By Fr. Joseph Awoh*
The growing dissonance between Christians and Church leadership was once again on display during the rededication of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral in Bamenda. When the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea acknowledged the presence of Philemon Yang and introduced him as the personal representative of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, the response was unmistakable: loud, sustained murmurs of disapproval and mocking laughter. The people’s message to the Nuncio, the bishops, and the government authorities present, or watching on television, was clear. They say the voice of the people is the voice of God. Una hear oh!
I wasn’t surprised by the Christians’ reaction. Nor should anyone seated in that cathedral have been. What disturbed me more was the Nuncio’s response. Raising his voice above the din, he declared, “I am the Nuncio to the Republic of Cameroon.” I found myself wondering, “Why say that? We all know that!” What did he mean? Did he mean, “You cannot gainsay what I say as the Nuncio”? Did he mean, “The Nuncio is a diplomat, and I am speaking diplomatically”? Or did he mean that as Nuncio, he was not going to get involved in the internal politics of Cameroon? Whatever the intent, when a husband, a boss, a priest, or a bishop feels compelled to announce their title aloud, it often signals a rupture in the relationship. It reveals a disconnect in how reality is perceived and a desire to impose compliance.
Yet, more important than the Nuncio’s reaction was the people’s message. It has been murmured across Cameroon for years, and it will not be silenced by prayer, hollow calls for peace, government-sponsored spiritual exercises, or even a papal visit. The hunger of the Cameroonian people is not only material; it is spiritual. It is a hunger for truth and justice. And the people are ready to speak up, even to the Nuncio. Their murmuring may well be the sound of frustration: a cry that their spiritual hunger is not being met by their leadership – even at the highest levels.
In the days following the rededication, I’ve read much praise for the cathedral’s beauty. Many have celebrated its grandeur, and some have criticised those who prioritise building people over building structures. There is no doubt that beautiful spaces can lift the human spirit toward God. Architecture can support worship by creating space for silence, reverence, and communal prayer. But no structure, however magnificent, can replace the Church’s mission to form consciences, speak truth to power, and stand with the poor and the marginalised. The true foundation of Christian life is faith formed in truth, nurtured in justice, and lived in love. In a homily during the erection of the new Diocese of Aguleri in Nigeria on the 17th of March 2023, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, made the following pointed and prophetic exhortation:
“The new Diocese of Aguleri has, first of all, this great mission: to form Christians – priests, religious and lay – who are ‘entirely for God,’ who give Him more and more a ‘total response’… Let us not ask ourselves how many Catholics there are, how many buildings and institutions the Church has, or how much wealth, power and prestige she possesses, but how great is the commitment of all her members to live “entirely for God”! “Without this, there will be no real growth, and sooner or later, crisis and decadence will come.”
So yes, congratulations are in order. The new cathedral is resplendent. May it lift our hearts to God. But let us not ignore the message of the Christians of Bamenda – especially if we still believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God. If we are not a Church that stands for justice and truth, what do we stand for? If we do not stand with the widow, the orphan, and the marginalised – those with whom Christ identified – then who do we stand with? And if the chasm between shepherds and sheep continues to widen, then who will occupy the structures we build and adorn?
