L'Effort Camerounais (English Version)
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Interviewed by Noël Jean Fogang Néguim, Bernard Amadou Tikele and Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Against a backdrop of a growing and an aggressive global advocacy for the acceptance and legalisation of homosexuality, the Church’s standpoint is almost being drowned even though the issue is essentially moral. To throw more light on the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, especially at this crucial moment, L’Effort Camerounais talked to Douala Emeritus Archbishop, Christian Cardinal Tumi in this exclusive interview.

Your Eminence, when asked about his views on homosexuality the Holy Father, Pope Francis, said if a homosexual seeks God in all sincerity who is he to judge him ---

The first time the Holy Father said that was when he was going to South America and was asked what was his stand on homosexuality. But I would like to know if you are quoting or interpreting what the Holy Father said. However, it is not easy for a person living in sin to serve God. The Pope simply asked who he was to judge another person. He was citing the Scriptures where God said, do not judge and you will not be judged, but people misinterpreted him. I or any other pastor could say the same thing. Christ did not come to judge but to save sinners. Homosexuality is a sin which is objectively condemnable, but Christ did not come to condemn sinners, but their sins. Christ wants the sinner to be converted and live.

But what exactly is the Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality?

The teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality is very clear: it is a grievous sin. A man marrying another man, and a woman a woman, is not only going against the teaching of the Church, but also against the Law of God. God created man and woman and told them to multiply. In a homosexual marriage procreation is not possible; and one of the conditions for a valid marriage is openness to procreation. Homosexuality therefore goes directly against God’s Law.

May we know your position on the on-going debate on homosexuality ---

What debate?

During the last Synod on the Family in Rome some participants expressed the opinion that the Church should be more inclusive by opening up or accepting homosexuals.

These people have to be very practical. I do not understand what they mean by opening up.

One of the criticisms against the Holy Father is that he has permitted Church officials like Cardinal Kasper to make presentations that call on the Church to review her teaching on homosexuality by having a Church that includes or accepts homosexuals.

Let them define their terms. What do they mean by inclusiveness and opening up?

They are certainly working from the standpoint that homosexuals are presently excluded from the Catholic Church.

Homosexuals are not excluded from the Church. Homosexuality is just a sin among thousands of sins. We are all sinners and the Bible says anyone who says he is not a sinner is a liar. Why do they set aside homosexuality from all other sins? In imitation of Christ the Church has never condemned a sinner, but only the sin and not the person. A human being can never lose the image of God that he has no matter his sins. The Church has never at any time in history condemned a person but only the person’s acts which are not part of the person because he can be converted. A thief today can become a saint tomorrow. Stealing is not part of his nature.

What then should be a Catholic faithful’s attitude towards a homosexual?

They must love the person and pray for his conversion as the homosexual act is sinful just like adultery and fornication. We should not hate homosexuals as God does not hate them. God loves us but He does not love our sins. If God loves sins He will not be God.

Can a homosexual receive the Sacraments?

Just like a thief, can he be baptised if he does not renounce his sins? When I was in Garoua, we used to proclaim the names of those who were to be baptised on Easter. When we were about to baptise some young people on Easter Day and asked if there was any person opposed to any of them being baptised, a lady stood up and said she was against the baptism of one of the boys because he was not yet converted. She said if they count three thieves in the village, if he is not the first, he will be the second. So he was put aside for one year. Baptism means conversion. Just like we do not baptise a polygamist, we cannot baptise a homosexual. I do not mean that one has to swear that he or she will never sin, no! But, there are promises that are made. Do you deny Satan and all his false promises? If you say no, you will not be baptised. Anybody who is in state of mortal sin cannot receive any Sacrament. I do not want to single out the grievous sin of homosexuality.

If a Christian comes up to you today and tells you that he is a homosexual and wants to marry another homosexual, what will your reaction be and what will you tell him?

I will tell the person that it is impossible and that he wants to posit an act which is against God’s Law. We affirm that homosexuals cannot get married validly. There are three essential laws of God that make a marriage valid – unity of marriage, that is, a man marries one and only one woman and a woman one and only one man. Secondly, indissolubility of marriage as marriage is for life till the death of one of the partners. And thirdly, openness to procreation, which means a young couple getting married must have the intention of having children.

There is a global advocacy for homosexuality to be accepted and even legalised -----

By talking to these homosexuality advocates I have discovered that they are confusing respecting the person and condemning the evil that the person does. Our responsibility as pastors is to preach the Word of God in season and out of season. Why is their focus only on homosexuality? There are hundreds of evil acts and grievous sins like stealing, embezzlement, and divorce, for example. Why do they single out homosexuality?

So what message do you have for someone who tells you he is a homosexual?

As a pastor I will dialogue with him and make him see the evil in being a homosexual, just as I would with someone who tells me he is an adulterer. I will not condemn him, but tell him that one of the reasons for marrying is to have children, if God gives you, as having children is not a right but a gift from God. The second is to have sexual relationship with your wife according to God’s will. A sexual relationship within marriage is a holy act willed by God who made marriage. The sexual act must therefore be within marriage to be a holy act. Outside marriage it is always a grievous sin.

These days some western countries are linking economic assistance to developing countries with the legalisation of homosexuality. If ever homosexuality were to be legalised in Cameroon, what should a Catholic Mayor do if he were asked to celebrate a homosexual union?

He should not accept in conscience. A homosexual marriage is not marriage in fact; a marriage in inverted commas is not marriage. True marriage is between a man and a woman. If the state recognises or legalises homosexual marriages, we are going to go out against the state. We shall tell the state that homosexuality is evil. It is sexual immorality that led to the fall of the Roman Empire, the unconquerable that had taken the world captive. A state that legalises homosexuality weakens itself. In our tradition we do not accept homosexuality because it destroys the family. Marriage should be promoted and never homosexuality. Homosexuality is a crime against humanity because if it is promoted, we will end up not having children. A family where there are no more young children is on its way to extinction.

Do you therefore see the global advocacy for the acceptance of homosexuality as a plot to destroy the family?

Of course it is! I hold that affirmation. Homosexuality is not only a plot against the family but also against the existence of the human race. A German journalist visited me recently; and rightly citing me, told me that I once mentioned that homosexuality is a crime against humanity and asked me if I still hold that view. I told him I still hold firmly to this view and he left. The President of Senegal, Macky Sall, told President Barack Obama that we respect homosexuals but we cannot approve homosexuality. You have to respect a human being whatever his or her crimes. I admire him for that. We respect homosexuals, but we cannot approve the legalisation of homosexual marriages.

This is a moral issue. Can the Church’s position on homosexuality ever change?

No, it is impossible! It is not the Law of the Church, but the Law of God and the Church has no power to change God’s Law. The Pope can only modify the law of which he is the law giver, not God’s Law. A homosexual marriage is an act which is diametrically opposed to the Law of God.

You are therefore saying that moral laws are immutable.

Truly moral laws cannot be changed because they are the laws of God, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But any moral law made by Man that is in agreement with God’s law is an interpretation of the Law of God. There is a fundamental principle in moral action which is that good must be done and evil avoided. God has created three groups of living things: plants, animals and humans. Animals and plants obey their laws automatically and instinctively, but Man is a problem for himself and to God because of his liberty. God has created Man as a free being and He respects Man’s freedom. There is no culture that accepts that evil is good, or that what is good is evil. Man may know the good to be done and not do it and the evil to be avoided, and not avoid it. That is why we have prisons for humans, not for animals, because a human being is judged on the fundamental moral principle that he knew the good that was supposed to be done and did not do it. This is why humans are punished. If Man were not free, he would not be punished or rewarded.

But some of those who advocate homosexual marriages say people are free to choose who to love?

That is why I have said Man is a problem for himself and to God. No animal that knows what is good does the contrary, only Man. God has given us the freedom and we are even free not to choose Him. We are free to go to hell with Satan or to heaven with the angels. But there is joy in heaven over one sinner repenting. Man is free and this has become a danger for him, but we are talking about responsible freedom as Man’s freedom is not absolute. He is conditioned by the other person’s freedom. Otherwise anyone can say he has the right to slaughter another. To choose evil for Man is an abuse of his freedom. Man is free to choose between two things that are morally good. You cannot sin without freedom. To sin you must know that what you are doing is sinful and you want to do it.

So freedom goes with responsibility; choose and face the consequences?

