As ordained spiritual leaders with a divine mandate to shepherd God’s flocks, Bishops hold not only a religious but also a moral responsibility to advocate for the welfare of their Christians and other people within their episcopacy, just like other persons charged with preaching the gospel. Their voices, grounded in compassion and faith, are powerful tools for highlighting the struggles of their people.
This was evident in the statement issued by the Roman Catholic Bishops of Cameroon earlier this month at the conclusion of their 48th annual seminar in Buea, where they laid bare the socio-economic challenges plaguing the nation.
“We must not ignore this hour of crisis, misery, hunger, destitution, unemployment, and in some rural areas, real despair, weighing heavily on the destiny, not only of the people in general, but especially of the poorest, the weakest, the most destitute. We cannot fail to listen to the distraught people, the weight of so many unanswered questions create discontent among the people,” the Bishops said among other things.
This shows that the Bishops do not only care for the spiritual well-being of people, but they feel the pain of ordinary Cameroonians and definitely understand that other physical concerns do impact the way spirituality is managed.
Cameroon is blessed with arable land and manpower but statistics regarding food sovereignty are shocking. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 23 percent of Cameroonians live below the international poverty line, which is $2.15 (approximately FCFA 1,300) per person per day. Extreme poverty in the country could reach 25 percent by 2026 – affecting eight million people.
Even before the Bishops’ collective statement, there was already a growing momentum among Bishops in the country decrying the deep-rooted suffering of the masses under President Paul Biya’s 42-year-rule. They all urged the nonagenarian not to seek reelection as the country braces for a crucial presidential vote in October.
Among the prelates who voiced their opinions about this are Archbishop Samuel Kleda of the Douala Metropolitan Archdiocese, Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of the Diocese of Yagoua and Bishop Emmanuel Abbo of the Diocese of Ngaoundere.
And instead of listening and proffering solutions to problems raised by the men of God, Biya’s acolytes were rather firing back at the Bishops, with some even challenging their authority.
With authority or not, the Bishops only talked about the daily realities of Cameroonians, many of whom they meet more than once a week at different prayer sessions.
Unlike the bizarre posture that is taken by some admirers of the veteran leader, we think the concerns of the Bishops, especially about the longevity, and most of all the glaring inability of the nearly 92-year-old president to arrest the entrenched malaise that Cameroonians are subjected to, is just and honourable.
Even as the question as to whether Biya is still in charge of state affairs has since transformed into mere rhetoric, the group of people who keep hiding under the president to take control should have seen by now that it no longer goes.
Biya’s government appears paralyzed in the face of pressing national issues. Magistracy graduates of the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) have waited in vain for a higher judicial council session for them to be assigned duty posts – leaving them in professional limbo. It was only late last year that they managed to get temporal postings though the session still hasn’t been held. Cabinet reshuffles, once a tool for reinvigorating governance, have not occurred for years, even as key positions remain vacant due to the deaths of incumbents.
While the Bishops in their collective statement pleaded with Biya to engage talks with separatists wreaking havoc in the two English-speaking regions of the country, his aides rather continue touting the ‘Moulinex’ system of conflict resolution as solution. For the records, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji has repeatedly threatened that the state is a blender (Moulinex) that will crush anyone voicing contrary opinions to that of the government.
Truth be told, Bishops cannot decide whether or not Biya should seek reelection or go to the village at the end of his current mandate as he himself had intimated. The decision lies with Biya himself, the constitution and the basic texts of the ruling CPDM party.
The Bishops are not asking for political favors; they are calling for humane governance. They are imploring Biya to listen to the cries of the oppressed and to recognize that his administration’s inertia is deepening the despair of millions. Their plea aligns with the teachings of the Bible, which in Hebrews 3:15 reminds us: “Today, if you hear His [God’s] voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
The Bishops’ voice is the voice of the people. It is a call for justice, accountability, and compassion. Biya’s aides and admirers may dismiss this voice, but history has shown that ignoring the cries of the masses only deepens discontent and breeds instability.
The Bishops have spoken. Cameroonians are watching. The question remains: Will President Biya listen, or will he harden his heart?
