The conference of Roman Catholic Bishops in Cameroon has consecrated the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral in Buea, the biggest Church building in the country’s oldest Diocese.
The president of the National Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Bamenda, His Grace Andrew Nkea, blessed the building during a mass on Sunday, January 5.
He credited the retired Bishop of Buea, Mgr Emmanuel Bushu, for initiating the project 15 years ago.
He also hailed incumbent Bishop, His Lordship Michael Bibi, and Christians of the Buea Diocese for their commitment to the Cathedral project.
“By the building, inauguration and consecration of this cathedral, and also the beautiful, five-star pastoral center, Buea Diocese has woken up from sleep and has taken her rightful place as the very first Diocese of this country,” said Archbishop Nkea.
“This gigantic cathedral is standing here as the great star, to bring as many people as possible, and a great light to people of the Diocese to Jesus Christ,” he added.
The 5,000-capacity Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral is located in Molyko, Buea.
It comes to substitute the Small Soppo Cathedral, which is deemed too small for large gatherings.
The Emeritus Bishop of Buea, Emmanuel Bushu, initiated the Co-Cathedral construction in 2009.
However, the project stagnated after priests allegedly mismanaged and embezzled funds.
The construction regained steam after a January 2020 fundraising that incoming Bishop, Mgr Michael Bibi, organized.
The initiative raised tens of millions for the project, which he used to steer the building to completion.
During a sermon at the consecration Mass, Bishop Bibi praised Christians for heeding his fundraising calls.
He didn’t fail to acknowledge cheerful donations from families, congregations and Church groups.
He also acknowledged the visionary work of his predecessor, Mgr Emmanuel Bushu.
Transformation to Minor Basilica
Bishop Michael Bibi revealed that the Buea Diocese will request the Pope to transform the Cathedral into a Minor Basilica.
As the oldest Diocese in Cameroon, he argued that Buea deserves to have a Basilica.
In the Catholic world, a Basilica is a church building that has received special privileges from the pope.
The Vatican considers Basilicas as international centers of worship.
To become a Basilica, a church building must be renowned for its design, historical value, architectural and artistic worth, or renowned as a center of worship.
The inauguration of the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral coincided with two events: the 75th anniversary of Buea Diocese and the 48th Annual Seminar of Bishops.
While the anniversary comes up in May this year, the Bishops’ seminar is already going on in Buea.
