Speech by the traditional paramount King of Mankon, His Majesty Fon Fru Asaah Angwafor IV
Fo Angwafo IV hands his address to Pope Leo XIV
Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV,
On behalf of all the traditional Rulers and custodians of the tradition of the land of the North West and Southwest Regions, I wish to say a big welcome to you to Cameroon and to Bamenda.
The Traditional Rulers have played a very important role in the establishment and growth of Christianity in Cameroon, West of the Mungo River. When Catholicism came into Cameroon in 1890 and in this part of the country with the missionaries arriving Bonjongo in 1894, they were welcomed by the traditional rulers of the time. Most of the lands on which the Churches and schools were built were donated by the Traditional Rulers, and today we can proudly say that we too, have been evangelizers by extension. Particularly, I am glad that I am welcoming the Pope, Head of the Catholic Church in the world, in Mankon Land, and this Cathedral in which we are, is the Cathedral of Mankon, and it is built on land that was given by my Father, and on which the parish was established in 1935. The people of Mankon wish to thank you for this great honour done to the Mankon People.
We use this chance to thank the Pope for the great work of evangelization that has been done by the church in the past years and today, and for the social services that the Church has done to our people. Most of the best schools and colleges are run by the Catholic Church, hospitals, orphanages and now, universities. We hope that the church will continue to improve the lives of the people through these services.
There were some traditional practices that were not compatible with Christian values and some of those have gradually disappeared with education and civilization. We thank you that during the Synod on Synodality in Rome in 2023 and 2024, the Pope asked the African Bishops to carry out an in-depth study on Polygamy and see how people in these situations can be integrated into the life of the church. We are waiting for the results of that study, so that those traditional rulers and People who are in that situation, may be able to worship God freely in the church without being judged or rejected within the same Church.
Holy Father, the Traditional Rulers of this part of the country, Cameroon, have been through a lot of difficulty since the beginning of what is now popularly known as the Anglophone crisis. We saw this crisis as a break-down of authority within the society, especially as we, Traditional Rulers became easy targets. Some Fons and chiefs lost their lives, some palaces were burnt down and many Fons and Chiefs, even today, are still living out of their kingdoms.
We are very confident that your presence here will help bring peace to these suffering Regions. We the traditional Rulers continue to work to promote peace and reconciliation and hope for the restauration of Authority in our Land. We count greatly on your prayers and we hope you enjoy your stay in this beautiful country that God has given us. God bless the Catholic Church, God bless the Vatican and God bless Cameroon.
Speech by Right Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, Moderator Emeritus of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon
Most Holy Father,
I represent the Christians of the Protestant, Anglican Churches and evangelical communities of Cameroon, and I sincerely thank you for your visit to Bamenda and for allowing us to be part of this great delegation to meet you in this Cathedral of St. Joseph.
One of the positive fruits of this crisis that has been rocking our regions of Cameroon is that it has brought the Christian Churches and the Muslim Religion closer than ever. Persecution and suffering knows neither faith, nor race, nor language nor colour. The Human person who undergoes suffering is in need of comfort and the human being who is in war needs peace, no matter his creed. Because of the common sufferings we have been going through, the Religious Leaders of the Anglophone extraction, bonded together and founded a Peace Movement through which we have tried to broker peace and dialogue with the government of Cameroon and the Separatist Fighters. Under the leadership of the Archbishop of Bamenda, the Most Rev. Andrew NKEA, we have visited and spoken with many of the Leaders of the Separatist Movements at home and abroad, and we have tried to engage the Local separatist fighters on the ground in dialogue, convincing them that peace is better than war, and that war can never really solve any conflict.
Holy Father, this Anglophone crisis is one of the forgotten crises on the planet earth, but it was brought to the notice of the Vatican, and the Vatican was even willing to facilitate dialogue between the warring factions. There is a proverb in Africa that “When two Elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”. Many ordinary people, including women and children have suffered tremendously from the fighting between the government forces and the Separatist fighters. Practically all of us gathered here are traumatized and need both psychological and spiritual healing. We therefore appeal to you, Most Holy Father, to use your good offices in any way to help us find a lasting solution to this conflict that has destroyed our beautiful English-speaking regions We appeal to you to continue to support our peace initiatives so that together, we may one day enjoy lasting peace again.
