have been hopeless mindful of the stipulations of Vatican II.

Cameroon government army soldiers kill revered fathers, they kill bishops, they even killed revered sisters who had special relationship with the late first lady Jeanne Irene Biya but the Episcopal Conference continues to uphold the policy of secrecy and silence on every scandal revealed in Cameroon under President Biya-a man with a conscience nurtured in the Cameroonian Catholic family, school and Jesuit seminary.

Each time a true Christian raises a finger, the Cameroonian bishops will remind the said believer that he/she had forgotten their place in the chain of command and that the laity should allow issues concerning the CPDM government to a higher authority that is ruling the church. It is therefore left to the Cameroonian bishops to identify the root cause of both the Southern Cameroons crisis and the French Cameroun political problem.

The Cameroonian bishops have the same modus operandi like the ruling CPDM regime and it is hard to say if the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon is badly in need of the principle of ‘synodality’ and if Cameroonian bishops are truly committed to that principle. They issue press releases for everything including murder, rape, gun crimes and ghost town operations. Cameroonian bishops   have never clarified their position on the proper role of plain speaking – of conscience – in the church itself – or on the atrocities of the Biya Francophone regime. We of the Cameroon Concord News and the Cameroon Intelligence Report are of the opinion that our much respected bishops have denied to Cameroonian lay Catholics all means of raising a voice of conscience within the church itself, as promised by Vatican II. As Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, I hold this opinion mindful of my strong commitment to the Diocese of Mamfe and to the Bamenda Ecclesiastic Province.

If Cameroonian Catholics – lay people and clergy – are ever to walk together in mutual confidence Cameroonian bishops must finally say where they stand on the role of conscience and the case of this evil man in Etoudi known popularly as His Excellency President Paul Biya. If there is room for all CPDM criminals and killers to receive Holy Communion in the church, then there is no room for conscience either – and the Holy Spirit of truth must remain stifled.

To say that the 86-year-old Biya should continue as head of state because the Church does not trust any other young political figure in Cameroon – is to be utterly naive.  The reluctance of too many revered fathers to facilitate open discussion on the issue of Cameroon as a nation after Biya is in itself a nurturing of the secrecy that is perpetuating the war in Southern Cameroons and killings currently going on in French Cameroun – which will in turn inevitably lead to the complete collapse of Cameroon as a nation.

And, as the ruling CPDM government directly controls the financing of nearly all Roman Catholic Diocese in French Cameroun, no Francophone Bishop can be called truly independent either. The situation in Southern Cameroons is even more intractable!  No diocese can be audited without the giving of notice to the bishop, and no audit diocesan report can be published without the bishop concerned having first sight of it.  In all of this there is far too much room for the maintenance of the culture of whatever you say, say nothing.

Until Cameroonian bishops show respect for the principle of the primacy of conscience – and the freedom of the Holy Spirit – they can never stop the multiplicity of Pentecostal churches.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Colombian nun freed four years after being kidnapped by Mali jihadists

10, October 2021

Colombian nun freed four years after being kidnapped by Mali jihadists 0

A Franciscan nun from Colombia kidnapped by jihadists in Mali more than four years ago has been freed, Mali’s presidency said.

Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez was taken hostage on February 7, 2017 in southern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso where she had been working as a missionary.

A statement on the presidential Twitter account paid tribute to her “courage and bravery” along with photos of the nun taken after her release Saturday.

“I thank the Malian authorities, the president, all the Malian authorities, for all the efforts you’ve made to liberate me, may God bless you, may God bless Mali,” Sister Gloria said in images broadcast on state television showing her with Mali’s interim president Colonel Assimi Goita and the archbishop of Bamako Jean Zerbo.

“I am very happy, I stayed healthy for five years, thank God,” the nun said, smiling and wearing a yellow robe.

Her liberation had been the fruit of “four years and eight months of the combined effort of several intelligence services”, the presidency said.

