Evangelization was the principal topic of Pope Francis’s September 6 address to the bishops of Cameroon, who were in Rome for their quinquennial ad limina visit.
The west-central African nation of 20.4 million is 26% Catholic, 14% Protestant, and 20% Muslim. 40% of the population retains indigenous beliefs.
In reflecting on evangelization, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of remaining united in love amid ethnic diversity and of apostolates in education, health, and charity.
Calling for the maintenance of a climate of “peaceful coexistence” with Muslims in the wake of anti-Christian violence, Pope Francis said that “the significant presence of Muslims in some of your dioceses is an urgent invitation to witness courageously and joyfully to faith in the risen Christ.”
Pope Francis noted that many of Cameroon’s families suffer from severe hardships, such as poverty and forced migration, as well as from increasing secularization and the “temptation to return to ancestral practices incompatible with the Christian faith.”
The Pontiff also noted that clergy are tempted by “power, honors, and money” and that “personal enrichment” would be “particularly scandalous in a region where many persons lack necessities.”
