Cameroon: Cardinal Turkson visits Douala.
Paule Valérie Mendogo – Edea.
While in Cameron, Cardinal Turkson, the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences, held several meetings, during which he urged the lay faithful to commit to concrete peace, reconciliation and living together as brothers and sisters.
A goodwill visit to encourage peaceful coexistence
The Cardinal’s visit was described as the visit of a friend come to encourage peaceful co-existence. Reference was made of Cardinal Turkson’s previous goodwill visits to South Sudan and Ivory Coast, among others.
The Cardinal, who is a former Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, recalled with gratitude and appreciation the Archbishop of Douala, Samuel Kleda’s collaboration in the quest to obtain vaccines and medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 in Africa.
“The Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development greatly appreciated the actions of Archbishop Kleda in favour of eradicating of Covid-19 in Cameroon and beyond. We did not have the opportunity to solemnly thank him. This visit is, therefore, also a sign of gratitude to him because he saved lives here and outside the country,” said the Ghanaian-born prelate.
Be at the service of Christ and his people
During the priestly ordination Mass of five priests presided over by Cardinal Turkson in Douala’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Archbishop Kleda thanked the current Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for his presence, his actions and his friendship. He invited the clergy to abandon personal projects and to place themselves entirely at the service of Christ and his people. The priest, reiterated Archbishop Kleda, is at the service of the community.
“His only concern and project is to ensure that the act he wants to perform will serve to proclaim the Gospel, a mission that the Lord has entrusted to him. The priest is not there to carry out his personal projects. We must, in a total way, be at the service of the Lord and his Church,” declared the Archbishop of Douala.
Cardinal Turkson also met some of the faithful of Douala during his visit to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Then, he visited also the Saint Jérôme Catholic Institute.
Cardinal Turkson concluded his goodwill visit to Cameroon with a Thanksgiving Mass in the parish Church of Sainte Monike in Makèpè-Douala on Sunday, 25 February 2024.
Apostolic Nuncio commends the Church in Cameroon
The Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt, who came to greet Cardinal Peter Turkson, conveyed to the Cameroonian people the warm greetings and apostolic blessing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, whom he had met just a few days earlier in Rome.
“I have been here in Cameroon for slightly more than three months, and I have already had the opportunity to meet several people, from North to South, from East to West, traditional leaders, Muslims and particularly our brothers, the Imams, Protestants and the Catholic Christian community who are in this country,” said the Apostolic Nuncio.
Evangelical Testimony of the Church
Archbishop Bettencourt testified to the liveliness and creativity of the Cameroonian Church.
“It must be recognised that the Church in Cameroon is a living Church, very large, with many schools, universities, health and socio-charitable structures of the Church. This is an evangelical testimony which is very inspiring. I am thrilled to be in Cameroon, with all my heart, to contribute to the service of the people of God who are here, to the peace and development of the country,” declared the representative of Pope Francis.
From Douala, the Apostolic Nuncio proceeded to the region of South-West Cameroon, where he participated in the silver jubilee celebrations of the erection of the Diocese of Manfé.
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