In the official statement, Goita assured that “efforts are under way” to secure the release of all those still being held in Mali.

Archbishop Zerbo said Sister Gloria was “doing well”.

“We prayed a lot for her release. I thank the Malian authorities and other good people who made this release possible,” the archbishop said.

Sister Gloria, 59, was kidnapped near Koutiala, 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Bamako. She had worked as a missionary for six years in the parish of Karangasso with three other nuns.

According to one of her colleagues, Sister Carmen Isabel Valencia, she offered herself in place of two younger nuns the kidnappers were preparing to take.

“She is a woman of a very particular human quality, down to earth … moved by the love of the poor,” Sister Carmen said.

In Colombia, her brother Edgar Narvaez said he was very emotional after receiving news of her release.

“She is in good health, thank God. They sent me pictures and she looks well,” he told AFP.

In a letter sent last July by the Red Cross to her brother, Sister Gloria said she was held by “a group of GSIM”, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group to Support Islam and Muslims, the largest jihadist alliance in the Sahel.

A source close to the negotiations to release her told AFP she had not been ill-treated during her captivity and during that time she had learned the Koran.

“The negotiations lasted months, years,” said the source, without giving further details.

Bound for Rome

An official at Bamako airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the nun had arrived in the Malian capital on Saturday evening from where she was due to fly to Rome. Her departure from Bamako was confirmed by the city’s archdiocese.

In Colombia, Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez — who is also foreign minister — said she was “very happy” at Sister Gloria’s release, which she attributed to the work of the government and also stressed the “humanitarian efforts of the French government to contribute to this success”.

National police director Jorge Luis Vargas also welcomed her release.

“Today is very good news for Colombia, but also for the national police for all the efforts made over the years to secure the safe release of our compatriot,” he said.

Vargas said meetings had been held with several European and African ambassadors to try to secure the nun’s release.

“With Interpol, and with other international organisations, we have always sought to bring those responsible to justice.”

There were irregular reports about the nun over the years, including at the beginning of 2021, when two Europeans who managed to escape captivity reported that she was well.

Then in March, her brother received proof that she was still alive, passed on from the Red Cross.

It was a letter written in capital letters “because she always used capital letters”, containing the names of their parents and ending with her signature, he told AFP earlier this year.

Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north of the country in 2012, and which has since spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Kidnappings, once rare, have become more common in recent years as a security crisis has deepened in Mali, particularly in the centre of the former French colony.

French journalist Olivier Dubois was abducted on April 8 in northern Mali by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Dubois, who worked with several French news outlets, said in a hostage video that GSIM had abducted him.

(AFP)

Cardinal on trial as Vatican financial scandal case resumes

5, October 2021

Cardinal on trial as Vatican financial scandal case resumes 0

The trial of a once powerful Catholic cardinal and nine others resumes Tuesday at the Vatican over alleged financial fraud and a disastrous London property deal paid for with charity funds.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who served as the equivalent of chief of staff for Pope Francis at the time of the deal and was later fired from another post, is being tried alongside high-rolling London-based financiers and other Church employees.

They are accused of crimes including embezzlement, fraud and corruption relating to the Church’s loss-making purchase of a luxury property in London’s upscale Chelsea district.

Becciu was at the time number two at the Secretariat of State, the most powerful department in the Vatican’s central administration.

The case against the 73-year-old, which carries charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, also includes separate allegations over hundreds of thousands of euros of Church funds paid to his brother’s charity.

The trial is unprecedented in going before a Vatican tribunal of three lay magistrates rather than a religious court, after Francis changed the law to strip cardinals and bishops of legal privileges.

Becciu, one of only two defendants who attended a preliminary hearing in July in the temporary courtroom at the Vatican Museums, insists he will prove his innocence “with respect to every charge”.

The trial, which is expected to last months, follows a two-year probe into how the Secretariat of State managed its vast asset portfolio and, in particular, who knew what about the disastrous 350-million-euro (now $407-million) London investment.