Yes, responsible freedom. If God were to oblige us to go to heaven, we would be like animals because heaven is a place of reward. You cannot be rewarded where you had no choice.

Proponents of homosexuality say the Church discriminates against homosexuals.

Why do they not say the Church discriminates against those who commit adultery, fornication, and murder, for example? Why do they single out homosexuality? As I said earlier, the Church does not discriminate against a sinner. The Church teaches that a man does not lose his dignity whatever his crime. The Church has never publicly told us who is in hell; but she has told us by signs from heaven, who is in heaven. A man can change on the eve of his death, if like the Prodigal Son, he goes back to his Father who is in heaven and is willing to receive him with open arms.

Which means someone who says he is a Catholic and carries out advocacy for homosexuals is not part of the Catholic communion?

His act is devilish! But the Church does not send away somebody from the Church. The only moral fault that merits excommunication from the Church is the sin of abortion.

So the Church is in her role as Mother and Teacher.

That is right. Often children who are difficult in a family are more loved by their parents than those who are obedient. That is why the senior son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is annoyed when the younger son who has squandered the family’s wealth returns and his father kills the fattest calf. That is why the father tells his senior brother that his younger brother was lost and has been found. Parents often go for the child who is difficult, not necessarily because they agree with what the child is doing, but with the intention of putting him back on the right path. And God loves us more than our parents love us. During Lent the Gospel tells us that God does not want the death of a sinner, but prefers that the sinner be converted and live. He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

There is great pressure on Cameroon and other African nations to legalise homosexuality. Duringhis last official visit to France the Head of State, Paul Biya, though affirming he is against homosexuality, seems to have opened a window by saying that the mentality towards homosexuals in Cameroon could some day evolve towards acceptance.

What is evil can never become good. What is essentially morally evil will not change with time. In the Bible homosexuality is condemned. The Bible is more than 2000 years old. It will never change! However, sympathy for the sinner is important. Therefore, homosexuality will never, never, be accepted in the Church as a good act.

What message do you have for civil and political leaders, especially lawmakers; and many of them are Catholics, who are under enormous pressure to follow the tide by legalising homosexual marriages?

Following the tide is being sheepish. We are rational beings. Their stand should be that of the Church and the President of Senegal, Macky Sall. We do not condemn homosexuals, but homosexuality which is intrinsically evil. We respect homosexuals, but we cannot accept that homosexuality is a good moral act. Even our culture is against it. I know some parents who are very sad when they learnt that their daughter is married to another girl in America. This is terrible as it means they will never live to see their grand children. If our lawmakers take decisions because they are under pressure that is weakness. If they give money as a condition, the lawmakers should tell them to keep their money. I know a bishop who refused millions because he refused that abortions were not going to be committed in clinics in his diocese. Any people who put God aside cannot develop properly. Europe is what it is today thanks to Christianity. The first universities and formal institutions of learning as we know them today were started by the Church. The Sorbonne in France, the University of Oxford in England and Bologne in Italy, which are 13th Century universities, were started by the Church. The Barbarians overran Europe and it is the Church that rebuilt the culture of Europe, even though today Europe is turning its back on Christianity. God created Man and asked Man to develop the world. You cannot develop the things that God has created without God. And the first thing to be developed is Man. You cannot develop Man without God and there is nothing you can do without God, for He has said without me you can do nothing.

Interviewed by Sylvestre Ndoumou, Gildas Mouthé and Bernard Amadou

After it had earlier been authorised and later suspended, the State has finally approved the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Cameroon. Douala Emeritus Archbishop, Christian Cardinal Tumi, explains the genesis of this university and the competitive advantage of its Faculty of Medicine, among other issues. He also briefly comments on the recent passing on of his mother, Yaa Catherine La’ake Tumi.

Among the universities in Cameroon today there is the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda. May we know the genesis of this institution?

This university is called the Catholic University of Cameroon, and not the Catholic University of Bamenda; Bamenda being only the headquarters just like Yaoundé is the headquarters of the Catholic University of Central Africa. As you know very well, we decided, with the Holy See’s approval, to create the Catholic University of Central Africa. Six Episcopal Conferences are the founders of this university and the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon cannot do anything in this university without the approval of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa. I was the chancellor of the Catholic University of Central Africa for almost 16 years. I can even say that I was the founding chancellor.

During his Apostolic visit to Cameroon in 1985, Saint Pope John Paul II supported the project. By interpreting what he said, I can affirm that he wanted this university to be bilingual. I must confess that we have failed not to have made the Catholic University of Central Africa a perfectly bilingual university. We carried out publicity almost everywhere, and we had students from several countries including English speaking countries. These students eventually realised that the reality was different and they returned to their countries.

After several years I was on holiday in Kumbo and I proposed to Mgr. Cornelius Fontem Esua, who was the Bishop of Kumbo at the time, the need to create an Anglo-Saxon university with headquarters in Bamenda. Why Bamenda? Because in Buea there was already a State university. That is why we chose Bamenda. Mgr. Esua hesitated at first, but was finally convinced. They asked for authorisation to create this university from the State which was approved. That is how the Catholic University of Cameroon was created and I encouraged the idea.

But the problem was with the Faculty of Medicine. The State had given the green light for the opening of this faculty but after some months; I can even say after two years, the State decided to review the modalities for the creation of faculties of medicine in Cameroon. So the authorisation that had been granted by the Minister of Higher Education, Pr. Jacques Fame Ndongo, was withdrawn. The Rector of Buea University, which oversees the Catholic University of Cameroon, the Ministry of Higher Education, and the Presidency of the Republic, had a discussion and decided to re-launch the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Cameroon in Kumbo. Why Kumbo? Because it has many opportunities where students can study medicine. Besides, we also have the Banso Baptist Hospital and the Shisong St. Elisabeth Hospital which belongs to a religious congregation and with which the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Cameroon has already signed some agreements. And at the moment, the Catholic University has started constructing its own hospital. Three buildings are already ready. I have visited this young hospital and in about two years from now, it will be functioning. This faculty will be launched in October, I think. The rest is moving on fine.

The Catholic University of Central Africa has lost its vocation to be bilingual and an Anglo-Saxon university has been created in Bamenda. Is the same error not being committed?

No! The focus is no longer on bilingualism either in UCAC or in Bamenda. In UCAC everything is in French and in Bamenda everything will be in English.

What appreciation can you make of the evolution of the Catholic University of Cameroon Bamenda?

The evolution is very positive. By its name this university is open to everyone. Besides, all universities have a universal vocation. Everything is moving on well.

You have just mentioned the suspension of the Faculty of Medicine by government officials. The reason authorities gave was related to the quality of studies in these medical institutions. What measures has the Faculty of Medicine in Kumbo taken to ensure quality training for its students?

The Catholic Church is a pioneer in the creation of universities in the world. All universities in the 13th Century were Catholic. Sorbonne was Catholic, Oxford and Cambridge were Catholic, so too was Bologne. Therefore, the Catholic Church has a lot of experience in university studies. And as the Rector of Buea University said, there is no Faculty of Medicine in Cameroon that started with what the Faculty of Medicine in Kumbo has today. We have started with 40 professors, 20 full-time and 20 part-time and other lecturers will come, since we have already signed partnership agreements with other foreign universities. Some Americans were already in the Faculty of Medicine in Kumbo to see how it has been equipped. We are convinced that it will be the best Faculty of Medicine in Cameroon. I have this conviction and by listening to the Bishops of this Ecclesiastical Province, I know they have the same ambition. There will be no patch work, especially in medicine as it deals with human life, not animal life.

You speak encouragingly of what is going on there, but are there reasons to hope that those who will be trained in this faculty of medicine will receive a solid moral training so that they do not start behaving like those we see today who do not have any respect for human life?

It is self-evident since it is a Catholic university. We have nursery, primary and secondary schools to train young people with ethics. A French businessman told me one day that what is missing in Cameroon are not intellectuals, but intellectuals with ethics. He told me they were waiting for UCAC graduates. I am not saying we are perfect, since we have people who have graduated from our schools and are in prison today. It is very difficult to form Man.

There is a link between quality training and high cost. Can everyone have access to the Catholic University of Cameroon? In other words, can the son of a farmer, for example, aspire to study there?

