Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, embarked on a six-day visit to Cameroon to convey Pope Francis’ affection and closeness to the people of the country who suffer amid the throes of civil unrest.
According to Vatican News, the purpose of Cardinal Parolin’s Jan. 31-Feb. 3 visit to Cameroon was to show the concern of the pope and the Catholic Church for both the country and the African continent, which is “rich in humanity but marked by much suffering.” Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in Cameroon since 2016, when tensions rose between the French-speaking majority and the English-speaking minority. During his visit, the Italian cardinal met with government authorities and religious leaders in the country. He also celebrated Mass Jan. 31 in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, where he conferred the pallium on its new bishop, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya. The Cameroon military launched a major offensive in Bamenda in September, seeking to drive out members of the anglophone-separatist group, the Ambazonia Defense Force.
The archbishop told Cardinal Parolin he was “the first foreign authority to visit the people of the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon since the beginning of the crisis in 2016.” In his homily, Cardinal Parolin said Pope Francis prayed that the “desire for peace and reconciliation of this beloved and marvelous land may rise to God.” “The pope is very much aware of the difficulties you have lived through and are still living through in these years. He prays for the Lord’s consolation for you, especially for those who have been victims of violence or who, in this crisis, have lost friends and loved ones,” the cardinal said. Encouraging the country’s Catholics, Cardinal Parolin said that Jesus is the only one powerful enough to dispel evil through his words, which “are not magical formulas nor strange gestures.”
It is only “his word that is extremely effective,” he said. While evil exists, “Christ is able to defeat it. It is up to us to train for that fight every day.”
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Harrison Okafor
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Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