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has vowed to clean up the Church’s finances.

The scandal is particularly embarrassing because funds used for risky ventures like the London one came from the Peter’s Pence, money donated by churchgoers for the pope’s charities.

– Risky investments –

Ahead of the trial, prosecutors painted a picture of risky investments with little or no oversight, and double-dealing by outside consultants and insiders trusted with the financial interests of the Secretariat of State.

The Catholic Church suffered a major loss when it purchased this London property in the upscale neighbourhood of Chelsea

The Catholic Church suffered a major loss when it purchased this London property in the upscale neighbourhood of Chelsea DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS AFP/File

The primary defendants are “actors in a rotten predatory and lucrative system, sometimes made possible thanks to limited, but very incisive, complicity and internal connivance,” they argued.

The current case dates from 2013, when the Secretariat borrowed more than $200 million, mainly from Credit Suisse, to invest in a Luxembourg fund managed by an Italian-Swiss businessman, Raffaele Mincione.

Half was intended for stock market purchases and the rest for part of the building in London’s Sloane Avenue.

Prosecutors allege Mincione used the money to invest in high-risk ventures over which the Church had no control. By 2018, the Secretariat had already lost millions and tried to pull out of the deal.

Another London-based financier, Gianluigi Torzi, was brought in to broker the purchase of the rest of the building and cut ties with Mincione. But he is accused of instead joining forces with him.

Torzi allegedly inserted a clause into the sale deal that gave himself control of the building through voting rights. He is accused of demanding 15 million euros to relinquish control.

Mincione and Torzi were helped, prosecutors claim, by Enrico Crasso, a former financial consultant to the Secretariat, and employee Fabrizio Tirabassi, both of whom face charges including fraud.

Also implicated are two former top officials within the Vatican’s financial affairs watchdog, including its ex-president, Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, who prosecutors say did not do enough to protect the Secretariat’s interests.

Source: AFP

Roman Catholic Cleric tells Biya: “We do not want this war in Southern Cameroons”

22, September 2021

Roman Catholic Cleric tells Biya: “We do not want this war in Southern Cameroons” 0

A French Cameroun Roman Catholic priest has launched a scathing attack on the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime calling on the 88-year-old dictator to stop the senseless war in Southern Cameroons.

“We do not want this war anymore. The children who are dying in Southern Cameroons are the children of the poor. We have never heard that the son or daughter of an army general has died there, that an army colonel’s child has died there in Southern Cameroons. Let’s stop, let’s stop!” the man of God told a predominantly Francophone audience during the funeral Mass of a soldier killed on the front line.

In the video widely circulated on social media networks, the Roman Catholic cleric can be heard shouting his indignation at the ravages of war in Southern Cameroons.

The much respected Minister of the Word also took the opportunity to appeal directly to the President of the Republic Paul Biya.

“I would like to ask you to please convey the message of the grieving families, the poor families, the families who have lost their children in this nasty way, we ask you to convey this message to the Head of State, that he should help us not to mourn our children anymore. The Cameroonian nation has all the possibilities to stop this murderous war. I pray in the name of the church that the Head of State will help us to stop crying for our children, please pass this message on to him,” the priest said.

By Rita Akana

Father Etienne Khumba:  A Man full of Faith and the Holy Spirit Transitions to Eternal Glory

20, September 2021

Father Etienne Khumba:  A Man full of Faith and the Holy Spirit Transitions to Eternal Glory 0

Reverend Father Etienne Khumba who transitioned into the eternal glory of the Lord on 19 September 2021, like Stephen in the Holy Bible, was a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit”( Acts of the Apostles, 6:2 v.5) . It pleased the Lord whom he served with unreserved tenacity to call him home to eternal rest for the glory of His Holy name. Alleluia! Amen.