University studies are not for everyone. They permit the training of executives and managers. They are therefore not popular studies. Take UCAC, for example, we knew there were poor families which could not send their children there, and we knew that in Cameroon there are families that are having difficulties sending their children to the primary school. We therefore created a foundation to give scholarships to young people from poor families, but who meet the academic requirements to study in a university. We hope in Bamenda they are going to do the same thing, so that our schools should not only be for the rich, but also to all young people who are academically competent, whatever their origin. However, they should fulfil the intellectual requirements to be admitted to a university. I think everything must be done so that all qualified young people, whatever their social condition, should have access to this institution, and I think we have already started. When I was UCAC chancellor, I sent a street child from Douala there with the assistance of some catholic women and today he is working in a petroleum company. He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. As a street child, who could send him there? His parents were not even known.

It has been observed that once doctors complete their training they are not employed; sometimes even those who have graduated from State medical schools. What will become of graduates of the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Cameroon in Kumbo?

I do not think we have a doctor who is unemployed in Cameroon, since doctors are in short supply. Do you know any unemployed doctor from CUSS?

There are some who were trained out of the country who have no job?

There have been trained out and not in our country. Let us first look at those we have trained in our country. Besides, it is but normal as those trained outside do not master our environment because outside everything is specialised. They press buttons and things get done. But in Cameroon a hammer and a chisel can be used to extract a tooth, but one must know how to do it. I once saw a doctor in Garoua who tied a parent to get his blood sample to treat the person’s child. Besides, sometimes a doctor can be sent to work in a rural area and those trained out of the country do not often accept to work in these areas. So we consider our local realities when training. Often, those trained out of Cameroon do not have the experience. There may be some cases, but it is quite difficult to find a doctor trained in CUSS or in State medical faculties who are unemployed. I even know a Reverend Sister of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary in Yaoundé who was trained in a State medical faculty and is today working with the State. There is also another Reverend Sister in Douala who was trained as a pharmacist, and is a doctor in pharmacy, and the State wanted to recruit her, but her congregation refused as they have other things for her. Besides, a trained doctor can establish on his own. They can open their own clinics. Why do we always think that someone should work in the public service?

Rigour is one of the fundamental principles of Catholic Education. Do you think in the future rigour can change the hearts of Cameroonians with regards to corruption that has blighted our society?

Corruption has become a culture in Cameroon. If you do something for nothing to a Cameroonian he suspects you. Why did you do it for nothing? Surely you are gaining something. This is the point we have gotten to. When you do something for free, people are convinced you are gaining something. How can we get out of such a situation? There is only one way, to train young people ethically from the nursery, through the primary, to the secondary and university level. I am presently writing a book on this subject. I hope I will complete it before I die. I am writing a book on human ethical catechism, not Christian ethics, not whatever ethics. Based on the fact that we are human, God has given us a law; that of always striving to do what is right and avoiding that which is evil. This is the fundamental ethical law and I think that religion should be taught in all schools in Cameroon, in public, lay private and confessional schools.

Your wish is that the teaching of religion should be effective in all schools in Cameroon. However, some people think that based on the secular nature of the State as enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution of Cameroon this is not possible. How do you react to this viewpoint?

It is not a very strong argument. Studying religion as a science, as a sociological fact, is necessary, since men, whether they are Christians or not, are necessarily influenced by religion. In all Anglo-Saxon universities in the world, religion occupies a very important place as a scientific discipline. I have been told that in Oxford in England, the most important diploma that one can have is a Doctorate in Divinity, and take note, this is religion. To study religion as it should, one should be scholarly or learned. Let us take, for example, a Catholic priest who has a First Degree in Sacred Scriptures, he has undertaken a three-year course in philosophy at the graduate level, before getting into the first year of theology for four years and thereafter specialises in Holy Scripture. Furthermore, he has to study Greek, Hebrew and other languages. You therefore see that religion is a science. This is why the State must encourage the teaching of religion in schools as a science. We are influenced by what we are taught, whether it is psychology or philosophy. Others go to the extent of saying that the State is secular, that is true, but this simply means that the State does not encourage or support a given religion. The State is neutral with regards to all religions within its territory. Secularity exists almost everywhere in the world. It is not only in our country and it is normal. So if there is a particular religion that wants to have its schools and universities like us, let the State give it the permission. The State respects the religious convictions of all believers.

You recently lost your mother and people of all walks of life assisted you during this difficult moment. Do you have any message for them?

I have already done so in English and French and this has been published in newspapers. I thanked all those who gave the event a special touch, who raised it to a level I did not expect. Truly, I wanted to bury my mother in my village, but the Bishop of Kumbo insisted that she should be buried in the Cathedral. Our village could not contain everyone who came for the burial. I thank all those who made lots of sacrifices, especially Christians of Douala Archdiocese, some who arrived in the village very late. They participated in the 9 o’clock Mass and thereafter had to return to Douala. There were some people I knew, others I did not know, and even others who usually did not say anything when I saw them in Douala, but who all attended my mother’s funeral.

During your mother’s funeral you said something that surprised many. You said when you learnt of your mother’s death you thanked God. Why?

I was going to Accra where we were going to take part in a meeting of Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of Africa, and the plane had just landed. We were still in the airport lounge in Accra, when the Archbishop of Douala, Mgr. Samuel Kleda, came up to me and told me he had just received a message from Douala that my mother was dead. I immediately thanked God for her life and death. Longevity is not given to everyone. During her last moments on earth my mother never stopped asking what crime she had committed for God to allow her to continue living since all her friends were already dead. There was nobody again in the village who could discuss or converse with my mother except me. Everybody in the village was afraid of me except my mother and she never hesitated to tell me what she thought. Sometimes I had to tell her, be careful, you are talking to a Bishop and a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Sometimes she forgot this and spoke to me to me as to the little Christian she brought into the world. She no longer had anything to do at 118 years. I saw her suffer a lot and I was deeply touched. At a certain age, one is no longer strong enough. You needed to have seen me when I was your age, but now I am beginning to suffer a bit, but this is alright.

“A good number of priests and Christians expected that someone should have been appointed from among the Priests within the Diocese of Buea, --- so from day one few Priests and Christians have seen me as a stranger and have rejected me and all that we have tried to accomplish---”

INTRODUCTION

Brothers and Sisters, good morning and welcome to the St Anthony of Padua Parish Hall, for the first ever Annual Conference on the State of the Diocese of Buea. Let us give thanks to God who has deigned to make it possible for us to be here today.I thank all of you for honouring my invitation. I know you have all made a lot of sacrifices to be here today especially those from distant parishes and others who might have postponed other important engagements just to be here. It shows your great love for me and the Church in the Diocese of Buea. May I use this opportunity to thank all of you for the wonderful support and prayers for me since I was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Buea on November 30, 2006.

The reason for which I have invited you here today is to keep you informed on the affairs of the Diocese. As the Bishop of the Diocese, it is not only an obligation for me to ensure that all of you are rightfully informed about the affairs of the Diocese but also your right as Christians in this Diocese whom I have been called to serve since my inauguration as Bishop on January 30, 2007 to know how your family, the Church in the Diocese of Buea is faring. This exercise is what we are expected to do regularly as Pastors of the flock entrusted to our care at the Parish and Diocesan levels but unfortunately, it is possible only now. Today God has given us the grace to begin and from now henceforth, this will be an annual exercise.

My Pastoral Background

Before I proceed, I would like to share with you briefly my spiritual and pastoral background. I was ordained in 1973 for the Diocese of Bamenda. I served in Widikum Parish and Bishop Rogan College after my ordination, before I was sent for studies. I returned from Rome in 1980 and taught at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary Bambui until 1982 when I went back to Rome to finish the studies I had started. I came back in 1984 to Bambui where I was later appointed Rector of the same institution.

In 1992 the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, appointed me as Bishop of Yagoua in the Far North Region of Cameroon. I left for Yagoua without knowing where I was going but I knew who was leading me. I was in Yagoua for exactly 14 years, one month and four days. On November 30, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed me to take over from Late Bishop Pius Awa. I took over on Wednesday January 30, 2007 as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Buea. It is now more than eight years, seven Months since I became the Bishop of Buea. So you see I have been a Bishop for 22 years and have some of experience.

I wish to use this opportunity to thank all my predecessors whom God chose to serve this Diocese and for the great work they did in Shepherding it to what it is today.May their souls and the Souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. As they came and are gone, so will I and I am conscious of this fact. For me what is important is that we do God’s will and serve the people whom God has entrusted to our care by either planting or watering. It is my firm conviction that instead of holding a candle and saying it is dark, it is better to light it and not curse the darkness.

