Breaking news in Mamfe diocese. Pastoral Letter On Something Beautiful For God (Appointment of Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe) +Francis T. Lysinge Bishop of Mamfe MD/CM/5-15/2013/05 July 14th 2013 All Rev. Fathers All Religious Men & Women All Christ’s Faithful Diocese of Mamfe Rev. and Dear Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I write to bring across to the entire diocese, news of great joy! Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed the Most Rev. Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe, with the right to succession. When I got this information from the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon, Most Rev. Piero Pioppo, what came to my mind immediately were the words of St. Augustine of Hippo in Sermon 46, 29-30,On the Shepherds. Augustine says among other things, “that good shepherds will never be lacking. Away with the notion that good shepherds are lacking at present; let us not entertain the idea; may the Lord’s mercy never fail to produce and appoint them. Surely if there are good sheep, there are good shepherds too, for good shepherds are made from good sheep.” This news about the appointment of a Coadjutor Bishop for Mamfe was announced on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 in our Cathedral Church in Mamfe, at the same time that Vatican Radio was announcing it, to the great jubilation of the priests, religious and Christ’s faithful who had gathered in the Cathedral Church, in a spirit of prayer and expectation. I can only describe this appointment in the words of our Synodal document, as something beautiful for God! It is with immense gratitude to God and to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, that I write this letter to all our priests, religious men and women and Christ’s faithful in our diocese of Mamfe. Many people have been asking me what this means for our local church? I can express the meaning in the same words I used when this whole process began. After prayer and with the good of the church that is in Mamfe in mind, on December 14, 2011, I wrote a letter to His Eminence, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), in which I said, among other things, that it was “my wish that (Mamfe) Diocese be assigned a Coadjutor who will govern with me for a while to ensure that there is a smooth transition when I turn the canonical age of retirement. From the very beginning of my Episcopal ministry, I have always prayed for a smooth transition so that the work of evangelisation in our young diocese of Mamfe continues without any interruption.” In an audience with Cardinal Filoni on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, I renewed my request and discussed with His Eminence the necessity for continuity in the work which has begun in our young diocese, with our diocesan Synod being a focal point. In many other correspondences with the relevant intermediary office between the Holy See and our Church in Cameroon, I reiterated and emphasised the necessity for a Coadjutor Bishop because I did not want to leave things to a vague future after I retire. How shall we know his name? How shall we discern the man? As in any process of discernment, as St. Ignatius of Loyala taught us, it was sometimes rocky and cloudy. Nevertheless, the Lord never abandoned us as we sought for the one whom the Lord had chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), to succeed me in the See of Mamfe. In a wider ecclesial context, to discern the movements of the Holy Spirit is no easy task, as we experience in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. There were times we felt the Lord had abandoned us with our own meagre resources. But again and again, the Lord showed us that he himself will lead and provide for us, a pastor after his own heart. Again and again he reassured and showed that he will not leave Mamfe. Again and again the Lord showed that he was there, and will be there till the very end of the whole process. Again and again the Lord showed that the work of evangelisation in our diocese, which in a certain sense was just beginning after a hundred years, will continue to grow. The Lord has been there, and will always be there. This is the great lesson that I have learned throughout this process, and the Lord showed me a very personal way that he himself will make Mamfe a place truly beautiful for him. I thank the Lord! With great joy, and with firm faith in the Lord, let us welcome our new Shepherd, the Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, Coadjutor Bishop-elect of Mamfe. He is my spiritual son, having been his spiritual director in the Major Seminary in Bambui. As an efficient administrator and canon lawyer, he will definitely lead our diocese along the beautiful path of God. It is a happy coincidence that the then Bishop of Buea, Most Rev. Pius Awa, charged the Bishop-Elect, then his Secretary and Chancellor of the Diocese of Buea, to prepare for my Episcopal ordination in Mamfe on April 21, 1999. He read the bull of my appointment by the Holy Father at that mass. How mysterious are the ways of God! Who could tell that fourteen years later, the one reading the bull will take over from me? How mysterious are the ways of God! How unfathomable his ways! It is with this spirit of joy and gratitude to God and the Holy Father, Pope Francis, that I invite all the priests, religious men and women and Christ’s faithful of Mamfe to welcome with great joy and collaboration, our new bishop, Most Rev. Andrew Nkea. The Lord has shown us the one he had chosen for Mamfe. We now know his name. As the Vicar General of our diocese said in the Cathedral Church on the day the announcement was made, “the stove of the Sistine Chapel of Mamfe has emitted white smoke.” Let us thank the Lord! Dear brothers and sisters, many of you have been asking me: what will happen to you now? Some have called asking if by this announcement I have been transferred to another diocese? My explanation is simple: with the appointment of our Coadjutor Bishop, what this means is that after fourteen years as Bishop of Mamfe, and forty-seven years as a priest, by the grace of God, the Holy Father rightfully thinks that I deserve some rest from active pastoral ministry. I will therefore, be at the service of my bishop, the Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, once I hand over the baton to him upon reaching the canonical age for the retirement of bishops, on December 28, 2013. Let us go forward with joy, bearing witness to Christ, so that our diocese will be a place of encounter with the living God, who has sent us his Son. All is grace, from the beginning till now, and his grace is always enough, for his power is shown in our limitations. Grace before, grace now, and grace after! Amen! +Francis T. Lysinge Bishop of Mamfe Other news Vatican confirms Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot’s renunciation Mgr. Jean Mbarga, Apostolic Administrator of Yaoundé Archdiocese Information gathered from the Vatican official website Zenit in French confirms that Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot has renounced his pastoral responsibilities as Archbisop of Yaoundé and confirms the appointment of the Bishop of Ebolowa, Mgr. Jean Mbarga, as the apostolic administrator of Yaoundé Archdiocese. The Holy See does not specify the reason behind Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot’s renunciation and simply cites Canon 402 & 2, which states that “A diocesanBishop who, because of illness or some other grave reason, has become unsuitedfor the fulfilment of his office, is earnestly requested to offer his resignation fromoffice.” Mgr. Victor Bakot is only 66 years and has been Archbishop of Yaoundé since 2003. Yaoundé Archbishop, Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot renounces post The Archbishop of Yaoundé, Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot, has renounced his office as the Archbishop of Yaoundé Metropolitan See. A communiqué from the Apostolic Nuncio, which was read over State-owned CRTV this July 29, states that Pope Francis has accepted Mgr. Victor Tonyé Bakot’s renunciation. The communiqué further indicates that the Bishop of Ebolowa, Mgr. Jean Mbarga, has been appointed as the Apostolic Administration of Yaoundé Archdiocese. We shall be coming back to this developing story in greater detail. George Nchumbonga Lekelefac. Pontificia Università Urbaniana Facolta di Teologia. 00120 - Città del Vaticano, Via Urbano VIII, 16 – 00165 Roma Meditation. Cuida tus palabras porque se volverán actos. Cuida tus actos porque serán costumbres .Cuida tus costumbres porque se formará tu destino Y tu destino será tu vida MAHATMA GANDHI. Watch your thoughts because they become words. Watch your words because they will become actions. Watch your actions because they would become a habit. Watch your habits because they will become your destiny. And your destiny is your life. MAHATMA GANDHI .
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 17:17:52 +0000