Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- “The Church in Cameroon had made progress and continues to do so. Vocations are flourishing and people take part in liturgical celebrations en masse and with enthusiasm” says Mgr Patrick Lafon, general secretary of the Conference of Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops who are in Rome for their ad limina visit.
“Cameroon has a population of 14 million and 4-5 million are Catholics. Despite the aggressive presence of sects coming mainly from Nigeria, the number of Catholics continues to grow” said Mgr Lafon. “A greater part of the clergy is now local but there are still many missionaries in the east and north of the country. Although the number of missionaries working in Cameroon is decreasing we will always need their presence as a sign of the Church’s universality and her missionary dimension. The Bishops are happy to send their diocesan priest to other dioceses and even abroad because Cameroon wants to share in the mission of the universal Church”.
Mgr Lafon says the present social and political situation in Cameroon “is relatively stable and peaceful compared with other African countries. Nevertheless there exist certain situations about which the Catholic Church has voiced an opinion”.
“In the wake of John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation ‘Ecclesia in Africa’ the Bishops asked the social and political forces to guarantee transparency, peace and social justice. And it is in this light that Bishops’ interventions in social or political questions should be seen. In recent years the Bishops have called for more democracy, and they have called for the eradication of evils including tribalism and corruption” Mgr Lafon said. “More recently the Bishops requested transparency and better guarantees in the electoral process” he said. “The Church in Cameroon addressed two precise requests to the counry’s political leaders: a new electoral law to offer greater guarantees for a transparent vote and the creation of an independent electoral commission to monitor and verify the independence of the vote”.
“These requests were made because since 1994 several electoral consultation have been marked by conflict and accusations of fraud” the priest explained.
Another characteristic of Cameroon is that it is bilingual having French-speaking and English-speaking communities. “From the point of view of language Cameroon is similar to Canada or Belgium” said Mgr Lafon. “In our case this is because part of the territory was colonised by French and the other part by the British. With independence the two parts became one nation with two languages”.
“Unfortunately in Cameroon in the past tension often arose between French-speaking and English-speaking citizens” the priest said. “In this context the Catholic Church has always been an example of unity and collaboration among the different components of the nation. In the Bishops’ Conference there are both French-speaking and English-speaking Bishops. Conference statements are drafted in both languages and at Conference meetings each Bishops speak in the language they prefer”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 20/3/2006 righe 49 parole 613)
