“Synodality for us in Africa is a total rejection of individualism”: Cameroonian Catholic Archbishop

He said that synodality in Africa “is a call for community living and working together.”

Archbishop Nkea underscored the importance of Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in Africa, describing them as a model for sustaining the Church's growth. 

“The Small Christian Communities are a complete rejection of individualism. Because these communities begin with families, with the small communities themselves, the mission stations, right up to the parish, the diocese, the national level, continental, and then we have the universal level,” the member of the Synod Commission for Information said.

He continued, “We are going through a moment of the boom of Catholicism in Africa. Our churches are full. But our greatest preoccupation with synodality is how to keep our churches full for the future.”

The Catholic Church leader said that in Small Christian Communities, members don’t “in anonymity.”

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“There is no anonymous Catholic. Everybody knows everybody within their Small Christian Communities. This is a, very big treasure for Africa,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Bamenda went on to underscore the essential role of catechists in African parishes, especially in remote mission stations. 

“Catechists are very important and they play a very important role. This is what is making our churches, for now, still alive. Because at every level, we have Catechists for the Small Christian Communities, for the mission stations, and for the parishes,” he said.

Addressing concerns about the participation of women in Church leadership, Archbishop Nkea said that such discussions seem "strange" in the African context, where he said women play a significant leadership role, particularly as catechists in the SCCs and mission stations.

“More than 50 percent of our Catechists who lead the Small Christian Communities and the mission stations are women. Therefore, it's a very important aspect for our synodal church that we are together within the Small Christian Communities and we are within these mission stations and parishes and want to move forward,”  the 59-year-old Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in August 2013 as the Coadjutor Bishop of Cameroon’s Mamfe Diocese said.

He continued, “We are a synodal church and it's a new way of being church. Africa is a special ground and a fertile ground for synodality. It helps us in peacekeeping because, in these Small Christian Communities, we resolve our matters.”

Archbishop Nkea reaffirmed the commitment of African Catholics to the synodal path, stating that it is “a new way of being Church.”

He expressed confidence that synodality would help the Church face future challenges while preserving its unity and mission. 

“At the end of this synod and in continuation to live our Catholic faith, the church will still be one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic.,” he 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.