Church Officials in Cameroon Say Bishop Murdered by Gay Priests

A church official in Cameroon claimed another bishop who died did not die by suicide as police have argued but was killed by gay priests.

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Bishop Jean Marie Benoit Bala

Monsignor Joseph Akonga Essomba made his accusation while preaching at a memorial Mass for Bishop Jean Marie Benoit Bala, who led the Diocese of Bafia, reported Crux.

Akonga said the “Catholic Church has come under attack,” both by government officials who had Benoit “brutally murdered” and the gay priests who informed on him:

“‘Shame to all those people in black suits and black spectacles [government officials] always sitting in the front rows of the Church. . .Shame to all those priests who have come here, pretending to sympathize. These are the people who killed our bishop, because he said ‘no’ to the homosexuality perpetrated by those priests.'”

Benoit’s body was found in a river, a few miles downstream from his car which was parked on a bridge and had a note inside that said, “I am in the water.” Government officials and foreign experts all concluded through an extensive investigation that included forensic evidence that the bishop drowned, potentially as a suicide.

Cameroon’s bishops have rejected these findings, as have many Catholics. Bishop George Nkuo said:

“‘The same reasons for which Christ was crucified apply to the killing of the bishop. . .He was killed because he stood for the truth. Any pastor, any bishop, any priest who stands for the truth should be ready to face the sword. It’s a beautiful way to die.'”

Bishop Sosthéne Léopold Bayemi of Obala said Benoit’s death proved that the church “will always resist the forces of evil,” while Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala, who heads the National Episcopal Conference, said the government should be truthful about who really killed Benoit.

The hierarchy’s rhetoric is highly dangerous and reckless.  Since no one has presented any evidence for the involvement of gay priests in Benoit’s death, the accusation smacks of the lowest kind of scapegoating.  Serious consequences to LGBT people and to priests can result because of such rhetoric.

There is a complete lack of concern for the dignity of such populations when bishops should be especially concerned with marginalized populations. If there are legitimate questions about the government’s investigations, the bishops should present facts, not accusations against an already stigmatized group.

Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon, and some human rights group say it is the most aggressive nation in the world enforcing a gay criminalization law. Targeting gay priests for committing violence greatly increases the stigmas about and potential violence against LGBT people in general.

The bishops can correct their dangerous rhetoric if they retract their claims about gay involvement in Benoit’s death and make a positive statement about showing “respect, compassion, and sensitivity” for LGBT people. This case is also a powerful reminder of how a strong statement from Pope Francis condemning criminalization laws and violence against LGBT people could be. It is time for both Cameroon’s bishops and Pope Francis to speak out.

Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry, August 13, 2017

 

 

7 replies
  1. John Hilgeman
    John Hilgeman says:

    This sounds like claims blaming witches for deaths and diseases, or like claims from televangelists blaming gay people for murders and other disasters.

    Reply
  2. Friends
    Friends says:

    This has got to be one of the weirdest and most deeply disturbing news items I’ve seen at the Bondings site in recent memory. Where do we go with a narrative like this, if it’s seemingly possible that priests are accused — rightly or wrongly — of murdering their own bishop and making it appear to be a suicide? This is like something out of the deep Middle Ages, Where, and when, will this hate-driven madness end? I’m totally flummoxed, and bereft of reasonable explanations.

    Reply
  3. Don Siegal
    Don Siegal says:

    Church Officials in Cameroon Say Bishop Murdered by Gay Priests

    Concerning the trueness of these events: This story is corroborated by two reliable independent news sources. Bondings 2.0 sites one—Crux, a respected Catholic international publication “Cleric alleges Cameroon bishop killed for resisting gay priests.”
    https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/08/05/cleric-alleges-cameroon-bishop-killed-resisting-gay-priests/

    The second source is the secular Washington Blade, covering LGBT news since 1969, “Cameroon monsignor accuses gay priests of killing bishop.”

    http://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/08/07/cameroon-monsignor-accuses-gay-priests-killing-bishop/

    None of these organizations would risk the damage to their reputation by reporting false news. Each of these independent reports are original; there has been no copy and paste of the contents by any of the contributors. I fully trust that these events took place.

    Reply
  4. Loretta
    Loretta says:

    I am dumbfounded by thus wild story…and on the heels of the white supremacist hatred and violence in Charlottesville.

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] Que la situación de las personas LGTB en África no es buena es bien conocido. Que las iglesias cristianas en general juegan un papel negativo también. Aún así, siguen llegando noticias que logran sorprendernos. Como lo sucedido en Camerún, donde un obispo ha muerto en extrañas circunstancias, y sin tener prueba alguna desde los púlpitos otro obispo ha culpado a los sacerdotes homosexuales. […]

  2. […] 2.0 reported about church officials in Cameroon who claimed gay priests murdered a bishop who had been found dead in a river near his home. The officials’ strikingly harsh statements […]

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