THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CAMEROON, WHAT IS HAPPENING?

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Where are we? Where are we going to? The Catholic Church in Cameroon has become something else nowadays. We see all kinds of atrocities going on around us. From priests and reverend sisters to deacons and catechists involved in sexual scandals, theft and even embezzlement. We all heard the news when a priest was caught red handed stealing from the bag of a Christian who came for confession and happened to leave her handbag around the priest in order to go and relieve herself in full confidence that nothing could ever happen to her bag or its contents because the only person around was the priest (priest my foot). So she was shocked to come back and discover that a sum of 100,000 francs CFA had ‘disappeared’ from her bag. The only person around was the priest, the police were alerted and after a search, the money was discovered with the priest, what a shame. This is just an example of the many things that we hear about priests in Cameroon. True, it is hearsay, but there is no smoke without fire, some of the stories we hear are true. There is also the case of embezzlement, this is not rumour, any of the Anglophones who attend mass at the St Joseph’s Anglophone Catholic Church, Mvogada in Yaoundé can testify. The parish in question has not had the normal harvest thanksgiving all Christian churches have due to a gross misuse and embezzlement of money from the coffers of the church. In 2007, it was demanded by the parishioners that the accounts of the church be rendered public (the parish priest at the time was Mgr Joseph Befe Ateba).They were, parishioners discovered shockingly that 40 million francs CFA from the coffers could not be justified for properly. On the accounts sheet could be seen uncalled for expenditures such as chairs; 2.7 million, window and door blinds for the presbytery; 1.2 million francs CFA, reception for parish council; 1.4 million and so much more. Then we see expenditure on the account sheet for things such as fuel and repairs for the parish cars, SONEL and SNEC bills(679420 francs CFA) aside: then, a different sum of money; 2,335,000 francs CFA as running cost of parish (why the separation? SONEL and SNEC bills are supposed to fall under running cost). If the bills are not part of the running cost, then what is being done with the money used for running cost? What has been run? I see it as a means of embezzlement, considering the fact that if you go to the church in question, you would not see or understand how the money was actually used to run the parish. What do priests who took vows of chastity and simplicity during their ordination got to do with chairs and window blinds for 3.9 million francs? On the account sheet, there is allocation for the gate man (paid off former night watch; 224,775 francs CFA) who had been complaining that he had not been paid before the rendering public of the accounts of the church, where did the money for the salary go to? These accounts that were published were the accounts of expenditure between October 2006 and July 2007. I find it difficult to believe that a parish spends 40 MILLION FRANCS CFA in TEN MONTHS. The spending of 1.7 million francs CFA on food for the presbytery in the space of TEN MONTHS leaves me speechless, was it food to feed cattle?

The publishing of the accounts for the parishioners was just a sordid plan to disguise the theft of money from the coffers of the church by the Yaoundé archdiocese which the parish is under. That is the gross mistake that Anglophones made, borrowing land from the diocese to build on and being under the control of Francophones (we all know how destructive they can be). That is the source of all the problems that Anglophones in the St Joseph’s Anglophone Catholic Church, Mvogada face up till today. Thank GOD that the new Anglophone parish in Simbok has not made the same mistake. Money disappearing from the coffers, a parish priest who is never celebrating mass in his own parish (he cannot even say one full sentence in English), sermons that one cannot understand because the priest is struggling with English, and so much more. A church that Anglophones began building in 1984, up till now is not completed? With all the money that parishioners offer there? No wonder, so many Christians are leaving the Catholic Church for other churches. That is not normal, something is wrong and things have to change.

It is true that I am publishing this article late, but I think it is never to late to expose this kind of theft.

TB Joshua, did he or did he not?

Recently, a ‘rumour’ has been circulating in Cameroon concerning a supposed prophecy made by Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua concerning Cameroon. Fans of his TV channel; Emmanuel TV say that he prophesied that in 2011, there will be a civil war in one of the neighbouring countries of Nigeria as a result of presidential elections. That about 2.4 million people will loose their lives and there will be a lot of destruction (these are not his exact words).

You might be asking yourself, who is TB Joshua? TB Joshua is one of the founders of The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), a supposed man of God, prophet and healer. Supposedly because there is an increasing number of people who are rejecting the fact that he is a man of God and that the source of his powers is not clear. True? False? One cannot say, other people believe in him because he healed them from their illnesses. Everyone remembers how Petit Pays went there and said he had been healed from an illness that haunted him for many years. Was that just publicity for TB Joshua and Emmanuel TV? Or was Petit Pays actually healed by TB Joshua?