It is hard to pontificate on the life and times of Father Etienne, because he was a total man of God at the service of the Lord.   His life and times do not therefore need pontification. I will therefore leave pontification and medals of honour to the occasion of the death of politicians whom their earthly political leaders, peers and lackeys often rely on to attempt to counter the reality of the parable of the rich fool. Mathew.19: 16-30, Mark 10: 17-31 Luke 18: 18-30.

Father Etienne was neither a politician, a cleric-politician nor a rich fool. He was a servant of the Lord, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a fervent spirit of true justice and the truth. With all the frailty of an ordinary human, I will attempt to offer the following humbling words in honour of a man whom I know for sure was indeed “full of faith and the Holy Spirit”, so help me God.

He has bequeathed to humanity, a life of faith and service which will remain indelible for our living memories and those of generations unborn.  Father Etienne transcended constraining barriers to reach out for all souls who were in need of the healing WORD of the Lord which were ordained by the Lord Himself. (Mathew 10: 1 – 1  “He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of disease”. He did so in total respect of the injunction” at Mt 10 v.8, “Freely you have received, freely give”).

In this ministry, he was conscious of the fact that he needed faith in the Lord and the  power of the Holy Spirit to realize the Devine Biblical injunction within a Church of God which St John Paul II described as perfect but which is nevertheless a Church of Saints and Sinners.  He was aware of and did encounter strong opposition in carrying out this ministry but did not relent as long as his faith in the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit guided his actions and the needs of God’s people for spiritual guidance, help and healing. His faith, the Holy Spirit and the order of the Lord, “freely you received, freely give”, were his staying power until he was called home to the Lord whom he loved and served. 

Those who strongly opposed this ministry, whom they wrongly perceived as a social function of the Church as opposed to a Biblical function which the Lord gave to the Apostles, as well as persons who were ordained with this same missionary authority, did not know then that floodgates of blasphemy would open for quacks and profiteers to enrich themselves, professing to possess power over the sick, possessed souls, power mongers, fortune seekers and adventurers of all manner. They did not anticipate the extent to which this category of individuals would supplant ordained ministers of the Word of the Lord, and draw away from established churches, millions of Christians who genuinely sought spiritual help for their health needs, social and religious direction. They have realized the need on a stampede, confusion and chaos caused by their paucity of faith, lack of vision, purposeful biblical enquiry sensitivity to the condition of Christians entrusted to their care. These are spiritual matters requiring profound interpersonal prayers and relationship with the Lord.  What went wrong?

 The prevalence of mental health challenges, spiritual challenges and social problems afflicting Christians and non-Christians in our society is troubling. Yet, a majority of victims are not even aware of the fact that they may be suffering from these conditions with devastating impact on them, their families and the community at large.  Although many established Churches already had hospitals and social services to provide therapy to the victims of some of these challenges, thousands of clerics who may themselves be suffering from these challenges may not know until the situation leads to cases to suicide ideation or other traumatic experiences before they seek professional help. Some of the situations may be due to spiritual attacks arising from varying situations in life and even evil spirits which are out to destroy.

The complexity of the situations and the lethal nature of these conditions require engaged clerics who are full of faith and the Holy Spirit to lead and help the people of God in their spiritual, mental and physical healing and wellbeing, so that the bodies of God’s people serve as the temple of the Lord for which they were intended.   Father Etienne fully understood and embraced this mission of the Lord.

The clamour for positions and the administration of Church funds has been known to be one of the bane of the missionary mandates of many clerics. He was not distracted by the obstacles he encountered as a minister in the Church of Lord while serving the people of God. He sought no personal wealth, position, personal glory, or easy life of luxury.  He told me that he did not take Church money for himself and that even during times of his travails; he kept complete accurate accounts and records of all Church money which came into his custody. I knew about this because, His Lordship Bishop Lysinge (then Father Lysinge) and I intermittently, acted as confidential peace facilitators during the painful so-called Bojongo crisis.  His Lordship Bishop George Nkwo ( then Fr George Nkwo)  who provided spiritual help to needy Christians and played a very positive rule in crisis management, met me at the Bishop House in Soppo one morning when I came to see the Bishop shortly before rushing to the airport to fly out of the country. 