My Appointment

My appointment to the Diocese of Buea from the reports of the then Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea took a good number of priests and Christians aback who had expected that someone should have been appointed from amongst the Priests within the Diocese of Buea. So from day one few Priests and Christians have seen me as a stranger and have rejected me and all that we have tried to accomplish as a Diocese together have not been received in good faith. Any initiative of mine or innovation is interpreted by this group as downplaying the work of my predecessor or destroying the tradition of “their Diocese”. These persons certainly need our forgiveness and prayers.

The fact that a Bishop has been appointed to one Diocese from another Diocese is not a new thing in the life of the Catholic Church because of its universality. So whether one is rejected or not, what is more important is that we keep focused at the task ahead like Christ who embraced the cross for our salvation. As children of God’s family we are reminded to keep working following the advice of St Paul to Timothy, 2Timothy 4:2in season and out of season, for better or for worse, till the Lord calls us home. What we must avoid in situations like this is to fall into the temptation of Lot’s wife who looked behind and was turned into a “bag of salt”.(Gen. 19:26). I am calling on all the Christians in the Diocese of Buea and People of Good will not to let this unfortunate situation destroy your positive spiritand love for this great Diocese.

Buea, the Oldest Diocese

I came to the Diocese of Buea expecting to meet a very dynamic Church considering that it is the oldest in Cameroon. Today Buea Diocese is 65 years old. Any Spiritual Leader coming here would expect to meet a Church above the level of primary evangelization where things are stable, set and far advanced. With that in mind I thought what would be needed would be just more knowledge for Christ’s Faithful to enable them consolidate and actualize their vocation and mission in the Church in accordance with the concept of Church as articulated by the Second Vatican Council. I was soon to realize that this was not the case. Though the Church in the North where I had worked was still more at the level of primary evangelization, we hadmade some great strides asChrist’s lay faithful there were already participating actively in running the affairs of the local Church. My aspirations that it was going to be much easier in Buea to build a virile and self –reliant Church that can attain ecclesial adulthoodwith a well informed and competent clergy and a correspondingly vocation and mission conscious laity was far from the reality.

I soon discovered that clerical Church leadership concept was still strong. Customarily lay people were mostly regarded by the clergy as a passive, subordinate group who should obediently submit to their directives without a voice. I found out that everything about the inner workings of the Church was shrouded in secrecy. In the mind of the Church, to regard lay people as inferior and incapable of assuming decidedly ecclesial posts and functions portrayed a denial of their dignity, and an attestation of the immaturity of that particular Church, revealing a defect in building a self-reliant Church after the Second Vatican Council.

The very first experience that struck me powerfully was at my inauguration ceremony as the new Bishop of Buea during the Lunch that was organized after the Solemn Holy Mass. At the table where I was, some Christians expressed their desire to deepen their faith. Some were university lecturers who said their faith as Catholics was at the primary or secondary school levels. One person said they were already going to the Archdiocesan Theology School in for the laity at the weekends in Douala. I immediately said to them that it would not be necessary to go to Douala if things went well. We would have our own Theology School here in Buea.

The second experience which remained very memorable in my mind was when I requested that more lay people be involved in our first financial council meeting which hitherto comprised only the Bishop, the Diocesan Financial Administrator and some selected priests. In the North where I had served, the Diocesan Finance Council had 13 lay persons and only three priests. Strangely I received strong resistance from some clergy within who felt that it was unheard of to bring lay people on board. However, they eventually had no choice but to accept since I insisted. During that first meeting the financial situation of the Diocese was reviewed and it was immediately realized by the lay financial experts some of whom were bank managers that the diocese had no financial reserves, no investments and no financial security. The foreign account that the Diocese owned at that time was making about 10,000 Euros of interest a year. I felt that if the money is ploughed in Real Estate or other income generating projects, it will be more beneficial to the Diocese in the long run. In the North we were working on projects worth 500 million francs CFA at the time I left.

Against this backdrop and coupled with the fact that Buea was the mother Diocese in Cameroon, I decided to rework my pastoral strategy. There was the need to visit the Parishes, listen to the Christiansand see how they could be empowered to own their faith and develop their communities. Many Communities were shocked that I would allow them do certain things just by saying “if you think you can do it then go ahead”. My visits to the Parishes revealed so many things about the Christians of Buea Diocese. I could see enthusiasm amongst Christ’s faithful in the Diocese to do things. I could see generosity and goodwill on their part to get going. But one thing was certain, they lacked the knowledge to drive this change hence the need to put education on our priority goals. God created us to know him, love him and to live forever happily in heaven. Without knowledge, without an informed laity whoarethe majority, it would be difficult for them to take their rightful place in the Church.

In a bid therefore to take the Diocese of Buea to a self-reliant stage with more involvement of the Laity in the Church, I set out to continue what my predecessors had been doing. It will be important to look at the major areas and see how far we have gone – both successes and failures. Remember, it is about us doing it together and not Bishop Bushu, or particular group of persons or the Clergy. It is about our Diocese.

As a Bishop I believe we should open new parishes to bring the faith closer to the people (like the Pallotine and Mill Hill Missionaries did); build our own Yamassouko (the Co-Cathedral project); make our own Havard in Buea (University Project) and have our own Radio and Television Station to teach the faith like other Dioceses in the world. Let us look at the major areas briefly, starting with pastoral activities.

PASTORAL ACTIVITIES

From the pastoral standpoint which forms the basis of diocesan activities, much had been accomplished before I took over office. However the proliferation of sects especially from neighboring Nigeria has been a growing concern as every day new faith communities spring up. Studies show that majority of those moving to the sects are Catholics. The previous situation was that there were very few parishes while a multitude of mission stations were left to the care of catechists most of whom were not well versed with Catholic doctrinal, social and moral teaching. This left many Christians dumfounded in the face of the sects with all kinds of doctrines.

The immediate solution was therefore to make the priests readily available to all Christians. Christ commanded the Church to “go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news to all nations”(Matthew 28:19). The present Holy Father, Pope Francis, has called on the Church to change its evangelization and Pastoral Strategy. Priests should go out and meet the Christians instead of Christians coming to the priests. It is for this reason that I have created more parishes thereby stepping up the number from 22 to 43. The Churches are still full. So the question is where were these Catholics worshipping? Take just St Anthony Parish Buea Town as an example. Today, carved out of St Anthony, are 5 more parishes functioning very well. The number of Sunday Masses have increased and some Christians are requesting for more Priests. I agree with you that more parishes mean more Priests.

The Priests in the Diocese since I took over has risen from 47 to 104 and the Christian population has grown up from 300,000 to about 700,790. Another thing we have done is that the new Parish Priests have been installed. By this ceremony we expect the Priests to be with their communities for at least 3 years except for pastoral, administrative or reasons of grave misconduct. Many Christians in the Diocese had never witnessed the installation of their Priests and I must say that the creation and installation of Parish Priests have been electric. The attendance at these ceremonies has been wonderful and one can see the enthusiasm and joy of the Christian community.

While this initiative has proved to be very successful in fighting the mass exodus from the church to the Pentecostal groups, some priests who have been in financially challenged areas have been unhappy and have spread false stories that I do not care about priests’ welfare. If we have to fulfill the mandate of Christ to “go out” then a lot of sacrifices is demanded from the Priests. I am appealing to Christians to help and support our priests to enjoy their ministry and be ready to serve the Lord anywhere in the Diocese. When a Priest is transferred to certain parishes, some agitate and the Christians join them to lament that they have been punished. They even advise them not to take their transfers. Some even say that the priests have been demoted. They are being demoted to what level? This is a terrible thing. Priests are spiritual leaders. Are these parishes empty? Don’t they need good priests too! Can’t we build them to be great parishes like the early missionaries did? The Church is now in the hands of indigenous priests. What is our own pastoral legacy?

I am calling on all, priests and laity in the Diocese to look at transfers and appointments as meeting pastoral needs which include the health of the Priest, the needs of the parishes at a particular time, the maturity of the Priest, the request of the Christian community and other diocesan exigencies that may arise such as Sabbatical, sick leave or priests going on studies. The Priesthood is a vocation of service and once we start making it a career, then there is bound to be dissatisfaction when people are sent to places based on one or many of the factors I have just mentioned. A true servant of the Lord will take any transfer in joy and good faith knowing that he is going to serve God’s people in other areas be they poor or rich. Jesus serves his people through the presence and work of the priest-alter christus, another Christ.

