Official Statement by the Bishop of Mamfe relating to the attack and abduction of five priests and church members in the South West Region of Cameroon.
2 min read
The peace of the Lord be with you all.
The news of the desecration of the main church of St. Mary’s Parish, Nchang, and the kidnap of our priests, Religious, brothers and sisters on that fateful Friday, September 16″, 2022, has dealt a very grievous blow to us as a Church. However, we did not fail to associate such pain to the saving passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in the wake of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – the source of our hope and victory which we celebrated two days to the ill-fated incident.
Even as I write to indicate that nine members of our beloved Diocesan Family are still in the hands of the abductors, I urge you not to relax every prayerful endeavour for their safety and subsequent release. It is thanks to the prayers so far that I attest that they are alive and strong and that we are gradually surmounting every feat surrounding their subsequent release. It is actually at this moment that we need to showcase our much needed
“One Family’ spirit, above all, by storming the heavens with prayers on their behalf and for all those in similar situations. Pray too for their family and friends, that they may collaborate with the gentle Spirit of God, and together join us all to where the same Spirit is already leading us as a Church. Let us never lose sight of what our faith teaches that being the body of Christ we must have our own fair share of sufferings and persecution – this is exactly what the Church is going through in our time. However, since the body is always complete only when united with the head, let us be rest assured that the resilience of Christ, the Head, whose Body we are as Church, will forever remain the source of our hope in these troubled times. How well should we be strengthened and encouraged now by his own very words: “In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous: I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33)!!
As we continue to pray for the conversion of those who have taken upon themselves the awkward duty of persecuting God’s Church, let us not fail to configure our whole being to the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, who never failed to participate actively in the passion of her Son – a reality we celebrated on the eve of this unfortunate incident. May She, who is the Help of Christians and Mother of the Church, continue to intercede or us always, and above all, during this moment of pain and sorrow.
Read official statement below
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
