Archbishop Accused Of Mortgaging Cathedral For FCFA 950 M

By Kini Nsom

The Foundation for Human Rights and Development, FHRD, has accused the Archbishop of Yaounde, Mgr. Victor Tonye Bakot, of indulging in corrupt activities. 

Mgr. Bakot: Is he really trying to salvage the church

The accusation is contained in an open letter the outfit wrote to the Bishops of Cameroon recently.Dated February 2, the letter signed by the FHRD Executive President, Afanyi Ngeh, partly reads: "Our study has shown that though the church condemns corruption with its mouth quite often, it encourages it with its hands"

The letter alleges that the Archbishop of Yaounde pledged the Yaounde Notre Dame Cathedral and Minor Basilica at Mvolye as collateral security in order to obtain a loan from the FOTSO Group.

"We have learnt that since the Archbishop has not been able to repay the loan, the Fotso Company has taken the issue to the Head of State. Now, what is the Archbishop doing with a loan of FCFA 950.000.000? Has he become a businessman? We know that it is easy to cook up a story and say that the loan was contracted in order to solve Diocesan problems.

If true, is this in accordance with cannon law?" the letter questions.The FHRD wonders why the Archdiocese has been unable to pay its workers for some time now when church contributions were increased from FCFA 2000 to FCFA 12000.

The outfit also wonders why the prelate is taking church issues to the Head of State every now and then. The letter questions how the people would expect the Church to welcome the Pope and the Head of State in a cathedral that has practically been sold off.

Those responsible for this unbearable insult to the Body of Christ, reads the letter, ought to retire before the Pope steps in Yaounde. The letter also accuses the Bishop of Mbalmayo, His Lordship Adalbert Ndzana, of having embezzled close to FCFA 700 million from a project initiated by a parishioner with the support of some Italians for the construction of a Marian sanctuary at Nkolmebem.

While insinuating that the Bishops may no longer have the moral authority to condemn corruption in government, the FHRD enjoins: "Your Graces and Lordships, the FHRD is saying that unless the Episcopal Conference votes for the immediate retirement of corrupt Bishops and Archbishops amongst its ranks, and the immediate recovery of stolen church funds and property, it should stop saying anything against corruption in Cameroon."

Hear them: "Just imagine the damage done to the image and authority of the church by the revelation of the above financial scandals involving these prelates. Can the church still boldly talk to the government on corruption? Can such Bishops crack down on wayward priest?"

According to the anti-corruption NGO, wisdom and humility warrant that these servants of the church should take an honourable retirement or resignation else, they may spoil the rest of the Bishops, the church and the nation.

The NGO holds that at a time a good number of priests are embracing debauchery, hedonism, occultism, worldliness; Christians must be firm on church leaders.The strongly worded letter remarks that when the Episcopal Conference shall finish the divine mission of weeding its confines, the next task should be to dismiss the entire married priests from the priesthood of the Most High.

The Bishops have equally been called upon to stop receiving stolen money from corrupt government officials.Commenting on the recent Episcopal Conference meeting in Maroua, the NGO said the Bishops were pessimistic in their views.

Going by it, the church should moderate its biting criticism of government action and adopt a more neutral position so that it could take up anew role, that is, of a national mediator.
The NGO congratulated the Archbishops of Buea and Bamenda for taking hard measures against wayward priests.

The Post struggled in vain to get to Mgr. Bakot. But some of his aides, who asked not to be named, said any financial engagement that the Archbishop has taken is to rescue the archdiocese from the numerous financial problems plaguing it. 

Comments

[NTEB]

DIDN'T THEY SAY CHURCH IS BUSINESS? JUST IMAGINE A PRIENT MORTGAGINGGOD'S PROPERTY FOR PERSON GAINS. WHO DID HE CONSUT BEFORE MAKING SUCH SWEEPING DECISIONS? THS PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MANYMANY YEARS AND TONYE BOKOT SOLD IT IN A MATTER OF YEAR. WAIT UNTILL CHURCH FURNITURE, AND INSTRUMENTS START DISAPEARING.

[Klemenceau]

Hahaha, Cameroon on the move. I am sure Biya has Mortgaged Unity Palace. This Archbishop man and Biya might be birds of a feather.
Jesus Christ we look on to you for help.

Shalom

Klemenceau

[DR TAN OF CAMEROON]

