Cameroon mourns death of Cardinal Tumi
The Catholic Church in Cameroon mourns the passing away of Christian Cardinal Tumi.
His death was announced during Saturday morning Prayers by the Archbishop of Douala, Samuel Kleda. The prelate died Friday night breaking Saturday April 3, 2021 in Douala from an illness in a clinic in the economic capital.
Report shows he had recently appeared quite weak during a traditional ceremony.
The Douala cathedral was swamped by the congregation to confirm the news. Emotions have been pouring since the announcement of the death.
“This man had the ability to get the best out of people, he was an extreme diplomat and psychological person. He proved it time and again and in the contributions he made in the crises that are currently raging in the two Anglophone regions, he proved it,” expressed Cedric Ndzi, a Christian.
The cardinal played an active role in the Major National Dialogue organised in 2019 to resolve the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West regions.
“The memories that I have of the Cardinal in particular is the fact that he was very active in promoting peace in this country, “ according to _Kondjoua Jaccque Daniel, a catholique church adherant.
“Even when you don’t listen to people, when you step back a bit on the day they leave, you understand the message they wanted to convey. His underlying message was about peace. He always wanted peace and it was very important to him that peace is restored in NOSO.
The death of the prelate has been described by many as a great loss to the nation given his constant quest for justice and truth.
“I can tell you that he is really a holy man. I have known him and talked with him a lot, we used to visit each other regularly because we know each other very well, he is a very endearing man and very much in love with peace for his country,” says Paul Ngatsi, a friend of the cardinal.
His forthright approach to pursuing long-term solutions to the conflict contributed to his abduction and subsequent release by separatist fighters in the North West region.
Suzan O /AFN