Father Etienne did not seek retribution and bore no rancour against any of his peers or anyone whatsoever, for what was done or not done against him. He perceived his stand as actuated by the adherence to his faith, his mission as an ordained cleric, and the guidance he received from the Holy Spirit. Some persons perceived the problem as a social, administrative or even political problem. More opportunistic and sycophantic persons perceived and used the crisis as ladders to attain personal ambitions and objectives. 

In the end, Bishop Pius Awah and Father Etienne thought all of us, that it is unwise to get blindly involved a disagreement between a father and a son.  The presence of retired Bishop Awah on a wheel Chair during the funeral celebration of the deceased father of Father Etienne’s father in Bolifamba Mile 16 brought tears in the eyes of most of the people present.  The news went viral worldwide.  In the end, it was the lesson of the public appearance of father and son during that occasion, which God chose to manifest the magnanimity of his love that has endured than the acrimony that arose on a disagreement on a fundamental matter of faith and mission of the Church.

Father Etienne affirmed at all times, that the healing powers of all ministers of the Word of God were ordained by the Lord. He explained that the Lord in the Holy Bible gave the mandate and conditions under which the mandate must be executed. Anything which is inconsistent with the mandate of the Lord contained in the Holy Bible and in accordance with Faith and the Holy Spirit is not of the Lord. He was resolute about this until the end. 

I met him a number of times in the United States of America.  The first time was during a heavily attended birthday ceremony which was organized for him in Maryland which was attended by many persons from the USA and Canada. The sheer number of persons in attendance and the memorable sermon he gave on that occasion was very touching.   I met him again when he came over to California and was at St Mathias Catholic Church Laham Maryland. I invited him to have a dinner with my family.  We spent about three hours together during which time, he told me how grateful he was, with Bishop Emmanuel Bushu who granted him permission to pursue a very rare specialised course in counselling in a Jesuit University in California. He was grateful for the advice and support of Bishop George Nkuo as well as the support which a distinguished Jesuit Priest in Douala Father Nkeng gave him during moments of dire need in his priestly mission.  He told me that he appreciated the assistance that Arch Bishop Andrew Nkea, then Bishop of Mamfe, gave him during a visit in the US. They both met during the ordination of Reverend Father Achanyi as a Priest of the Diocese of New York.

While in the USA Father Etienne mended many broken matrimonial relationships, counseled people of all nationalities and preached the Holy Word of God in many Churches and occasions.  He healed, counseled, preached and served.  His strength came from his fullness of faith and in the Holy Spirit.  Every person who approached him for healing will related that Father Etienne said that it was God, and God alone who is the ultimate healer, but the afflicted person should have faith in the Lord. He provided special prayers for the personal circumstances of each afflicted person directly from the Holy Bible, and both of them prayed and fast for the healing which often occurred to the glory of the Lord.

He advised me to pray as often as I could at least three times a day because, every time we pray, we invite the angels of the Lord who are always present whenever we call on the name of the Lord. When we sin, they withdraw.  I learned about guardian angels during my catechism days in primary school but did not learn about the circumstances under which they perform the mission assigned to them by God in my life. I did so many years after, through Father Etienne. How many people are conscious of this simple, reality?  We need clerics such as Father Etienne to counsel, and guide us how to sustain the presence of the Holy Spirit of God and the angels of the Lord around us, our homes and communities.  This how we can really keep the devil at bay and in trouble all the time.

A moving moment in our discussion came when I told him how his late mother supported me when I was completing my primary school education in Catholic School Laduma CDC Mukonje Estate. Father Etienne was her only child. She treated me as her own child in the CDC harsh environment.  When we met in Maryland, our both mothers had departed this world to meet God the Creator, leaving us their offspring to continue the spirit of love and service in which they raised us. Father Etienne joined them with a teaming record number of ancestors who preceded them yesterday.