Speech by Imam Mohamad Abubakar of the Buea Central Mosque
Your Holiness,
I greet you in the Name of Allah, the Almighty and the Most Gracious.
The Islamic Community is happy with your presence here as a representative of God who is the author of all that is good, who is the bringer of Peace, and who is the lover of all mankind.
On the 14th of November, 2025, Some Armed men invaded the mosque of Sabga, about 20 kilometers from Bamenda, during prayers, and killed three people and injured 9 others.
On the 14th of January, 2025, Armed men targeted cattle rarers from the Mbororo ethnic community and killed at least 15 people, including 8 children. The Islamic community has suffered in many English -speaking towns and villages, and there were Muslim victims in what has come to be known as the Ngabur Massacre, in which 23 civilians were killed in 2020.
Many Muslims are involved in rearing cattle and doing businesses within the communities of the North West and the South West Regions. But many of them have suffered the loss of their cattle and many of their businesses have been closed down due to the crisis rocking our regions. We thank God that this crisis has not degenerated into a religious war, and we are still trying to love one another despite our religions.
Holy Father, welcome, and please help us to have peace again.
Speech by Rev. Sr. Carine Tangiri Mangu (Sister of St. Anne)
Most Holy Father,
The Consecrated Women of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda are delighted to have you among us. This is a great consolation for us who have been working among the poor and destitute of our communities. We are involved mostly in Pastoral work in the Dioceses, Hospital and Education Apostolates, Social works, Pyscho-social Support to the traumatized and spiritual works in our communities. Your presence here is a great encouragement to us who exercise our apostolate in very trying circumstances.
Since the start of this crisis, we do our work with a lot of fear and great insecurity. On the 14th of November, while returning from Bamenda to Elak-Oku where we teach in the Primary School, Sr. Mediatrix and myself were abducted by some gun men around Baba 1, and carried into the bush where we were held hostage for three days and three nights. During those days and nights, we neither slept nor ate. We were moved by motor-bikes from place to place sometimes at 1am to avoid being located. We went on hunger strike and explained to our captors that we were just doing our work for the poor people and had nothing to do with the politics. They demanded us to give telephone numbers so that they could collect ransom. It was a difficult moment for us because besides being ruffled around, we could neither bathe, eat, drink water as we wanted or even had sleep. What kept our hope alive was the Rosary which we prayed continuously for those days. We were released after three days after some negotiations by the Christians around the area who got to know our plight.
Most Holy Father, this is the situation under which many Consecrated women do their work and live their lives within this war zone. Some have undergone more dramatic and more traumatizing experiences, but we continue to rely on the help of God and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We count on your prayers and paternal solicitude.
Speech by an internally displaced family: Mr. Denis Salo, wife and 3 children. (Internally displaced persons from Mbiame in Kumbo Diocese, now resident in Bamenda.)
Most Holy Father, it is said that “every dark cloud has a silver lining”. I could never dream that one day in my life I will speak to the Holy Father. But thanks to the misfortune that befell us, here am I addressing the Holy Father.
My Family and I come from Mbiame, in Kumbo Diocese, where I was selling wholesale drinks from Brasseries du Cameroun and Guiness. When the war broke out in 2017, these drinks were banned and those of us who sold these drinks were targeted. Five of my neighbours were killed and one of my close friends was also killed. While we were being targeted by the Separatist fighters, government soldiers were also burning down houses.
In 2017, I escaped with my family out of Mbiame, abandoning all that I ever owned, including house, farms, and animals, and arrived Bamenda. My kids had to abandon school. After seeing no better in Bamenda, I proceeded to Douala to look for livelihood and not finding anything better, I returned to Bamenda. I now live in a little rented house with my entire family, and working as a gateman in the hospital of Maria Soledad, and at the same time working as gardener in the Parish of the Immaculate Conception, Ngomgham. Thank you Holy Father for coming to console us.
