Bishops condemn use of ethnic differences to disrupt social cohesion.

The observation is the highpoint of assessments made during the 75^th session of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, BAPEC. The meeting which spanned 17 to 22 August, took place in Kumba, Meme Division of the South West Region.

His Grace, Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Archbishop of Bamenda Metropolitan Archdiocese, who also doubles President of BAPEC and President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, NECC, chaired the discussions. 

Other key participants were the Bishop of Kumba, His Lordship, Agapitus Nfon; the Bishop of Kumbo, His Lordship George Nkuo; the Bishop of Buea, His Lordship Michael Bibi and the Bishop of Mamfe, His Lordship, Aloysius Abangalo  

In a communique that sanctioned the one-week of deep reflection on the polity with emphasis on the crisis in the North West and South Regions, the prelates underscored that, “no one should be misled” on the situations of things. 

They emphasised that “killing is a grave sin against the commandment of God”. Citing Exodus 20:15, the servants of God urged citizens to exercise openness towards their compatriots. 

They prescribed, “fraternal openness for us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each other, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he/she was born or lives”.

Decry wanton killings, vandalism

Beyond the call for caution amid the rise in declarations, antics and moves that have provoked an upswing in hate speech and triggered tension in certain communities, the Bishops also decried incessant killings.

They rose from the Kumba meeting, remarking with “regret the continuing and unfortunate situation of wanton killings, destruction of property…,” adding that: “Vandalism, the deliberate destruction or damage of public or private property is an offense against charity”.

Collective efforts to restore integrity of education

The Anglophone Catholic Bishops also underscored that the recent figures of malpractices in the General Certificate of Education, GCE is worrying. 

They called for joint efforts among religious leaders, ministries in charge of education, religious leaders and other stakeholders to restore the integrity of education.

While urging the GCE Board to step up measures to address the issue of examination malpractices, the Bishops said: “We need the collective efforts of teachers, parents, religious denominations and the ministries in charge of education for the reinforcement of education integrity, the establishment of discipline and a culture of hard work and merit”.

A few weeks ago, the GCE Board released details relating to malpractices. The release indicated that some 1,891 incidents of examination malpractices were recorded during the June 2023 session of exams organised by the Board. 

Call for effective schooling, respect of right to education

The clerics restated their attachment to promote the right to education. This, they said, it is a basic human right which efforts must be doubled to guarantee effective schooling in the restive Anglophone Regions.

They reiterated that all schools in the English-speaking Regions must be opened to ensure children return to school to ensure they don’t miss out as the world evolves.

For those who have been blocking children from going to school, the Bishops in their release said such persons “are doing an irreparable damage to humanity and their communities and should reconsider their decision and let the children go to school”.

Call for order in worship practices 

In the same release bearing the name and seal of BAPEC scribe, Fr Giles Ngwa Forteh, the Bishops said they had received multiple complaints relating to changes in Catholic worship during masses. 

They referred to such moves as “liturgical aberration…which are completely foreign and even contradictory to Catholic doctrine”.

The shortcomings, the Bishops disclosed, come in the form of changes in the key parts of a mass, changes in amount paid as fee “for the celebration of the sacraments and the introduction of a number of unauthorised collections”.

Reiterating the authority of the Holy See and the Bishops in their respective Dioceses to ensure orderliness, the Men of God, in the communique, warned that, “no other person, be he a priest, may add or remove or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority”.