The number of religious institutes in the diocese too have increased in accordance with the Church’s admonition that ‘…particular attention should be paid to the promotion and cultivation of forms of religious life which take into account the character and way of life of the inhabitants, and the local customs and conditions’( Perfectae Caritatis, no. 19). As of now there are 17 institutes of consecrated life in the Diocese.

In view of the implementation of the provincial pastoral plan, there have been giant strides made. The Small Christian Communities and Gospel Sharing groups are experiencing a steady growth. The commissions at deanery and parochial levels are growing steadily. Diocesan councils too are functioning well and active participation of the laity in these councils has been great. Some of these include the Finance council, the celebration council, etc. As regards Diocesan Commissions, the following are functioning well - the justice and peace, communications, finance, youth, pastoral, education, religious, presbyteral, project, lay, celebrations, health and land commission. Prayer and action groups in the church are for most Christians a source of encouragement and strength to leading better Christian lives. These have equally increased in the Diocese and their effect in building the spiritual lives of Christians is enormous. The Neo-catechumenal Movement is gaining ground in some parishes which is aimed at strengthening Christians especially doctrinally.

a. CARITAS

We have created CARITAS Buea Diocese to serve as a social pastoral tool and to promote social justice, solidarity and love. As of now Caritas in the Diocese of Buea has three ongoing projects: Firstly, humanizing the living conditions of prisoners in the Buea central prison which involves medical intervention, sanitation, computer studies, education, counseling, feeding of prisoners and gardening. The prisoners are also introduced to embroidery, metallurgy, shoe mending and tailoring. Caritas also offers judiciary assistance to the inmates. Secondly, sustainable agriculture and rural development project whose objective is to promote development in rural areas through sustainable agricultural approaches and self-promotion. Thirdly, there is the vocational computer training to foster youth empowerment and enhance their participation towards the development of the whole society. This is specifically directed at the rural areas. It is the plan also that Computer laboratories will be established in each of the five deaneries in the Diocese.

b. HEALTH AND BEPHA

From the standpoint of health, there are five health units namely: Mount Mary Hospital in Buea, Regina Pacis Health Centre in Mutengene, Catholic Health Centre in Fiango, St. Michael’s Health Centre in Baseng and Associated Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped (ARCH) Dibanda (Mile 14). These have been and continue to be very essential for proper assistance of the ailing. There are plans to create new health Centres in other areas of the Diocese that are in need of health facilities. The big challenge has been the administrative management of some of these health units.The BEPHA scheme has been very successful too but only with regard to the schools. The families are a new point of concern at present and we hope there is going to be much success with regard to the incorporation of families into the BEPHA health program.

c. Social Communication

I took over the leadership of the Diocese when the media landscape around was highly suffocated with many radio and television stations. So many of them were owned by sects whose target was Catholics. There was an urgent need to provide an alternative for our Christians and so we started a radio station with a television station in view. We got a provisional permission from the government and started Divine Mercy Radio with the view of extending its coverage to the whole Diocese. However, we were forced to halt our plans to follow the provincial project. But as the project became slower we went further and procured a 1 KW Transmitter to extend our own Diocesan radio coverage but the provincial project has come again very strongly and we have been forced to wait for the second phase of the project which is to provide radio stations in Buea and kumbo.

In other areas regarding social communications, we tried to network our Diocese through an American network service known as the Evergreen project but when we had prepared everything the government rejected our application for a license towards getting that. No money was spent on this project. When this did not work, we acquired an optic fibre so that the Diocese can be linked to internet services at cheaper rates but we have not been able to get enough cooperation from our parishes to get this running.

EDUCATION

a) Schools – Nursery to Secondary

When I came in, I inherited an impressive educational structure left behind by Bishop Pius Awa. It was that the administration of schools had shifted from Parish priests to lay superintendents.Educational administration was then in the hands of professionally-trained persons.The catholic Education Secretariat put in a better financial policy and teachers were regularly paid.Court cases that teachers had with the Diocese were amicably settled out of court.Teachers were provided with better facilities and their lifestyles were improved. The net result was improvement in output in our schools.Schools were regularly supervised and teachers sat up to their responsibilities.More Schools were added to the existing ones such as the Molyko, Limbe and Kumba Nursery Schools; the Kumba, Tiko and Buea evening Schools, St Anne Girls School Limbe, and Our Lady of Grace Secondary School, Muyuka, Regina Coeli Comprehensive High School, Tombel. These reforms could not be carried out in consultation or approval of the other Dioceses in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda because the rapid urbanization with its inherent economic and social problems in the Diocese called for unique solutions in its educational framework. That was how we saw them.

Unfortunately the purpose of these reforms meant to address the social, economic, and religious needs of the Diocese and itsteachers were misconstrued by few Priests and Laity who decided to put a strong resistance to the reforms. Some members of the Diocese and beyond interpreted the reforms as a way of splitting the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda which had hitherto been running the same kind of system. Some Priests, particularly Priests managers became bitter that administration of schools had been taken from their hands to be given to the Laity. The goal was to give Priests more time to focus on the pastoral and spiritual needs of the pupils, a task which only they could do as ordained ministers. Being a good thing I had to see it realized by taking some hard decisions against Principals who did not want change. A glaring example was Sasse College which led me to remove three Principals consecutively. My argument was that until I got the right person I would keep changing. And we finally got one who has since 2010 made all of us proud especially the SOBANS by bringing back Sasse as a School of Excellence and Standards.

Today, while some Dioceses are closing down schools, those of Buea Diocese are strong thanks to the fact the current Education Secretary continued with the reforms and has improved on them. The Common pool system for colleges and Primary School Districts is functioning well as we are able to pay all our teachers for 12 months; institutions have bursars and accountants, fees are now paid through the banks and Catholic teachers have ATM cards. The contracts of teachers have been modified to ensure job security, and the Economy of Communion Micro Finance created for teachers to enable them have access to loans and have a better life is running very well. In terms of statistics, Buea Diocese has 21 Nursery Schools and 81 Primary Schools making a total of 102 with 11 Secondary Schools all having both cycles.

b) Institutes

When I took over, the government had a policy of recruiting most of our teachers. This was a huge crisis as without good teachers there is no assurance of quality education. I immediately opened the St John Bosco Teachers Training College to address the exodus of teachers to the government. Since its creation so many teachers have graduated and have helped to solve the problem of teachers. With regards to the need for the laity to know their faith, I also opened John Paul II Institute of Theology at Molyko. Now the institute has branches in Limbe and Kumba. These institutes were created to address particular needs as you have seen even though our detractors interpreted them as a deliberate attempt to downplay the work of my predecessor and split the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda since similar institutes were functioning in Bamenda and Kumbo.

c) University – The Catholic University Institute of Buea(CUIB)

Immediately I took office as Bishop of Buea, what struck me most was the struggle by many qualified students to gain admission into the University of Buea (UB), the then lone Anglosaxon University in Cameroon. I decided that the Diocese of Buea needed to have its own university that would admit some of the students so that they could realize their dreams of acquiring university education. So I put a committee in place and the project was worked out. In the meantime there was discussion going on about a University for the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. I gave my 100 percent support to that project but felt that the Diocese should run its own separate from the Provincial University as the mission of both universities were different. CUIB was to focus on Job creation and employability. In that project, I did not need to consult any other authority because “Ex cordae Ecclesiae”, the Church’s document on Higher Education allows any Superior or Diocesan Bishop to own a University so long as it meets the National and Ecclesiastical standards. Based on my word to support the Provincial University 100 %, the Diocese supports the Provincial University project financially and currently we have three persons: two of our priests and the Finance Administrator working there. The current statistics from the Ministry of Higher Education shows that there are 174 Private Higher Educations Institutions in Cameroon, with the South West recording 20 and the North West Region 12. Is this not but wonderful that the oldest Diocese with the oldest Secondary school should run a university? Is Buea Diocese not capable?