With the death of Father Etienne, the Royal Family of Fontem has lost yet another distinguished son two weeks after we  lost another cousin Dr George Atem (Ndi Nkem Atem Asong) on September 7, 2021). This is the sovereign will of God who created them and indeed all of us for his eternal glory. We bow to His will therefore with all humility and pray for a reprieve, good health and protection over all members of this royal family. 

May Father Etienne’s record of service in the fullness of faith and the Holy spirit within the Church and the world at large is greatly appreciated.  He will be missed but his service in the house of the Lord will live forever. May his soul rest in peace

By Chief Charles A. Taku

The Holy Father en route to Budapest and Orban talks, then Slovakia

10, September 2021

The Holy Father en route to Budapest and Orban talks, then Slovakia 0

Just weeks after major surgery and despite the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis embarks Sunday on his 34th international trip with visits to Slovakia and Budapest, including talks with populist leader Viktor Orban.

The 84-year-old has a typically packed schedule — half a day in Budapest for a religious event and then three days in Slovakia — during which his physical health will be closely scrutinised.

In July, the pontiff spent 10 days in hospital after undergoing an operation for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation in the intestine that required removing part of his colon.

The operation sparked rumours the Argentine might step down, but he laughed these off, insisting resigning never crossed his mind.

However, on his return from a historic visit to Iraq in March, the pope admitted it had been more tiring than other trips. As usual, his doctor will be on board Sunday.

– ‘Christian values’ –

Francis will begin his trip with a short stop in Budapest, presiding over mass at the International Eucharistic Congress, a week-long Catholic event.

It is not a state visit but a spiritual one, the Vatican emphasised, although the pope will have a meeting with Hungarian President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Orban.

Orban came to power on a promise to restore “Christian values” suppressed by years of communism, but many of the nationalist leader’s views are at odds with the pope’s, notably his anti-immigrant stance.

Asked in a recent interview what he would like to say to Orban, the pope appeared to dodge the question by suggesting the meeting was still not confirmed.

“I think he wanted to minimise the importance of the Orban meeting,” noted one observer who knows the pope well, but did not want to be named. Either way, the Vatican has confirmed the meeting.

The pope and the Hungarian leader have shaken hands twice before during events at the Vatican, in 2016 and 2017.

Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See, Eduard Habsburg, said the 2017 meeting during a reception for European Union leaders to mark the bloc’s 60th anniversary was “extremely friendly”.

Before they shook hands, however, the pope had warned that Europe “risks dying” without a new vision of the principles of solidarity on which it was founded — and said this was the “most effective antidote” to modern populism.

Orban, who has a Protestant Calvinist background, opposes migration from Muslims into Europe so as not to destroy what he describes as the continent’s “cultural Christian heritage”.

“Viktor Orban is a straight-talking Hungarian,” said Habsburg, insisting the prime minister’s words were often reported with a negative bias.

He emphasised how much Orban had in common with the pope, such as “religious freedom, or persecuted Christians”.

In the last national census in 2011, only 39 percent of Hungarians identified as Catholics and 11 percent as Protestants. Among adherents, only 15 percent attended religious services.

– Solidarity in Slovakia –

On Sunday afternoon, the pope will fly to Slovakia, for a trip that will include meetings with the Jewish and Roma communities.

Francis has travelled to five continents since his election in 2013, but continues to prioritise smaller nations, especially in Europe. With this trip he will have visited 54 countries as pontiff.

Coronavirus remains a risk, with only half of adults in Slovakia fully vaccinated, compared to the EU average of more than 70 percent.

Initially, the government restricted papal events to those who had been fully vaccinated, but after complaints, expanded participation to those who test negative or have recently recovered from Covid-19.

Slovakia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Marek Lisansky, said the pope’s visit was a “unique moment” and a blessing for the country 5.4 million people, which has recorded 12,500 coronavirus deaths.

“The pope is coming in this incredible moment of pandemic to unite us and offer his solidarity,” he said.

