Church in Cameroon to hold National Days of Prayer for Respect of Human Life

Bishop Kome said the violence in Cameroon had impacted negatively on the social and economic lives of the affected residents.

“The ongoing clashes in the Anglophone regions make activities impossible. Difficulties are increasing in the economic field. The majority of businesses have ceased to operate. The population makes a living from agriculture, but cultivating the fields is becoming complicated, many peasants have been killed while working on their farms,” Bishop Kome lamented.

He added, “Today we need to intensify our prayers and seek God’s divine intervention for peace in our hearts and increased love for our fellow brothers and sisters.”

In the last week of 2019, Cameroon’s parliament approved a bill that will grant “special status” to the country’s two Anglophone regions.

This initiative was a result of the National Dialogue that the government convened in October purportedly to resolve the war of secession that has killed at least 3,000 people and displaced over half a million since its outbreak in 2016.

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In the Far North region of the country, the Islamist armed group Boko Haram carried out over 100 attacks since January 2019 killing more than 100 civilians.

The conflict between government forces and Boko Haram has killed thousands of Cameroonians and displaced over 270,000 since 2014, leading to the rise of self-defense vigilante groups, allafrica has reported.

The Local Ordinary of Bafang diocese stated that Fridays were important days of the week in the Catholic Church and were convenient for prayers that suited the warrying nation.

“Friday is an important day for the catholic Church,” the Cameroonian Prelate said and explained, “Fridays are devoted to the Passion of Jesus, Divine Mercy, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we want to use these prayer days to call on the Lord to have Mercy on country and cleanse our land from all the bloodshed in recent years.”

Bishop Kome called on other bishops to strategize for the prayers set to run for months saying, “Each Bishop is charged with the organization of this prayer day in his local Church.”

He added “We invite all the faithful, and people of goodwill to join us during these days of prayer for the respect of human life.”

In his address at the end of the seminar, the Bishop of Obala, Sosthene Leopold Bayemi invited his brother Bishops “to remain united in prayers and stand firm in faith in order to conquer evil that has destroyed moral values in the society.”

“I wish we all take advantage of this day of prayer called by the Bishops to pray for conversion, for peace in our hearts and in our country,” Bishop Bayemi said.

Convened under the theme, “What Episcopal Conference do we want,” the 43^rd seminar of the Bishops in Cameroon was held from January 5-11.

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.