CHURCH, SPIRITUALITY AND THE STATE OF CAMEROON.
UNDER MY 10 WISE FRIENDS AS RELATES
TO CAMEROON BODY POLITY.
- THE CHURCH IS SAID TO BE WORLDLY AND THE WORLD CHURCHY.
THE CHURCH OF CAMEROON IS POWERLESS
THE CHURCH IS COMPLACENT.
THESE STATE OF THINGS PROMOTE STATUS
QUO.
CAMEROONIAN CHURCH IS NEITHER HOT NOR
COLD. [SUFFERING FROM THE LAODICIAN
SPIRIT]. LUKEWARM CHURCH.
APPEARANCE OF RICHES, NOT KNOWING IT,S WRETCHED, MISERABLE, POOR , BLIND AND NAKED.
RIGHTEOUSNESS EXAULTS A NATION AND SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE.
MY PRAYER IS FOR GOD TO REVEAL THE SHAME OF OUR NAKEDNESS.
ANOINT AND OPEN OUR EYES, THAT WE MAY SEE.
THAT WE MAY TURN FROM OUR FOOLISH WAYS
AND BE ZEALOUS .
MAY THE SPIRIT OF THE THE 2TH VATCAN COUNCIL QUIDE THE CHURCH . AMEN.
ROME WAS NOT DESTROYED IN A DAY.
LORD, CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE AGAIN?
LORD CAN YOU NOT REVIVE US AGAIN?
IN ROMANS 9 , THE COMPOSERS OF CAMEROON ANTHEM , FOUND A LAND OF GLORY, A LAND OF PROMISE. WHERE IS THE GLORY? WHERE IS THE PROMISE? IS MR BIYA THERE TOO?
FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELECT, THESE DAYS WILL BE SHORTEN. AMEN
DR [REV] THOMPSON AKWO NTUBA MD, Ph.D
PREACHER, PHYSICIAN, POLITICIAN

[Ma Mary]

A financial institution agrees to shady deals that use Catholic church buildings as collateral? I'll take a seat to watch this one unfold.

Bishops living large is not a new phenomenon for the Roman Catholic Church. Just study the history a little bit. The French Revolution was anticlerical because the church was part and parcel of the corrupt and oppressive monarchical system of France. Most noteworthy was Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu. Some Camerounese Bishops are surely having fantasies about the temporal power and wealth of people like Richelieu, but did the Bishop actually secret money for personal ends?

Well, this article does not prove that.

[Nsahlah]

Some academic institutions here in America have been known to sell some of their physical structures and then turn around and lease them from the buyers. Such measures are taken in times of financial dire straits. If the church can go to a business entity that is willing to give a loan and accept the cathedral as collateral, then nothing is wrong with that. What may be wrong is how the money gets spent. Lets not be dillusional. The church is not as holy as we might want it to be. How do you think the catholic church got to be the richest church on the face of the earth? You think its through the pennies you drop in the offering trays? That will not fuel the pope's plane for his trip to your country. From its private universities and secondary schools, hospitals and clinics, money is needed to run them. And you know Paul and co stopped giving government subsidies to school a long time. Instead of having the Cathedral standing empty all day, if some one wants to give you money and have it listed in his ledger as a tax dedutible, I can care less. Christ built no cathedrals before leaving this earth. Only us the flambouyant want to rectify these castles. From the nature of those entering these houses for prayers, I doubt if any god hears their prayers. You might as well make money out of them.

[Watesih]

The church is a non-profit making institution,and even if Satan himself were to attend mass every sunday,this will not add up to it being bargained for salaries and other expencies incured.If any thing is above the head of the Archbishop,he has to humbly summit it to the will of God and wait for solutions.The best way to do this is to explain to church workers the way the church gets its money.The second thing is to reduce the numerous epicureans that the church has to take care of.The last thing is to ask for public donations to pay off any debt.When you change church contributions from 2000 to 12000 frs,it implies you are sure the church can be run from this and be protected from unfriendly eyes.This whole saga once again shows us that as long as the church is run by human beings,there will always be strange happenings.This story reminds us about the history of the Catholic church and banks run by men of the underworld.The Archbishop is only carrying on with a tradition that has lasted so long,but he is not very lucky because Cameroon is a third world enclave with no stable fanancial situation.

[Radicalbrother]

Dear all
While praying for the best, prepare for the worst for even churches have lightning conductors because there is a lot of insecurity. Theft,black magic, witchcraft,homosexuality to out right murder take place in the church.
God alone knows his own people.
Catholics in particular know how to exploit people. They own the best schools, produce the best results in Cameroon but their staff are the least paid.
GOD WILL PUNISH ALL OF YOU

[rolex]

the gentle ways of the lord is not a symbol of cowardice. look a priest involve in a cheap act? . well we don't know much about these . Let's not condemn anyone now it's in the hands of the lord. Unless someone is proven guilty do not condemn that person.

[Ted]

DR TAN OF CAMEROON,
I'm a regular news reader of the "postnews online" and comments posted thereon but it's so sad i can't read your comments which i believe are full of insight and wisdom. The reason is just because they're written in uppercase or capital letters. I'm sure i'm not alone here facing this difficulty with your comments. The reason you comment in this forum is because you have beautiful ideas that you want to share with others. But if you choose to comment in capital letters which make reading difficult, you drive readers away from your comments. Then, what is the point in commenting? When we read a piece of news item, we may comment on it and may also comment on some ideas raised by other commentators. What you haven't yet noticed is that no commentator in this forum has ever commented on those insightful ideas of your in your comments (i mean commenting on your ideas, not asking you to change writing format); which clearly indicates that nobody reads them because of their uppercase format. So, would you please correct this flaw and get yourself fully involved in this very civil and intellectual club; especially at this very critical moment in our society where we need ideas from all of you to kick start our society from where it got stalled.