Source:  AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The real PCC Moderator reaches out to Ambazonia fighters in Bali  

10, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The real PCC Moderator reaches out to Ambazonia fighters in Bali   0

Presbyterian pastors of Bali origin have called on Ambazonia Restoration Forces to lift the ban on activities of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC.

The plea is contained in an emotional epistle to the Southern Cameroons Self Defense group in Bali written on behalf of Presbyterian pastors of Bali origin by Rev. Babila George Fochang (President) and Rev. Elvis Voma (Secretary).

On September 4, 2021, Ambazonia Restoration Forces in Bali Subdivision banned all activities of the PCC on grounds that the leadership of the church failed to blame the Francophone dominated Cameroon military for the August 22 incident at PC Ntanfoang which left a Christian death and the parish pastor injured.

On Sunday, September 5, 2021, the PCC Moderator Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba asked all pastors to leave Bali.

However, Rev. Babila George Fochang and Rev. Elvis Voma in a letter to the separatist fighters said the Church is a Divine institution in the hands of men with errors and flaws.

As such, they prayed that “the Holy Spirit should guide us to be careful that we do not throw the bathwater together with the child. May the Holy Spirit also help those who placed the ban and soften their hearts towards a reversal of their decision.”

Below is the entirety of the letter titled, “The Stance of PCC Bali Pastors on the Recent Happenings in Bali Nyonga”.

“In times like these, we the people of Bali, sharing our identity, culture and feeling the pains of times together, have the challenge to seek God’s face and make our community what we would want posterity to say of us. As the Scripture says:

“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…”(II Cor. 4:8-10).

“These words of Paul to the Christians at Corinth kind of comforts us that others have had similar challenges like the ones we are facing today as the Christians of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) in Bali subdivision.

“Our faith is being tested to see how as a people we remain steadfast in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Let us make a difference in the midst of the trials and rise more mature instead of being downcast. We are the ones to make our place better and we should stand tall for that goal as a people of one common ancestry.

“Way back during the First World War, British soldiers entered Bali on October 21, 1915. They captured the Basel missionaries and interned them on October 23rd.

“From then on, the Christians in Bali suffered great persecution.

“The church house was locked and the keys were given to the Divisional Officer in Bamenda. This did not stop the propagation of the gospel. Mr. Hunt, the Divisional Officer eventually handed back the keys, and Church services recommenced.

“Today we are faced with another harsh reality whereby the PCC Christians of Bali cannot worship in their own houses of worship. The land of Bali deserves better and God alone holds the key to chat a new way forward for us all.

“We pray that the Holy Spirit should guide us to be careful that we do not throw the bathwater together with the child. May the Holy Spirit also help those who placed the ban and soften their hearts towards a reversal of their decision as He did to Mr. Hunt. Our people should have the opportunity to worship the Lord in freedom with the opportunity to make intercession for Bali, the PCC, and the world at large plagued with crises.

“The Church is a Divine institution in the hands of men with errors and flaws. May all Bali people focus on making Bali grow in lips and bounds leaving a good legacy for our progeny.

“Let us, therefore, remember the Christian saints of Bali and the founders of Bali Nyonga now resting beneath the earth and live in forgiveness to one another where we have gone wrong in all ways. We should consider the faith of our kin and reason together for God’s Church doors to be opened, that is, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and all her institutions.

“There is no birth without labor pain and Bali is going through labor pain. Though tears may tarry for the night, joy comes in the morning (Cf. Ps 30:5).

“May the innocent blood of Ma Grace bring in greater fruits of righteousness, justice, and peace in Bali. She is thus one of the martyrs of our time and part of History which we cannot deny. Let us as Bali people take our community’s fate into our hands and bring in a rebirth of positive history. The PCC in Bali is for the people living in Bali and we should take it and make it grow despite the stake of time.

“May a new dawn to make peace with God and one another come on Bali Nyonga.

