Bishops’ Conference President Urges Cameroonians to Ensure 2024 is “a year of real peace”

“We all understand that there is insecurity in the Northwest and the Southwest regions and in the Far North region. We have come here to pray for peace and to join the people of the Far North region to pray for peace,” the Local Ordinary of Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese said.

Credit: NECC

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters. 

School boycotts have become common in these areas, as have enforced moratoriums on public life, resulting in what is known as "ghost towns".

In the Far North, attacks by Nigeria’s Boko Haram fundamentalist sect have reportedly caused more than 320,000 people to flee the region.

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Credit: NECC

In his January 9 address, NECC President said, “January is an ideal month when Christians as a whole and men of goodwill pray for peace in their hearts and in the world.”

“This is the same peace that the Lord Jesus Christ wished for his apostles on the morning of the resurrection, when he said to them, ‘peace be with you,’” Archbishop Nkea said.

Reflecting on Pope Francis' Message for the 57th World Day of Peace, the Cameroonian Archbishop recognized the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in peacebuilding.

Pope Francis, he said, “calls for an open dialogue on the meaning of new technologies which, if well used, can undoubtedly help us to better proclaim the kingdom of God in our respective environments.”

“The Holy Father also reminds us of the need to be vigilant and to work to ensure that a logic of violence and discrimination does not take root in the production and the use of these devices to the detriment of the most fragile and marginalized,” Archbishop Nkea said.

To guide the design and use of AI responsibly, the Catholic Church leader said, “There is an urgent need to extend an ethical reflection to the sphere of education and law.”

Credit: NECC

“Protection of the dignity of the human person and concern for the true brotherhood of the whole human family are essential if technological development is to contribute to the promotion of justice and peace in the world,” he said on the opening of the January 6-13 event organized under the theme, “A Synodal Church on Mission.”

Reflecting on the theme of the seminar, Archbishop Nkea said, “The whole church is on mission and we must promote solidarity within our Christian communities.”

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“We have understood that we cannot respond favorably to the Lord's call if we do not work together,” the Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in Cameroon’s Mamfe Diocese as Coadjutor Bishop in August 2013 said.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.