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Assembly of Major Superiors in Cameroon Concludes with Call to Teach “fraternity”, Realize “healing and peace”

By Jude Atemanke

Bamenda, 16 March, 2024 / 9:35 pm (ACI Africa).

Superiors of women and men Religious in Cameroon have concluded their assembly with the call to teach the spirit of togetherness and to the Consecrated persons work towards realizing healing and lasting peace in the Central African nation. 

In a statement shared with ACI Africa Thursday, March 14, members of the National Conference of Major Superiors of Cameroon (NCMS-CMR) say, “It is necessary to rediscover the Church and its mission, in which consecrated life becomes a seed of hope and a teacher of fraternity.”

“We reaffirm the commitment of consecrated life to be agents of healing, reconciliation and hope in our communities,” NCMS-CMR members say in the statement dated March 8.

They urge political leaders, civil society organizations, religious institutions and all people of goodwill in Cameroon to “work together to foster dialogue, respect, forgiveness and peace.”

“Given the importance of peace and justice, we invite religious communities and other ecclesiastical institutions to collaborate with the Faith and Justice Commission for a more just and fraternal world,” the Major Superiors in Cameroon say.

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In their statement, NCMS-CMR members declare “October 4 as the National Day of Prayer of consecrated persons for peace in Cameroon individually and in all our communities.”

They express their commitment towards “greater collaboration with the local Church and propose that the Theology of Consecrated Life be taught in all institutions of ecclesial formation in Cameroon.”

The Catholic Church leaders express their awareness of the value of modern means of communication to the ministry of the Church, and commit themselves “to using this space as a place of formation, information and evangelisation.”

In the statement signed by NCMS-CMR Secretary General, Fr. Roland Minsta, the Major Superiors also recognize the value of cloistered life. 

They say, “Monastic life at the heart of the life of the Church has a special value. We are committed to making this form of life known in our various mission areas.” 

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According to NCMS-CMR members, the March 6-8 General Assembly that was realized under the theme, “Pilgrims of hope on the road to reconciliation and peace” prepared them for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis announced the start of a Year of Prayer in preparation for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year on January 21, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.

In his Angelus address, the Holy Father said that the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year is to be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

In their statement they shared with ACI Africa on March 14, NCMS-CMR members say the three-day Assembly was a way of “preparing our hearts for the jubilee celebration of the Church in the year of Grace 2025, emphasizing the jubilee of consecrated life.”

In his address to Major Superiors, the Vice President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), Bishop Alain Philippe Mbarga, spoke about the Synod on Synodality.

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“We remember that the synodal process proposed by Pope Francis is an opportunity and a richness,” Bishop Mbarga told NCMS-CMR members on March 8.

The ongoing Synod on Synodality, he added, “allows us to take a fresh look at the Church. It is a challenge for all the baptized. Alongside the roles that families and lay people must play, the figure of the Bishop in the service of communion is truly becoming the visible principle of unity. “

The Local Ordinary of Cameroon’s Ebolowa Diocese continued, “Consecrated life, as a sign of hope, must shine through its charismatic presence in the Church and at the heart of the world.”

To achieve this, Bishop Mbarga said, “the synodal method is an effective way: prayer, listening and sharing. We are invited to rediscover the value of prayer, which prepares us to listen with discernment to share truth and freedom.”

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.