Catholic church strengthens ties with Central African states

The Vatican or Holy See has in the last few years embarked on a new era in its relations with Central African States by signing several bilateral agreements.

It is in this light that an international colloquium on the theme, “Mechanisms of negotiating and managing relations between the Holy See and Central African States,” opened at Nkolbisson, Yaounde on November 10, 2015. It is organised by the Department of Canon Law of the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) Yaounde.

Speaking at the opening, the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, His Excellency Piero Pioppo, expressed the conviction that the agreements between States and the Holy See will certainly contribute to pluralism of options of faith and religious freedom, and develop universal ethos for collaboration and international solidarity.

The objective of the meeting is to discuss the current state of relations with Central African states, notably bilateral agreements that the Holy See has signed or is preparing to sign concerning the status of the Catholic Church in these nations.

These accords are binding in International Law as they involve States and the Catholic Church, with implications on the church’s activities. The Catholic Church makes use of the agreements to carry out its activities for the good of its Christians and the public as a whole.