African Catholics in Diaspora Urged to Resist Secular Influences, to Practice Christian Faith “in season, out of season”

“The saving message of Christ has been embraced by several generations of Africans over the years,” he said, and appealed, “Let us therefore endeavour to be convinced of our faith, and to practice it with conviction in season and out of season.”

In his September 13 homily, Bishop Bibi called upon African Catholics in diaspora to reflect on the perennial relevance of St. Pope John Paul II’s 1995 Apostolic Exhortation.

“The question we may ask ourselves is, what message does Ecclesia in Africa have for us today, Christians in the African diaspora, 30 years after it was written? What is St. John Paul II still saying to us today?” he asked.

For him, staying firmly rooted in Christ, embracing inculturation, and protecting the dignity of the family are the three key messages in the Apostolic Exhortation that remain relevant for African Catholics in diaspora.

Citing St. Pope John Paul II, “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ”, the Local Ordinary of the Buéa Diocese emphasized the need for African Catholics living abroad to open themselves to Christ in order to attain “true fulfillment.”

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“Pope John Paul taught us that when we open up to Christ and his saving power, we lose nothing! Instead, we gain everything,” Bishop Bibi said during the event that the St. John Paul II National Shrine organized.

He added, “Africans are going over as missionaries and fidei donum to dioceses in Europe and America, and our presence here is a pointer to the active presence of Catholic Communities in the diaspora.”

He said Ecclesia in Africa describes inculturation as an “urgent task” and went on to underscore the need for the people of God from Africa in the diaspora to preserve and promote African values such as solidarity, reverence for life, and respect for elders.

“These are values that we ought to promote even in the Diaspora, where we are sometimes surrounded by patterns that contradict some of these values,” Bishop Bibi said, adding, “When we speak about inculturation, it is not a superficial celebration of human cultures.”

Inculturation, the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop said, refers “to an interaction between the Gospel and our cultures.”

For him, the interaction is characterized by a twofold process: “the Gospel penetrating our cultures and in return uplifting aspects of culture that are compatible with it or are a preparation for it.”

Turning to the family, the 54-year-old Catholic Church leader recalled St. Pope John Paul II, saying, “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family.”

He called on African Catholic families living outside the continent to take marital preparation seriously, prioritize faith formation at home, and resist cultural pressures that undermine lifelong commitments.

He said, “Ecclesia in Africa speaks eloquently about the family as the domestic church. It repeats to us that the future of the world and of the Church passes through the family (EIA, #80).”

“A big challenge in this area is the understanding of marriage as a lifelong covenant between a baptized man and a baptized woman, which Christ has raised to the dignity of a Sacrament (Canon Law 1055),” he observed.

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In the Apostolic Exhortation, he said, St. Pope John Paul II reminds the people of God in Africa and African Catholics in diaspora that “while adopting the positive values of modernity, the African family must preserve its own essential values.”

“I therefore use this opportunity to appeal to African Catholics in the Diaspora, echoing the words of St. John Paul II: set as a priority the ‘evangelization of families through families’ (EIA #80),” said Bishop Bibi.

He implored, “May St. John Paul II, Pope of the Family, continue to intercede for the Church in Africa, and the African Diaspora, that our families may be safe spaces of love, and triumph of the Gospel.”

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.