FIRST MESSAGE FROM HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO CAMEROON
"TO HIS EXCELLENCY MR. PAUL BIYA
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON YAOUNDÉ:
ON THE OCCASION OF THE NATIONAL DAY OF THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON, I AM PLEASED TO OFFER TO YOUR EXCELLENCY THE BEST WISHES FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS. I ENTRUST TO THE LORD EVERYONE'S EFFORTS TO BUILD A FUTURE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY BY DRAWING ON THE RICH HUMAN AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF YOUR COUNTRY, WITH A CONCERN FOR JUSTICE AND RESPECT FOR EACH PERSON. MAY GOD POUR OVER YOUR EXCELLENCY AND ALL THE CAMEROONIAN PEOPLE HIS ABUNDANT BLESSINGS.
LEO XIV"
I woke up this morning to this beautiful message from Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV to the Président of my beloved country Cameroon ?? Paul Biya. What a timely message with so much truth within. Inspired by it and having lived through one of the most deadly crisis ever in Cameroon, I decided to write this message to the world and to Cameroon in particular. The message is titled thus:
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On May 20th, the Republic of Cameroon marks its National Day, a day meant to celebrate unity, peace, and shared identity. This year, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV extended a message of goodwill to President Paul Biya and to all Cameroonians, invoking “a future of peace and prosperity” built upon “justice and respect for each person.” But for millions in Cameroon, especially in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest Regions, these words feel like a distant dream, not a lived reality. Believe me when I tell you this. I have lived through it and continue to. Many of my brothers and sisters back in Cameroon continue to live through this nightmare.
I thank Pope Leo XIV for addressing this important message to Paul Biya on this day. As we reflect on the Pope’s message, we must also confront an uncomfortable truth. And here is the truth: while the nation’s flag flies high in Yaoundé, the cries of suffering rise even higher in the shadows of Buea, Mamfe, Bamenda, Kumba, and beyond. The people of Anglophone Cameroon continue to suffer.
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For my friends especially here in the United States who do not know, here's a little background: For nearly a decade, Cameroon has been torn apart by a violent conflict in its Anglophone regions. What began in 2016 as peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers demanding fair treatment and the recognition of linguistic and legal identity has become a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Thousands have died. Hundreds of villages have been burned. Nearly a million people have been displaced. Entire communities live in fear, caught between the brutality of separatist militias and the heavy-handed response of state security forces. Hundreds of thousands have died including pregnant women and children. Raping, maiming, extrajudicial executions continue by Government forces and civil militias.
Children are growing up without schools. Families are living in the forests. Pregnant women are giving birth in hiding. And the killings-systematic, senseless, and often unreported-continue with shocking regularity. And yet, silence reigns at the top.
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The government of Cameroon has failed utterly and continually to bring meaningful resolution to this crisis. There has been no national dialogue of integrity. No independent investigations into war crimes. No real commitment to justice or peace. Instead, there is denial, repression, and a propaganda machine that pretends everything is under control.
But the people on the ground know better. The Church knows better. The world should know better. I know better. I have worked in the heart of this war. I took over from a missionary Priest (Fr Cosmas) who was killed by strayed bullets from military machine guns in Kembong, Mamfe. I have seen all kinds of horrible things myself. So trust me when I tell you this. I write this message with pain in my heart.
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When Pope Leo XIV prays that Cameroon might build its future “with a concern for justice and respect for each person,” he isn’t just offering a blessing, he is holding up a mirror. And what we see reflected back is painful: a country where unity is fractured, where peace is political theatre, and where human lives are expendable for the sake of power. There's no justice or peace in my beloved country Cameroon. I cannot believe it's almost 10 years now and there seems to be no way forward.
Let’s be clear: there is no true National Day to celebrate while our English-speaking brothers and sisters live under siege. Patriotism cannot be built on the graves of the forgotten.
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This article is not a rejection of Cameroon, it is a cry for its redemption.
We call on the Cameroonian governm |
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