Yaoundé, November 16, 2025 (True Cameroon) — Across the world, churches have stood as forces of liberation confronting dictatorships, defending the oppressed, shielding citizens from state brutality, and strengthening democratic movements.
But in Cameroon, the story has been painfully different.
Despite decades of corruption, authoritarian governance, human rights violations, and state-engineered poverty, the Cameroonian church Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal has largely retreated into silence, caution, and complicity.
At a moment when Cameroonians need moral clarity, the nation’s largest religious institution has chosen safety over truth.
This is not merely a spiritual failure.
It is a historic betrayal.
I. A Church That Chose Silence Over Prophecy
The Church in Cameroon commands immense influence:
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millions of believers
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thousands of parishes
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global networks
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respected clergy
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control over many schools and hospitals
With this power, the Church could have been a guardian of justice a moral firewall against excesses of the CPDM regime. Instead, for decades:
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it avoided political truth
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it muted criticism
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it prioritized stability over justice
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it protected its institutional privileges
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it refused to confront oppression
Where citizens cried out, the Church whispered.
Where injustice demanded moral rage, the Church offered neutrality.
Where tyranny required resistance, the Church offered prayer.
This is not the prophetic mission of Christ.
It is the diplomacy of institutions too comfortable to risk their standing.
II. What the Church Should Have Been — Lessons from Other Nations
History is full of churches that refused complicity, that confronted power and defended the oppressed. Cameroon needed such courage but never received it.
1. South Africa — The Church That Fought Apartheid
Leaders like Desmond Tutu transformed the Church into a pillar of resistance.
It exposed killings.
It organized protests.
It defended political prisoners.
It became the voice of the voiceless.
2. Democratic Republic of Congo — Bishops Who Confront Power
The Congolese Catholic Church publicly challenged Kabila’s authoritarian rule, organized pro-democracy marches, and protected protesters inside cathedrals.
3. Poland — The Church That Helped Defeat Communism
Under Pope John Paul II, the Church backed the Solidarity movement, inspiring millions to stand against dictatorship.
4. Latin America — Liberation Theology
From El Salvador to Brazil, priests stood with workers, the poor, and the oppressed against military juntas and U.S.-backed dictatorships.
5. South Korea — The Church That Faced Dictators and Won
Christian leaders led massive democratic uprisings in the 1980s, offering churches as safe spaces for protesters.
These churches were not perfect but they chose justice over comfort and truth over safety.
Cameroon’s church chose the opposite.
III. Where the Cameroonian Church Failed
1. Silence in the face of dictatorship
While Cameroonians suffered under a 43-year-old regime marked by centralized power, electoral opacity, and violent repression, the Church avoided direct confrontation.
2. Failure to condemn killings and abuses
From Anglophone villages burned to arbitrary arrests of journalists, priests and bishops rarely took firm positions.
3. Absence of mediation in national crises
Unlike Kenya, South Africa, or Ghana, where churches mediated political disputes, Cameroon’s Church avoided national dialogue until events escalated.
4. Protecting institutional privileges
Tax exemptions, state funding, elite relationships these conveniences took priority over prophetic duty.
5. Fear of losing state favor
A Church afraid to criticize power cannot liberate a nation.
IV. The Anglophone Crisis: A Testament to Church Failure
The crisis in the North West and South West exposed a Church unwilling to stand between citizens and state violence.
Instead of:
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demanding accountability
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calling for demilitarization
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amplifying civilian struggles
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challenging political leaders
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mediating peace
…the Church largely resorted to cautious statements that pleased no one and protected nothing.
When priests were kidnapped or killed, the Church remained constrained by fear revealing how deeply the regime’s culture of intimidation has penetrated sacred institutions.
A Church too scared to defend life has abandoned its mission.
V. Why This Matters: The Moral Collapse of a Nation
In societies where politicians fail, the Church often becomes the last moral compass.
In Cameroon, that compass has been broken for decades.
Without a prophetic voice:
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the people lose hope
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injustice becomes normalized
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corruption becomes culture
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violence becomes routine
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truth becomes dangerous
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fear becomes national identity
A silent Church is not neutral.
A silent Church is on the side of the oppressor.
VI. What a Courageous Cameroonian Church Could Still Do
It is not too late.
The Church in Cameroon can still reclaim its prophetic mantle by:
1. Speaking clearly against injustice
Not hints. Not diplomacy.
Truth spoken directly at those who abuse power.
2. Creating safe spaces for dialogue
Parishes can become centers of peace talks and civic education.
3. Defending the oppressed consistently
Not selectively.
Not cautiously.
But boldly.
4. Pressuring politicians publicly
The Church can demand electoral reforms, decentralization, and accountability.
5. Standing with victims of state violence
Offering moral, legal, and spiritual support.
6. Embracing a new liberation theology for Cameroon
A theology that centers justice, human dignity, and political emancipation.
Conclusion: Cameroon Deserves a Church That Stands With Its People
Other nations broke their chains because the Church chose truth over comfort.
Cameroon remains trapped because its Church chose silence.
A Church that avoids political justice is not protecting peace it is protecting the system that produces suffering.
If Cameroon is to rise, its Church must rise first not as an institution, but as a prophetic force, standing boldly with the oppressed, and refusing ever again to baptize injustice with silence.
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