“May God console and speak to all of us in times like these.”

Culled from CIN with additional editing from Camcordnews

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Rev. Father Julius Agbortoko Released

1, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Rev. Father Julius Agbortoko Released 0

Rev Fr. Julius Agbortoko Agbor, Priest of the Diocese of Mamfe and current Vicar General of the Diocese of Mamfe who was kidnapped over the weekend by some unidentified armed men, has been released.

He was freed late on Tuesday following pleas by many Christians and other distinguished personalities including the Cameroon Concord News Group for his unconditional release.

Father Agbortoko, a faithful servant of humanity, was taken to an unknown destination by armed men believed to be separatist fighters, though many observers hold that those who kidnapped him were some rogue elements who have nothing to do with the fighting in the English-speaking regions of the country.

By Fon Lawrence

Kidnapping of priests in Southern Cameroons: IG issues statement

31, August 2021

Kidnapping of priests in Southern Cameroons: IG issues statement 0

Kidnap of Reverend Father Julius Agbortoko in the Diocese of Mamfe

Yesterday, 29 August 2021, unidentified criminal elements abducted Reverend Father Julius Agbortoko Agbor, Priest of the Diocese of Mamfe and current Vicar General of the Diocese of Mamfe.

The Interim Government of Ambazonia forcefully condemns this thoughtless and criminal act and calls for those involved to release Father Julius Agbortoko Agbor immediately without preconditions. The Interim Government takes a strong view against kidnappings in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. It is, therefore, the view of the Interim Government of Ambazonia that the perpetrators of abductions are not associated with any legitimate self-defence group loyal to the Ambazonia cause.

The kidnapping of members of the clergy is unfortunate, unacceptable and underscores the need for all the factions involved in this conflict to seek ways of reaching a peaceful resolution. Those who kidnap men of God are crossing a dangerous red line, and all God-fearing Southern Cameroonians must condemn this unconditionally.

The Catholic Church in Southern Cameroon has played a significant role since the war in Ambazonia started in 2016. We must not make enemies of our allies and sympathizers. Religious institutions are indispensable parts of the Southern Cameroon structure, and any attack on their members and workers is an attack on the Ambazonia we intend to build.

The Interim Government of Ambazonia is committed to confronting and defeating the evil of kidnappings in Ambazonia. All self-defence groups are called upon to collaborate with the Interim Government to root out all rogue elements involved in this misconduct. Our quest for self-determination will succeed if we do the right things. Unfortunately, kidnapping is not consistent with our state values, and Reverend Father Julius Agbortoko Agbor must be released now.

Thank you,

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

The Federal Republic of Ambazonia

Father Julius Agbortoko must be released!

30, August 2021

Father Julius Agbortoko must be released! 0

News that a catholic priest in Mamfe has been kidnapped by Amba fighters is no good news even to the fighters themselves as it calls into question the credibility of the fighters and the purpose of the insurgency.

This act committed by a few misguided and gun-toting men of the underworld is irresponsible and should be condemned by every sound-minded Cameroonian.

It should be recalled that the Catholic Church as a religious institution has been calling for an end to the conflict and a fast reconciliation in the country.

The Catholic Church has for centuries been an agent of peace and development in West Cameroon and those who have kidnapped the Man of God must know that they have crossed the reddest of the red lines and this is a monumental error that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Father Julius Agbortoko must be released forthwith, if not, the consequences of such recklessness will kick in sooner rather than later.

Rev Fr. Julius Agbortoko Agbor, Priest of the Diocese of Mamfe and current Vicar General of the Diocese of Mamfe was ordained on April 14 2004.

Cameroon Concord News Group understands he served in various capacities including Parochial Vicar and Parish Priest.   The man of God also studied Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and was appointed Spiritual Director and Lecturer at the St John Paul II Major Seminary, Bachuo Ntai Mamfe.

In 2018 he was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Mamfe, a position he has occupied till his abduction yesterday August 29, 2021.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

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