Installation of the new Bishop of the Diocese of Buea
By Harry McYemti on Assignment in Small Soppo, Buea, Cameroon
The inThe installation of the new bishop of the Diocese of Buea,stallation of the new Bishop of the Diocese of Buea, His lordship Immanuel Balanjo Bushu, took place last Tuesday, January 30, 2007. The installation which came exactly 60 days after his appointment on November 30, 2006, took place during a pontifical Holy Mass presided by the Apostolic Pro-nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, at the ordination ground of Regina Pacis Cathedral Small-Soppo, Buea. More than 18 bishops and 50 priests assisted in the high mass.
Prior to the installation, the new Bishop of Buea arrived the provincial capital and was received at the Mungo Bridge on January 28, 2007, at about 3pm by Christians, as well as priests of the Diocese of Buea. After an introduction at the Bongo Square to some political personalities, Bishop Bushu was escorted to the Bishop’s House, at Small-Soppo in a convoy led by police van.
Born on the July 31, 1944, in Bui division, Northwest province, of Cameroon, Monsignor Immanuel Bushu, undertook his primary education at Kumbo and Nkar Districts in his native village from 1953-60, and proceeded to Cameroon's prestigious St. Joseph's College Sasse, Buea, in January 1961. In September 1965 Mgr Bushu gained admission into the minor seminary Enugu in eastern Nigeria, but transfered in 1968 to the St. Peter and Paul seminary at Ibadan in Western Nigeria due to the Nigerian civil war. He completed his pastoral training in December 1972 from Ibadan, with a diploma in Theology. A year later he was ordained into priesthood at Nkar, Northwest Province of Cameroon.
After his ordination, he worked in Widikum and Bishop Rogan College Soppo, Buea, from September 1977-1980. From September 1982 to June 1984, Mgr Bushu read philosophy at the pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy, where he obtained a Doctorate Degree in Philosophy. There after he served as training and teaching staff at the St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Bambui and on December 1, 1990, the man of God was appointed rector of the same seminary. Two years later Mgr Immanuel Bushu, was appointed Bishop of Yagoua, in the Far North Province of Cameroon where
he worked for 14 years before his transfer to the Diocese of Buea.
He takes over from Mgr. Pius Suh Awa, as the fourth residential Bishop of Buea. Bishop Pius. S. Awa, who until January 30, 2007 remained Apostolic Administrator of Buea Diocese, had on January 1, 2007, written a pastoral letter where he addressed his gratitude to all the priests, religious and Christian lay faithful in the Diocese of Buea for their collaboration during his 33 yeas of service and called on them to collaborate with the new Bishop.
It should be recalled that on Thursday, November 30, 2006, on the day of the feast of the Apostle Andrew, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Mgr Pius S. Awa’s resignation letter as Bishop of Buea, which was written on July 21, 2005. The resignation letter was in accordance with canon 401 paragraph 1 of the code of canon law which states that “A diocesan Bishop who has completed his seventy fifth (75) year of age is requested to offer his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who taking all circumstances into account, will make provision accordingly.” It was on the same Thursday, November 30, 2006, that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, appointed Bishop Immanuel Bushu of the Diocese of Yagoua, as the new Bishop of Buea. Many consider his appointment a great milestone in the life of the Diocese of Buea.
The Roman Catholic Church –the largest branch of Christianity has about 1.1billion baptized members around the globe. And this figure is expected to increase, with rapid growth of the church in Africa and Asia. The Americans have the lion’s share of baptized Catholics with 49.8% (approx 541m), Europe accounts for 25.8% (approx 282m), Africa has 13.2% (approx 143m), Asia 10.4% (approx 113m) and Oceania has 0.8% (approx 9m) of the total population.
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