Biya, CPDM diabolic harsh plot to stifle the Roman Catholic church in CMR

The Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon has seen two political regimes; the Ahidjo and the Biya governments. It can be argued that the church had better days under the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo than with the current Biya administration.

To be sure, anything Roman Catholic was a positive brand in the eyes of the Ahidjo government. Undoubtedly, even the Bishop Albert Ndongmo, Bishop Emeritus of Nkongsamba affair did not hamper the excellent relationship between a Muslim Head of State and the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon.

Understandably, the Roman Catholic Church was also properly administered with Reverend Fathers and Reverend Sisters of exceptional qualities dotted all over the country. The Church and its Bishops spoke for the Cameroonian people. And all attempts by some hardliners in the Ahidjo government to tarnish the hard earn reputation of the Late Bishop Albert Ndongmo met with a stone wall.

During the time of the late President Ahidjo, the homilies delivered by the Bishops were similar and echoed the same message. Consequently, when Archbishop Emeritus Paul Verdzekov of the Bamenda archdiocese said “no” to any government policy, it was also a vehement “no” in the Yaoundé Archdiocese and even beyond. There was nothing like Francophone Beti-Ewondo Bishops. There was only the Conference of Cameroon Bishops.

President Ahidjo made sure, the state, the CNU party, the cabinet ministers and even governors and prefects were all in the good books of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. Correspondingly, the Ahidjo government never delayed or even attempted to stop the subventions that the state gave to the Roman Catholic Church to run its academic and medical establishments.

In Mamfe the chief town in Manyu Division, it was unacceptable to even start a football match during 20 May celebrations in the presence of the late D.O. Akoto- Ndang if the Late Rev. Father Louis Nomi had not come to bless the stadium.

By some happenstance, a Roman Catholic Christian, Paul Biya replaced Ahidjo as President of the Republic of Cameroon on November 6th 1982 and since then the fate of the Roman Catholic Church has never been the same.

The Conference of the Bishops of Cameroon no longer has unanimity in its declarations and sadly, human rights violations by the Biya regime have all disappeared from the press releases regularly issued by the Roman Catholic Bishops. Cameroon Catholic Christians now see themselves as Anglophones and Francophones to the amazement of the Muslim community.

State subventions to Roman Catholic institutions have all been stopped. The Archdiocese of Yaoundé operates a pro Biya CPDM religious policy that has eventually weakened the Christain Church and has fostered the rapid growth of funny Pentecostal churches in the country which the same Biya now claims he is fighting against.

Yes, a Roman Catholic Head of State has succeeded to reduce our Bishops to beggars and while the nation’s only Cardinal, Christian Tumi has been speaking out against these evil machinations of the Biya regime, an Archbishop; Victor Tonye Bakot was busy presenting symbolic Roman Catholic gifts of lighted candles to the 81 years old Biya and his beautiful wife.

Victor Tonye Bakot did not propound the pro Biya CPDM policy at the Yaoundé archdiocese. It was a continuation of what had been put in place by the late Archbishop Jean Zoa.