I have a lot of good news for you about CUIB. Our university is making its mark and fulfilling the objectives for which it was established. CUIB was ranked as the no. 1 University in the South West Region by the Ministry of Higher Education. Currently, there are 1,300 students, with more than 100 Faculty and staff members. It is well known in the international world as it is the only African University that is a member of the prestigious Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) in the USA. On the 6th of December 2014, it graduated its First Batch of Seniors and Higher National Diploma students making a total of about 270. . Of this number, 11 percent are self-employed; 14 percent employed, 39 percent’ are doing graduate studies, 7 percent are on work experience and stand as potential employees to their companies, 11 percent working towards their admission in foreign universities and 18 percent are still undecided on what to do. CUIB’s management is solid with a Board of Trustees to oversee it.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Buea is the Chancellor of the University and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees appoints the President based on merit and the requirements set out by the Ministry of Higher Education. By Cameroon and international regulations, universities are juridic personalities having administrative, financial, and academic autonomy. This is important because in the event of any lawsuit, the Proprietor is not liable. Apart from the initial financial support that the Diocese put into the project at its inception in 2010, the university hasbeen running on its own financially without Diocesan support. It has started the process of acquiring a 40 hectre of land at Mokonje in Kumba, in the hope that CUIB will eventually expand to Kumba. 30 Million has been disbursed by the University to the Chief of Wokaka to acquire another 5 hectare of land at Molyko. The University has and is currently putting up more new buildings at theWokaka Campus, renovated the Molyko Campus, bought two 70 seater campus shuttle buses to convey faculty, staff and students from one campus to the other and have for all these years paid its workers based on the Cameron Government Salary Scale (bareme). On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank the Administration of CUIB for making all of us proud and training our children to be job creators versus job seekers with spiritual and moral values who will contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.

3. PROJECTS

a. Co-Cathedral Project

Before I took over from Bishop Pius Awa in 2007, he gave me before leaving the Bishop’s House, Soppo a plan for the renovation of the Regina Pacis Cathedral, Soppo, Buea. This renovation was going to take almost the same amount of money as a new one. So, I decided to engage instead in a co-cathedral project for the Diocese. Arrangements were made and the project was launched with a lot of enthusiasm from the whole Diocese. A lot has been accomplished. I thank the Priests, Religious brothers and sisters and the lay faithful for their contributions towards this project. The big challenge the project has experienced is mismanagement of the Funds. Right from the beginning we insisted that the Co-Cathedral project should have a separate account. This was done. It was adminster by the Diocesan Financial Administrators. Unfortunately, the Co-Cathedral accounts were poorly managed and every time the Diocesan committee members of the project met to discuss the finances, the records were never straight. There was always inconsistency in the co-cathedral income and expenditure statistics and all receipts were not available.

This precipitated my making changes in the Bishop’s house. A year ago I asked that an audit be carried out not only for the co-cathedral project but for all diocesan institutions. The audit report was not that wonderful. I replaced the financial secretary and instructed him to stay with me so that he would be able to defend the accounts. As I am talking with you, I know as he stated in a letter left at my table before departure without my knowledge and approval, he disappeared to the United States. It is alleged that he is in the United States.

We also agreed that we should buy building materials in China and assigned one of our Christians, Mr. Louis Ngalim to carry out this task worth 156 million. Mr. Ngalim has not fulfilled his own part of this engagement. Currently, measures are being taken to recover our money. This is what happens when we cannot even trust our own Christians. Should we give up due to these lapses? I say no! I have appointed a New Project Coordinator and intend to intensify the financial management team of the Co-Cathedral project. A team of external auditors has been put in place to constantly check and direct the income and expenditure related to this project. A distinct and new account has been created whereby subsequent contributions are being paid directly and receipts forwarded to the Bishop’s House. Satan cannot discourage us from moving forward. I am appealing to all Christians that we should draw a line and start afresh. For next year, parishes can give 25% of their harvest money to the Cathedral project. It is my hope that the new team will restore confidence and accountability.

b. Lands

Since I took over we have tried to invest in the purchase of lands. The following lands have been acquired: Small Soppo: five hectares, Sand Pit, Sasse Village, Our Lady of Grace Shrine, Mevio-Sasse, Malingo with two houses on rents, New Town Limbe with two houses on rents, Wokaka I and Wokaka II (for CUIB).

c. Finance

Due to the world financial crises, subvention that used to come from Rome dropped drastically and the trend now is that Dioceses must learn to be more active and independent in their financial management. This makes our Diocese to depend more on local contributions done by the Parishes, Institutions, Colleges and Schools. While Schools have done a lot to support the Diocese financially, a good number of Parishes and other institutions do not make their regular contributions to the Diocese. (See Appendix on the current situation).The financial situation shows that most of the institutions are practically depending on the Diocese for their activities. In such a system, without proper management and accountability there is bound to be cash flow problems.

Since I took over the finances of the Diocese have always been audited. Last year a major audit was done which led to the replacement of the Financial Administrator. It has indeed been very challenging for some of our Financial Administrators to manage the finances of the Diocese.Christians must understand that for the sake of people’s dignity, there are certain things that cannot be made public. There is no joy for a leader to make changes all the time. Those managing the finances of the Diocese since I took over as Bishop have never been the best.In administration it is difficult to keep persons who cannot execute the job as demanded by their office. It does not mean that they are bad priests. Specialized functions need not only persons with the knowledge but at least the goodwill to run them well. I have always given everyone whom I judge can carry out the function to do so. And like any leader, once you have justifiable reasons that things are not working well, you are bound to make the changes otherwise you will be accused of condoning wrongdoing. This is the reality as we have it. I will keep changing until we have the right persons. This is not the best of situations but the reality calls one to make such decisions. A way out is to get lay experts run these units but I continue to receive opposition from some clergy who think that these functions must be occupied by priests and that Buea Diocese is not ripe enough to have lay Financial Administrators and Chancellors as we have in some dioceses in the world. I hope the new Financial Administrator whom I just appointed will work hard to ensure that the new financial system put in place will be executed to the letter so that we can enjoy some stability.

d. Challenges

The one great challenge that I have had as Bishop of Buea Diocese is resistance to change by a few clergy and some Lay Christ Faithful right from day one who did not like my appointment. This small group has continued to resist any change that I have carried out in the Diocese. Whatever I do is openly criticized and all kinds of interpretations given to discredit my service in the Diocese of Buea. These sentiments reached climax in October 2012 with the famous Memorandum of Diocesan Priests and other memoranda that were circulated publicly and sent to Rome requesting my removal from office. This group of persons has not stopped their agenda and will point accusing fingers to the Bishop or those whom they claim are collaborating with the Bishop.

A recent incident was the Death of Fr Denis Ndang (May his Soul Rest in Peace), which this group of persons hijacked and circulated all kinds of false information about his death via internet and social media. I have included in the appendix of this report a reaction to the debate that was on the internet written by someone who is not a Christian of Buea Diocese. The article is titled Bishop Bushu Bashing (BBB). It is very clear from the analysis of the writer that the agenda of these groups of persons (both clergy and laity) is to continuously create instability in the Diocese by circulating lies and foster “hate agenda” amongst Christians and Priests in the Diocese. This is the work of the Devil. To say the least, this group has gone to the extent of trying to cripple the Diocese financially.What I have seen is that they don’t want to give up and sometimes have become ruthless in their opposition.

e. The way forward

Being the Bishop of the Diocese of Buea for more than 8 years, I am very aware that Buea Diocese, the oldest in Cameroon, is a great Diocese that is loved by many both within and without its geographical location. The Priests and Christians are very spiritual, hardworking, generous and devoted. Many Priests and Christians love their Diocese and are ready to make sacrifices to do great things for God. The Co-Cathedral project, the Schools and University Project, the 19 newly created parishes, the huge financial contributions made during harvest thanksgiving and other collections such as vocations’ collection, the rising number of Christians, catechumens and vocations in the last 5 years, the rising number of Priests ordained in the last 4 years and the excellent organizations of celebrations like the Year of Faith, ordinations and major feasts in the Diocese are living testimonies of the vibrancy and worth of its Priests, Christians and people of Goodwill. Many candidates for the Major Seminary and Religious Institutes and Priests continue to ask that I admit them into the Diocese. For now, I have many requests on hold. If this Diocese is that spiritually and financially bankrupt and that its Bishop is heading a “sinful Church” will you have these great things happening and more priests requesting to come and serve in the Diocese? This brings me to ponder and ask myself: What is the problem and where is the problem? Why can’t we accept change? Why did the Holy Father appoint a Bishop from outside the Diocese? Why can’t we acknowledge diversity? Why this constant and negative bashing of the Diocese? Why can’t we set aside our differences and work for the common good? Why can’t we work together? Why not a common front?