What he was referring exactly to by one of the neighbouring countries of Nigeria? Did he mean Cameroon or other neighbouring countries of Nigeria; Chad, Benin, Niger? Niger will have its presidential elections in November this year; that leaves Niger out. Chad had its last presidential elections in 2006 and with a five year presidential mandate, the next presidential elections will be held in 2011. Benin’s presidential elections come up in 2011, followed by legislative elections in 2012. That leaves Cameroon, Benin and Chad; which of the above is the country in the prophecy? We shall see.

This is just one of his many prophecies, apparently, he had prophesied about the Heathrow Boeing 777 Plane Crash, the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt from the Colombian jungle, the death of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasaa, the recent New York Plane Crash. Joshua also regularly predicts events in the lives of individuals who attend his church services. More recently, he prophesied about the capturing and death of the Sri Lankan rebel leader, about a week before he was captured. Which of these is true? All this comes up when Cameroonians are in a situation of doubt as far as the future is concerned. The future seems bleak; many Cameroonians are sure that there will be a civil war in 2011 in Cameroon if Paul Biya head of the ruling party, (the CPDM) wins the elections once more after 27 years of being the unshakable and unchallengeable president of Cameroon. After making a short public opinion poll, it was realised that 73.25% of the people who participated in the poll believed that there will be a civil war in Cameroon if Paul Biya wins the elections once more.

Did TB Joshua, called a man of God by many actually make such a prophecy? If he did make such a prophecy will it happen? And WHERE will it happen if it does? Since his other supposed prophecies actually took place, what about this one? Does it give the prophecy a 99.9% chance of being realised? No one can tell. What do you think?

What Happened? The Catholic Church

When the first Catholics began evangelization, I do not think they had meant for things to turn out this way. The catholic church of today has become something else. Am sure that if they could know what is happening here on earth now, they would turn in their graves (that is, if at all that has not yet happened). The situation is terrible, ranging from corruption to immorality right before our own eyes, in the Catholic Church. We have been hearing it over the news and seeing it on television. The church has been invaded by all sorts of vices. Do not say that these are things that had been happening before, because it does not justify anything. It is true that all these had been happening right from the beginning of the church, but only that now it is becoming worse. What happened to the chastity and purity that the clergy had to uphold? God alone knows. And it is eating us up and causing fellow christians to divert to other religions, because they are so unhappy with all that is happening. Most of the people end up in sects unknowingly because the church failed to give them the right message and as such, they fell for the first person who came along claiming to know the word of God and how to help them find inner peace as far as spirituality is concerned. It is also the reason why so many people are forming mushroom churches and distracting people everyday. My focus is on the Catholic Church in Cameroon.
The Catholic church in Cameroon has also been eaten up by this canker worm and has cost her(the catholic church) so many christians. When people see all these bad practices around them, does one really expect that people will sit and fold their arms and just le things go on? NO. People react by converting to other religions. I am taking the example of the Yaoundé diocese Cameroon is a country in which francopones(French speaking Cameroonians) marginalize Anglophones(English speaking Cameroonians) this practice is even in the church. Bribery and corruption to say the least, things which are done in open. Then we can only guess what they do in hiding.
In the Yaoundé diocese called the St Joseph's Anglophone parish, where most of the Catholic Anglophones in Yaoundé worship, that is, until lately). The parish lost most of its parishioners. Why? For the simple reason that it was discovered that the parish priest and his secretary had spent parish funds on things which their vows of chastity and humility did not call for. They could not account for money that was missing from the church accounts. All explanations failed to convince anyone, because they were unreasonable. That was the origin of the exodus from that parish. Added to that, corrupt and unorthodox practices were being carried out in the church; a parish priest who was trying to investigate the matter was rather transferred by the bishop, WHY? It means therefore that the bishop had a hand in the matter. Since Anglophones are a minority in Cameroon, it is difficult for their plight to be heard and understood. They are always trampled by francophones. Up till now, the unaccounted for money has not yet been accounted for. If it will be done in the nearest future, no one knows. But the one thing I know is that GOD will judge us all on the last day.

(I have not disclosed any names because I did not see any need for that, but I would if any need for it arises later on.)