Today at this First Annual State of the Diocese of Buea Conference I thank you all for your presence and attention. Now is the occasion for everyone who wishes to intervene to do. We have one hour for our interventions. My humble appeal to everyone of us is that we should continue to go on working as a people of God knowing that we will never be different from our Master who faced the same kind of rejection from the Scribes and Pharisees. And like Christ, let us learn to say “Forgive them, for they not know what they are doing” and keep on serving God with joy.

CONCLUSION

Brothers and sisters, I thank you once more for coming to this first ever organised Annual State of the Diocese of Buea Conference. It has been a pleasure and joy to share with you some of the things we have been doing together for the last 8 years. It is often said “better late than never”. I would like that Parishes and Diocesan Institutions and groups should indicate in their yearly calendar a day of this nature where Christians are given an update of what is going on in their respective Parishes, groups or institutions. This is part of our duty as stewards who have been entrusted with this awesome and delicate task to render an account of our stewardship to those we serve, our masters and mistresses, lay faithful. Remember that it is not popular opinions and polls that matter in God’s house. The Catholic Church is not a democracy. What we have to do is stand by the truth and share the truth in love and justice. Let us continue to forge ahead and not be intimidated by a few. Let us continue to work together as a Church knowing that it is not about our comfort or security but about the common good, the good of all God’s people in the Diocese of Buea.

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Divine mercy to whom our Diocese is consecrated assist us. Amen.

God bless you all.

+Immanuel B. Bushu

Bishop of the Diocese of Buea.

After a nebulous group known as the consortium of parents dragged the Bishops of the BamendaEcclesiastical Province to court to answer a seven-count charge brought against them, L’Effort Caeroumnais 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 organised 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 organise 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 vandalised. 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 mobilising 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 realises 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.

Sermon by Fr. Maurice Ashley Agbaw-Ebai (AMDG)

Mulhiem an der Ruhr, Germany, July 22, 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Praise Be Our Lord Jesus Christ, Both Now and Forever, Amen!

During this Liturgy on this Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 22, 2018, we are gathered in this beautiful Church here at Mulhiem an der Ruhr, Germany, for two reasons: Firstly, to worship God, Father, Son and Spirit, on this Day of the Lord, Dies Domini, as all good Catholics should. More specifically, and this is the second reason for our gathering here today, this time of worship together has the particular intention of praying for the Emeritus Bishop of Mamfe, Francis Teke Lysinge. We are praying for Bishop Lysinge today because he is, in a certain sense, the spiritual grandfather of this Cameroon Catholic Community here at Mulhiem, Germany. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your generosity in many ways.

Given my relationship with Bishop Lysinge, I thank God that I am able to here in Mulheim, Germany, for this mass offered for Bishop Lysinge. I am also grateful to Fr. Constant Leke, your beloved pastor of this Cameroon Catholic Community, and my dear friend, for the privilege to both preside and preach at this Holy Mass. In the name of Fr. Constant Leke and the Cameroon Catholic Community here at Mulhiem, I offer a warm welcome to all of you here present, especially our non-Catholic friends that have responded to our invitation. Living in a social media age, I am conscious that even as I speak, this celebration is a “happening now” on many Facebook pages, WhatsApp accounts, Twitter, Instagram, et cetera. On this note, I offer warm greetings to all those the world over who might be live streaming this event on social media. May Jesus bless you with peace, health and joy, wherever you might be on God’s good planet.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, today’s liturgy of the word offers us the account of the return of the apostles from the evangelization mandate commissioned by Our Blessed Lord – Mk. 6:30-34. Last Sunday, Jesus had sent them out two by two, with authority over unclean spirits, to cast out demons, to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and to heal the sick (Mk. 6:7-13). This Sunday, we get the feedback. The apostles are back, and apparently recorded great success. With the Lord, success in terms of fruitfulness is often the likely outcome, even when we feel that we are useless servants, doing no more than our duty (Lk. 17:10).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, the urgency of this mandate to bring men and women to Christ is reflective even in the post-evangelization reporting in the gospel text of today’s liturgy: “When he (Jesus) disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” How can we too not be moved, even today, when we see the brokenness of lives, almost littered all around us? Yes, even today, the Lord looks on us with pity, for he seeks our broken lives, our poor lives, marked often times, by the desire to do the good, to want to be better, yet, failing, again and again, falling from the mark, which is etymologically what sin is, that is, to miss the mark! We too, as responsible beings, miss the mark when we allow ourselves to be seduced by the triple concupiscence enlisted in 1John 2:16: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Even our beloved homeland has become a battle field, with people being massacred on a daily basis, while the so-called International Community, in words reminiscent of the Soldiers on Good Friday on that Sacred Hill of Calvary, are sitting and watching (Mathew 27:36)! The Soldiers on Calvary seem to be the Patron Saints of the International Community: they sit and watch, as lives are being lost on a daily basis in the new Calvary of Southern Cameroons.

Benedict XVI captured this drama of evil, pain and brokenness in the world, with admirable precision and heightened intensity, in his homily inaugurating his Petrine Ministry. Using the image of the Pallium, which is the piece of cloth worn by Metropolitan Archbishops, the Holy Father captured the existential drama of contemporary life with evocative and trenchant imagery. Permit me cite him:

“For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The human race – every one of us – is the sheep lost in the desert which no longer knows the way. The Son of God will not let this happen; he cannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross. He takes it upon his shoulders and carries our humanity; he carries us all – he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. What the Pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time, it invites us to carry one another. Hence the Pallium becomes a symbol of the shepherd’s mission, of which the Second Reading and the Gospel speak. The pastor must be inspired by Christ’s holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God’s darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore, the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction. The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance” (Benedict XVI, April 24, 2005).

Dear Friends in Christ, it is clear that the Gospel text places the figure of the Shepherd, the Apostles, front and center, in the Lord’s mandate of bringing hope to the people. Pastores dabo vobis, iuxta cor meum, the Lord says to the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 3:15) – I will give you shepherds after my own heart! Given that we are gathered here this Sunday in a special way to pray for Francis Teke Lysinge, our beloved Bishop Emeritus of Mamfe, it is in place to say a few words about the calling of this good and holy bishop. But first, we must remind ourselves that in the light of the Gospel text of today’s liturgy, bishops as pastors, are the successors of these apostles that we read of in the gospel of this liturgy. That is how the Catholic tradition has understood it.

And this process of self-understanding, of ecclesial maturation, has unfolded in the Church’s long history. At the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Pastor Aeternus, the Council taught the infallibility of the Bishop of Rome. It taught that the Bishop of Rome as Supreme Pontiff, when he teaches ex cathedra, that is, from the chair, meaning in his capacity as Pope, Successor to the Apostle Peter, what he teaches, pertaining to faith and morals, is solemnly binding on the universal church and Catholics are expected to give an assent of mind and heart to such a proclamation. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), interrupted the Council and prematurely ended it. That left Catholicism with an unbridled monarchical papacy, in which the Bishop of Rome was left hanging alone, as it where, above the Church.

With the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Bishops gathered in Council, as Successors of the Apostles, sought to do an ecclesial balancing act of the unfinished business of the First Vatican Council. In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and in the Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Christus Dominus, the Bishops taught that as Successors of the Apostles, Bishops were not mere emissaries or ambassadors of the Pope. Pertaining to their local churches, they are proper pastors who, certainly, together with the Pope, sub and cum Petro, constitute an apostolic college charged with the governance of the universal Church. In this way, Vatican II enfleshed the monarchical character of governance of the Petrine ministry with a collegial character of the Episcopate.

This is the body, the Episcopate, into which on April 21, 1999, Francis Teke Lysinge was called into, by the Grace of God and the Apostolic See. Born in Bokwango on December 28, 1938, to Albert Lysinge and Juliana Jofi Mbua, both long called to eternal rest, Francis Teke Lysinge is the second son in a family of four boys and three girls. His father was from Bokwango Village while his mother was from Buea Town. His father was a teacher in the Native Authority (NA) School of Muea and so eventually moved from Bokwango to Muea. His parents were Protestants, and so originally Bishop Lysinge was baptized in the Basel Mission Church Bimbia-Victoria where he started his Primary School in 1945 as Godwill Teke Lysinge.

As a young man, Godwill Teke Lysinge, as he was then known, had gone to Sasse College, the Premier Secondary School in the then West Cameroon, - which we say now with clear nostalgia, - to pursue the dreams of a brighter future the aspiration of every young person. He studied in Sasse from 1953-1958. Bishop Lysinge did not go to Sasse to become a priest! It was in 1955, while in Sasse, that the young Lysinge felt that the Lord, whom he had always loved and knew, might have other plans for him. He repeatedly told me that priesthood was never in his mind when he entered Sasse. He will later on say YES to the Lord, proceeding to Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria, for Major Seminary Studies in Philosophy and Theology. On April 17th 1966, together with his lifelong friend, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Emeritus Archbishop of Douala and others, Godwill Teke Lysinge who, upon “converting” to Catholicism had taken the name Francis after St. Francis Xavier, said ad sum to the Lord’s call, and was ordained a priest of God, secundum ordine Melchizedek. His service as Spiritual Director in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary is legendary.

Now is not the time to offer an assessment of the rich episcopacy of Francis Teke Lysinge. I will offer two indications that are pointers to what I consider to be the most enduring legacy of our beloved Francis Teke Lysinge. And all are derived from the choices he made from the Word of God, first, at his ordination as priest, and secondly, as bishop.

At his ordination as a priest, the young Fr. Francis Lysinge chose as his ordination motto, the self-effacing words of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: I am what I am, by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). Anyone who has ever encountered this Priest of God knows that it is never about Francis Lysinge. Meeting Lysinge, it is always about God. His instinctual temperament could best be described with the words of John the Baptist vis-à-vis Our Lord: He must increase, I must decrease (Jn. 3:30).

If the date of one’s birth can have a significance for one’s life, then the birth of Francis Teke Lysinge on December 28, 1938, could very well be read as prophetically symbolic. December 28 is still within the Octave of Christmas, which is a time when the Church recalls in her liturgical and spiritual life, that at the fullness of time, God sent his Son into the world (Gal. 4:4). At the heart of Christmas is the basic, essential truth: God has entered the world. God is close to us. God is near us. We are not alone. I am not alone.

I am what I am, by the grace of God! Isn’t this essentially what the Christmas message causes to happen? Because God has entered history, I am! I am! I have being. I am not nothingness. I am someone. I have a name. God knows my name. Even if the powerful of the world do not know me, do not acknowledge me, do not recognize me, I am, by God’s grace. In this priestly ordination motto of the young Lysinge, one encounters a deeper theological metaphysics. It is an affirmation that my life is grounded on the firmer ground of the Lord: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:25).

On April 21,1999, Francis Teke Lysinge who all along had always seen himself as being, thanks to grace of God, -I am what I am by the grace of God,- entered into a new consciousness of what it means to live by the grace of God. For his episcopal motto, he chose, Fiat Voluntas Tua (Matthew 6:10). This is taken from the prayer of Jesus to the Father. The Our Father mirrors the relationship of intimacy between the Father and the Son. With this choice, Francis Teke Lysinge, in his unassuming way, manifested the core of his rich spiritual life: God is the center. My responsibility is to follow God.

But what does it mean to follow God? Essentially, and Lysinge’s life is a testimony to this, it is not a calculatedness in which I fashion God into my own image and likeness. To follow God is to place my life in the hands of God, knowing that it will ultimately end well, for even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for your shepherd rod and staff protects me (Ps. 23:4).

I am what I am by the grace of God! Thy Will Be Done! Dear Brothers and Sisters, in these two texts from Scripture, and the consistent and admirable way in which Francis Teke Lysinge lived them, we can be sure, that in Francis Lysinge, the Diocese of Mamfe and the Church in Africa, is offering the universal Church a sign of God’s presence, a mark of lowliness and humility, a presence of translucent holiness. Francis Teke Lysinge is a holy man. Francis Teke Lysinge is a holy priest. Francis Teke Lysinge is a holy bishop of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. It wouldn’t be presumptuous and out of place to hope that someday, God willing, the pilgrim Church will call on him from the triumphant church for help on the way, as the Church here, in the words of legendary Bishop of Hippo, Augustine, sails through the vicissitudes of the world, amidst the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God.

On January 25, 2014, our beloved Bishop Francis Lysinge handed over the See of Mamfe to his younger spiritual son, Most Rev. Andrew NKEA, current Bishop of Mamfe. Two years ago, Bishop Andrew Nkea sent Bishop Lysinge to Rome for medical attention, regarding his eyes. I was anxious that he Lysinge might not be able to “see” me again in this life, given the deteriorating condition of his eyes. From Regensburg, Germany, I quickly flew to Rome, to spend time with Bishop Lysinge. I can never forget that moment, in which I entered his room at the Mater Ecclesiae house in Rome. It was for me great joy that he could see me. It was a great joy for both of us, for in a unique way, which perhaps none of you sitting here in this Church might fully comprehend, in Francis Teke Lysinge, God gave me a fatherly love that I might never have had. I was anxious for him to see that a book I was working on, On the Question of God in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, is being dedicated to him. I showed him the manuscript and asked him to read the dedication page. When he read it and read his name, he smiled. Tears welled up in my eyes. He then said to me that though he is retired, he has not retired from prayers. And that he prays for me daily. He said the only work he does now for Mamfe is to pray for his successor and for Mamfe diocese, that the diocese will continue to grow.

We can be sure, that now that his sight is failing him, Francis Teke Lysinge is seeing much more now with the heart, like Blessed John Henry Newman – Cor ad cor loquitur – Heart speaks to heart. The one who throughout his life has spent countless hours before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, gazing at the Lord, looking at him, listening to him, falling in love with the Lord, speaking with the Lord, now has those biological eyes that give him physical sight, almost taken away. Bishop Lysinge, like the saints before him, has entered into his own via Crucis. And like most of the saints, has accepted the crosses that come with aging:

“O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize.

The lot marked out for me is my delight: welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

And so, my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay.

You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at your right- hand happiness forever” (Ps 16:5-11).

Thank you, God, for the gift of your priest, holy Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge. May your grace sustain him during this Nunc Dimittis period of his life. And may his prayers for the world continue to keep the window of the world open to the life-giving breath of God, saving us from a suffocating despairing nihilism! Amen.

Interviewed by John Neba and Ireneaus Chongwain Chia

Following the recent attack of students in Sasse College, L’Effort Camerounais caught with the Communications Director of Buea Diocese, Rev. Br. Singfred Sinior M’sene, BSMB, who revisits that night’s attack in greater detail, the decision taken after the incident and the impact of the ongoing Anglophone crisis on the Catholic Church’s activities in Buea. He also cursorily presents the disturbing insecurity situation in a town only recently reputed for its legendary hospitality now being fled because of growing hostility. Excerpts:

What really happened in Sasse College on the night of September 16 breaking 17?

The unfortunate incident in Sasse happened while I was chatting with one of our brothers who lives in the College around 11 pm when he indicated to me that one of the brothers working in the college just rushed in indicating that he has heard a gunshot and it appeared some people were coming into the campus and moving towards the dormitories. I kept communicating with him by text and he continued reporting what was happening. They heard gunshots as the people were entering the dormitories and removing students and gathering them in the football field. Some students sustained injuries as they resisted them. The assailants were carrying cutlasses and guns. Some went to staff houses, forced them out to the field and collected their phones. They conveyed them to the football field and asked them to chant some anti-government songs. The principal and chaplain came out to plead with them but they forced them to join the students after beating the principal on the back twice with a cutlass.

They told the teachers and students that they had asked that there should be no school and they had violated the order. Before they could reach other dormitories, some students had escaped into the bushes and some went to the Our Lady of Grace Shrine at the college entrance where they spent the rest of the night. The assailants came in about 11 pm and left about 2 am. Early in the morning some students left the college and went to the chief’s palace in Bokwaongo, while others were in for Mass. Also that morning when those who slept in the shrine were returning they met soldiers at the college entrance who inquired where they were from. After their explanation, the soldiers took the students back to the campus when the assailants had long gone. When the assailants left, the principal assembled the students. Before they left, the assailants told them that they had to leave the school because they were going to come back. So parents were contacted and they took their children away. In the meantime, all Catholic schools in Buea have been closed until we are sure that calm has returned.

I jus